Courtyard House: Primordial Chaos Pearl

As the morning light began to spill over the gray bricks and tiles of the courtyard house, Lin Dong slung his canvas bag over his shoulder and headed out the door. Inside was half a basket of shiitake mushrooms freshly harvested from the Chaos Space. The mushroom caps were plump and exuded a refreshing aroma, nourished by spiritual water—this was his "stepping stone" to the black market today, and also the capital to exchange for tools.

The black market was busier than ever; in early spring in Beijing, vegetables were more precious than meat. The moment Lin Dong's mushrooms appeared, a man in a Zhongshan suit spotted them. He was a purchasing agent for the "Yuebinlou" restaurant outside Qianmen. After smelling the mushrooms, he immediately decided, "Young man, I'll take all these mushrooms. One yuan and twenty cents a pound, plus two ounces of national grain coupons, how about that?"

The price was far beyond his expectations, and Lin Dong agreed without much hesitation. After the transaction was completed, he took sixteen yuan and three jin of grain coupons and went to the blacksmith shop to buy a handy claw hammer and steel shovel—today's main event was the abandoned mine in Woniu Mountain.

In the original owner's memory, the Woniu Mountain Mine was left behind by the Japanese invasion of China. After liberation, it was mined for iron ore for a few years before being abandoned due to the depletion of the ore veins. The mountain was high and the road was long, and few people went there, which was perfect for him to use the Chaos Pearl to search for treasure. After leaving the city, Lin Dong quickened his pace. The body nourished by the Chaos Pearl made his endurance increase, and he walked more than ten miles of mountain road without being out of breath or having a racing heart.

The mine entrance was blocked by barbed wire, and a rusty "Danger" sign leaned askew to one side. Lin Dong climbed over and was met with a maze of pits, piles of rubble like small mountains, and dust billowing in the wind. He didn't blindly rush in, but instead focused his consciousness on the Chaos Pearl, silently chanting "Probe Spiritual Energy"—a new function he had discovered the previous night, allowing him to sense the energy fluctuations contained within the ores.

The Chaos Bead released an invisible wave that spread out like ripples on water. It had no effect when it passed over ordinary gravel, but when it swept over a mine pit about three meters deep on the west side, the bead suddenly became hot, transmitting a clear signal of "abnormal activity". Lin Dong's eyes lit up, and he slid down the gravel on the pit wall.

The bottom of the pit was covered with a thick layer of rock debris. He used a steel pick to pry away the surface, revealing a fist-sized, dark red ore with fine lines on its surface. "Hematite, 41% iron content, can be refined into refined iron," the information from the Chaos Pearl instantly appeared. Lin Dong's spirits lifted, and he dug along the direction of the vein. In less than half an hour, he had collected more than thirty catties of hematite.

He found a secluded crevice in the rocks, piled up the ore, and silently chanted "purify." The Chaos Pearl emitted a soft white light, enveloping the ore pile. After the white light dissipated, the dark red ore disappeared, replaced by eight silver-white iron ingots, each weighing about three pounds, with a smooth, mirror-like surface, without a single impurity. Lin Dong picked one up and weighed it in his hand; it was heavy and solid, its purity even higher than that of the products from the state-owned steel mill.

Just as he was about to leave, the Chaos Pearl heated up again, this time with a stronger signal than before. Lin Dong followed the sensation and found a basketball-sized, deep blue ore in a fault deep in the mine. Its surface shimmered with a faint light, and it was warm to the touch, unlike the coldness of ordinary ores.

"Blue copper ore, 63% copper content, with trace amounts of native silver." The Chaos Pearl's prompt made Lin Dong's breath catch in his throat. Copper was a controlled commodity in this era, and native silver was even more of a hard currency. He carefully used a claw hammer to knock the ore off, and just as he put it into his canvas bag, he heard footsteps coming from the pit entrance.

"Who's down there?" a gruff voice called out. Two men in overalls peered down, crowbars in their hands. Lin Dong's heart skipped a beat. They were workers from the nearby steel mill, probably there to collect scrap metal as well. He quickly wrapped the iron ingots and copper ore tightly in his old clothes and called out, "Just passing by, gathering some firewood."

The two workers clearly didn't believe him. They slid down the pit wall, their eyes lingering on his canvas bag: "Bringing a steel bar to collect firewood? I bet you're here to steal ore!" They reached for his bag. Lin Dong was prepared. He dodged to the side, grabbed the wrist of the man on his left, and twisted it gently. The man screamed in pain, and the crowbar fell to the ground.

