Chapter 36: Arrival at a New Land

Listening to Liu Yunxi's explanation, Feng Xue wanted to retort, "What nonsense about water, fire, and grass nurturing and countering each other," but more pressing matters needed asking.

"If a spirit ghost absorbs Qi, won't it turn into a malevolent ghost?"

"Not at all!" Liu Yunxi immediately denied it, then explained:

"Ghosts that drain the vital essence of the living fall into demonic corruption because they forcibly seize it; when the living lose their essence, their lifespan shortens, and this essence naturally becomes tainted with resentment and evil karma. When ghosts consume it, they inevitably suffer the same corruption—just as the soul of a good person, if sacrificed in blood rites by the Yafu Sect, gradually descends into a demonic deity, let alone those malevolent ghosts who actively harm others to remain in this world."

"As for spirit ghosts, the fox immortal grandmother never mentioned it, but since this Qi you extract is willingly given, untainted by resentment or evil karma, the spirit ghost absorbing it will merely accrue karmic ties—not fall into demonic corruption. After all, even xuan cultivators absorb Qi through their spiritual souls, and you don't see them turning demonic, right? But conversely, I've heard some xuan cultivators steal others' Qi to accelerate their cultivation; even living beings who do this for long eventually fall into demonic corruption."

"That's good." Feng Xue nodded, finally exhaling in relief—so long as he didn't corrupt the spirit ghost. As for demonic cultivators, he didn't care; his pitiful spiritual soul couldn't even consume the Qi it produced, so there was no point in targeting others' Qi.

As the sky darkened further, Feng Xue's drowsiness returned. Chattering idly with Liu Yunxi, he drifted back into sleep.

……

"Haah~~" With a huge yawn, Feng Xue awoke slowly under the morning light filtering through the tent. He crawled out of his sleeping bag, swiftly organized his clothes, then opened the tent.

Since it was off-season, the villagers hadn't risen early; Feng Xue paid it no mind, packed up the tent into his Hutian Bag, and prepared to continue his journey.

Since he could lock the 【Spirit-Attaching Spell】 cultivation perk, Feng Xue hadn't practiced on the road, focusing solely on riding—fewer crashes occurred. By noon, a county town far larger than Ping'an County had appeared before his eyes.

"Finally arrived!"

Before Feng Xue could speak, Bai She spoke first. Feng Xue sighed and tapped the bicycle bell. Liu Yunxi immediately said:

"I need to cultivate too! You want to ride a bike that doesn't require pedaling, right? Hurry up and rent a house in town—we can cultivate properly! By the way, what're we eating for lunch? My new skills are rusty—buy some vegetables so I can practice!"

"..." Feng Xue felt a complex mix of emotions at Liu Yunxi's uncharacteristic behavior, but he did intend to find a stable place to cultivate seriously. He kicked the pedals hard twice and accelerated toward the city gate bearing the three large characters: "Lu Cheng County."

Compared to the bustle of Gangdu, Lu Cheng County felt far calmer. Though not as serene as Ping'an County, at least there were no ragged beggars huddled on the streets.

The main road into town was wide, flanked by street vendors. Feng Xue picked a restaurant called "Ding Feng Zhai," booked a small private room, and ordered a four-dish, one-soup meal worth forty wen.

Only when the traditionally dressed waiter announced the food was ready did Feng Xue suddenly stop him:

"Waiter, I've got a question for you!"

"Sir… ask, ask freely!" The waiter turned, still frowning—but when he saw the copper coins Feng Xue slapped on the table, his eyes lit up and his tone grew more respectful.

"Nothing complicated—I just want to know: where's the yahang in Lu Cheng County? Who do they worship as the wealth deity? And where are the rice shops and moneylenders?"

Feng Xue's question was half a coded phrase. In ancient times, many places had odd side businesses—for example, cloth shops often linked to gambling dens, loans required temple visits, and if you sought a shaman or Taoist priest, you asked the rice shop.

