The hour of Mao, between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. in the morning.
Chen Han decisively took out his phone and set several alarms, making sure he could wake up before the hour of Mao the next day.
Xiaoyu had already taken Mr. Zhao and his party to admire the trio of old elm trees, even taking videos and photos for them before sending them along.
Staying beneath the trio of old elms was indeed very pleasant, so Zhao Kang's group enjoyed it thoroughly, returning to the Chen Clan Ancient Building Complex's dining hall for lunch only at noon.
If they were well-prepared, they felt they could picnic under the trees all day, enjoying the refreshing comfort.
By afternoon, when Zhao Kang's group had to leave, they were quite reluctant to go.
Zhao Kang sincerely remarked, "I never expected such a pleasant surprise here at the Chen Clan. We didn't have enough time this visit, but next time we'll definitely stay a couple more days. The ancient beauty and aesthetics here, as well as the deep Taoist heritage of the family, are perfect for nourishing the body and mind."
The others nodded in agreement.
It was Xiaoyu's first time seeing such eager return visitors, so she cheerfully said, "Mr. Zhao, you can join our Chen Clan tourist group. We post any special events or discounts there."
As she spoke, she had already taken out a QR code and handed it over.
Developing tourism for the Chen Family and letting it shine once more was the wish of Master and Mistress. To help her senior complete this wish from their master, she would seize every beneficial opportunity.
Zhao Kang and his group were already quite satisfied with the Chen Clan tour this time, so naturally, they obligingly scanned the QR code to join the tourist group.
There weren't many people in the group, just over 100.
Evidently, not many people knew about the Chen Clan, and there weren't many places to visit.
"A good place like the Chen Clan shouldn't be buried, I'll help spread the word," said Zhao Kang, taking out his phone and uploading some of the photos Xiaoyu took for them to his social media. He added a caption: "Shangyuan Village's Chen Clan Ancient Building Complex is highly recommended for a visit."
"Thank you, Mr. Zhao." Xiaoyu was sincerely grateful. Mr. Zhao's car was a Mercedes S, and given his demeanor, he likely had connections and influence in the county. Him posting on social media to help with promotion might actually yield results.
Chen Lin came out from inside, saw Xiaoyu busy entertaining guests, and nodded with a smile. When Xiaoyu had sent off the party, he walked over to greet her, thinking about getting Chen Han to continue the lineage. "Xiaoyu, are you done?"
Xiaoyu greeted him cheerfully, "Little Uncle."
"Xiaoyu, you've worked hard," Chen Lin said with a smile.
"Not at all, it's the wish of Master and Mistress," Xiaoyu hurriedly shook her head. Of course, Master and Mistress were the best excuse; the key was to help her senior complete this wish.
Chen Lin knew well and deliberately probed, "By the way, Xiaoyu, I have something to tell you. Xiaohan is the sole descendant of our line and needs to carry on the Chen lineage. I'm thinking of introducing him to a girl. What do you think?"
"No," Xiaoyu almost instinctively replied, then saw Little Uncle's mischievous smile and immediately realized he was teasing her.
"Xiaoyu, you need to put in more effort," Chen Lin said with a big grin, thinking he should have a good talk with his nephew.
Xiaoyu, blushing with embarrassment, said, "Little Uncle, I'll go edit videos," and hurried away.
Naturally, editing the video to upload to her Tiao Yin account for promotion, was necessary to better advertise the Chen Clan Ancient Building Complex.
Today's buildings and scenery looked more beautiful than ever. Once uploaded, it would surely have a great effect.
At night.
Chen Han had another meal of plain foods with Little Uncle.
Chen Lin had a few bites and brought up yesterday's topic again, "Xiaohan, Xiaoyu really is a good girl."
Chen Han sighed. He, of course, knew his junior sister was a good girl.
But some things…
He was aware of his current physical condition.
Moreover, even if his health improved, didn't he technically already have a girlfriend?
Though he didn't know if she would acknowledge the relationship at that time.
After all, she was a National Goddess with over 3 million followers, and after disappearing without a word and blocking her, she wouldn't likely come back to him, would she?
Sometimes, in matters of the heart, you really have no control.
Thinking of this, he lost his appetite and returned to his own courtyard.
Overthinking, his emotions fluctuated, and it seemed the lung cancer cells began acting up again, leaving him utterly exhausted as he fell onto his bed, unwilling to move.
The next day.