Seeing this, another man raised a crowbar and swung it at him. Lin Dong bent down to dodge, then kicked the man in the back of the knee. The man fell to his knees with a thud, wincing in pain. "I'm Lin Dong from Hongxing Courtyard. I know Section Chief Wang from the steel mill. If you don't believe me, we'll go to the factory right now to confront him," Lin Dong said, fabricating a connection—these days, having an acquaintance is the most effective way to get by.

The two workers were indeed stunned. They had only decided to collect scrap metal on a whim and dared not offend the section chief's acquaintance. After exchanging a glance, they said, "Don't mess around," and slunk up. Lin Dong breathed a sigh of relief, quickly packed up his things, and hurriedly left the mine.

Back in the city, he didn't go straight back to the courtyard house, but instead went to the scrap metal collection station in the south of the city. The owner, Fatty Wang, stared wide-eyed at the iron ingots he handed him: "Young man, where did you get this iron? The purity is incredible!" "It was left to me by my elders, and we urgently need the money," Lin Dong replied, his answer unchanged. Fatty Wang weighed the ingots in his hand, gritted his teeth, and said, "Here's the deal: iron at 1.3 yuan per jin, eight ingots weigh 24 jin, so I'll give you 32 yuan! Do you have any copper? I buy that too."

Lin Dong didn't reveal the blue copper mine; he only sold the iron ingots. After receiving the money, he went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought flour, lard, and a piece of polyester fabric—the original owner's clothes were really too tattered. When he passed by the candy shop, he also bought two catties of fruit candy, which was "hard currency" in the courtyard and could silence a lot of gossip.

It was already evening when he returned to the courtyard house. He was immediately blocked by his third uncle, Yan Bugui, as soon as he entered the gate. Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses, his gaze sweeping over Lin Dong's canvas bag like beads on an abacus, a beaming smile on his face: "Lin Dong, where did you make your fortune today? You bought so much stuff."

Yan Bugui was an elementary school math teacher, a master of calculation, and he remembered perfectly well who had taken advantage of whom, even by the smallest amount. Lin Dong had been going out frequently these past few days, always returning with something, and Yan had already taken notice. "Third Uncle, I went for a walk outside the city and picked up some scrap metal to sell," Lin Dong replied with a smile, deliberately hiding the bag behind his back.

"You can buy Dacron by picking up scrap metal?" Yan Bugui obviously didn't believe it and leaned forward. "I heard there's treasure in the Woniu Mountain mine. Did you go there? Let me tell you, that mine used to produce copper ore. If you can find some..." Before he could finish speaking, the greed in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Lin Dong sneered inwardly; this old man was trying to trick him into revealing information. He took out two fruit candies from his bag and handed them over: "Old man, have a taste. I was just wandering around aimlessly, what treasure could I possibly have? This fabric is clearance stock, cheap." Yan Bugui took the candies, unwrapped one, and put it in his mouth. The sweetness softened his expression somewhat, but he was still unwilling to give up: "Really didn't find anything? I heard someone found a lump of copper there and sold it for a lot of money."

"Really not." Lin Dong shrugged. "If I had that kind of luck, would I still be living in this little side room?" He started to walk into the house. Yan Bugui quickly grabbed him. "Hey, by the way, there's a general meeting for the whole courtyard tonight. An old man asked me to tell you, don't forget." "A general meeting? What's it about?" Lin Dong frowned. "It's about Jia Dongxu. His mother cries in the courtyard every day, saying you beat him badly and that the courtyard should take charge." Yan Bugui said in a low voice.

Lin Dong understood. Jia Zhangshi was unwilling to accept defeat and wanted to use the courtyard meeting to force him to pay compensation. He nodded, "Understood," and went back to his house with his bag. Just as he put his things down, he heard a knock at the door. It was Sha Zhu, He Yuzhu. "Lin Dong, you're finally back." He Yuzhu was holding an enamel mug. "Jia Zhangshi has been crying in the courtyard all afternoon, saying you broke Jia Dongxu's leg and demanding fifty yuan in compensation. You'd better be careful; the old man will probably side with the Jia family."

Lin Dong was somewhat surprised. He Yuzhu was usually completely controlled by the Jia family, yet today he actually came to remind him. "Thanks, Brother Zhu." He handed over a handful of fruit candies. "Don't worry, I have a plan." He Yuzhu took the candies and grinned. "I knew you weren't simple. Don't back down at the meeting tonight. Jia Dongxu's leg is perfectly fine. I even saw him chasing after the kids yesterday."

At dinner time, the gong sounded in the courtyard. Lin Dong straightened his clothes and went out of the room. The courtyard was already crowded with people. Yi Zhonghai sat at the stone table in the middle, with Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui next to him. Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu sat to the side. Jia Dongxu deliberately crossed his legs and looked pained. Qin Huairu stood next to him holding her child, wiping away tears from time to time, looking aggrieved.

