Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

A group of travelers inquired with a few Loose Cultivators and learned that when they passed by the area last night, they didn’t encounter any major fog.

Nor did they encounter any Evil Wraiths.

This made everyone quite puzzled, feeling as if they had the worst luck in generations.

Along the way, Chen Li thought hard about why the Evil Wraith would specifically target him,

"Could it be the rumored trial of Foundation Establishment?"

But that reason was far too far-fetched.

In the end, after much deliberation, he could only attribute it to carrying too many Evil-Breaking Talismans.

These talismans had some damaging effect on Evil Wraiths, but conversely, it was also likely that they would be loathed by more powerful Evil Wraiths.

"In the future, when in a crowd, it’s better to just go with the flow," Chen mused with thoughts in his mind:

"Counting the incident during the migration, similar events have happened twice now."

He decided to store most of the Evil-Breaking Talismans in his storage bag from now on and only take them out when in danger.

This encounter with the Evil Wraith wasn’t without its merits; through the true battle with the Wraith, he had overcome most of his fear of Evil Wraiths.

It’s also because this particular Evil Wraith was too powerful.

If he were to encounter the one from the migration again, Chen was confident that he could deal with it now.

...

After crossing the river they had followed on the way there, they walked for half a day.

The scenery suddenly changed.

This place was no longer a land scorched to desolation.

Countless farmers were toiling with rudimentary tools to cultivate the wasteland, leveling the ground.

Farmers were digging out the remaining tree stumps and roots left from slash-and-burn, chanting in unison as they dragged them together for burning.

The whole world was shrouded in smoke and haze.

By next year, this place would likely be transformed into neatly ordered fields and villages.

The passage of the Loose Cultivators caused a disturbance, but under the angry shouts and scolding of the stewards, order was quickly restored. Only pairs of eyes filled with awe, curiosity, or envy occasionally glanced their way.

Compared to the hardships of these farmers, the corvée labor of the Loose Cultivators was nowhere close to being tragic.

After reaching this place, there was basically no more danger. A little further and they would be in the heartland of humanity. Rushing, at times and going slow at others, the group finally reached a small town before nightfall and rested in an inn for the night.

It was a rare outing.

Chen Li was in no rush to return.

The next morning, he and Zhou Hong separated from Zhang Yan and the others, enjoying the scenery and experiencing the secular lifestyle as they leisurely made their way back.

Since arriving in this world, he had never relaxed like this.

Life wasn’t just about cultivation; it was also about living.

What should have been a journey of two days and two nights took them over half a month. Whenever the mood struck, they would stay for a day or two, even acting as chivalrous heroes to eliminate an Evil Wraith in a remote village.

They didn’t even need the Evil-Breaking Talismans; a single Palm Thunder made it vanish in an instant.

The scenery and food along the way made Chen Li reluctant to return. If it hadn’t started to snow suddenly, accelerating their journey, they probably would have lingered for a few more days.

After being away for just over three months, there was another robbery at home.

The place had been turned upside down, but fortunately, there was nothing of much value.

Upon inquiring, he found out that the cultivators of the Returning True Sect, including the Golden Core Ancestors, had returned before them. It was said that four Foundation Establishment cultivators had died in the reclamation, a loss that was still crippling for the Returning True Sect.

He wondered whether the aloof Bai was among those four.

...

With winter approaching and considering the inconveniences of life, Chen Li eventually decided to move back to Luoluo City. When he asked Zhang Yan about his plans, he said he needed to think about it. His family’s rental had been stopped long ago, and even if he wanted to move back, he’d have to find a new place.

At farewell, Wang Qing couldn’t hide her reluctance:

"Ah, I really don’t want you to go!"

"I don’t want to leave you either, but it’s not that far away, right? We can meet anytime we want," Zhou Hong said, holding Wang Qing’s hand.

"Waah, waah, waah, I don’t want Uncle to go, I want Uncle!" When the bratty kid saw Chen’s family was leaving, he pouted and burst into tears, "Mom, can we keep Uncle, please?"

