Chapter 18

Ding Ning found a hotel to stay for the night. After counting the more than two thousand yuan he had stolen from the young man with the flat top, he felt a bit more balanced.

The ten thousand yuan did not achieve the expected effect, which made Ding Ning extremely depressed. He was even ambushed by someone. Fortunately, he managed to recover a bit of the loss.

The next morning, Ding Ning took a taxi to the vicinity of Binhai No. 1 High School.

Binhai No. 1 High School, officially known as Binhai University Affiliated High School, is a national key high school. This area is not just one school; Binhai University and many other schools and colleges are located here.

The dense concentration of schools has formed a unique cultural feature of the Binhai School District, with renting being one of the most popular activities.

Ding Ning's task today was to find a place to rent that contained spiritual energy among the countless rental houses.

There are indeed many places in the human world that contain spiritual energy, even in cities. It's possible that a family's basement has a hidden river of spiritual energy flowing through it. If the family has a cellar or a vegetable cellar, the spiritual energy might seep out.

Once the spiritual energy seeps out, ordinary people won't feel much, but if the family has flowers, the flowers will bloom exceptionally brightly.

If the family has a dog, the dog will grow very strong and be very intelligent.

The media often reports on dogs that can fetch newspapers or buy milk, but in fact, these dogs have been nourished by spiritual energy, making them relatively smarter.

To find a rental house with spiritual energy, it's impossible to travel by car. After arriving at the Binhai School District, Ding Ning got out of the car and walked into the area with many rental houses.

This area is an old district, and most of the rental houses are bungalows, varying in size.

Ding Ning walked down the alleys, slowly moving from house to house. He appeared to be looking at the houses, but in reality, he was sensing the changes in the spiritual energy of the earth. Once he felt a place with concentrated spiritual energy, he would stop, regardless of the quality of the house.

After walking for a while, he came to a small courtyard. As he passed by, he faintly sensed a trace of spiritual energy.

"Hmm... The spiritual energy is a bit weak, not as strong as that pond, but it's still there. Let's go in and take a look."

Ding Ning knocked on the door of the courtyard. After a moment, the door opened.

The person who opened the door was a thin, bespectacled man who looked like a college student. He sized up Ding Ning from head to toe and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"I'm here to rent a house. I saw the 'For Rent' sign outside."

"That was posted before and hasn't been taken down yet. It's already full."

The bespectacled man slammed the courtyard gate shut.

Ding Ning rubbed his nose, feeling a bit unlucky. He had finally found a place with some spiritual energy, but it was already full.

"Never mind. The amount of spiritual energy here isn't high. Staying here for ten days or so would probably deplete it. I'll keep looking."

He walked through the streets and alleys for about an hour before stopping in front of another small courtyard.

"Wow! There's quite a bit of spiritual energy here! Although it's not as strong as that pond, it's much better than the previous courtyard. This is the place."

Ding Ning was about to knock on the door when it suddenly opened, and two young girls appeared.

"Fatso, who are you looking for?"

One of the girls, with a round, cute face, asked.

"I'm here to rent a house."

Ding Ning looked at the two girls, who were a bit older than him, probably in their final year of high school or first year of college.

The round-faced girl was cute, and the girl next to her, with a heart-shaped face, was even more beautiful, looking about as attractive as Wu Mengyao, likely a class beauty in her school.

The two girls stood at the door, and summer hadn't passed yet, so they were both wearing pretty dresses, showing off their white, beautiful legs, exuding a youthful aura.

"Hehe, there is actually an empty spot in this house. However, there are three girls living here. Are you sure you want to move in? If you do, we can make room for you, but the rent will be one hundred yuan more per month, and you'll have to pay a deposit to ensure you don't do anything out of line. If you agree, you can move in."

Before absorbing the vast memories of the cultivator who seemed to be a god of wealth, Ding Ning might have agreed immediately. But after absorbing those memories, his mind had matured to an extraordinary level, and he could at least keep his emotions in check.

First, the girl's agreement was too quick, which made him suspicious. He also noticed a hint of hidden amusement on her face. The empty spot might not even exist, and she was just trying to make him look foolish.

Ding Ning wouldn't fall for this. Even if he agreed, he wouldn't do it so quickly, as that would make him seem like a person with ulterior motives.

He deliberately smiled awkwardly at the two girls. "I'm sorry, but I think I'll have to keep looking for a house."

As he spoke, Ding Ning slowly backed away.

The round-faced girl was taken aback by Ding Ning's straightforward rejection, and there was a hint of reluctance on her face.

At this moment, the girl with the heart-shaped face suddenly said, "This area has larger courtyards, all of which are shared by multiple people and are mostly full. If you're looking for a house, you can go a bit further down this alley. There are smaller courtyards for two people, and there might still be some empty spots."

Hearing this, Ding Ning confirmed his earlier suspicion. The round-faced girl was indeed trying to tease him.

"Thank you, miss. You look radiant, so you must have some good fortune coming soon. Congratulations in advance."

Ding Ning said this to the girl, glanced at the courtyard's door number, and then turned to leave.

There weren't many courtyards with this level of spiritual energy, and Ding Ning wanted to be prepared.

His senses were sharp, and he could still hear the two girls talking as he walked away.

The girl with the heart-shaped face said to the round-faced girl, "Why are you so mean? If there's no room, just tell him there's no room. What if he agreed?"

The round-faced girl, looking a bit regretful, replied, "I don't know. I just thought this fatso was kind of fun, and I wanted to tease him."

"That's even stranger. Don't you hate fat guys the most?"

"Yeah, but this fatso feels different... He looks pretty good."

"You must have a crush on him!"

"I don't... If you keep saying that, I'll tickle you..."

"Hehe, don't touch me, oh, don't pinch there!!!"

"Ah, you're retaliating... Oh... Be gentle..."

The two girls' playful banter made Ding Ning's scalp tingle, and he quickly walked through the alley.

He wasn't just wandering aimlessly. Based on his judgment, the courtyard with such a strong spiritual energy indicated that there should be a larger spiritual node nearby, and this courtyard was just a branch, occasionally leaking spiritual energy.

Ding Ning's goal was to find the larger spiritual node, which might be even bigger than a spiritual spring.

Following the knowledge of the earth's veins in his memory, Ding Ning moved forward quietly.

As he walked, he noticed that every street corner and utility pole had missing person notices.

Normally, seeing missing person notices wouldn't be unusual, but there seemed to be more of them here, and they were all looking for young students.

Ding Ning didn't pay much attention, turned a couple of corners, and then came to another street corner. Suddenly, his eyes lit up!

In front of him, a small courtyard was emitting a faint but concentrated spiritual energy. Even from a distance of several dozen meters, Ding Ning could feel the clear and pure energy.

"This is it! It's indeed a spiritual node even more concentrated than a spiritual spring. This is where the spiritual node is!"

Ding Ning was overjoyed and quickly ran to the courtyard gate. "No matter if it's occupied or how expensive it is, I must live here!"

This was crucial for his cultivation, and Ding Ning was determined. He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

The door opened, and an old woman in her sixties, with a hunched back, gray hair, and small, slightly blurry eyes, looked at Ding Ning and said in a hoarse voice, "Little fatty, who are you looking for?"

"Hello, ma'am. I want to rent a house."

"Are you alone?"

"Yes, I'm alone."

"Alone, huh? That might be a bit difficult." The old woman's voice was weak, and her face was pale, as if she wasn't in good health. She frowned slightly, seemingly not very willing to rent to Ding Ning.

*****

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