Entering the Dao Part 1

Yu Zhen felt like he had become a seed, held aloft in mid-air by a hazy mist, not knowing where he was drifting.

'I want to go to that person's side.'

With this vague thought in his mind, he drifted and drifted. The mist grew thicker, and his consciousness faded away with it.

At the bottom of an abyss filled with poisonous insects and Baleful Qi, a gaunt man covered in festering wounds lay prone in a corner. The Spiritual Qi in his body slowly dissipated, while the surrounding Baleful Qi swirled around him, making him look like a ghost.

Suddenly, the sound of wind arose. In this Hell of Misery and Suffering, which Cultivators avoided like the plague, a second living person had actually appeared.

Hearing the movement, the gaunt man struggled to lift his head. Although his Dantian was shattered and his cultivation completely lost, with his days clearly numbered, his eyes were bright and clear. He raised his head to stare fixedly at the newcomer, parted his lips, and asked in a voice hoarse and unpleasant from long disuse, "Who are you?"

The newcomer was a man with a slender figure, dressed in a long white robe.

Due to his limited perspective, the gaunt man couldn't see the man's face, only the hem of his robe fluttering slightly as he approached.

"And who are you?"

The newcomer didn't answer, but asked a question in return. His calm and slightly cool voice spread out slowly, seeming to disperse some of the omnipresent Baleful Qi in this Hell of Misery and Suffering.

The act of raising his head seemed to have exhausted the gaunt man's last ounce of strength. He lowered his head and lay back down, closing his eyes slightly. With a self-deprecating smile, he said, "As you can see... just a dying man, that's all."

A warm Spiritual Qi slowly enveloped him. The white-robed man drew closer. His voice was still calm, but the Spiritual Qi he released and the words he spoke ignited the hidden desire to live and the unwillingness to die in the gaunt man's heart.

"An encounter is Karma. I can grant you one request. What do you desire?"

Strength suddenly returned to his body. The gaunt man lifted his head again, and this time, he finally saw the white-robed man's face clearly. He reached out a bloodstained hand, grabbed the corner of the man's robe embroidered with exquisite runes, and looked into his eyes, which were devoid of joy or sorrow yet held a hint of tolerance and compassion. A raging flame of vengeance ignited in his own eyes as he gritted his teeth and said, "To live! I want... to live!"

The white-robed man looked at the Baleful Qi that suddenly surged around him, lowered his eyes to conceal all emotion, and bent down, extending a hand toward him.

"Fine... I grant your wish."

Whether you become an immortal or a demon, as long as you wish to live, I will grant it.

'Xiao Zhen, live on. Live a good life.'

'Our fates are connected. We live and die together. Yu Zhen, live on. Don't give up on yourself.'

'Xiao Zhen... life is still long.'

"He has clearly reincarnated, so why is this Baleful Qi..."

"Meow."

The dense fog dispersed, revealing a brilliant field of flowers. The seed floating in mid-air drifted down to the ground and settled itself peacefully into the soil.

Sunlight shone on his face. Yu Zhen comfortably snuggled against the warm, solid body in front of him and groggily opened his eyes.

"Morning. Congratulations on Entering the Dao."

Early morning, a handsome man, limbs intertwined... naked.

Yu Zhen's half-open eyes shot wide open. Like a startled rabbit, he sprang to the other side of the bed, taking the blanket with him and directly exposing Yin Yan's alluring, half-uncovered body to the air.

"You, I... We..."

He pointed a trembling finger at Yin Yan, his ears beet red and his mind blank.

"You suddenly entered a meditative state last night. After spending forty-nine days in the pagoda, you successfully entered the Dao this morning. The impurities expelled from your body soiled your clothes, so I helped you take them off."

Yin Yan explained with a calm face. He sat up unhurriedly, slowly adjusted his pajamas, got out of bed, put on his slippers, and turned his head to look at him, adding, "Although Entering the Dao was completed inside Xu Wu's body, and the time spent is not equivalent to the outside world, Xu Wu's power is still weak. Forty-nine days inside the pagoda is one week outside. Get up and wash. It's time to go home and let them know we're safe."

