Chapter 24 — The Single Peach and The Missing Scholar
The Joint Cultivation
The next morning, the winter sun struggled to pierce through the thick gray clouds. The air was biting cold, the kind that freezes breath in your throat.
Inside the Long family courtyard, the smell of cow dung was thick and heavy. It was a disgusting scent to anyone passing by, but to Long Tan, it was the smell of safety. Beneath that filth, a miracle was waiting to happen.
Long Tan and Su Lan stood over the three dung-covered mounds they had prepared the night before.
"Watch my hands," Long Tan instructed softly. "You have the energy inside you now. You just need to learn how to move it."
He placed his large, calloused palms over the mound where the Blood-Clotting Grass seed was buried. He didn't touch the dirt; he hovered just an inch above it.
"Don't just push the energy out," Long Tan explained, his voice calm. "If you push too hard, you will burn the seed. You must be gentle. Imagine you are the morning sun warming a cold stone. Consistent. Warm. Alive."
Su Lan nodded, her face serious. She knelt beside him over the Iron-Vine patch. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
Sun-Moon Breath.
Long Tan watched her carefully. After a few seconds, he saw it. A faint, shimmering heat began to rise from her palms. It wasn't as explosive as his power, but it was gentle and steady, like a slow-burning candle. The Spirit Peach Tea and the high-grade meat had truly awakened her potential.
"Good," Long Tan whispered. "Guide it into the soil. Turn the dead earth into Vital Soil."
They worked together in silence for an hour. The steam rose from the piles as the frost on the dung melted completely. The soil beneath stopped being frozen mud and transformed. It became warm, rich, and dark, humming with a low-grade energy that only they could sense.
The Water Line
Long Tan stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Even in winter, using Qi was hard work.
"They are thirsty," Long Tan noted, looking at the steaming earth. "Vital Soil drinks water like a beast. If we don't feed it, the seeds will dry out."
He looked at the water buckets near the door. He couldn't carry twenty buckets a day from the river without raising suspicion. The neighbors would wonder why a hunter needed so much water in the dead of winter.
He looked over the wooden fence.
A sturdy man in his thirties was walking by, carrying a heavy bundle of firewood on his shoulder. It was Zhang, Long Tan's neighbor. They had grown up in the village together.
"Zhang!" Long Tan called out.
Zhang stopped and turned. He grinned when he saw Long Tan, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Long Tan! By the gods, what is that smell? Are you burying a dead cow in there?"
"Just farming," Long Tan laughed, walking to the gate. "Zhang, I need a favor. I need to run a bamboo line from the runoff stream behind the village well to my wall. My 'vegetables' need constant water."
"A water line?" Zhang scratched his chin, looking at the distance. "That's easy work. I have some split bamboo in my yard left over from fixing my roof."
"I'll pay you 5 Coppers," Long Tan offered.
"Keep your money," Zhang waved his hand, acting offended. "We are neighbors. Just give me a good cut of meat next time you hunt a boar. My little girl loves the fat."
"Deal," Long Tan smiled.
Zhang hopped the fence easily—he was a fit man, a laborer who worked hard every day. Together, they spent the next hour setting up a series of split bamboo poles. They created a hidden, gravity-fed channel that directed water from the stream straight into Long Tan's trenches.
"Let it flow," Long Tan commanded.
The water trickled down the bamboo, splashing softly into the garden. It soaked the dung-covered mounds, disappearing into the earth. The Vital Soil drank greedily.
The Single Spirit Fruit
After Zhang left to tend to his own chores, Long Tan turned back to the Spirit Peach Tree.
He froze. His eyes widened.
On the withered, black branches that looked dead to the world, a single spot of color had appeared.
Hidden high up near the trunk, shielded by a twisted branch, was a Peach.
It wasn't large—about the size of a fist—but it was beautiful. It was pale pink and glowed softly, like a lantern in the gray morning.
"A fruit," Su Lan gasped, walking up behind him. "It bore fruit in winter?"
"The Sun-Moon energy," Long Tan realized, staring at it. "We have been feeding the soil near it. The tree is old; it couldn't make many fruits. So, it concentrated all its power into just one."
He reached up and plucked it. The peach was warm to the touch.
He looked at Little San. The boy was sitting on the porch, watching them with wide, hungry eyes. He could smell the sweet energy coming from the fruit.
"Little San," Long Tan called.
The boy ran over, his small feet pattering on the frozen ground.
"Eat this," Long Tan handed him the glowing fruit. "But listen to me. This is not normal food. As soon as you eat it, your stomach will burn. You must practice the stance I showed you immediately. Do not stop moving. Do you understand?"
