Chapter Seventeen: That House No Longer Needs to Be Sold

“Stop playing and come help Mom with dinner.”

A burst of footsteps echoed at the doorway...

Before long, Tan Qiuyi returned, her face adorned with a gentle smile. She had gone out to return the Spirit Nourishing Incense to Qin Shuang and must have stopped by the market as well. Her left hand carried a large carp, its tail thrashing impatiently—still alive. Her right hand held a transparent bag filled with large bones, scraps of fresh red meat still clinging stubbornly to them.

For a moment, Xiao Nan couldn’t tell what kind of meat these bones belonged to—he only knew they were big. In this world, ever since spatial rifts linked it to other realms, not only had the concentration of vital energy changed, but the laws of matter and the variety of living beings had mutated dramatically. The wild creatures Xiao Nan once knew—tigers, lions—were no longer kings of beasts; new, ferocious monsters had emerged, some slipping in from other worlds, others evolving locally, all brimming with savage hostility.

Xiao Nan had always muddled through biology class. He could recognize living beasts, but once they died and only bones remained, he couldn’t tell one from another.

Seeing Tan Qiuyi return, the little girl quickly put down her wooden sword and ran over, laughing, “Ah, we’re having carp today! I want it braised. That bone soup can go to Xiao Nan—I won’t fight over it.”

She snatched up the carp, got slapped a few times by its tail without a care, and dashed toward the kitchen.

“All right, as you wish,” Tan Qiuyi replied with a smiling squint. Seeing Xiao Bei dart off, she hurriedly called, “Slow down, don’t trip!”

She shook her head inwardly, sighing that her daughter failed to recognize true treasures. Those bones were worth far more than the fish—they were from a ferocious beast hunted by martial artists outside the city. Compared to ordinary farmed meat, the blood and bones of these beasts contained the energy of heaven and earth, immensely beneficial for strengthening one’s vitality.

If they bought meat every day, the household couldn’t afford it. Buying beast bones for soup every few days, paired with Vitality Pills, could help Xiao Nan build his body. Other families preparing for the martial arts college entrance exam had strong, robust children, their blood and energy abundant... Yet for some reason, her own son was always thin, even more slender than the girls.

“What are you standing there for?”

Tan Qiuyi frowned, sensing something odd in her son’s demeanor. She paused and asked quietly, “Are you still thinking about that Spirit Nourishing Incense? Nan-nan, that belongs to someone else. If you accept it, you’ll feel indebted forever.”

“I know,” Xiao Nan replied awkwardly.

I wasn’t thinking about that.

“What do you know? Listen to your mother—she’s right. Girls who are too strong aren’t good. Qin Shuang may be outstanding in every way—looks, talent, everything—but precisely because of that, she’s not suitable for you. You won’t be able to handle her... If you’re to marry, you’d be better off with someone gentle.

And besides, setting aside the matter of marrying into a higher family, I heard the Qin family plans to marry her off to someone of equal status. That way, once she’s gone, she loses her inheritance rights, and her cousins get their chance.

We don’t need to get involved in this mess and invite trouble.”

“All right, let’s not talk about this,” Xiao Nan said, feeling embarrassed. Discussing his marriage face-to-face, as if he were a child needing constant reminders—he wasn’t used to it.

Can I tell you I haven’t been a child for a long time?

He wanted to protest, but from deep within his physical memory came a wave of warmth, as if he truly savored this care.

Fine, nothing more needs to be said—just listen.

Tan Qiuyi didn’t mind what Xiao Nan was thinking. She swiftly washed the bones, dropped them into a pot of water to stew, and nudged her lips toward the siblings, signaling them to kill the fish.

As she prepared the seasonings, she added thoughtfully, “Nan-nan, don’t worry about your mental cultivation. This garden house of ours sells well and is worth a good sum. I’ve already contacted a realtor these past days. We still need to buy Spirit Nourishing Incense—it can’t wait and risk your exam...”

“Mom!”

With a splash, the little girl, ears perked, was startled by these words and lost her grip on the fish, which fell into the basin and sent water flying. “Sell the house? Where would we live?”

“You silly child, let’s deal with your brother’s college entrance first. Once he gets into a martial arts university and becomes a martial artist, what’s a house? Didn’t your father earn it easily back then?”

“But...”

“No buts. Houses can be bought again, but missing the critical time to lay a foundation is a real problem.

