Feng Shui Chapter 164: The Relic

The group headed south, arriving at a coastal port in Jin City. The docks here also had large ships bound for Hanshan City. They quickly sold the Scale Horses, bought their tickets, and boarded the ship. The journey by land had taken several months, but this time by sea, it took only half a month. Fortunately, the period of bad luck following Xi Yunqing’s promotion had passed, and they reached Hanshan City uneventfully.

“We’ve finally arrived." Tang Ru said, her face looking a little pale. She was seasick, and traveling by sea felt like torture to her.

Tong Nuonuo, acting like it was no big deal, said to her, “You just haven’t been on a boat long enough. The longer you stay on one, the more you’ll get used to it.”

Tang Ru glared angrily. “I’ve already been on the boat for fifteen days, and that’s not long?”

Tong Nuonuo replied, “That’s only half a treatment. If you ever take a month-long trip, I guarantee you’ll be fully cured. You have to understand, in my sect, everyone takes boats all the time. Trust me on this!”

Tang Ru spent those two weeks arguing with Tong Nuonuo to distract herself. Chen Xiao and Xi Yunqing had gotten used to their constant bickering as background noise. The four of them sat on the spacious upper deck, feeling the sea breeze. Chen Xiao said to Xi Yunqing, “After we get off the ship, I want to visit Du Rong in the valley. I wonder if he’s succeeded in establishing his foundation yet?”

The cultivation world was always harsh and practical. Chen Xiao had a natural talent for using a compass as his spiritual root, and his cultivation advanced rapidly. But Du Rong, who was twenty years older and had been cultivating for over thirty years, was still hard to catch up with.

Xi Yunqing nodded. “That’s to be expected. We’re heading to Taishen Middle Heaven Realm soon. If Du has already laid the foundation, bring him with us. He’s steady and experienced, he could become a reliable assistant to you.”

Chen Xiao hummed in agreement. Du Rong was capable but limited by his environment and still had much to learn. There were smarter and more talented cultivators out there, but none he trusted as much. So even if it took time, Chen Xiao was willing to train him from scratch.

Their belongings were packed in advance, and as soon as the ship docked, Chen Xiao and the others, as luxury cabin guests, were among the first to disembark. After half a month rocking at sea, stepping onto solid ground felt a little strange. The four of them rested in the city for one night, then hurried back to the valley the next day.

The narrow gorge leading to Zhushan Residence had no path and remained as desolate as when they left. Tong Nuonuo led first-time visitor Tang Ru around for a tour, while Chen Xiao anxiously headed straight for the north wing where they had lived. Xi Yunqing walked steadily by his side.

The north wing was quiet. Wild grass grew half a person’s height from cracks in the floor, and the eaves and roof were covered with fallen leaves blown by the wind. Chen Xiao’s heart tightened with unease. Could something have happened?

His breathing grew rapid, but Xi Yunqing grasped his hand and whispered gently in his ear, “Don’t panic, Xiao. Master Du is fine. He’s still in seclusion. His breathing is steady, and his condition is normal.”

Chen Xiao let out a heavy sigh of relief. Judging by how rundown everything looked, he had half-feared Du Rong might have died inside. “Good to know he’s alright.”

Du Rong’s seclusion wasn’t going smoothly, but Xi Yunqing wasn’t surprised. A lone cultivator like Du, with no high talent and no miraculous pills to aid him, could only rely on sheer willpower. Cultivators in the body refinement stage had strong endurance; they could emerge every five or six days for water and food, then close themselves off again.

Chen Xiao checked the kitchen in the north wing and found most of the stored food nearly gone. The large freezer held only some dried vegetables and pickles. Frowning, he was glad they had anticipated Du Rong’s extended seclusion and stocked up on food and supplies, otherwise, they would have had to make another trip. Chen Xiao had never expected Du Rong to seclude himself this long. What if he ran out of food? Would he starve to death?

Sitting in the east wing’s living room beside Xi Yunqing, Chen Xiao’s expression was grave. “This can’t go on. When I was still at the Gengsheng Minor Realm, I could return in time to bring him supplies. But once I reach Taishen, I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back. Leaving Du Rong here alone in seclusion isn’t good. I’d rather wait for him to come out, then we can buy a house in Hanshan City and settle him there. We could even hire a servant to handle shopping and cooking.”

Xi Yunqing shook his head. “That probably won’t work. The biggest taboo during seclusion is interruption. Moving is the worst option, only to be done if absolutely necessary. If you really worry, I can put up a bounty at Zhishi Hall to hire someone to come by regularly to clean the courtyard, maintain the house, and buy supplies.”

Chen Xiao said, “I can’t trouble you with that. Du Rong is my subordinate. I’d be grateful enough to have him secluded here under your roof. I should be the one paying to hire someone.”

Xi Yunqing replied, “No need for such formalities between us. Zhushan Residence lies within the Gengsheng Realm, which is of little use to me. I had planned to give it to you anyway. You don’t need to settle him in the city.”

Chen Xiao was surprised. “You’re giving me this valley?”

Xi Yunqing nodded seriously. “Since you plan to establish a sect, you’ll need a place to build a base. I think this valley is perfect, not only is it secluded, but there are no large predators nearby. Most importantly, it’s very close to Hanshan City, making it extremely convenient.”

The spiritual energy around the valley was only average, not suitable for a Daoist sect’s mountain gate. But Chen Xiao cultivated the Feng Shui Way, which didn’t require spiritual energy. For him, safety, peace, and convenience were what mattered most.