As for "worshipping the wealth deity," it meant: "Who must you offer tribute to if you want to do business here?"—in other words, who held power in the local underworld and official circles.

He hadn't used it in Ping'an County because he thought it might be useless in this world—but now that he knew even shamans here had to be found through rice shops, he realized this system still held.

Still, the question didn't always yield answers—after all, the person you asked might not know. But a waiter from a major shop would surely know; if even he didn't, it meant the place was "clear skies and pure air."

Clearly, the waiter understood. His eyes darted, then he said:

"In our Lu Cheng, we worship the Proper Wealth Deity. The yahang is straight down East Street. There are five rice shops—glutinous, japonica, and sorghum rice all available. Right north of our inn is a century-old establishment; just walk a hundred steps ahead. As for moneylenders… depends on your trust. If you believe foreigners are reliable, there's a foreign temple in Chengnan. But if you want an old-established one, you must go outside town to Mingju Tan and find Tianfu Temple."

"A mix of good and bad… but no criminal gangs, at least." Feng Xue nodded, pushed the copper coins forward. The waiter bowed repeatedly, thanked him, then left the private room with the tip.

Worshiping the Proper Wealth Deity meant the local official power was stable—no room for underworld activity. If you wanted to do business, just follow the legal path.

Though he didn't fully grasp what sorghum, glutinous, and japonica rice represented here, five rice shops at least indicated many xuan cultivators lived here.

The foreign temple and Tianfu Temple were likely the two major centers of faith here. As for mortuaries and such, those couldn't be asked about in a restaurant—later, he could inquire at the yahang or rice shops.

With a plan formed, Feng Xue picked up his chopsticks—then felt his fingers tremble slightly.

Seeing Liu Yunxi's obvious hunger masked by hesitation, Feng Xue smiled faintly. Even if he had to trigger Stockholm Syndrome, he'd treat her well occasionally—he wouldn't be stingy over something like this. He said:

"You look human enough!"

"Bang!"

"..." Smoke cleared. Liu Yunxi stood opposite Feng Xue, looking awkward. Feng Xue merely waved his hand, pointing at the still-steaming dishes:

"Enough. Eat. It'll get cold!"

"Mm!" With Feng Xue's permission, Liu Yunxi nodded vigorously. Ignoring the single set of bowls and chopsticks, she extended two slender strands from the delicate embroidery on her sleeve—they hardened into sticks and darted across the table. Still, she showed restraint: though she ate rapidly, she only touched the half facing her, never interfering with Feng Xue's portion.

Watching her ever-changing Core Technique, Feng Xue couldn't help but envy her. He finally blurted:

"How did you cultivate your Core Technique? Can humans learn it?"

Hearing Feng Xue's question, Liu Yunxi paused, then said with surprise:

"Aren't you already cultivating yours?"

Regarding side jobs: for example, rice shops finding shamans—that's one origin of the term "asking for rice" (glutinous rice warding off zombies is a Hong Kong film invention; "asking for rice" originally meant placing a bowl of rice—sometimes with an egg—before the spirit during invocation. Due to overlapping traditions, it's now hard to determine whether rice was placed to advertise rice shops or because rice was ritually required, so the shops began offering the service).

To find a half-closed door (i. e., independent female workers), you go to the yahang—why? Not because of human traffickers, but because these women typically rented rooms, and the yahang had to know your purpose before renting. So the yahang knew where the half-closed doors were.

Also, for finance, besides moneylenders, you go to monk temples—everyone's heard that. But few know the phrase "the monk may run, but the temple won't" means you can still withdraw money from the temple even if the monk fled. Even more interesting: if you want to inquire about moneylenders or loans, you ask, "What precious temples are here?" But if you want to know which temples or Taoist shrines are spiritually potent, you ask, "Where are the moneylenders here?" (Of course, asking this way usually implies a reason you can't say outright—like committing a crime and hoping to escape punishment by becoming a monk.)

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(End of Chapter)