Chapter 38: This Is Unbelievable!

The old turtle opened its eyes and surveyed the surroundings, sensing the direction of Qi flow, and was greatly puzzled.

What’s going on? Why does all the Qi seem drawn toward something?

Is there a morally corrupt cultivator nearby performing a ritual to gather Qi?

After a moment’s thought, the old turtle stepped forward toward the direction of the Qi flow…

·

Chen Yan soaked in the bathtub, and after running the Qi Transport Technique for the sixth time, his body could no longer absorb more.

He had an idea, and instead of stopping, he continued moving Qi—but simultaneously channeled it into his ring.

In and out, neither task delayed.

He had been lying there for nearly an hour, with nothing else to do, so his mind turned to Lu Sisi.

Stealing fortune, swapping destiny patterns.

Whoever used this technique must have some real skill.

If left to his own instincts, Chen Yan would have no interest in getting involved.

Someone capable of such a vile method surely isn’t weak.

And they’re definitely cruel and vicious.

If I meddle for no reason and draw such a powerful enemy, it’ll be a headache…

Lu Sisi, after all, is no kin or relation to me.

But…

“A walking experience pack…”

Chen Yan sighed.

Leaving conscience aside, the benefits alone are compelling enough.

Helping Lu Sisi once would boost my cultivation.

If I help her significantly…

My own cultivation would likely surge forward.

Maybe I could even break through immediately!

Chen Yan didn’t know what exact method was used on the furniture, but the manual recorded similar techniques—he could grasp the general principle.

In short: whether from moral duty or the lure of benefit, Chen Yan wanted to help Lu Sisi—but he also didn’t want to provoke a powerful enemy.

He carefully pondered the manual’s records on such spells…

Chen Yan suddenly had an idea—it seemed… there might be a way.

As he was thinking, he suddenly felt the warmth around him vanish.

Huh?

Chen Yan sat up in the bathtub.

“Power outage?”

No, wait—Qi outage?”

The gathered Qi suddenly cut off?

He rose from the tub, grabbed a towel, wiped himself roughly, wrapped it around his waist, and headed straight downstairs.

He checked the array’s focal point.

“Shanzhai is shanzhai—the materials for the focal point are still inadequate.”

The jade tablet serving as the focal point had cracked and was completely drained of Qi.

Accounting for time, one jade tablet lasts barely two hours.

·

By the lakeside of Yinlong Lake, a trail of marks stretched from the shore into the forest.

The old turtle was crawling toward the forest.

In one hour, it exerted every ounce of strength…

And covered barely fifty meters!

Turtles are naturally slow.

Moreover, the old turtle was in a special state: after years of cultivation, it had reached the critical moment of breaking through to the next realm.

Right now, it had suppressed its aura and entered deep hibernation to evade heavenly tribulations—it dared not use any magical power!

As it was lifting its leg, the old turtle suddenly raised its head.

This Qi… stopped moving?

It froze in place.

The direction where Qi had been flowing far away had also gone silent.

Did that immoral bastard finish his ritual and leave?

Should I still go?

The old turtle turned back to look at the lake fifty meters behind, then gazed ahead at the mountain ridges and forests—it would have to climb over them again…

Forget it. The immoral bastard is gone. I’ll return home and sleep.

Five minutes passed; it turned around.

Another five minutes; it crawled a few more meters…

·

Chen Yan drained the bathtub and cleaned it—the long soak had flushed out many impurities from his body.

He refilled it with water.

Draining and refilling the tub took at least half an hour.

He took the chance to make himself a quick dinner.

Braised pork with eggplant, tomato and egg soup, a bowl of white rice.

As he ate, Chen Yan flipped through the manual, carefully studying its records on reversing fortune.

Before returning to his room, Chen Yan hesitated, then sighed.

I’m cleansing my body with Qi—how could I abandon cultivation halfway?

He pulled out a new jade tablet, placed it in the focal point, reactivated the Spirit Gathering Array, waited a moment, felt the Qi returning, and nodded in satisfaction.

He returned upstairs to the bathroom—the tub was full, and the water temperature was perfect.

Chen Yan comfortably undressed and slipped back into the water.

·

By the lakeside in the mountains, the old turtle had struggled for an hour and finally reached the water’s edge—its claws nearly touching the surface…

Suddenly, it raised its head.

“What the hell!! Again?!!”

Countless Qi surged, flowing merrily toward a single direction…

The Qi around the lakeside continued to dissipate, becoming extremely thin.

The old turtle stared blankly.

It turned to look behind—it had crawled a hundred meters total in two hours, back and forth.

I…

Are you just messing with me?!

·

By nightfall, the second battery of the Spirit Gathering Array died again.

With no spares left, Chen Yan simply let it be.

After all, he’d soaked for two more hours—his body was thoroughly cleansed.

The tingling, itching sensation was gone.

This process of Qi scouring the body and altering one’s constitution was likely complete.

That night, Chen Yan lay in bed, clutching the manual until dawn, having devised a plan, then finally slept.