"Everyone's here, let's have a meeting." Yi Zhonghai tapped the stone table. "I called everyone here today mainly to discuss the matter of Lin Dong and Jia Dongxu. Jia Dongxu was beaten, and Aunt Jia is demanding compensation. Everyone, please share your thoughts."

"What else is there to say? Lin Dong has to pay compensation for hitting someone!" Jia Zhangshi immediately jumped up, pointing at Lin Dong and cursing, "My son can't move his legs now, he can't go to work, the medical expenses and lost wages will be at least fifty yuan! Not a penny less!"

"Fifty dollars? Why don't you just rob me?" Lin Dong sneered. "Jia Dongxu hit me first, I was just defending myself. Besides, who saw what happened to his leg?"

"I saw it!" Jia Zhangshi screamed. "Everyone in the courtyard saw it! He was limping!" "I didn't see it," He Yuzhu suddenly interjected. "Yesterday afternoon I saw Dongxu chasing a pheasant in the courtyard, running quite fast. How come he can't move today?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the courtyard burst into laughter. Jia Dongxu's face instantly turned red, wishing he could disappear into the ground. Jia Zhangshi, enraged, pointed at He Yuzhu and yelled, "He Yuzhu, did you conspire with Lin Dong? You traitorous bastard!"

"I'm just telling the truth," He Yuzhu shrugged. "Besides, it was Jia Dongxu who hit Lin Dong first with the stick. If it were me, I would have hit him even harder." Yi Zhonghai frowned; he hadn't expected He Yuzhu to speak up for Lin Dong. He coughed. "Alright, stop arguing. In my opinion, Lin Dong went too far. Give Jia Dongxu some medical expenses, and we'll call it even."

"I won't pay," Lin Dong refused outright. "He started it; I was acting in self-defense. If you feel wronged, let's go to the police station right now and let the officers settle this." As he spoke, he pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and waved it in his hand. "I have money now, and I'm not afraid of a long wait. But if Jia Dongxu is found guilty of intentional assault, it's hard to say whether he can keep his job."

These words struck at the Jia family's Achilles' heel. Jia Dongxu worked as a fitter in a state-owned factory, a secure job; if he lost it, the Jia family would be completely ruined. Jia Zhangshi's expression changed instantly, her eyes filled with hesitation as she looked at the money in Lin Dong's hand.

Seeing this, Yan Bugui quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Lin Dong, we're neighbors, we'll see each other all the time. How about this, you buy Jia Dongxu two catties of eggs to help him recover, and give him five yuan for medical expenses, and this matter will be over." He felt that this suggestion was fair, as it gave face to the Jia family without causing Lin Dong too much loss.

Lin Dong hesitated for a moment, then took out five yuan from his pocket and threw it on the stone table: "This five yuan is out of pity for you. But let me make this clear, this is not compensation, it's humanitarian aid. If you dare to cause me any more trouble, I won't give you a single penny, let alone five yuan! Moreover, I will immediately go to the police station to report you for falsely accusing me of stealing eggs and assaulting me!"

Looking at the money on the stone table, then at Lin Dong's cold gaze, Jia Zhangshi finally bent down to pick it up, muttering, "I'll let you off this time, but if you dare hit my son again, I'll fight you to the death!"

"I'll be waiting," Lin Dong said coldly, turning and going back into the house. He knew that although the matter was temporarily resolved, the Jia family would definitely not let it go. Back in the house, he took out the blue copper ore and purified it with the Chaos Pearl. After a flash of white light, more than two pounds of copper ingots and a small bag of silver grains appeared before his eyes. The silver grains were only the size of rice grains, but weighed a full ounce.

Lin Dong hid the silver nuggets under the bed and then entered the Chaos Space. The vegetables in the space were growing vigorously. He used the fabric he had bought that day to build a simple shed in the space to store the harvested crops and refined metals. After doing this, he remembered the deduction function of the Chaos Pearl and silently recited "Deduce the Body Refining Technique".

The Chaos Pearl instantly released a golden light, surging into his mind. Countless fragments of cultivation techniques collided and fused within his mind, ultimately forming a cultivation technique suitable for his current physique—the "Chaos Body Refining Technique." The technique consisted of nine levels, the first of which could temper the physical body and enhance strength. Following the guidance of the technique, Lin Dong circulated the chaotic power within his body, and soon felt a warm current flowing through his meridians, instantly dispelling his fatigue.

He clenched his fist, feeling the power surging within him, a smile playing on his lips. With the Chaos Pearl, the "Chaos Body Refining Technique," and an endless stream of wealth, he was no longer the pushover he once was. The conflicts within the courtyard were merely stepping stones on his path to growth. His goal was to live a life of dignity in this extraordinary era, making all those who had wronged him pay the price.