Chapter 2

Leaving the residential area, he turned the corner.

Zhao Futu stopped in front of a tofu pudding shop. Aunt Lan liked tofu pudding, the kind that was plain and smooth, without any additives. Aunt Lan was a woman who knew how to enjoy life. She was from a scholarly family in Beijing, and Zhao Futu had never heard her talk much about her birth. However, she was very picky about food and had a refined taste in art, which led her to unintentionally develop excellent culinary skills.

It was truly a twist of fate!

Turning another corner, Zhao Futu walked past the crossroads and stopped in front of a high-end women's clothing boutique named 'Elegant Dream' at the front of the commercial street.

"Aunt, look what I brought you!" As soon as he entered the store, Zhao Futu saw a woman sitting at the counter, her hair in a cloud-like bun, wearing a light blue long dress that accentuated her curves and exuded elegance. He waved the tofu pudding in his hand and smiled with a hint of flattery. Aunt Lan, being from a scholarly family, had a special aura that made Zhao Futu feel as if he were facing a teacher in elementary school, making him feel inexplicably guilty.

To speak of it, the person Zhao Futu feared the most in his life was actually Aunt Lan.

Seeing Zhao Futu's fawning expression, Aunt Lan rolled her eyes, somewhat amused and exasperated, but then she put on a serious face and said, "Come here, I have something to say to you."

"Sure thing!" Zhao Futu approached Aunt Lan with a grin, placed the tofu pudding on the table, and gently massaged her shoulders with his long, fair hands.

"Aunt Lan, try it, it's fresh."

Zhao Futu was very familiar with the acupoints of the human body. As a practitioner of Daoism, if he didn't remember a few acupoints, it would be a laughingstock. He came from a single-parent family and had a hard childhood. His mother worked hard every day to raise him, often returning home with a sore back. Zhao Futu matured early and felt he should do something, so he learned massage techniques on his own to help his mother relax.

Unfortunately...

Life is unpredictable, and the saying "a son wishes to support his parents, but they are no longer there" is the greatest sorrow in life.

Zhao Futu's massage technique was excellent, and Aunt Lan closed her eyes in comfort. However, she soon opened her eyes, grabbed his fingers, and brought them to her face, examining them and complaining, "Why are your nails so long? You don't even know to cut them."

After saying that, Aunt Lan took out a nail clipper from her small bag, grabbed Zhao Futu's hands, and carefully trimmed his nails.

"These... aren't that long," Zhao Futu said awkwardly.

Aunt Lan was a good person but had one flaw: she was stricter than his mother. Whenever he came to her store, Zhao Futu had to tidy himself up first, or he would definitely be criticized. However, such actions always made him feel warm, as Aunt Lan was the closest person to him after his mother's passing.

He was from Jiangnan, and after the great flood in 1998, he and his mother moved to the north to live together.

Zhao Futu sat down, listening to Aunt Lan's complaints about his lack of cleanliness and poor image, and how he would never find a wife if he continued like this.

It was always the same old story.

Whenever this happened, he could only sit quietly and wait for Aunt Lan to finish.

After trimming his nails, Aunt Lan examined them carefully, ensuring there were no flaws, before finally letting him go. She was a very picky woman, paying great attention to the details of life. She held Zhao Futu's fair, long fingers in her palm, rubbing them gently, and said, "These hands are as delicate as a girl's. You should take better care of them!"

Zhao Futu was speechless upon hearing this.

What was she talking about?

"Alright. Speak up, what's the matter?" Aunt Lan, noticing Zhao Futu's speechless expression, flicked her long hair and smiled seductively, then said slowly.

"Nothing, just came to see you," Zhao Futu quickly shook his head and said.

"Alright, I've watched you grow up. When you come to me with such flattery, it's either mischief or something else! I can tell what you're thinking just by the wag of your tail! Speak up, what is it? As long as it's not too outrageous, I'll agree," Aunt Lan glanced at Zhao Futu and said with a feigned disdain. Zhao Futu wasn't a very complex person, and for a woman as wise as Aunt Lan, it was easy to see through him.

Zhao Futu felt a bit awkward upon hearing this.

"Really nothing? Then I won't bother," seeing Zhao Futu's conflicted expression, Aunt Lan's face showed a playful look, her beautiful phoenix eyes narrowing, and a smile forming on her lips.

Despite his tough name, Zhao Futu was completely useless in front of Aunt Lan, just a decoration.

"Actually, it's nothing much. I just saw a piece of jade I want to buy," seeing Aunt Lan's expression, Zhao Futu knew his little tricks were too childish for her, so he said with a thick face.

"Little Futu, you're not a kid anymore," Aunt Lan, unaware of her own words, grabbed Zhao Futu's hand and said earnestly, "I know a bit about your childhood. Practicing qigong and maintaining health is fine, but don't get too obsessed. Daoism, while not entirely superstitious, is not something ordinary people should dabble in, right?"

"The Zhao family only has you. What if you get obsessed and decide to become a monk?"

"How would I face your mother?"