Entering the Dao? Forty-nine days? Inside Xu Wu's body? Inside the pagoda, outside the pagoda? What was all this?

Yu Zhen was completely bewildered. He had only slept for a night, yet he felt like he couldn't understand this world anymore.

An hour later, the two of them were sitting in the Yin Family living room, facing a dual interrogation from Chou Feiqian and Yin Hexiang.

"Why didn't you say anything when you changed your phone? We couldn't reach you by phone, and no one answered the door when we went to your community. Mom was so worried she was about to call the police!" Chou Feiqian looked a little haggard, clearly not having rested well during this time. "I mean, you two, if you go out to have fun, that's fine, but how could you leave without a word? You two are really..."

"I'm sorry for making you worry." Yu Zhen bowed his head and obediently admitted his mistake, feeling extremely guilty.

The main responsibility for this disappearance was all his. If he hadn't suddenly entered a meditative state, Yin Yan wouldn't have immediately taken him into the pagoda, so rushed that he didn't even have time to call home.

"Outrageous!" Yin Hexiang began to scold.

Hearing this, Yu Zhen bowed his head even lower and apologized again, "I'm sorry."

Chou Feiqian's anger subsided. She turned and slapped his arm, saying, "You're a grown man, what are you doing scaring a child!"

"I meant Yin Yan is outrageous!" Yin Hexiang retorted. He looked at Yin Yan, opening his mouth to continue the scolding, but a glimpse of Yu Zhen's head-bowed, apologetic appearance made him swallow his words. He stood up and said, "Follow me to the study!"

Yu Zhen stood up to follow but was pushed back down by Yin Yan.

"He's not talking to you." After pushing him down, Yin Yan stood up and looked at Chou Feiqian. "Mom, Dad and I are going to the study for a chat. Yu Zhen hasn't had breakfast yet. Please ask Housekeeper Hu to make him something."

"You rascal..." Chou Feiqian was so choked by his unapologetic and self-righteous attitude that she also wanted to scold him for being outrageous. But her gaze fell on Yu Zhen, and she quickly swallowed her words. After glaring at him a few times, she said, "I know, hurry up and go! Don't keep your dad waiting."

Soon, only Yu Zhen and Chou Feiqian were left in the living room. Yu Zhen opened his mouth to apologize again, but Chou Feiqian quickly waved her hand, sighed with a mixture of amusement and helplessness, and pulled him up. "Why are you such an honest child... never mind, never mind, as long as you're okay. Come on, let's go have breakfast."

Given the severity of this "disappearance" incident, after scolding his son, Yin Hexiang waved his hand and ended Yin Yan's recuperation period. He directly assigned the Chengxi Themed Leisure Center project to him and ordered him to report to the head office next Monday.

"If you can't produce results, don't even think about coming to the head office again. Go start your own business!"

Leaving behind these harsh words, Yin Hexiang coolly left for work. Chou Feiqian then also pulled Yu Zhen out the door to buy New Year's goods.

Yin Yan stood at the doorway, a gust of cold wind hitting his face as Chou Feiqian shut the door.

Yin Le popped out from a corner at the right moment, adding insult to injury, "Big brother, how come you didn't go with them?"

Yin Yan turned his head to look at him, still with a calm expression, and said nothing.

"..."

Yin Le suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck. He ducked his head and scurried away.

At the supermarket, Yu Zhen finally witnessed firsthand the spectacle Yin Le had described of Chou Feiqian being unable to stop once she started shopping. He followed behind Chou Feiqian, pushing a cart, his face a mask of astonishment the entire time.

Completely different from other families buying New Year's goods, Chou Feiqian only looked at food and supplements the entire time, not even glancing at anything else. But even so, she still filled two whole carts.

"This should be enough for now. Xiao Zhang, Old He, take these to the car. You don't need to follow us after this. Just leave one car, I'm taking Xiao Zhen to the mall for a bit."

At Chou Feiqian's command, the two drivers who had followed them responded, briskly pushing the paid-for goods away and leaving behind a set of car keys.