Chen Han was awakened by the sound of alarms. The first thing he did was check his lifespan information:
Name: Chen Han
Age: 24
Lifespan: 27 days, 19 hours, and 30 minutes.
Physique: None
Realm: None
Passive Skills: None
Active Skills: None
Another day had been reduced from his lifespan.
He checked the time; it was almost 5 o'clock, just about the hour of Mao, so he hurriedly got up and left the attic.
This season, before 5 a.m., the sky was already slightly lit.
He hadn't woken up this early in a long time, and partly due to his physical condition, his energy was somewhat depleted, though the pleasant, refreshing feeling in the special acupoint area invigorated him considerably.
He entered the pavilion and sat casually in a cross-legged position, appearing lazy, as if the posture wasn't proper at all.
Actually, in the Taoist sect, meditation includes seated, casual cross-legged, single cross-legged, and double cross-legged positions. There are fixed postures, but no requirement for disciples to choose any specific one.
There was a lady on Tiao Yin posing as a female crown who fancied herself professional, pointing out that a dedicated cultivator's cross-legged posture was improper, boasting about it, yet unaware that this seemingly lazy posture is the casual cross-legged style in Taoism.
Ultimately, the lady was called out by a Wudang Daoist and reported, no longer daring to wear Taoist robes to spread rumors, only daring to post classic Taoist quotes to ride the trend.
Taoism emphasizes spontaneity, so meditation posture naturally follows personal comfort.
But besides feeling refreshed and comfortable, Chen Han didn't experience anything unusual by 5 a.m. at the hour of Mao, and he wondered what the Spiritual Energy Flush felt like.
After waiting a while, just as he grew puzzled, a streak of morning glow appeared in the sky, the rising sun meeting the earth, and at that moment, Chen Han noticed a sudden change around him.
He distinctly felt a sensation far more pleasant than before, seemingly a unique energy began flowing and spreading around. His entire body felt as if his pores were opening up, breathing greedily, like someone on the brink of suffocation finding the source of life.
In this state, he even felt his body lighten, in an optimal condition.
He was somewhat captivated by the feeling, for it had been a long time since his health felt this good.
This process lasted a moment before abruptly halting, followed by the fatigue of a terminally ill, near-death body.
He realized that what he just experienced must have been the Spiritual Energy Flush.
He also realized that in the Taoist sect, the sunrise symbolizes vitality and power and is seen as the time of most abundant spiritual energy, so the appearance of the sun marks the time for the Spiritual Energy Flush.
But after this Spiritual Energy Flush, he couldn't perceive any changes in his body, aside from a momentary sense of well-being, and then nothing else.
However, after studying for a while and reopening the status panel, his face lit up with joy:
Name: Chen Han
Age: 24
Lifespan: 28 days, 6 hours, and 23 minutes.
Indeed, his lifespan increased, upon careful calculation, by 12 hours, or half a day.
As Taoist legend has it, places rich in spiritual energy indeed can prolong life and strengthen the body, and such tales are not misleading.
A single Spiritual Energy Flush can increase lifespan by half a day, and the special spiritual acupoint allows for one flush a day. Under the current circumstances, he could prolong his life by at least another 14 days.
As Chen Han pondered this, suddenly he heard two dog barks. He saw the small mongrel from the day before dart past from a distance.
Then, two more barks echoed as two more stray dogs followed the little mongrel. The countryside's abundance of stray dogs arises from unchecked breeding. In today's economic climate, everyone needs to go work outside, and dogs kept in villages cannot be taken along.
Once a dog is left unattended, especially a female, soon there'll be a litter, and then...
People can be irresponsible; dogs, after mating, truly hold no accountabilities.
As Chen Han was thinking, suddenly he froze at the unexpected game prompt:
[Crisis Task: A previously driven away Dog Demon is gathering other Dog Demons, seemingly posing a threat to the Sect's Base. Please investigate their gathering purpose quickly!]
[Construction Task: If the Dog Demons intend harm to the Sect's Base, their primary target may be the newly established special spiritual acupoint. Please locate the Clan Workshop Elder promptly to construct defensive measures for the special acupoint!]
"???" Chen Han stared at the sudden task prompts, wanting to say: Does it work like this?
He felt an inexplicable sense that the game system was somewhat shameless, using the little mongrel as character roles.
But for such a 'powerful' Dog Demon, it suited him just fine.
The bigger the storm, the pricier the fish, the 'stronger' the Dog Demon, the more challenging it was, thus justifying the rewards once the task was completed.