Raising Orphans, Not Assassins-Chapter 49Vol. 1 - - Gratitude Value Soars! Internal Energy Cultivated! Danger to Life!
The night grew deeper.
Chen Ye arranged a bed for Sun Sheng beside Da Ming and laid out new bedding for him.
Sun Sheng's eyes were red, filled with tears of gratitude.
After helping Sun Sheng with his washing, Chen Ye took his own bedding and entered the west room.
After Xiao Lian left, it became Chen Ye’s responsibility to watch over Xiao Fu at night.
After soothing Xiao Fu for half an hour, she finally fell asleep, and Chen Ye sighed in relief.
He sat cross-legged on the bed and began practicing internal energy with the Innate Qi Skill mental method.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed when a system prompt suddenly woke him up.
[Ding!]
[Starting daily settlement...]
[You woke up early and made a bowl of white flour dumplings for the children at the Orphanage. The children are deeply grateful, reward 20 points.]
[You sent Xiao Lian out of the city, reward 5 points.]
[You played with Xiao Fu for an entire morning, reward 5 points.]
[Da Ming chopped wood to train his body, his strength has increased!]
[Da Ming rescued someone from the river, his sense of justice has strengthened!]
[Xiao Lian left Yuhang County, traveling with five Gold Medal assassins. She decided to head to the headquarters of Fengyu Tower, her obsession deepening!]
[Xiao Fu slept all afternoon, reward 5 points.]
[The Orphanage has gained another orphan, reward 200 points.]
[You cooked a meal for the new orphan, reward 5 points.]
[Sun Sheng had a hearty meal and is extremely grateful to you, reward 20 points.]
[Sun Sheng volunteered to wash dishes, reward 5 points.]
[You arranged a bed and new bedding for Sun Sheng. He is deeply grateful, reward 10 points.]
[Xiao Lian arrived at the inn, everything went smoothly.]
[Xiao Fu happily fell asleep, reward 10 points. Her happiness has increased!]
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[You cultivated Innate Qi Skill, reward 5 points.]
[Ding!]
Total points earned: 290 points.
Remaining points: 3972.
Chen Ye closed the daily settlement and roughly understood Xiao Lian's movements.
"This child, I hope she remains safe," Chen Ye sighed softly.
Since Xiao Lian had chosen to become an assassin, she had to accept the trials of blood and fire.
[Ding!]
[The gratitude of the orphans, Xiao Lian and Sun Sheng, has increased!]
The system's prompt sounded in his ears again.
An information box popped up in front of Chen Ye.
Orphan: Xiao Lian
Current gratitude: 79%
Orphan: Sun Sheng
Current gratitude: 65%
Seeing the gratitude values, Chen Ye gasped.
"79%, Xiao Lian's gratitude has risen significantly! At this rate, I’ll soon have another chance to draw a Headmaster's skill!"
Chen Ye's eyes brightened, filled with joy.
"Sun Sheng is quite sincere, his gratitude is already at 65%. It’s 5% higher than Da Ming’s."
Chen Ye looked at the two values, feeling very satisfied.
[Ding!]
[Daily task refreshed!]
Current task: Help one orphan establish a future career direction (0/1)
Task rewards: 1000 points, 500 taels of silver, orphan skill draw opportunity x1, special building draw opportunity x1
"It seems the focus now is to help Xiao Sheng establish a career direction."
Chen Ye closed the new task and stroked his chin, suddenly realizing that maybe he didn’t need to intervene too much in Sun Sheng’s career choice.
The Water Ghost Skill would make Sun Sheng naturally inclined to rivers and oceans.
"In a few days, I can take Xiao Sheng to the nearby fishermen’s homes and learn from them."
Chen Ye made a plan in his mind.
He looked at the time with his left hand; it was already past midnight.
"Now might be a good time to try the Star-gazing Room’s divination." Chen Ye was still concerned about Xiao Lian’s safety.
He got off the bed, opened the door, and walked to his bedroom door. Standing outside, he focused his mind.
"System, use the Star-gazing room."
[Ding!]
[Host, you observe the celestial phenomena and understand the movement of the stars. You gain some insights.]
[Ding!]
[From the stars, you learn about the fortune of the Orphanage members on July 9th.]
Xiao Fu: Good, no issues.
Da Ming: Neutral, no issues.
Sun Sheng: Neutral, there is a sign of drowning, but no danger.
Xiao Lian: Bad, fatigued from traveling.
"Thankfully, no one is in danger."
