Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 46 A Spiritual Journey to the Capital and a Trial of Laws in Yanshan

Having successfully completed his cultivation, Lin Yan broke through the barrier and emerged. He felt completely refreshed and full of energy, his blood and qi surging like the Yangtze River, and his limbs and bones filled with an unprecedented sense of power.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, his spirit was clear and still, like an ancient well reflecting every minute detail of his being. This feeling of having complete control over immense power brought a profound sense of security, rooted deep within his soul. With his mind at ease, he slept soundly, a deep and dreamless sleep, the last trace of mental fatigue from the soul-refining process completely dissipating in this high-quality rest.

The following morning, Lin Yan was in a good mood and decided to stroll through the streets and alleys of Beijing. It was both to relax and to "scout out" places in his own way.

Stepping out of the courtyard house, the unique atmosphere of life in Beijing in the 1950s immediately comes to mind. The sky is a rare, clear, azure blue, and wisps of smoke rise from the chimneys in the alleys. The air is filled with the distinctive smell of coal stoves, the aroma of freshly fried dough sticks and fried dough rings, and that iconic smell of douzhi (fermented mung bean juice), which is loved by some and hated by others.

Lin Yan strolled leisurely, but his divine sense had already spread out in all directions. Within a spherical area with a radius of one hundred meters, everything, regardless of size or brightness, was under his control!

"Think about those princes, nobles, and wealthy merchants of the previous dynasty, who painstakingly built secret chambers and hidden walls to conceal their vast fortunes. Now that times have changed, it's all benefited me, the newcomer." Lin Yan thought to himself. He felt no psychological burden in collecting these unclaimed items; on the contrary, he felt a sense of pleasure in clearing away the dust of history.

When he arrived near the Prince Gong's Mansion, even though some areas of this magnificent mansion had been repurposed and appeared somewhat desolate, how could his current divine sense possibly hide the vast and ingeniously structured private vault deep underground?

His divine sense easily penetrated layers of soil and incredibly sturdy rammed earth partitions and blue brick walls, "seeing" the secret chamber encased in heavy metal. Inside, there were mountains of ten-tael gold bricks and gleaming gold bars; baskets piled high with fifty-tael silver ingots; and boxes upon boxes of unopened jewels, jade artifacts, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings that still emitted a faint luster... sealed here after the passage of time.

"This saves me a lot of searching effort." With a slight thought, Lin Yan stripped away all the gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, and other valuables in the underground vault, along with the boxes and cabinets that held them, and stored them directly in the warehouse within the space, leaving only an empty underground space.

Lin Yan was in a great mood. Suddenly, he felt playful and instead of returning to the courtyard, he turned west and his figure swept across the fields like a wisp of smoke, disappearing directly into the Yanshan Mountains.

It was late March 1958, and the spring chill lingered. Outside the mountains, the plains were already sprouting grass and green willows, but deep within the Yanshan Mountains, the lingering chill of late winter still hung in the air. The air was crisp and pure, carrying the unique scent of fallen leaves, pine needles, and still-frozen earth. On the sunny slopes, the snow had melted, revealing withered yellow grass and dark brown, rugged rocks beneath.

Lin Yan was no stranger to this place. He moved through the rugged and steep mountains with ease, his movements graceful and agile as if walking on flat ground. In no time, he returned to that familiar valley.

Lin Yan stood atop a massive, flat rock in the valley, his powerful divine sense spreading out like mercury, meticulously scanning every inch of land and every cave within a radius of several miles. Confirming that apart from these bewildered birds and beasts, there was no other human presence, the last trace of adult composure and restraint on his face finally vanished completely, replaced by an eager excitement and the pure joy of youth, his eyes shining with astonishing brightness.

"Haha, finally I can let loose and give it my all!" He couldn't help but chuckle, his voice echoing through the valley.

He pointed his fingers like a sword, his spiritual energy swirling slightly within him, and pointed towards a dark blue-green boulder about half a person's height in the distance!

"The Geng Metal sword points!"

With a hiss, a fine, slender, yet incredibly sharp golden energy pierced through the air, striking the center of the bluestone with perfect precision. The next moment, a hole the thickness of a thumb, bottomless and with smooth, mirror-like edges appeared on the stone, as if it had been drilled by a high-speed drill.

"The power and penetrating force are quite impressive!" Lin Yan nodded in satisfaction, then his gaze swept over a clump of unknown vines that had just sprouted by the stream. He casually took out a vibrant spirit plant seed, a thorn, from his spatial storage, flicked it with his finger, and infused it with a wisp of wood-elemental spiritual energy!

