Chapter 6

Early in the morning, Xu Muyang saw a bowl of silver ear lily soup already placed in front of his table, which could be considered a tonic. The inn certainly wouldn't prepare such a breakfast for guests, so Xu Muyang knew it must have been prepared by Tang Jie.

Although at his cultivation level, this ordinary lily soup had little effect on him, the thought behind it made Xu Muyang feel quite comfortable. Moreover, the soup was well-cooked and tasted good, so enjoying it was a pleasure.

After breakfast, Tang Jie came to visit Xu Muyang and asked him about his next destination.

This question stumped Xu Muyang.

He had come here to avoid being hunted, and he didn't have a fixed destination. He had just been wandering wherever he went.

Now, Anyang Prefecture was already at the far eastern end, and further east was the endless sea. Was he supposed to escape to a deserted island?

Seeming to sense Xu Muyang's hesitation, Tang Jie said, "If there's no particular place you want to go, I have a suggestion. Why not buy a house nearby, find a quiet place, and rest and recuperate?"

"Buy a house?" Xu Muyang was greatly surprised.

"Yes. If money is an issue, you don't need to worry. I have some silver, enough to buy a small house."

"But that's your money."

"Those horses were killed by you, so you deserve a share of the spoils," Tang Jie replied calmly, having unconsciously dropped the 'Ling' in 'Xu Ling' and simply calling him 'Xu Shi.'

Xu Muyang didn't notice this, but hesitated, saying, "I'm not suitable for a long stay here."

"You can always sell it if you don't want to stay. Besides, you're not feeling well, and there's no one to take care of you. I'm looking for work nearby, so I can also take care of you when I have time," Tang Jie continued.

After arriving in Anyang Prefecture, Tang Jie had already determined that Xu Muyang had no fixed destination. Since that was the case, it would be better to keep him here.

He wanted to follow Xu Muyang to cultivate, which meant he had to stay close to him. If Xu Muyang left, he would have to follow, but he couldn't find a reason to continue traveling with him. If he followed too closely, Xu Muyang would suspect his intentions. Although these intentions would eventually be revealed, it was better to delay it as long as possible.

So, if he couldn't follow, he would make Xu Muyang stay voluntarily.

Xu Muyang had no idea about Tang Jie's ulterior motives and was still worried about the cause and effect. He thought that if he left, the cause and effect wouldn't be resolved, so it might be better to stay as Tang Jie suggested.

But if he stayed, the house would be bought by Tang Jie, wouldn't he owe him even more?

Or, as Tang Jie said, the money should be his share?

But thinking about it, it didn't seem right. After all, the horses were abandoned by him. If someone else found them and got rich, and he came to claim a share, wouldn't that mean all scavengers would be robbed?

But if he didn't stay, where could he go? Even the inn was paid for by Tang Jie!

He couldn't figure out how to balance this, so he decided not to think about it and waved his hand, letting Tang Jie handle it.

Tang Jie was very efficient and found a good house in just two days.

The house was an old residence downstream of Fengping Ferry outside Anyang Prefecture. The original owner had sold it due to financial difficulties, and Tang Jie bought it for 150 taels of silver.

The house purchase process was simple. They just needed to invite a respected elder from the area to act as a witness, sign the contract, and pay the silver.

The owner of the house was registered under Tang Jie's name, but when the elder wrote the contract, he didn't ask much after hearing Tang Jie's name and simply wrote 'Tang Jie.'

Tang Jie initially wanted to correct it but then thought that since he wasn't familiar with this world, having an alias would be safer, so he accepted it.

After buying the house, Xu Muyang came to see it. The house was not large but had two courtyards and six rooms. It was a bit secluded but backed by Xiaoyuan Mountain and faced Liuye River, making it a peaceful and scenic place. He was quite satisfied.

Most importantly, the area had relatively abundant spiritual energy, which was perfect for recuperation.

Xu Muyang immediately knew that Tang Jie hadn't chosen the place randomly and asked him. Sure enough, Tang Jie had chosen it for its abundant spiritual energy.

This made Xu Muyang very curious: "How did you know this area has abundant spiritual energy?"