Writers may be poor, but martial artists need wealth. Those who get into top martial arts universities—who doesn’t eat beast meat, burn Soul Nurturing Incense? Some even eat Vitality Pills like meals.

Our family isn’t as well-off, but we must do our best.”

Seeing Xiao Bei still pouting unhappily, Tan Qiuyi softened her tone. “And Xiao Bei, in a couple of years you’ll be in high school, too. That’ll be another big expense—spiritual cultivation, strengthening blood—every bit costs money. We have to sell the house.”

“Mom...”

Xiao Nan’s face twisted in conflict. That single word came out painfully, yet strangely, he felt relieved, as if something deep inside him had been let go, his mind suddenly clear.

“We don’t need to rush selling the house. It’s easy to sell, but buying another in such a good location would be hard.”

Some things Xiao Nan understood—Tan Qiuyi and Xiao Bei had never truly accepted that Xiao Zhenjiang had died in the other world, always hoping he might return someday.

If their father came back and found their home gone, what would he think?

This was also why the little girl felt so sad.

He forced a cheerful smile and said, “Mom, don’t worry about my studies. Actually, I broke through in my mental visualization long ago. I can already achieve Mind-Body Tempering—a martial arts university is no problem. I wanted to surprise you, but it seems I’ve let it slip early.”

Xiao Nan shook his head, feigning reluctance.

“Really?” The little girl’s tears were still swirling in her eyes, but she suddenly looked up, jumped into Xiao Nan’s arms, and asked, “Then we don’t need to sell the house?”

“Really, no need. I don’t need the money, and when you get to high school, I’ll be a martial artist—I’ll earn plenty. You can eat Vitality Pills as snacks if you want.” Xiao Nan rubbed his sister’s fluffy head, giving her a definite answer.

“Xiao Nan, then I’ll teach you swordsmanship later and won’t get impatient!” The little girl grinned brightly and went back to catching the fish.

Could you not bring that up?

Xiao Nan rolled his eyes, silently took the fish and knife, and skillfully gutted and scaled it, not wanting to say anything more.

Talent, ah, talent—this was indeed a dilemma.

His mental cultivation had improved, though he wasn’t sure what stage he was at. Ever since acquiring the golden thread markings, Xiao Nan could feel he was not inferior to his classmates.

That cluster of golden threads was still working within him. Once he fully adapted, he’d try the visualization technique again. He was sure he’d reach deep meditative realms, enough to sustain Mind-Body Tempering.

Once his spirit was strengthened, his vitality would soar, giving him influence over his own blood circulation—the essence of Mind-Body Tempering.

Blood guided by intent, strengthening body and mind...

In Xiao Nan’s understanding, cultivation in his previous life was strictly materialist—tempering the real, powerful flesh, without any mystical elements.

But here, mental energy—an intangible, idealistic force—had been introduced, and the path forward finally opened wide...

Spirit influencing matter, evolving the way of bodily cultivation, and the sky and sea stretched out before him, boundless and bright.

At the high school, teachers repeated daily that students aspiring to martial arts should strive to break through mentally early—how far one went on the martial path depended on it.

Students who could achieve deep meditation, unless their families were destitute and lacked nutrition, usually saw their vitality values soar.

Before eighteen, reaching a blood index of 3.0 was achievable.

Such students—if not aiming for top universities—could easily meet the threshold for regular martial arts universities.

Of course, the original Xiao Nan couldn’t meditate at all—he couldn’t even quiet his thoughts. Mind-Body Tempering was just a pose, with no practical effect.

His physical vitality was tested recently at school.

If a normal person’s value was 1.0, his was around 1.2 to 1.3...

Slightly stronger than someone who’d never studied martial arts—he could kill a chicken, butcher a fish, but wasn’t truly useless.

In this case, there was only one way to describe it: poor aptitude.

To get into an ordinary martial arts university, gain resources, and pursue further study, he was still about 1.8 points of blood short.

Before, this was an unsolvable problem.

Even if Tan Qiuyi decided to sell the house and spend a fortune on second-tier Soul Strengthening Pills and Spirit Nourishing Pills, there was no guarantee of reaching the goal.

But times had changed. After his mental breakthrough and with the experience of his previous life’s cultivation, he was confident about the entrance exam.

What he’d said before wasn’t just comforting words for Tan Qiuyi.