Zhao Futu, once again, felt intimidated by Aunt Lan. He smiled bitterly and explained, "Aunt, don't worry. I won't become a monk, really!"

Since childhood, Zhao Futu, out of curiosity about alchemy, had bought many strange things, always making the two women worry that he might one day decide to become a Daoist. However, he had no such thoughts. Over the years, he had only bought some jade and set up strange Eight Trigram arrays, burning incense, and doing other minor things, nothing too out of the ordinary.

But Aunt Lan always felt that a young man in his early twenties, who was always interested in such strange things, was very different from others his age.

She always felt uneasy.

"Speak up, how much? I'll buy it for you," Aunt Lan finally sighed, petting Zhao Futu's head affectionately and said slowly.

Zhao Futu cautiously looked at Aunt Lan and said softly, "36,000."

"What!?" Aunt Lan immediately jumped up, grabbed Zhao Futu's ear with her delicate hand, and roared, "Speak! Did you do something bad outside? Are you trying to trick me? Did you get into trouble?"

In pain, Zhao Futu quickly raised his hands in surrender, "Aunt, really nothing!"

"It's a piece of Lantian jade, it really costs that much! This price is already discounted. I've never gotten into trouble, you can't accuse me of that!"

"From the sea, the moon brings tears to the pearl, and in Lantian, the warm sun makes the jade smoke."

"This ancient poem was taught to me by you. That piece is real Lantian jade, and you know Lantian jade is quite expensive, right?"

Aunt Lan, upon hearing this, frowned, full of suspicion, and stared at Zhao Futu. Seeing his honest expression, she finally released his ear, put on a stern face, and scolded, "No! Why buy such expensive jade for no reason? It can't be eaten. Last year, I spent a lot of money on your house. With prices rising so much, where do I have extra money to buy such expensive jade?"

But as she spoke, Aunt Lan's heart softened.

She looked at Zhao Futu, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "If you really want to buy it, I'll ask a friend to get you a different piece of jade."

"Little Futu, be a good boy, don't buy such expensive jade, okay?"

Zhao Futu was both amused and exasperated by Aunt Lan's drastic change. However, he felt a warm, swelling sensation in his heart, as if something was about to overflow. On impulse, he hugged Aunt Lan and kissed her left cheek, but immediately regretted it and quickly said, "Then I won't buy it. Aunt, eat slowly, I'll go first."

Saying that, he fled.

"Brat! You even dare to eat Aunt's tofu! Are you tired of living?" Aunt Lan touched the spot where Zhao Futu had kissed her, pretending to be angry.

But seeing his狼狈逃窜的样子, she couldn't help but smile.

...

On the way back, Zhao Futu was still somewhat fearful.

Although Aunt Lan sometimes doted on him, he was indeed afraid of her. Despite her frail appearance, when she was truly angry, her presence was formidable!

Zhao Futu's ability to break bricks was nothing compared to Aunt Lan's.

Sometimes, he was also very curious about Aunt Lan's background. Being from a scholarly family in Beijing, her origins must be extraordinary.

Entering the residential area and climbing the stairs, Zhao Futu lived on the third floor.

"I must buy the jade. According to ancient texts, during the critical phase of cultivation, various spirits and demons will appear. Without a protective item, it's easy to be disturbed by these evil spirits, leading to a disordered mind and a deviation of true qi, resulting in a mental breakdown!" Zhao Futu thought to himself as he climbed the stairs, "I've been cultivating on my own, without a master to guide me, so I have to find a way to protect myself."

Master?

In the current era, the quality of Daoist practitioners varies greatly. It's a chaotic time, with many people claiming to know a bit and starting to deceive others. There's no one trustworthy.

The internet is full of charlatans, which is why.

Since he couldn't rely on others, he could only rely on himself. In reality, apart from the legendary strange items, the only thing that could truly protect and stabilize the spirit was jade.

And among them, Lantian jade was the most effective!

However, just as Zhao Futu was lost in thought, the stairs he was climbing underwent a shocking transformation! The winding stairs seemed endless, surrounded by a black cloud that rolled and churned, with a faint, eerie red light. The deep red light contained a mysterious power that could captivate and control the mind!

In the hallway, the black cloud continued to churn wildly, like an endless and never-ending carnival, interspersed with terrifying red lightning. No sound was heard, but it carried a terrifying momentum that swept across the earth! The boundless black cloud churned and dispersed, and in the midst of the terrifying power, a massive archway appeared, connecting heaven and earth. The archway had a metallic texture and a fleshy color, with chaotic and fierce fangs and teeth!

The ghostly bronze door slowly opened, and a massive suction force emerged!

Before Zhao Futu, who was lost in thought, could react, he was involuntarily dragged into the ghostly bronze door, which seemed to open like a monstrous mouth!

At this moment, a mysterious, deep voice echoed in the space enveloped by the terrifying power.

"Target locked!"

"Space opened! Automatically extracting host data, generating contract number..."

"Welcome to the Nightmare Space! Chosen one!"

...