Chapter Twenty-Five: The Bamboo Pavilion Completed

In less than three days, the members of the Shi family arrived. There were eight of them in total: Shi Xiaohu and Shi Xiaolin, five craftsmen to build the bamboo lodges, and a servant assigned to assist the siblings. Although he was meant to serve, Tang Wei sensed a faint spiritual energy in him—he had likely just begun to sense qi. Shi Zaiwei must have hoped Tang Wei would occasionally offer him some guidance.

His name was Shi Jinan, about twenty years old by appearance. Tang Wei said nothing and tacitly agreed to let him stay.

All eight came with their own luggage, so it was only necessary to arrange rooms for them. Fortunately, the Tang family had recently built a new house; if they still lived in the old one, everyone would have had to sleep outdoors. Though it wasn’t possible to give everyone a separate room, two or three people to a room was manageable.

After they’d put their belongings away, Tang Wei saw there was still time and led them to the valley for a look. Since the valley had been burned, everything was pitch black. She didn’t want to venture inside, so she stood to the side, comparing the terrain and sharing her general ideas. As for the specifics of construction, that was their area of expertise.

After dinner, the others retired to their rooms. Tang Wei called the siblings to her own room. After asking if they had any requests, she briefly explained the basics of cultivation, the classification of realms, and key matters to pay attention to.

Next, she assigned each of them a suitable technique. Both methods could be cultivated all the way to the Immortal Emperor realm. They had been collected by an Immortal Emperor from the Divine Realm: five cultivation techniques, one for each spiritual root, later compiled into a single book titled "Annals of the Immortal Emperor’s Five Elements Techniques." Ziyang had discovered it and, finding it impressive, stored it away.

Although these techniques were not the best in the Divine Realm, in the Immortal Realm, they were unparalleled. This was Tang Wei’s first time taking disciples. Though the siblings were not entirely devoted to her, they could still be counted as her own.

To Shi Xiaolin, she gave the Water Chapter from the "Annals of the Immortal Emperor’s Five Elements Techniques," also known as the "Feather Moistening Formula," a water-root sound technique focused on sonic attacks. To Shi Xiaohu, she gave the Earth Chapter, also called the "Endurance Formula," an earth-root technique for body cultivation, emphasizing physical defense.

After arranging these matters, Tang Wei summoned Tang Jun and gave him a delightful task: he was to take Shi Xiaolin and Shi Xiaohu to the back mountain for cultivation and help them guide spiritual energy into their bodies. In this way, he could assist their training while familiarizing himself with the use of spiritual energy. Tang Wei herself had benefited from such practice and hoped her brother would experience the same; mere mechanical cultivation was of little use.

Tang Jun did not understand his sister’s intentions, but since she had spoken, he had no choice but to comply. If she forbade him from entering the space to cultivate in the future, he’d be at a loss. So, though reluctant, he led the siblings up the back mountain.

The next morning, the five craftsmen awoke before breakfast and headed straight to the valley. When Tang Wei emerged and found no one about, she asked her mother, who told her they had already begun working. She hurried to the valley and saw them measuring land, splitting bamboo—working with great enthusiasm. Tang Wei had never seen anyone work so diligently before! Clearly, Shi Zaiwei had given them special instructions.

Once breakfast was ready, she called them back to eat. No sooner had they finished than they returned to the valley to continue. Shi Jinan and the siblings went along to help. Tang Wei checked in, hoping to lend a hand if needed, but found she had nothing to contribute and went back to assist her mother with housework, practicing in her space when she had a moment.

Seeing how hard they worked, Tang Wei felt embarrassed. That evening, after the workers had rested, she called Tang Jun and instructed him to bring Shi Jinan with him to the back mountain and give him some guidance.

A month passed swiftly, and the bamboo lodges in the valley were nearly finished. In this time, Tang Jun’s cultivation had reached the fifth layer of the Qi Refining stage, while the siblings and Shi Jinan had entered the first layer. Father and Mother Tang had both reached the second layer, but Tang Wei herself was still lingering at the first layer of Foundation Establishment. The only useful thing she had accomplished was naming the twins.

Originally, the twins’ names had been left to Father Tang, but he was never satisfied with the names he came up with, delaying the matter for months. Impatient, Tang Wei randomly picked two names from the list. Thus, the elder brother became Tang Yurui, with the nickname Chongchong; the younger sister was Tang Yafei, nicknamed Yaya.

Tang Wei had chosen the nicknames herself. When Father and Mother Tang heard them, their faces wrinkled as if they could crush a mosquito, but they couldn’t resist Tang Wei’s insistence and reluctantly agreed.

Now, Tang Wei was carrying two large buckets filled with tea and refreshments to the valley. The valley had taken on a new look; apart from the flowers and plants yet to be planted, everything else was in order. At a glance, one could already see the general layout.

As she carried her load and surveyed the scene, she marveled at the transformation in just a few days. Along the sides of the walkway, low fences outlined several flower beds, ready for planting. At the mouth of the valley stood a large artificial hill, shielding the view inside.

Circling around the rockery, she saw three rows of bamboo lodges near the mountainside. A large open space was left in the center, paved with pebbles. On the left, a one- or two-meter-wide brook had been dug. Near the lodges, they had somehow found a spring, and mountain water now flowed in continuously. The bottom of the brook was layered with pebbles and fine sand, making the water look crystal clear.

A bamboo bridge spanned the brook, leading directly to a bamboo pavilion on the opposite side. The pavilion stood near both mountain and water, encircled by a bamboo railing with a ring of long bamboo benches inside. At its center was a table surrounded by small stools, with open spaces around the pavilion for planting flowers. Many areas within the valley were bordered with low bamboo railings, presumably for flower beds.

The lodges comprised about twenty rooms, forming a semicircle within the valley. They were elevated on bamboo pillars, each stabilized by triangular braces. In front of the lodges ran a long U-shaped walkway with finely crafted railings.

Every room had a door and a window at the front. The windows, made of bamboo, could be propped open with a bamboo stick. They were set high, so they didn’t obstruct foot traffic. Entering through the bamboo door, one found another window at the back of the room, much lower—just at chest height—making the space bright and airy. Each room had simple furnishings: a bed at the innermost wall, a table in the center with four stools beneath, a cabinet and desk at the head of the bed.

Some single rooms had lounge chairs and simple bamboo decorations. Clearly, the workers had been attentive to every detail.

This side of the project would be finished by tomorrow. Tang Wei instructed Shi Xiaolin and her brother to return with the workers for a few days before coming back.

As Tang Wei saw it, Shi Zaiwei was surely eager to know about their progress—what techniques Shi Xiaolin and her brother had learned, how far they had advanced, and so on. Given how devoted his clansmen had been in helping her, she saw no harm in indulging his curiosity. She prided herself on having treated them fairly, with a clear conscience.