"Entanglement Technique!"

The seeds, once buried in the moist soil, sprouted wildly. Thick, thorny, dark green vines, like startled pythons, burst forth from the ground with a whoosh, wrapping tightly around a nearby millstone-sized rock at an astonishing speed, tightening their grip and making a teeth-grinding "clucking" sound, with stone dust falling in a flurry.

Then, he made a water-controlling hand gesture, drawing out the water vapor in the air.

"Spirit Rain Technique!"

A small white cloud quickly gathered above his head, and a fine, cool drizzle fell precisely, covering only a few meters around him. The rain was sweet and contained a faint life force, sweeping away the slight spiritual power and heat in his blood and qi from the spell he had just cast. The grass under his feet even became visibly greener and more lush.

Getting carried away with his game, he turned his palm upward, and with a slight thought, a fist-sized, pure orange-red flame appeared out of thin air, leaping and burning merrily above his palm—the most basic fireball technique. He casually tossed it, and the fireball whistled through the air, tracing an arc before precisely igniting a pile of dry branches and leaves in the distance, instantly bursting into a roaring, crackling fire.

He casually stomped his foot again, and the earth elemental spiritual power within his body surged. The ground in front of him rippled slightly, and a thick, hard earthen wall, more than half a person's height, rose up from the ground with a rumble, steadily blocking the burning flames and isolating the heat wave.

Feeling that it wasn't enough, he let out a low shout, and lightning suddenly flashed in his right palm, emitting a low and dangerous crackling sound!

"Palm Thunder!"

A thin, bright silver electric snake shot out at great speed, striking the earthen wall with a muffled "boom," blasting open a small patch of charred earth and sending dirt and rocks flying!

"And this!" With a thought, he cast a lightness spell on himself, making his body as light as a feather, as if he had lost most of his weight. He lightly touched the rocks and treetops with his toes, and he could fly more than ten feet like a bird, soaring and leaping freely in the valley, feeling the mountain wind whistling past his ears. He couldn't help but let out a clear and long howl, which resounded through the mountains and forests.

Finally, he twisted and turned in mid-air, and the cold air at his fingertips rapidly condensed, instantly forming several crystal-clear ice arrows that exuded a chilling aura. With a flick of his finger, they shot precisely into the gurgling stream below with a sharp whistling sound, splashing up white water droplets and even briefly freezing a small section of the stream's surface, revealing a thin layer of ice!

In an instant, the once tranquil and peaceful valley became bustling with activity, sparkling with spiritual light and displaying a variety of strange phenomena. Golden light flashed, vines danced wildly, a light drizzle fell, fireballs roared, earthen walls rose, thunder rumbled, figures moved like lightning, and ice arrows crisscrossed... Lin Yan practiced and experimented with the eight Qi Refining stage spells he had learned, combining and trying them out, thoroughly enjoying himself and completely immersed in the exquisite experience of controlling power.

Like a child who has just received a long-desired toy, he repeatedly tried each spell, varying the intensity of his spiritual energy output and the precise control he employed, feeling the wondrous sensation of different elemental energies flowing through his meridians and manifesting in countless forms. A pure and cheerful smile radiated from his face—the joy of temporarily breaking free from constraints, fully releasing himself, and exploring the unknown.

At this moment, all the heavy pressure of cultivating immortality seemed to have been blown away by the clear mountain wind of Yanshan. Standing in the valley, freely unleashing supernatural power, was a pure fifteen-year-old boy, full of curiosity about this world and a desire to explore his own power.

Lin Yan only stopped when he had exhausted most of his spiritual energy and felt a slight emptiness and fatigue in his meridians. The valley was now a mess, as if it had just experienced a small-scale battle, but his mood was more exhilarating and clear than ever before. Feeling the spiritual energy within him, which had become more fluid and controllable due to his unrestrained and unreserved practice, this seemingly "playful" exercise had yielded significant gains in his understanding of combat and control over spiritual energy.

He took a deep breath of the cool, pure air of the mountain forest, rich in negative ions, and looked at the valley he had "ravaged," shaking his head and chuckling. He then circulated his spiritual energy, casting a few minor spells to clean up the overly obvious traces of the spells, especially the pile of ashes and the charred earthen wall, restoring them to their natural state as much as possible. Satisfied, he vanished like a ghost into the vast, undulating mountains, leaving only the gradually calming spiritual energy fluctuations in the valley and the traces that needed time to heal.