Chapter 24: The Heirloom of the Zhou Family

August 28th.

Zhou Guangxi finished his clinic hours. His once rosy and healthy face now appeared significantly more aged. Having spent nearly a month of continuous, non-stop medical instruction, his body was beginning to struggle under the strain. It was not so much physical exhaustion, but rather the immense mental toll of both seeing patients and teaching Zhou Chen the art of medicine.

Zhou Chen felt a pang of heartache and wished he could channel the soul energy absorbed and refined by his Soul-Devouring Insects to his grandfather. However, he was powerless to do so. The soul energy was passed upward through the chain of command, eventually reaching Zhou Chen via the Soul-Devouring Queen. For Zhou Chen to pass it on to Zhou Guangxi, his own soul strength would need to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, allowing him to convert soul power into divine soul power. Only then could he refine it into pure, personalized soul energy.

Currently, Zhou Chen’s soul strength was stuck at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, just a single step away from the Foundation Establishment stage. Yet, this final step proved exceptionally difficult. It was not a lack of accumulated quantity, but rather the need for a massive surge of soul energy to shatter the barrier of the Foundation Establishment stage. Unless Zhou Chen commanded his insects to slaughter a dozen healthy individuals and devour their souls entirely, he would remain stagnant.

Zhou Chen already had a target in mind: the young modern cultivator he had encountered at the bar. That man had been trading narcotics with another youth who possessed a spirit stone. Zhou Chen felt no moral burden in killing someone of that character. Furthermore, he was now confident in his ability to dispose of him completely.

His Soul-Devouring Queen had reached Level 3, and he had bred ten new larvae. Including the original seven, he now possessed seventeen in total: ten at Level 0, five at Level 1, and two at Level 2. With such a force, he was certain he could eliminate at least ten modern cultivators.

"Xiao Chen, come into the inner room. I have something to tell you," Zhou Guangxi’s voice echoed from within.

Zhou Chen entered and closed the door. Inside, his grandfather wore a look of profound gratification. In just two short months, Zhou Chen’s medical skills had reached a level on par with those of renowned doctors; all he lacked was practical experience.

"My Zhou family has practiced medicine for generations, saving countless lives. Finally, a blessing has descended upon us."

"And you, my grandson, Zhou Chen! You are the blessing of the Zhou family. Every generation of our ancestors will be proud of you!"

Zhou Guangxi’s tired face was illuminated by an unprecedented excitement in his cloudy eyes. "You must carry forward our family's medical legacy and ensure that the Traditional Chinese Medicine of our Yanhuang people is neither buried nor discarded."

"Traditional Chinese Medicine is the treasure of Yanhuang, the crystallization of our national wisdom. It must never be snatched away by foreign barbarians!"

"Xiao Chen, I entrust this to you!" Zhou Guangxi clapped a heavy hand onto Zhou Chen’s shoulder.

Zhou Chen was deeply moved. This was the persistence and faith of the older generation. Those few words carried the weight of Zhou Guangxi’s sighs over the decline of modern Chinese medicine and his hope that Zhou Chen would carry the banner high, restoring its reputation both at home and abroad.

"Grandfather, I will. I will ensure that our Yanhuang medicine rises alongside the great rejuvenation of our people. I will present the true essence of Chinese medicine to the world, making healers everywhere come to Yanhuang to pay homage!"

"Good! Good! Good! Such ambition!" Zhou Guangxi had never felt as happy as he did today in decades. He had once despaired that Zhou Xiang would never inherit his medical skills, but fate had turned in his favor; his grandson not only inherited his skills perfectly but possessed such grand aspirations. The future of the Zhou family’s medicine—and the future of Yanhuang’s medicine—was bright.

"Xiao Chen, today I will pass on the true legacy of our Zhou family. Perhaps only you are worthy of inheriting it," Zhou Guangxi said mysteriously.

Curiosity piqued, Zhou Chen wondered what this "true legacy" could be. Zhou Guangxi opened a mechanism beneath the bed and retrieved a vintage wooden box. Inside lay an ancient book with a primitive texture, seemingly pulsating with the natural laws of the universe. The characters were archaic, belonging to no dynasty Zhou Chen recognized.

He felt a jolt run through him, his expression turning to one of utter disbelief. *Ancient script!* It was not from any known dynasty, but from the primordial era—the golden age when Qi practitioners walked the earth.

Zhou Chen’s heart raced with uncontrollable excitement. He had never imagined his family held such a profound opportunity. Yet, he realized that had he not already received the heritage of an ancient Qi practitioner, this book would be nothing more than gibberish to him.

*The Taiji Creation Manual.* That was the title of the ancient text. It looked extraordinary.

Zhou Guangxi explained, "This is an ancient acupuncture secret passed down through countless generations of the Zhou family. Many experts have looked at it, but none could decipher the characters."

"However, by following the human body diagrams within, we have found the acupuncture techniques to be remarkably effective."

Zhou Chen took the box and opened the book. It did indeed contain diagrams of the human body and acupuncture points, but they were not for acupuncture—they were for cultivation. His ancestors had stumbled upon these points and, by combining them with acupuncture, had achieved considerable success. It was no wonder, as this scripture contained the profound, simple laws of heaven and earth, fully dissecting the treasure that is the human body.

Zhou Chen read through the contents on the spot, committing every detail to memory. He held it close, knowing no third person could ever see it.

"Grandfather, this is not an acupuncture manual. It is an ancient cultivation technique!"

Hearing this, Zhou Guangxi did not seem particularly shocked. It was clear he was aware of the existence of "cultivators" and had likely crossed paths with a few in his time.

"As long as you know. Once your medical skills reach a certain level, you will have the chance to encounter real cultivators yourself."

Zhou Chen realized his grandfather misunderstood him. To his grandfather, a "cultivator" was merely a martial arts master. Zhou Chen did not offer an explanation; it would be meaningless now. He would wait until his own cultivation reached a level where he could lead his family onto the path of immortality before revealing the truth.

"By the way, Grandfather, where did you find that piece of amber you gave me?"

A short while later, Zhou Chen arrived at the location his grandfather had described. He searched thoroughly and even used the shared vision of his Soul-Devouring Insects to scan the area, but found nothing unusual. It seemed he had overthought it; obtaining a supreme scripture like the *Taiji Creation Manual* was already a blessing of immense proportions. He dared not be greedy for more.

After a night’s rest, he would head to the city tomorrow. Zhou Chen was impatient to find that youth at the bar and devour his soul completely. Two months had passed—he wondered if Sister Zhaoyue was currently on another blind date.

What Zhou Chen didn't know was that ever since he had met Gu Zhaoyue’s parents, they had been constantly working on her. They would say things like, "Age is not a problem," "If an old cow doesn't want to eat tender grass, what is the difference between it and a fat pig?" and "If you two could be together, you’d be a noble lady of the modern age."