At dawn, Chen Yan opened his eyes and exhaled deeply.

His body felt light as air, brimming with energy, perfectly balanced—truly refreshing!

He washed up, made breakfast, sat in meditation, and practiced the Qi Transport Technique once more.

He checked the time—nine o’clock.

He picked up his phone and called Lu Sisi.

On the other end, Lu Sisi seemed to be walking outdoors; her voice sounded anxious.

“Lu Sisi, are you free today?”

“I’m on my way to class—there’s a required exam today.”

“What about tomorrow?”

“No, tomorrow’s free—after today’s exam, all semester tests are over.”

“Good.” Chen Yan nodded. “Go take your exam. When you’re done this morning, let me know—I have something to discuss with you.”

·

Lu Sisi hung up, staring at the classroom building ahead.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

I don’t know if it’s psychological, or because I’d already had my share of bad luck yesterday from the injury, or maybe Chen Yan’s talisman really worked.

Ever since I came back yesterday, I haven’t had any more bad luck.

Everything seems to be going smoothly.

Before leaving this morning, Lu Sisi burned another talisman in the bathroom.

I hope… everything goes well today too.

·

Sitting in the classroom taking the exam, Lu Sisi froze when she received the test paper.

Worried she’d misread it, she rubbed her eyes hard.

Huh?

This question—I did it a few days ago!

Ah, that question—I saw it during review!

Wait, this passage—I memorized it last night!!

Gripping her pen tightly, the girl stared in shock.

·

In the morning, Chen Yan returned to a shop near the university district and found Hu Tiangou.

“You want to rent another place?”

Hu Tiangou looked at his classmate with curiosity: “Aren’t you already living in a mansion?”

“Say that again—wouldn’t you take business that walks right up to you?” Chen Yan smiled.

“Of course! Of course! Sit down, sit down!”

Hu Shangke beamed, personally brought Chen Yan a chair, and poured him a cup of tea.

A few minutes later, Hu Shangke stared at Chen Yan in bewilderment.

“Bro, you said you want a short-term rental?”

“Yeah, just for a few days—about a week,” Chen Yan chuckled. “Winter break’s coming soon. There should be plenty of short-term rentals around the university district, right?”

Hu Shangke nodded: “True. You went to school here too, so you know—recently, quite a few short-term rentals have come to our shop.”

Around the university district, during summer and winter breaks, some short-term rentals appear.

The reason is simple: some upperclassmen who are dating, starting businesses, or just love the freedom of living off-campus secretly rent apartments outside school.

But during winter and summer breaks, students go home—especially for winter break… everyone returns to celebrate the New Year.

So the rented apartments sit empty for one or two months.

For students, leaving a place empty for that long means paying rent for nothing—the landlord won’t reduce or refund the rent.

So whenever this happens, some clever students quietly list their apartments for short-term rent.

For a week, ten days, half a month, a month… anything to recoup some money and cut their losses.

But many landlords disapprove of this, so students have to do it secretly, and only through trusted intermediaries they know.

But many landlords dislike such arrangements, so some students can only do it secretly, finding intermediaries they know to quietly arrange it.

“The cheaper, the better,” Chen Yan answered without hesitation.

“Bro… I’ll say it again—you still need to give me a price, or I can’t help you find anything,” Hu Shangke sighed. “Cheap places are usually far out.”

“Brother… like I said, even if it’s cheap, you’ve got to give me a price so I can help you find it,” Hu Shangke sighed. “Cheap places are usually pretty far out.”

“The building’s old.”

“No problem.”

“The facilities are basic.”

“No problem.”

Hu Shangke’s face twisted into a grimace. “Bro, should I just find you a shed?”

Chen Yan actually thought seriously: “A shed isn’t out of the question—as long as it has walls, windows, and a roof…”

Hu Shangke rolled his eyes.

If it weren’t for the fact that this guy had genuinely paid cash to rent a villa from him just days ago, he’d be sure Chen Yan was just messing with him.

“You’re renting for just a week?” Hu Shangke thought, scrolling through his phone: “Actually, there is one cheap one—just got the keys yesterday. It’s from a junior from our school’s senior year.”

“You’re renting for just a week?” Hu Shangke thought, flipping through his phone’s files. “Actually, there is one cheap one—just got the keys yesterday. It’s from a junior in our senior year.”

“It’s six hundred yuan. You can use it for a week or a month—just vacate before school resumes after the Spring Festival.”

The place is far, at the very edge of the university district, almost right next to the provincial highway.

It’s a single-story house, one room with a small bathroom—the toilet has a flush, but no shower.

No kitchen. The tenant just uses an induction cooker inside the room.

The furniture is basic: a bed, a wardrobe, a desk. But no internet.”

The furniture is pretty basic: a bed, a wardrobe, a desk. But no internet.

Chen Yan laughed: “What kind of senior is this? Who rents a place without internet?”

