Chapter 510: Chapter 422: Adopted Son (3)

Therefore, no matter how many times Chen Li had beckoned, he never overstepped his bounds without a clear sign.

Today was no different.

However, he felt more bewildered than ever.

This was mainly because after waking up this morning, Chen Shouyue’s attitude toward him had been odd. She was always evasive, their gazes parting the moment they met, as if she were deliberately avoiding something.

This left Sun Shouyi anxious and unsettled. ’Did I do something wrong without realizing it?’ he wondered.

When Chen Li stepped into the side hall, Chen Shouyue quickly stood up and said softly, "Good morning, Father."

Sun Shouyi also hurried to bow. "Patriarch."

"Mm, have a seat."

Chen Li gave a slight nod and sat down in the host’s seat.

As his gaze swept over the breakfast on the table, he couldn’t help but frown slightly.

The spread on the table was quite lavish.

Osmanthus bird’s nest congee, crab roe soup dumplings, jade-green shumai, thousand-layer oil cakes, drunken mud snails... a wide variety of dishes covered more than half the table.

The Lingxi Chen Family’s breakfast, while having grown more varied as the family’s fortunes improved over the years, had never been this extravagant or luxurious.

Chen Li did not pick up his chopsticks. Instead, he turned his head to a maid standing by and said, "Go, summon the chef who was in charge of cooking this morning."

Before long, the chef trotted in, bowed, and said, "Patriarch, you summoned me?"

Chen Li pointed at the table full of breakfast dishes and asked, "This whole spread, tallied up, about how much would it cost in silver?"

The chef was taken aback. After a moment of silent calculation, he answered cautiously, "Replying to the Patriarch, it would cost around twenty taels of silver."

Twenty taels.

Chen Li’s brow furrowed even more deeply.

Twenty taels for a single breakfast.

Although the Chen Family had some wealth now, they were far from being able to squander silver so wantonly.

It was imperative to practice strict frugality and oppose wastefulness.

"I understand. You may go," Chen Li said with a wave of his hand.

The chef let out a sigh of relief and quickly withdrew.

Only then did Chen Li pick up his chopsticks, gesturing for his daughter and Sun Shouyi to eat as well.

After breakfast, Chen Li looked at his daughter, his tone serious. "Shouyue, go make the arrangements. From this day forward, for everyone in the estate, aside from special holidays, the food budget for the three daily meals for members of the main Chen Family shall not exceed two taels of silver per person, per meal."

Chen Shouyue was lost in thought. She let out an "Ah?" before coming back to her senses and quickly nodding. "I understand, Father."

Seeing her absent-minded state, Chen Li’s tone grew heavier. "The old family home in Lingxi will follow the same rule. Do you hear me?"

"I know."

Chen Shouyue replied in a small voice, but then thought of something and asked, "What about... Elder Liu and the others? And the Honored Guests? How should their budgets be set?"

Chen Li pondered for a moment. "For Tributors and Honored Guests, the rules can be relaxed appropriately, but it still mustn’t be too high. The spending limit can be up to double that of a Chen Family member. As for Guests, they will follow the same standard as the main Chen Family."

Chen Shouyue was taken aback. She looked up, confused. "Why are the budgets for Tributors and Honored Guests higher than for our own family?"

Chen Li didn’t answer. He just looked at her quietly, his expression gradually turning stern.

Chen Shouyue’s heart tightened under her father’s gaze. She stuck out her tongue briefly and quickly said, "I know, I know, Father. I’ll get it arranged."

Chen Li’s expression softened slightly, and he couldn’t help but shake his head.

’My daughter isn’t young anymore, and she’s obedient enough, but she still seems so childish. Not like my wife back then, who was even younger than her when we married, yet was already a virtuous and capable household manager.’

His gaze shifted to Sun Shouyi. "Shouyi."

"Patriarch."

Chen Li said thoughtfully, "You have been at Qi Realm Perfection for several months now, and your foundation has stabilized. It is time to attempt a breakthrough to the Spirit Realm."

Sun Shouyi’s body trembled slightly. A look of delighted surprise burst forth in his eyes, and his breathing quickened.

"Years ago, Shouheng promised to pass on an Inner Qi Heart Method to you. The Chen Family will not go back on its word," Chen Li said calmly. "Now, I will give you two choices. You may consider them for yourself."

Sun Shouyi held his breath, listening with rapt attention.