Little San nodded seriously. "I understand, Papa."
He took the fruit with both hands and took a big bite. Juice ran down his chin. He ate it ravenously, finishing it in three huge bites.
Suddenly, Little San's face turned bright red. Steam began to rise from the top of his head.
"Hot!" Little San yelped, clutching his stomach. "It burns!"
"Move!" Long Tan commanded sharply. "Horse Stance! Punch! Absorb the energy! Don't let it sit!"
Little San gritted his teeth. He dropped into a squat, his legs shaking. He punched the air. Ha! Ha!
The energy from the Spirit Peach rampaged through his small body. It was cleansing his veins, strengthening his bones, and burning away impurities. It hurt, but he didn't cry. He channeled the pain into his fists.
After thirty minutes of non-stop punching, Little San collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. His clothes were soaked in sweat.
But when he looked up, his eyes were clear and sharp. His skin looked tougher, glowing with health.
"I feel... good," Little San whispered, clenching his small fist. "I feel strong inside. Like a fire is burning in my belly."
The Respect of the Village
"Good," Long Tan patted his son's head with pride. "Rest now. I have business to do."
Long Tan washed the dirt off his hands and walked out of the gate. He headed toward the east side of the village, where the Village Scholar lived.
As he walked down the snowy main street, the atmosphere in the village changed.
Usually, the villagers ignored the poor hunter. They looked down on him. But today, heads turned.
"That's Long Tan..." a woman whispered to her neighbor.
"I heard he deals with the Yan Merchant now. Big money."
"He looks different. Taller."
Long Tan walked with the confidence of a man who had 550 Jin of strength. He didn't hunch his shoulders to hide from the cold anymore. He walked with a straight back, his steps heavy and assured.
A group of village gossips who usually blocked the road stepped out of his way hurriedly. Their eyes held a mix of fear and respect.
In this world, money and strength were the only things that changed how people looked at you. And Long Tan now had both.
The Missing Scholar
Long Tan arrived at Scholar Lee's house. It was a neat wooden cabin, far cleaner than the rest of the village.
Long Tan knocked on the door.
Silence.
He knocked again, harder.
A neighbor woman poked her head out of the house next door. "He is not home, Hunter Long."
"Where is he?" Long Tan asked, frowning.
"He went to the County Town," the woman explained. "He went to buy new books and visit relatives for the New Year. He won't be back for weeks. Maybe a month."
Long Tan stood there, staring at the closed door. "A month..."
He touched the silver hidden in his pocket. He was finally ready to pay. He finally had the means to change his son's fate. But the teacher was gone.
The Return
Long Tan walked back home, feeling a bit disappointed.
But when he entered his courtyard, the disappointment faded. He saw a peaceful scene.
Su Lan was sitting cross-legged near the Peach Tree. She was cultivating the Sun-Moon Refining Technique. Her breathing was steady, and she was absorbing the ambient Qi from the air. She looked serene, no longer just a tired housewife, but a budding martial artist.
In the corner, Little San was playing with Zhang's daughter, a little girl with pigtails who had come over. They were playing tag.
Little San was moving noticeably faster than her. His movements were sharp, energetic, and explosive. The Spirit Peach had given him a base that no other child in the village had.
"Tan?" Su Lan opened her eyes as he latched the gate. "Did you find him?"
Long Tan shook his head. "Scholar Lee is not home. He went to the town. He won't be back for weeks."
He looked at Little San.
"San! Come here."
The boy ran over, stopping instantly. He looked worried. "Do I have to go to school, Papa?"
"Not yet," Long Tan sighed. "The Scholar is gone."
Little San's face lit up with a huge grin. He jumped into the air and pumped his small fist.
"Yes!" Little San cheered. "I don't want to read! Reading is boring! I want to train! I want to be strong like you!"
Long Tan chuckled, watching his son shadow-box the air with clumsy but powerful punches.
"You will learn to read eventually, brat," Long Tan laughed. "But for the next few weeks... fine. We focus on the fist."
He looked at the peaceful yard. His friend Zhang had helped with the water. His wife was cultivating. His son was growing strong.
It felt perfect.
But deep in the back of his mind, Long Tan knew this peace was fragile. The Scholar was gone, but the Wolf from the City was coming.
[Author's Note]
📝 Chapter Stats:
Family Status:
Su Lan: Cultivating Sun-Moon Breath. 🧘♀️
Little San: Consumed Spirit Peach (Constitution +1). 🍑⚡
Base: Water Line built. Vital Soil active. 💧
Objective: Scholar Missing. Focus shifts to Combat Training. ⚔️
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See you in Chapter 25!