"This naughty child! He’s become too wild, without any sense of manners!" Wang Qing helplessly covered her forehead and said embarrassingly, "Fellow Daoist Chen, please don’t take offense."

Chen Li couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the sight. Children naturally admire strength. Although they didn’t have much interaction, the child clearly looked up to and revered him.

Chen patted the child’s head, smiling, "Children are pure at heart, how could I take offense?"

...

They moved back into their house in Luoluo City.

The place felt somewhat unfamiliar; many of the neighbors he knew were gone, and at the same time, there were many new faces. With the influx of Loose Cultivators from the Returning True Sect, it was even busier than before.

The house left behind by Bai Jinwang after his death had been taken over by a middle-aged couple.

As for Sun Yu, she seemed to still be living here.

Everything had changed, yet it felt as if nothing had changed.

When he meditated for Qi Cultivation at night, Chen savored the rich Spiritual Energy he had missed and took a deep breath. This was the place for cultivation. If it would have taken eight months at the foot of the mountain to reach Complete Qi Cultivation, it would only take half a year in Luoluo City.

After returning to Luoluo City, he finally had time to properly cultivate.

In less than half a month, after his Body Protection Skill, he also mastered the Wind Control Skill to Max Level. The only techniques left that needed leveling were the Invisibility Technique at First Order Eighth Grade, and two First Order Ninth Grade techniques: the Yuan Magnetism Evasion Skill and the Golden Light Body Protection Skill.

In his spare time, Chen began studying the Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill and the Qi-watching Skill from his pile of old papers.

Both of these techniques were quite unique.

And both were First Order Fifth Grade techniques.

Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill: Sensing fortune and misfortune, evading disasters, seeking good fortune while avoiding calamities, it is considered a technique of divination.

Qi-watching Skill: Observing the flow of Spiritual Energy, breaking through Formations, identifying Spirit Veins, it is known as geomantic divination.

For Chen, First Order Fifth Grade techniques were essentially no challenge, and without much effort in studying, he learned the Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill in just over ten days.

There was no fanfare or vivid display, except for minor Mana fluctuations, the entire casting process was almost silent.

"Is this what being in a state of technique feels like?"

Chen Li closed his eyes and attuned his senses finely.

He found his sensitivity to be extraordinarily acute, as if he were ensnared in a tangle of threads—himself being one of the knots, with all kinds of inexplicable information rising and falling in his mind; yet, when he tried to grasp them in detail, they vanished without a trace.

He greeted Zhou Hong and then stepped out of the door.

The streets were bustling with people, faces unknown everywhere you looked.

Suddenly, his heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

His gaze subconsciously shifted towards an approaching cultivator.

Clad in an elaborate robe, tall and dignified, with a middle-aged visage and a flowing beard, his skin radiant—his bearing was truly extraordinary.

"This must be a Foundation Establishment cultivator!"

The two quickly brushed past each other without causing the slightest ripple.

Enlightenment suddenly struck his heart.

"The Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill, it indeed seeks fortune and avoids disaster... Regardless of whether the other party harbors ill intentions or causes ensnare, the mere presence of a powerful individual represents a threat to me!"

"In the presence of the powerful, one cannot control one’s own life; life and death depend on the other’s whims. Is this not an omen of misfortune?" Chen pondered in his heart.

"What keen danger perception indeed!"

He continued walking.

Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation and, following it, took a few more steps. His eyes focused on a corner where a clump of lush weeds grew.

"How odd..."

His brows furrowed as he approached and gently nudged aside the weeds with the tip of his foot; the next moment, a faint glimmer of light flashed across his sight.

"Hmm?" He bent down to pick it up and gently rubbed off the covering dirt with his fingers, revealing its crystal hue beneath.

It was a Low-grade Spirit Stone.

Chen, holding the Spirit Stone in his hand, was a bit dumbfounded; this was his first time picking up money.

"Could it be that fate truly exists in the world?"

He felt a slight chill on his face and lifted his head to look at the leaden sky overhead, as snowflakes began to flutter down.

...

Time flies swiftly, and before long, winter gave way to spring.