"The first choice: I will teach you the Yin Yang Unity Scripture. I imagine you are already familiar with this Cultivation Technique. However..."

Chen Li’s tone shifted. "No one in the Chen Family currently cultivates this technique, so the help we can offer you will be limited. We do not have the associated fist and weapon arts, nor the Divine Sense Secret Skills, True Martial Dao, and so on. Your future path—how to walk it and how far you can go—will be up to you to explore and forge on your own."

Sun Shouyi listened in silence.

"The second choice."

Chen Li continued, "Is to practice the Cultivation Technique I created myself."

Sun Shouyi’s head snapped up, his eyes filled with shock.

"This technique is the very one I cultivate myself."

Chen Li didn’t hide anything, stating bluntly, "There are many restrictions to the Cultivation of this technique. The benefit is that if you encounter any difficulties in your training, you can come ask me, and I can offer you guidance and clear your doubts."

"However, the many associated Cultivation Techniques, Secret Skills, and even the future resources you might gain are all secrets of the Chen Family, never to be easily bestowed upon an outsider."

"Therefore, if you choose the second path, you must take me as your adoptive father. From that moment on, you will be a part of the Chen Family. You will also need to change your surname to Chen."

"How you choose is up to you. Think it over carefully."

Without hesitation, Sun Shouyi dropped to his knees and said solemnly, "I wish to choose the second path! I ask the Patriarch to grant my request!"

’Change his surname? To him, it was perfectly acceptable.’

His biological parents had passed away when he was very young. He could barely recall their faces, and the familial bond was so faint as to be nonexistent.

The relatives from the Pingshui Sun Family had never shown any care for an orphan like him.

The Chen Family, on the other hand, had given him food and clothing, taught him to read, and passed on Martial Arts to him.

To be able to take Chen Li as a father was not a grievance in his eyes; on the contrary, he saw it as a monumental blessing and a joyous occasion.

As for the Cultivation restrictions?

He cared even less about those.

He knew full well how arduous the path of the Martial Dao was.

He deeply understood the importance of having a master’s guidance and a complete lineage of teachings.

Unquestionably, by choosing the second path, his future journey on the Martial Dao would be vastly smoother and brighter.

Seeing him answer so decisively and without hesitation actually took Chen Li by surprise.

’Looking at the young man, he had even hoped that Sun Shouyi would choose the first path—to go out and forge his own destiny, to carve out a world for himself.’

’That way, he could entrust his daughter to him with peace of mind.’

’But now, it seemed the boy was merely of average caliber.’

’Still, it didn’t matter.’

’When he chose his people, outstanding ability was a secondary concern.’

’The key was loyalty.’

But human nature is complex; loyalty and treachery are inherently difficult to measure.

Someone loyal today might not be loyal for a lifetime. Who could guarantee that?

Chen Li dared not gamble on such matters, which was why he had devised this test and prepared these shackles.

"Since you have made up your mind, I will accept you as my adoptive son."

After calmly accepting three resounding kowtows from Sun Shouyi, Chen Li raised his hand in a gesture to help him up. "Rise."

Sun Shouyi stood up, his face filled with irrepressible excitement and joy.

Chen Li said no more and imparted the Righteous Wealth Cultivation Method to him.

He instructed him to go back and carefully study it, and only attempt the breakthrough to the Spirit Realm once he had a thorough understanding.

Afterward, he had Chen Shouyue go to the city’s apothecary to have two doses of the Eight Treasures Spirit Nourishing Soup prepared.

Chen Shouyue agreed. She stole a glance at Chen Shouyi, her face blushing again as she quickly looked away.

After the two of them left, a maid came to report, "Master, Shopkeeper Qian Laibao has arrived. He is waiting in the front courtyard’s reception hall."

Chen Li was slightly surprised.

Last night, he had heard from Bi He that Qian Laibao had come to the estate looking for him a few days ago, so he had sent someone to invite him this morning.

’I thought that with the Mid-Autumn Festival, he would have returned home to reunite with his parents. From the looks of it, he has stayed in Liyang all this time without going home?’

"Have him come to the study," Chen Li said, standing up.

A moment later, Qian Laibao walked in with hurried steps.

"Patriarch!"

Qian Laibao gave a hasty bow, and without any time for pleasantries, he said, "Something big has happened!"

Chen Li frowned. "Is it about the Cao Family selling Sang Tian?"

Qian Laibao nodded with a wry smile. "It is! The situation... has changed."

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