Chen Ye sighed in relief after seeing the divination results.
Chen Ye decided that from now on, he would use daily stargazing to check on the safety of the children in the Orphanage.
Back in his bedroom, Chen Ye sat cross-legged on the bed and continued practicing the Innate Qi Skill.
…
Eight days later.
July 17th.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck..."
The crowing of roosters echoed throughout Yuhang County.
Chen Ye's eyes were tightly shut as he sat cross-legged on the bed, his face showing signs of discomfort.
His face was flushed, and faint wisps of white mist began to rise from the top of his head.
Suddenly, Chen Ye took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and his face instantly returned to normal, no longer red.
The white mist that had been rising from his head gradually dissipated.
Chen Ye exhaled deeply, releasing a visible breath of white air.
The breath was like a long rope, about three inches in length.
After a few breaths, the white mist slowly dissipated in the air.
Feeling the warm flow in his lower abdomen, Chen Ye’s face showed a joyful expression.
"I did it! Daoist... no, Headmaster, I did it!"
After over ten days of cultivation, Chen Ye finally condensed his first trace of internal energy. He had finally transformed from an ordinary person into a martial artist. Although it was only at the most basic level of cultivation, Chen Ye was thrilled.
He could truly experience the process of cultivating internal energy.
His childhood dreams of martial arts had become a reality.
Chen Ye’s excitement slowly faded. He took a few deep breaths and realized that his breathing was much longer.
His lung capacity had increased significantly, and his entire body felt warm, as though he were soaking in warm water.
Chen Ye clenched his fist and felt as though there was an endless source of power within him.
"So this is internal energy? It feels so unique!" Chen Ye muttered to himself.
He jumped off the bed and began performing a few basic stances, throwing a few punches with exaggerated flair.
The wind from his punches was sharp, and it looked fairly impressive.
Chen Ye manipulated the faint internal energy in his body, following the meridians and allowing it to flow through his limbs and torso.
He could clearly feel that the parts of his body strengthened by the internal energy had become much more powerful.
"Internal energy is truly amazing."
Chen Ye controlled the internal energy and returned it to his dantian, feeling invigorated and full of energy.
After his excitement settled, Chen Ye furrowed his brows and sighed softly.
"I really don’t have the talent for cultivating internal energy."
"Condensing the first trace of internal energy is a milestone, and it took me over ten days."
"According to the method, ten traces of internal energy make one at the fourth rank, 100 traces at the third rank, 1,000 at the second rank, and 10,000 at the first rank."
"100,000 traces makes one a Grandmaster."
"Not to mention reaching the first rank, even reaching the second rank will take thousands of days."
"Realistically, it would take thirty or forty years to make any progress. And that’s not even considering the fact that the method emphasizes solid foundation."
"Each breakthrough requires consolidating internal energy and repeatedly compressing and refining it."
Calculating the time needed in his mind, Chen Ye couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Good news: Internal energy has been cultivated.
Bad news: I don’t have the talent for it.
Good news: The method I am practicing is one of the top-tier martial arts techniques, a secret technique from the Daoist sect.
Bad news: With my talent, it could take thirty or forty years of hard practice just to reach the second rank.
"Well, I’ll take it slow, there’s no rush." Chen Ye comforted himself. "Anyway, I have the system. Raising a child can earn me lifespan rewards, and I’ve got plenty of time!"
Chen Ye could only force himself to feel better.
"Let me check today’s fortune."
Chen Ye focused his mind and activated the Star-gazing room’s daily divination feature.
[Ding!]
[The sun and moon shift, the stars change their positions, and you keenly sense the anomaly. Your heart trembles, and you gain an insight!]
[Ding!]
[From the celestial phenomena, you learn about the fortune of the members of the Orphanage on July 17th.]
Xiao Fu: Neutral, no issues.
Da Ming: Neutral, no issues.
Sun Sheng: Bad, everything is going wrong.
Xiao Lian: Great misfortune, with the clash of the Hai and Zi signs. She refuses to endure humiliation and ends her life by committing suicide.
TL Notes:
Hai and Zi Signs: They are part of the Chinese zodiac signs representing the 12 Earthly Branches used in Chinese metaphysics. These Branches have certain interactions with other Branches, and this is where the belief that certain zodiac signs should not end up with each other. Chinese metaphysics also uses terms like “Combination/Harmony” (合), “Clash” (冲), “Punishment” (刑) and “Harm” (害). It could also represent hours of the day and years.
Yuyu: XL, nooo!