Tang Jie replied, "The family used to grow spiritual grains for a sect, but their descendants lost interest in farming, leading to its abandonment. If a place can grow spiritual grains, it must have abundant spiritual energy. The immortals wouldn't choose a wrong place. Moreover, the area has good transportation, which would be convenient for you."

By 'good transportation,' he meant that if someone came to hunt Xu Muyang, he would have more escape routes.

Hearing this, Xu Muyang was stunned.

He then looked at the room Tang Jie had prepared for him, which was already cleaned. Next to it was a study with a desk and the Four Treasures of the Study. Stepping out of the room, he could directly enter the courtyard, perfect for cultivation.

This young man had everything arranged perfectly.

Xu Muyang's view of Tang Jie changed.

After a while, Xu Muyang nodded and said, "For such a young age, your thinking is quite meticulous."

At this moment, he found Tang Jie interesting and no longer wanted to separate from him.

He had a vague feeling that with this young man around, his future life would be much easier.

From that day on, Xu Muyang officially moved into the house at Fengping Ferry, and Tang Jie naturally stayed there as well—after all, he couldn't buy a house for Xu Muyang and stay in the inn himself.

With the remaining silver, they couldn't afford much, so to avoid running out of money, Tang Jie found a job in Anyang Prefecture.

During the day, he worked in the city, and in the evening, he returned to the house to cook for Xu Muyang, wash clothes, and clean the courtyard, managing everything perfectly.

Xu Muyang only needed to sit quietly and recover his injuries.

Occasionally, he would sit alone, holding the ancient bronze mirror, turning it over and over, though it wasn't clear what he was looking at. Most of the time, he would just sigh.

Tang Jie was indeed a great help. He thought of many daily life details that Xu Muyang hadn't considered. With him around, Xu Muyang didn't have to worry about daily life, and gradually, he got used to Tang Jie's service.

With more fleas, you don't itch; with more debts, you don't worry. Over time, Xu Muyang stopped thinking about resolving the cause and effect.

In no time, they had lived there for half a month, and their relationship gradually became more harmonious.

One evening, Xu Muyang was practicing the Zangxiang Classic in the courtyard, and Tang Jie was watching. They were both used to this routine.

After completing a set of the Zangxiang Classic, Xu Muyang finished his practice, and Tang Jie, holding a cup of tea, smiled and said, "Congratulations, Brother Xu, your injuries are recovering."

Their relationship had deepened, and Tang Jie could now call him 'Brother Xu.'

"Just a third recovered... Hmm, how did you know this time?" Xu Muyang asked.

Tang Jie replied, "Brother Xu, you usually do eleven movements when practicing the Zangxiang Classic, but today you did twelve. Clearly, you weren't unwilling before, but you lacked the strength. Since you can do twelve now, your injuries must have improved."

"Indeed." Xu Muyang wasn't surprised by Tang Jie's attention to detail and smiled, "The Zangxiang Classic has twelve movements, which can enhance spiritual energy. I was deficient in both qi and blood recently, so I couldn't complete all twelve. Now that my injuries are improving, I can finally do the full set."

He looked at Tang Jie, "I owe it to your attentive care, which allowed me to focus on my recovery."

"Does this mean that once you complete the Zangxiang Classic, you can completely expel the tyrannical qi and heal your injuries?" Tang Jie asked excitedly.

"Not that easy. The Zangxiang Classic is a basic cultivation method and has little effect on healing injuries."

"But aren't you already a Heavenly Heart Realm True Person? Why are you still practicing the basics? Oh, I know, you must have been lazy as a child and didn't build a solid foundation."

"Nonsense!" Xu Muyang was angry, "The Zangxiang Classic, though a basic method, has an extraordinary origin. It emphasizes entering the divine with the mind, thinking with the will; aligning the body with the Dao, concealing the spirit; and circulating qi through the hundred meridians, unimpeded and free..."

He spoke at length, emphasizing the Zangxiang Classic's significance and even recited some of its cultivation mantras.

After a moment, he suddenly realized and glared at Tang Jie, "You little brat, you're trying to trick me again."

