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Waking up with a yawn, Huo Yan glanced at his wife, Shui Lian, who was still sleeping soundly beside him. Stretching lazily, he got up from his makeshift bed and, as an Outer Sect servant, went to clean himself up. Stepping outside their dilapidated hut, he grabbed a nearby bucket and made his way to the well, occasionally greeting some of his friends who were also awake at this early hour. After drawing water for some time, he finished just as the serene bell of the Taiji Wuxing Sect echoed across the sect's lands.
Amid the tranquil, serene rhythm of sounds, akin to a calm pond in the middle of rice fields, Huo Yan set down his bucket and sat in meditative silence, savoring the quietude. Breathing deeply, he inhaled the fresh air and exhaled the turbid mist, letting his mind wander through the process of each breath while occasionally listening to the chimes of the bell from the immortals. After appreciating this placidity for five to ten minutes, Huo Yan finally opened his eyes and stood up as the bell ceased.
Taking the bucket once more for himself and his wife to bathe, he returned to his hut and found Shui Lian awake and preparing congee on the clay stove beside their home. Placing the bucket on the ground, Huo Yan asked his wife, "Shui Lian, did you manage to sleep well?"
Stirring the congee on the stove, Shui Lian replied, "No, husband. I still have nightmares from time to time about these immortals who can overturn mountains and dry up seas with a wave of their hand. The fact that our brothers, sisters, and parents are still out there waiting for us while we are trapped in this sect and unable to do anything makes me even more miserable. I don't understand why, despite their mystical abilities, the immortals need us mortals to do such simple tasks as cleaning their sect."
Shaking his head, Huo Yan replied, "I don't know how to answer that, my wife. But what I do know is that if we manage to cultivate, we will be able to return to our family, flying over mountains and forests. Once we have enough power and reach Green Ridge Village, we can resume our wedding and return to how things were before."
Sighing, Shui Lian simply said, "But husband, you know it will be too late if we manage to achieve that in the future. I've heard whispers that just one session of meditation can take hundreds of years for those at the lowest level of Qi Gathering, and even then, they still can't fly. As for the stage where we might be able to fly using spirit artifacts, it could take thousands of years to reach Foundation Establishment. So, even if we achieve this, do you think mother and father will still be alive by then?"
Walking closer, knowing his wife still harbored sadness because of what the immortals had done to contented mortals like them, Huo Yan kissed her forehead and held her tightly. "It's okay, it's okay," he whispered. "There must be a way for us all to be together again. I have a feeling that if we keep cultivating, we'll be able to do anything. Forcing our family to reincarnate and altering their memories to remove anyone else, leaving only us as their family, and creating an illusion where we live as a simple farming couple in Green Ridge Village, is just one possibility."
Shivering at her husband's blunt words that didn't sugarcoat the truth, Shui Lian shook her head and replied, "It's okay, husband. Let them live their lives to the fullest without forcing anything upon them. I don't want a family that only stays with us because it pleases us, or serves as some kind of reminder of our past when we become powerful figures in the future. It's cruel to make them endure long lives like ours just because of a whimsical desire to avoid my own sadness, not wanting any family member to leave us permanently."
Nodding his head and kissing his wife's forehead once again, Huo Yan turned back to prepare for his duties as the sect's broom sweeper. He took the firewood he had gathered the night before and started a fire in another clay stove specifically used for boiling water. After striking flint and stone together for a while, Huo Yan finally managed to light the tinder, and soon the stove ignited, allowing him to heat clean water for washing. He placed a large clay bowl on top and filled it with water from a bucket, nodding in satisfaction as he hovered his palm over it, feeling the warmth from the boiling water.
He removed all of his clothes and grabbed a wooden water dipper from the side. Huo Yan then scooped some of the warm water and poured it over his body. As his skin turned red from the pleasant heat, he enjoyed the warmth that flowed through every part of him in silence, causing the morning mist to become more turbid due to the sudden change in temperature. Taking the animal fat soap he had bought with most of his salary, Huo Yan carefully scrubbed it all over his body to remove all grime and dirt. Once he finished washing himself, he moved on to brushing his teeth using herbs and spices, along with a bit of warm water to rinse his mouth.
Finished bathing and retrieving his clothes from the ground, Huo Yan turned toward his wife, who was preparing the table for their congee. "Shui Lian, go ahead. Don't wait for the water to become lukewarm; it won't be enjoyable then. Let me handle setting up the stool, table, and utensils for breakfast. You don't need to worry about that."
Seeing the table and stool still inside their small hut because it had rained the previous day, Shui Lian nodded and said, "Okay then, husband. Remember, just two stools, one table, and the utensils this time. There's no need to place your go board or sculpture on the table to decorate it. I don't want a repeat of last month, when we came home to find all the wood decorations damp and had to recreate them. Does my husband understand?"
Smiling foolishly and scratching his head, Huo Yan replied, "I understand, my love. I understand."
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