“He’s a civil engineering guy—works on construction sites, hauling bricks and eating dust, day and night. Doesn’t like living on-site, often finishes work late, and can’t easily return to the dorm. So he rented this place nearby.”

He doesn’t care about internet—just needs a bed to sleep in.

No kitchen because he eats boxed meals at the construction site.

As for showers? He’s used to being dirty—he can always go back to the school’s bathhouse.”

The civil engineering junior really has it rough… Chen Yan sighed. “Alright, I’ll take it.”

“Just to be clear—no deposit required, and no contract,” Hu Shangke warned.

“I understand,” Chen Yan nodded.

Renting out secretly without the landlord’s knowledge is technically against regulations, so no contract is signed—such contracts have no legal standing anyway.

And naturally, no deposit is needed.

Chen Yan stood up and pulled Hu Shangke to see the place.

The two hopped on shared bikes, rode through the university district, and arrived at the destination in about ten minutes.

Chen Yan glanced at the house—it was fine, a bit old, but not some rural peasant home.

It was a proper industrial building, probably an old dormitory from some defunct factory or unit.

The surrounding area had mostly been torn down; only five or six houses remained nearby, spaced far apart.

The house was as Hu Shangke described: basic, but everything necessary was there.

The room was about twenty square meters—just a bed, a wardrobe, a desk. Nothing else.

But it was messy.

No contract needed—the rent went directly to Hu Shangke, who’d pass it on; Chen Yan added another hundred yuan as Hu Shangke’s commission.

Chen Yan transferred the money, casually took the keys, then bent down to send a WeChat message.

Then he sent a voice note.

“Just come to the location I sent—I’ll be waiting here.”

Hu Shangke glanced at Chen Yan: “You waiting for someone here?”

“Yeah, waiting for a junior girl,” Chen Yan replied.

“...You’re full of it!” Hu Shangko didn’t believe him, and added earnestly: “That civil engineering junior is my friend—please treat the place with care. If you break anything, the landlord will give him trouble.”

“He trusted me to handle this for him…”

Chen Yan smiled and agreed, then spotted a broom leaning against the wall. He picked it up and swept the room.

Hu Shangke, being helpful, stepped in to help tidy up.

After a bit of work, the small room was clean. There was also a bag of trash—Hu Shangke said he’d take it away and throw it out.

As they stepped outside, Hu Shangke’s eyes lit up!

Standing outside was a petite girl!

Wearing a cream-colored down jacket, her face was tiny, pink and soft, with big eyes and a high nose bridge…

Just one look—she was adorable enough to make your heart explode!

But the bandage on her forehead was a pity.

As Hu Shangke stared at her, the girl held her phone, looking around confusedly—as if lost?

Hu Shangke’s heart jolted!

As Hu Shangke stared at her, the girl held her phone, looking around in confusion, as if she were lost?

His DNA moved!

The Tiantou’s DNA moved!!!

Such a girl—how could he not lick her?!

·

“Oh, you’re finally here?”

Just as Hu Shangke was scrambling for a way to start a conversation, Chen Yan’s voice came from inside the room.

Hu Shangke turned around and saw Chen Yan walking slowly over, passing him to head straight for the girl.

“I—I thought I got the wrong place…” Lu Sisi apologized softly. “Sorry for making you wait.”

She held up a plastic bag: “You said you hadn’t eaten—I bought you a pancake on the way…”

"I, I thought I had the wrong place..." Lu Sisi whispered an apology: "Sorry for making you wait so long."

Saying this, the girl held up a plastic bag in her hand: "You said you hadn't eaten, so I bought you a pancake on the way..."

Chen Yan laughed heartily and grabbed Lu Sisi’s arm.

“Come on, let’s go inside.”

·

Watching this beautiful, adorable girl being effortlessly dragged into the room by Chen Yan…

Hu Tiantou was stunned!

“Hu, you’re fine now, go home! Next time I’ve got something, I’ll call you.”

Chen Yan threw out those words over his shoulder, then slammed the door shut with a bang.

Hu Shangke: “…………”

It wasn’t that Chen Yan was rude and didn’t even introduce her.

He figured Lu Sisi was cursed—anyone near her got bad luck—and Hu Tiantou’s fate was ordinary, so better not get involved.

·

Hu Shangke stood frozen outside the door for a full five seconds, then turned away in bitter fury!

What kind of world is this!!

So that’s why you suddenly rented a short-term place… turns out, turns out…

You’re bringing a girl here to have fun!?

Short-term? A week?

Seven days?

Can your body even handle it?!

Such a gorgeous girl!

At least spend some money and book a hotel room!

A girl of this caliber!!

If it were me… I’d sell my blood every day just to treat her to luxury meals, have a car waiting for her! If she deigned to let me touch her, I’d pawn everything to book a five-star hotel!!

You piece of shit Chen, you’re just standing there enjoying it!!

This is utterly unjust!!

·

【You always say I’m short—this public chapter is four thousand five hundred words.

Type “Dancing long and hard!” on the public screen!

Votes coming~~~~~~~】

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