After spending more time with Tang Jie, he gradually understood that Tang Jie wasn't ignorant but was just pretending to be innocent. Every time they talked, Tang Jie would extract a lot of information about the cultivation world, so now Tang Jie knew much more about cultivation, even some of the Zangxiang Classic's cultivation mantras.

However, Xu Muyang didn't mind.

He had grown fond of Tang Jie and, with the bond they had formed, no longer cared about such things.

Being tricked by Tang Jie was, in a way, something he was willing to accept.

He thought the Zangxiang Classic was extremely difficult to practice, and even he, a Heavenly Heart Realm True Person, hadn't seen much effect. Tang Jie couldn't possibly learn the complete cultivation method from these scattered mantras—this self-comforting thought was becoming more and more convincing.

Hearing Xu Muyang's scolding, Tang Jie just smiled innocently, his expression pure and childlike.

Xu Muyang didn't fall for it, said a few more words, and went back to sleep.

Watching Xu Muyang leave, Tang Jie's playful expression vanished, and his innocent eyes turned deep and meaningful.

He murmured, "Entering the divine with the mind, thinking with the will; aligning the body with the Dao, concealing the spirit; circulating qi through the hundred meridians, unimpeded and free..."

He then moved his feet, extended his arms, and assumed a strange posture, the first movement of the Zangxiang Classic's twelve movements.

Every evening, when Xu Muyang went to rest, Tang Jie would practice the Zangxiang Classic.

This was the only thing he could practice.

He had watched the first eleven movements many times and was already very familiar with them.

Each time he practiced, he felt incredibly comfortable, as if all his meridians were being unblocked. However, he always felt something was missing, especially the twelfth movement, which prevented him from completing the entire set.

Today, he learned the twelfth movement. After completing the first eleven, he naturally used the twelfth, and though it was his first time, it felt incredibly familiar, as if his body had been waiting for this moment. He performed the entire set smoothly, like flowing water.

Tang Jie finally felt a faint stream of qi appear in his body's qi points.

The Zangxiang Classic could actually make him sense a trace of spiritual energy, which filled him with joy. He immediately performed the Zangxiang Classic's twelve movements again.

The practice was effortless, and the more he did, the more comfortable he felt. The qi in his body increased. If he had only vaguely sensed it before, after three rounds, the qi sensation became much stronger, almost confirming its existence.

Tang Jie, being new to cultivation, didn't know the difficulties and risks. In his excitement, he continued practicing, and the qi in his body grew stronger, gradually swelling in his abdomen.

Seeing this, Tang Jie realized something was wrong and quickly stopped.

As soon as he stopped, the qi in his body went wild, rushing through his meridians, causing intense pain. In an instant, Tang Jie felt like he had fallen from heaven to hell.

The wild qi caused blood to flow from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, and even his skin pores oozed blood. Tang Jie felt as if he was being bitten by ants all over, and a stream of qi rushed to his brain, making it buzz as if something was hitting it from inside.

He knew he would die if this continued and shouted with all his might, "Brother Xu!"

Xu Muyang rushed out of his room, saw the scene, and exclaimed, "Jade Gate Heavenly Rush? How is this possible?"

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PS: A friend asked why I always write about穿越 (time travel). The answer is about perspective. In this age of information explosion, our experience, knowledge, and thinking are our greatest advantages, far surpassing those of our predecessors. Since my protagonists are more cerebral than brawny, this perspective is even more necessary. Honestly, I can't write a protagonist from that era who understands various financial concepts, philosophical principles, and psychological analysis...

So, time travel itself is a golden finger, a personal writing philosophy.

Also, the cover is temporary. I'm not good at designing covers, so I borrowed one from a reader. I'll replace it with a better one when I find one.

That's it for today. Although I took a forty-day break, I dealt with many things during that time and went on a week-long trip, so I only worked for about twenty days. With the initial outline and revisions, I only have about 100,000 words in reserve. Posting too much would leave me without enough content, so I'll aim for two updates a day this month. Yes, maintaining, and I'll try to reach 300,000 words by November 10th.

Thanks for your support.