Another year passed.

Chen Li was forty-five.

He spent most days shut behind doors engaging in cultivation, with occasional breaks to draw talismans, study formation theory, or take a flight to lift his spirits. He had mastered the Qi-watching Skill long ago, and, by combining it with knowledge from formation manuals and observing the City Defense Array, his understanding was verified and refined.

He was no longer clueless about formations.

Solving simple Illusion Arrays and Maze Arrays was no longer a challenge for him.

Recently, Zhang Yan and his daughter, along with Gu Mengqing, had moved back here.

Today was the New Year festival, and not only these two families came, but Zhao Chang Er, who seemed to have found his way without invitation, added a touch of liveliness to the otherwise quiet celebration.

"Tsk tsk, one does change a lot when a girl turns eighteen. Last year she was still unripe, and now she’s grown more and more charming!" Zhou Hong affectionately pinched Zhang Shuniang’s cheek and said, "Who knows who will benefit from this in the future?"

Zhang Shuniang’s face flushed with shyness as she protested, "Ms. Zhou, please don’t tease me."

The two of them stepped aside, leaving the men’s conversation behind to chat about women’s private matters.

"Chen, I see your Spiritual Power faintly overflowing; are you about to attempt Foundation Establishment?" Zhao Chang Er stared at Chen for a moment, somewhat surprised. Last autumn it was not noticeable, yet in just a few short months, signs of Foundation Establishment had emerged.

Zhang Yan, who was just about to drink tea, hesitated for a moment upon hearing this before continuing to drink calmly.

He had gotten used to it.

Even now, hearing that Chen might have reached Foundation Establishment, become a great Foundation Establishment cultivator,

He’d calmly congratulate him and then feel no surge of emotion.

"It’s still a long way off. As for Foundation Establishment, that will depend on destiny!" Chen replied modestly with a smile. With his current pace of cultivation, it would be another three to four months before he could truly complete it.

Zhao Chang Er sighed, "Indeed, for us Loose Cultivators, Foundation Establishment is exceedingly difficult. Although it’s but a step away, it’s as hard as ascending to heaven."

"Others might fail, but Big Brother will definitely succeed!" Gu Mengqing interjected.

Zhao Chang Er scoffed and sipped his tea before pompously lecturing, "You don’t understand. Countless geniuses of the sects sail through the Qi Cultivation Stage without a hitch, reaching Complete Qi Cultivation before the age of thirty, only to fail at the final hurdle. That shows how difficult it is, let alone for rootless, lineage-less wild cultivators like us."

Chen felt a twinge in his heart as the words made him somewhat disheartened.

At that moment, there was a knock on the courtyard door.

Who else could it be?

He excused himself and stood up to answer the door.

But when he opened it, he found no one there.

Only a bag lay at the doorstep. He bent down to pick it up, opened it to see red paper-wrapped Spiritual Tea, Spiritual Medicine, sweets, and other festive gifts.

There was also an unsigned letter.

"Who could have sent this?"

He closed the door, tore open the envelope, and read the letter inside.

The writing was graceful, clearly a woman’s hand.

The letter began with the respectful salutation typically used by an elder and expressed greetings and thanks for the help he had once provided. It also updated him on the recent situation of the Yu Family, which seemed to have settled down completely.

"...For the kindness shown to the Yu Family, I, Fan Zhen, owe a debt that cannot be repaid, even if I were to die a thousand times. Should you ever need anything, the Yu Family will do everything in our power to assist—Yu Fan Zhen respectfully writes!"

A warmth rose in Chen’s heart.

To give roses, one’s hands retain a lingering fragrance.

The gifts may not have been precious, but the sentiment was enough to warm the heart.

Chen tucked the letter and gifts into his storage pouch and walked back, intending to keep the Yu Family’s message secret—the fewer who knew, the better.

"Who was it?" Zhou Hong approached and asked.

"I don’t know, there was no one when I opened the door; it might have been some kids playing a prank," Chen said with a smile.

ps: Looking at it, I finally have a ten-thousand subscription badge!