Only then did Yu Zhen realize that another car had been following them when they left the house. He also understood why Chou Feiqian had specifically called for the drivers to drive before they left.

"Mom, you're still going to the mall?" Yu Zhen asked with a tremor, a bad premonition creeping into his heart.

Chou Feiqian looked at him as if it were the most natural thing in the world and said, "A new year, a new look. You can't wear old clothes. Besides, you seem to have grown a little taller, so your old clothes probably don't fit well anymore. Mom is going to buy you some new ones."

Grown taller?

Yu Zhen froze. He belatedly looked down at himself and realized he really did seem to be a little taller, but only a tiny bit, which he could only tell from his slightly shorter pant legs.

But he hadn't expected Chou Feiqian to have actually noticed.

"It's perfect, Xiao Le has also grown taller, and Xiao Yan's health has recovered a bit... There's a lot to buy, so we have to hurry." As Chou Feiqian spoke, she noticed Yu Zhen staring blankly at her. She poked his forehead amusingly and asked with a laugh, "What, are you scared? Don't want to go shopping with Mom anymore?"

"No." Yu Zhen snapped back to reality, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed. His heart felt warm, and he replied with a smile, "Of course not... Mom, let me drive. You can rest for a while."

After Entering the Dao, not only did Yu Zhen grow a little taller, but because his body had been cleansed by Spiritual Qi and Merit, his skin also improved, and his eyes became much brighter. His entire aura became gentle and soft, his immaturity fading away, replaced by a touch of mature elegance.

His smile dazzled Chou Feiqian for a moment. When she came to her senses, her mood inexplicably improved. Looking at his clean and handsome appearance, she shoved the keys into his hand and said, "Here you go. Then Mom will listen to you and rest for a while."

The two of them ended up shopping until it was dark before heading home.

The moment the gate opened, Yin Yan stepped forward to help with their things. His gaze swept over Yu Zhen's rosy face, which was still smiling happily, and he asked faintly, "Very happy?"

"Yeah, there was an event at the mall today. It was very lively." Yu Zhen answered while taking off his scarf. After speaking, he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. He clutched his chest in confusion, and when he came to, Yin Yan was gone. He froze for a moment, even more puzzled.

Where did he go? How did he disappear?

"That child, honestly. He ran off after carrying half the things." Chou Feiqian muttered while changing her shoes.

Housekeeper Hu, who had come over to help, couldn't help but chuckle at this. She glanced back at the living room and said in a low voice, "Ma'am, I think the young master is throwing a tantrum. After you and Young Master Yu left this morning, he was sitting in the living room the whole time, holding a tablet, but he didn't even swipe it once for a long time. I think he was waiting for you. And as soon as you came back, he threw the tablet on the sofa."

Chou Feiqian looked in the direction Housekeeper Hu was pointing and saw a lone tablet indeed lying on the sofa. She instantly felt a mix of pity and amusement.

"If he wanted to come with us, he should have just said so. It's not like we wouldn't have taken him. When did he become so clingy and childish?" After saying this, she turned her head to look at Yu Zhen, gave him a gentle nudge, and teased, "Quick, go comfort your childish husband."

Hu-husband?

Yu Zhen nearly choked on his own saliva. He was so embarrassed that his head was about to steam. Not daring to linger, he mumbled a response and followed the sounds coming from the kitchen.

Yin Yan came out carrying two cups of tea and met Yu Zhen at the kitchen doorway, blocking each other's path.

"Are you... unhappy?" Yu Zhen stepped back slightly, asking cautiously as he carefully observed his expression.

Yin Yan looked down at him without answering, instead lowering his head to get closer.

'Kiss me.'

"What?" Yu Zhen froze.

'Mom's peeking.'

"..."

The two had a battle of gazes. Yin Yan's eyes were calm, his expression righteous, as if he was only making this request to reassure their elder and make her happy.

Having entered the Dao, Yu Zhen's mind was a little sharper. He reacted quickly, stepping back and to the side, then suddenly moved in, tilting his head up toward Yin Yan's face. But he stopped just before their lips could meet. After a two-second pause, he pulled back and reached for the tray in his hands.