Chen Xiao was tempted but hesitant to accept Xi Yunqing’s generosity. Since they met, Xi Yunqing had helped him many times. The things he’d given weren’t many but always useful. Whenever Chen Xiao tried to repay him, Xi Yunqing would just give him more. He sensed Xi Yunqing’s sincerity but didn’t want to take advantage of his kindness.

Over time, Chen Xiao worried he might become the kind of person who took others’ goodwill for granted and forgot how to feel grateful. He said, “Big Brother, your kindness is overwhelming, but I can’t accept it so shamelessly.”

To Xi Yunqing, doing things for the one he loved, giving him gifts and seeing him happy, brought him genuine joy and satisfaction. The failed gift of the valley had left him a little disheartened. Chen Xiao truly needed a place like this to establish a sect, yet Xi Yunqing couldn’t bring himself to sell it to him.

After a flicker passed through Xi Yunqing’s eyes, he changed his approach. “How about this." he said. “Since we’re leaving soon and who knows when we’ll return, let’s just lend this Zhushan Residence to you for now. You can use it as the base to prepare for founding your sect.”

Chen Xiao paused in thought. Though establishing a sect was still far off, it wasn’t too early to start preparing. Having a safe and secluded place like this to store things would be ideal. He looked up at Xi Yunqing with a smile and said, “Then thank you, big brother.”

Xi Yunqing smiled faintly in return. Since Chen Xiao refused to accept it now, he could give it to him later as a congratulatory gift when the sect was formally established. That way, he’d have no choice but to accept. To win over the one he loved, Xi Yunqing was willing to go to great lengths.

When Tong Nuonuo heard that Xi Yunqing had lent the valley to Chen Xiao for sect preparations, she immediately pulled out the Dragon-Subduing Bone that Chen Xiao had once bought for 1,200 spirit pearls.

“Xiaoxiao, I’ve more or less finished studying this Dragon-Subduing Bone. With my current skill, I can only restore about a third of it, just enough to barely withstand magical attacks. It still can’t intercept or counter them. I don’t need it at the moment, so I might as well return it to you. You can place it here in the valley. I’ve memorized the key techniques. Once I fully master them, I’ll come back and finish the restoration. This way, you’ll save a fortune.”

Back then, it was Chen Xiao who had paid for it, giving the pearls directly to Tong Nuonuo without ever mentioning the cost again. He was always generous with his own people and had treated it as a gift to her. But Tong Nuonuo had always seen Chen Xiao as the rightful owner of the Dragon-Subduing Bone. Now that he was preparing to establish a sect, and this artifact could serve as a powerful defensive mechanism, she decided to return it to him.

Chen Xiao was surprised. He hadn’t expected that what he’d given away so casually would turn out to be such a significant benefit to him now.

The Dragon-Subduing Bone was easy to set up. Tong Nuonuo helped Chen Xiao find a spot for it. When the mechanism was activated, lines of spiritual energy projected upward from its center, weaving into a net that covered the entire valley. The lines buzzed faintly, gradually fading until they disappeared.

Clapping the dirt from her hands, Tong Nuonuo said, “Conditions are still rough, so leaving it exposed like this will do for now. Later, you’d best build a structure to house it, like a tower or something.”

Chen Xiao asked her, “This Dragon-Subduing Bone can defend against external attacks. But what if someone attacks from within?”

Tong Nuonuo gave a wry smile. “It’s mainly designed to repel outside enemies. If someone fights inside the sect grounds, there’s nothing they can do.”

Chen Xiao nodded. So it was like the missile defense systems from his previous life, limited by their coverage radius.

With the Dragon-Subduing Bone installed, the valley was now free of any major security concerns. Chen Xiao had no intention of meeting Du Rong before leaving. He worried that the news of his successful foundation establishment might agitate Du Rong and disrupt his already difficult closed-door cultivation.

The four of them headed to the Zhishi Hall to post a hiring task. Shortly after Chen Xiao registered, Han Yuan arrived to see him.

Han Yuan had instructed his subordinates to keep an eye out for any word of Chen Xiao. He’d wanted to tell him in person: his wife, Chi Yilan, had given birth to a healthy baby boy. The child was plump and strong, and his arrival brought great joy to the entire Han family.

Han Yuan invited Chen Xiao and the others to visit their home, which was still in Changjia Village. The village had grown more prosperous and now resembled a thriving town.

Chen Xiao politely declined. They were about to depart for the Taishen Heaven Realm, and the journey there and back was too far. Han Yuan didn’t press the issue. After asking about Chen Xiao’s purpose at the Zhishi Hall, he immediately arranged for a reliable high-level cultivator to accompany him.

“Oh, right. I have something here for Fellow Daoist Tong." Han Yuan said, taking a small box from the storage pouch at his waist and handing it to Tong Nuonuo.

“For me?” Tong Nuonuo asked in surprise. “What is it?”

Han Yuan’s expression grew solemn. “It’s a relic from your teammate Wu Qing, who died. We found it last winter while sorting through some remaining belongings. I thought it looked unusual, and after some investigation, we confirmed that someone from the Zhong family took it from Wu Qing.”

At his words, Tong Nuonuo hurried to open the box. Inside lay a charm, stained with dried blood. Chen Xiao recognized it at a glance, it was the enhanced Spirit-Guiding Talisman he’d crafted using the core essence he had painstakingly acquired from Tong Nuonuo.