Courtyard House: Starting by inheriting the tradition and suppressing the barbarians.

1956, winter.

No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, a courtyard house in the old city of Beijing.

The cold wind howled, scraping across the dilapidated windowsill like a knife, making a creaking sound.

Inside the Li family's house in the backyard, Li Xuan suddenly opened his eyes.

A violent wave of dizziness then swept over me.

"Where is this place?"

Before he could even get a good look at his surroundings...

A string of sharp and sarcastic curses pierced through the thin door panel like poisonous thorns.

"Su Yun! Don't push your luck!"

"Your deadbeat husband is gone, what are you doing, a widow and orphan, occupying two big rooms?"

"My husband Dongxu's wife is pregnant again, and we're short of a place to live!"

"Make room for me right now, or I'll have Old Yi hold a hospital-wide meeting to criticize you, saying you're disrupting unity!"

The voice was a hoarse, raspy one, carrying a hint of arrogance and scoundrelness that made one's eardrums ache.

Immediately following, a woman's trembling voice said, "Jia Zhangshi, this is the house the government allocated to our family!"

"This martyr's housing was bought with my lover's life!"

Why should I give it to you?

"If you keep causing trouble, I'm going to the neighborhood committee office to see Director Wang!"

"Oh my! Are you trying to intimidate me with Director Wang?"

"Old Jia! Open your eyes and see! This heartless man is bullying us, a widow and her orphan!"

"Dongxu, look how heartless this slut is..."

The sounds of tantrums and rolling around outside instantly acted like a key, unlocking long-sealed memories in Li Xuan's mind.

Countless fragments of images flooded in.

1956... Hongxing Courtyard... Father Li Shan sacrificed his life...

Mother: Su Yun; Younger brother: Li Tian; Younger sister: Li Xiaoyu...

And the yard was full of beasts!

"Did I time travel?"

"And I've been transported to that world where birds fill the courtyard?"

Li Xuan's eyes, which had been filled with confusion at first, quickly turned icy cold.

In his past life, he was a ruthless man who had been navigating the business world for many years!

Unexpectedly, a hangover caused him to be reborn as a 15-year-old boy.

The current situation is nothing short of a hellish start.

My father had just sacrificed his life, and his body was still warm.

The evil spirits and monsters in this courtyard have started to devour the entire family!

Especially that crazy old woman at the door who yells the loudest—Jia Zhangshi!

In order to secure a house for Qin Huairu's unborn child, they actually took advantage of his high fever and unconscious state to force his mother to vacate the house.

It's so deceiving!

"Cough cough..."

Li Xuan struggled to sit up.

But they found that the body was extremely weak, with a soreness and weakness permeating every part of the body.

This body was already weak, and the sudden onset of a high fever gave him the opportunity to travel through time.

"With this sickly body, let alone protecting his mother and younger siblings."

"I'm afraid even that old fat pig Jia Zhangshi couldn't move her."

Li Xuan cursed inwardly, his brows furrowed.

suddenly!

A purple, shimmering light shone deep within his mind!

Immediately afterwards, a grand and ancient voice suddenly rang out:

The Great Way is formless; yet, the Purple Heaven stands tall.

[Host Li Xuan, soul connection established, activating the "Purple Cloud Dao Lineage"!]

Li Xuan's heart skipped a beat. A cheat code?

As a seasoned bookworm, he naturally knew what this was.

Then, the voice continued broadcasting:

The Zixiao Daoist tradition emphasizes clear thinking, following one's heart's desires, and severing karmic ties.

[The host has been detected to be in a harsh environment. The "Merit System" has been activated.]

[The rules are as follows: The host can obtain "merit points" by punishing evil and promoting good, fighting beasts, and changing the tragic fate of their relatives.]

[Merit Points can be used for system lotteries (to obtain resources and skills from various realms), purchasing items from the in-game store, and upgrading your personal space.]

[Congratulations, host! You have received a newbie gift pack!]

[Enable?]

"Activate!" Li Xuan immediately murmured.

What's the point of thinking about this now!

If you have cheats, use them now!

[Ding! New player gift pack has been activated!]

[Received: 10 Marrow Cleansing Pills (for cleansing the marrow and transforming the body; can also be diluted for family members)]

[Gained: Innate talent and extraordinary comprehension (any martial art, skill, or medical technique can be learned after one viewing and mastered after one practice)]

[Received: 10 milk candies (a snack to satisfy cravings.)]

[The Purple Cloud Daoist lineage space is now bound; the host may enter it at any time using their consciousness.]

As the system's voice faded, Li Xuan felt a strange connection appear in his mind.

With a thought, the scene before him instantly changed.

The dilapidated and dark mud-brick houses have disappeared.

Instead, it has become a blessed land shrouded in mist and clouds!

Auspicious purple clouds rise from the east above, and black earth lies beneath our feet.

Looking around, there were thousands of acres of fertile land!

Although most of it is now barren, the soil is so fertile that it seems like even a chopstick stuck in it could sprout.

In the center of the field, there is a spring made of white jade.

The spring water was bubbling away, releasing a faint spiritual energy.

Beside the spring stands a simple yet grand nine-story pagoda with three large characters on the plaque: "Scripture Repository"!

"Is this the Zixiao Daoist lineage space?"

Li Xuan took a deep breath and felt that the air here was a hundred times sweeter than the outside air.

The feeling of chest tightness and shortness of breath dissipated considerably in an instant.

He walked to the spring, scooped up a handful of water, and drank it down.

"Glug."

The cool spring water entered my throat and instantly turned into a warm current, flowing through my limbs and bones.

That feeling was like parched land receiving long-awaited rain!

The body, which had been heavy due to the high fever, became visibly lighter.

Every cell in my body is cheering with joy.

"nice one!"

A sharp glint flashed in Li Xuan's eyes.

This is the sacred spring water!

Even without taking the Marrow Cleansing Pill, just drinking this water can strengthen your body and prevent all diseases!

In this era of scarce medical resources and limited supplies, this sacred spring was truly priceless.

He glanced again at the jade bottle that had appeared out of thin air in his hand.

Inside were ten longan-sized, fragrant pills—Marrow Cleansing Pills.

With these, why worry about not being able to establish oneself in this courtyard full of beasts?

Why worry that we can't protect our mother and younger siblings?

Outside, Jia Zhangshi's insults continued.

It was even accompanied by loud banging on the door.

"Su Yun! Stop pretending to be dead in there! Open the door now!"

"Otherwise, I'll have my son Dongxu tear the door down!"

Inside the space, Li Xuan sneered and clenched his fist.

He is no longer the sickly boy he once was.

Although his body still needs time to recover, the spiritual spring water has given him the strength to stand up.

More importantly, his soul is that of a decisive and ruthless adult!

"The Jia family, Yi Zhonghai, and this whole yard full of beasts!"

"Since the system encourages me to fight against beasts, then I won't hold back."

"Trying to eat up the last of your kind? Aren't you afraid of breaking your rotten teeth?"

With a thought, Li Xuan exited the space.

Back in the cold reality, he no longer felt cold.

He jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), grabbed the doorstop stick behind the door, and strode towards the door.

Some people, unless they're really hurt, they won't know what it means to be human!

......