Chapter 13: Life Must Go On, the Beautiful Woman

The next day.

Yu Ke woke naturally again, stretching lazily with a satisfied sigh.

The four suns had reached their zenith.

Sunlight streamed into the room.

“It’s already noon.”

In his past life, he’d only felt this way on weekends!

Yu Ke got up, stumbling slightly, opened the door, rubbed his eyes, and prepared to look for Zhou Liang.

Perfect!

The other door slowly opened, revealing Zhou Liang’s familiar figure.

Like him, Zhou Liang had just woken up, his face heavy with sleep and dark circles.

But unlike him, a beautiful woman stepped out behind Zhou Liang; she had been pressed tightly against him, and upon seeing Yu Ke, her cheeks flushed crimson as she hurried away.

Yu Ke sharply noticed the woman was not the same maid from last night, and he cast a slow, piercing glance at Zhou Liang.

You’re a real scumbag.

Zhou Liang noticed Yu Ke and first lingered with a nostalgic look at the maid’s retreating back.

Then he turned to Yu Ke, curiosity on his face.

“What? Yu brother, you actually slept until noon?”

“The sun’s risen from the west.”

In Zhou Liang’s memory, Yu Ke had always been a cultivation fanatic, relentlessly pursuing the pinnacle of martial arts day and night.

Seeing him so leisurely sleeping until the sun was high, he naturally found it unbelievable.

Yu Ke replied calmly: “The path of cultivation lies in balance—know when to push and when to rest.”

Hearing this, Zhou Liang threw an arm around Yu Ke’s shoulder.

“Good, good, Yu brother—you’ve finally figured it out.”

“Come on, let’s eat. I need to go home and sleep.”

“I’m exhausted!”

Yu Ke, now fully refreshed, said:

“You slept until noon and still aren’t rested?”

Zhou Liang chuckled: “Last night, how could I sleep? You know what I mean.”

I don’t…

After lunch, full and satisfied, they watched Yu Ke quietly pack away the leftover food with care.

This act left Zhou Liang momentarily stunned.

Is this really the cold, aloof Yu brother everyone knows?

Yu Ke had no choice—no money, so face didn’t matter.

He borrowed another hundred spirit stones from Zhou Liang.

This solved his three-month food and shelter problems at once, easing some of his worries.

Now he only needed to give his all for the three-month assessment.

After they parted ways,

Yu Ke went to the outer sect’s marketplace and bought several jin of fresh, tender beef with five spirit stones—the meat looked plump and far superior to mundane varieties.

Yu Ke inwardly marveled: no wonder this was the cultivation world.

He carefully selected over ten jin of spirit rice—this rice brimmed with spiritual energy from heaven and earth, an ideal food for cultivators.

Though his home had no stove, he planned to build one himself.

After all, cooking at home was both economical and practical.

In his past life, he’d always cooked himself—it was cheaper than ordering takeout.

Now, he was all about frugality.

Yu Ke carried his heavy bags back to his courtyard in the outer sect.

The courtyard was four-sided, like a sihe academy.

But it wasn’t his alone—it was assigned by the sect to four cultivators together, like shared lodging in the mortal world, each with their own space.

Of the four residents, only two were present; the third had been away for a year.

He walked toward the west, ready to enter his room.

But in that instant, he sensed something odd.

Directly opposite, before a room, stood a graceful silhouette.

He remembered that room had been empty.

From Yu Ke’s angle, he could only see her back.

An astonishing figure!

A slender waist, a full, rounded rear, and long, toned legs.

This shape—pear-shaped!

Her long legs were clad in purple silk stockings, radiating an aura of ripe maturity.

Yu Ke slightly narrowed his eyes.

He remembered someone saying—his sister said purple had a certain charm!

Indeed, it did.

Yu Ke was still guessing the identity of this beautiful woman?

As if sensing his gaze, the woman slowly turned around.

This made Yu Ke hold his breath—her chest looked like two towering mountains.

Her face bore the classic look of a “widow.”

But Yu Ke wasn’t some crude fool—he merely offered a polite, faint smile.

Then he stepped inside.

The woman was momentarily startled by his reaction—most men stared longer.

Yu Ke entered, put down his things, and soon heard the woman’s voice outside.

“Yingzhao, take care of yourself. Mother is leaving.”

Her whisper was like silk—clearly audible inside the room.

“Mother?”

Yu Ke felt suspicion, but let it go—he didn’t dwell on it.

He pondered whether to build the stove inside or outside, then stepped out to inspect.

Just as he stepped out,

He saw a stunningly handsome white-robed boy, arms crossed, standing right at the opposite entrance—as if waiting for him.

He gazed at Yu Ke with cold arrogance.

“What? Didn’t get enough of a look? Better drop those filthy thoughts.”

“If you weren’t sensible, my fist would’ve already landed.”

The white-robed boy slammed the door shut, giving Yu Ke no chance to speak.

Yu Ke muttered: “This guy’s insane.”

So this white-robed boy was the new neighbor?

And the beautiful woman was his mother!

Most outer sect disciples here came from noble families.

Those from humble origins either lacked the talent to enter the inner sect or became laborers.

Few laborers ever rose above their station—they had no time to cultivate, always summoned and dismissed at will.

In contrast, these noble youths—even if mediocre—still had a chance; five years in the outer sect could still lead to advancement.

That was the difference.

The divide between people began even before birth.

Yu Ke didn’t overthink it—he knew if he tried to reason with the white-robed boy, he might not win.

Why invite trouble?

After a full day of labor, Yu Ke finally completed a simple stove on the open ground outside his door.

He stacked stones into a tower, coated them with yellow clay, and once dried, it would be ready.

Drawing on his wilderness survival experience, he built it effortlessly—though plain and unadorned, it would sustain him for the next three months.

Looking at his work, he felt satisfied, resolved to guard this small world and work steadily.

Life is built slowly, one step at a time.

As the sun dipped westward, the day’s labor ended—it was dusk.

Yu Ke returned inside, ate the packed meal hastily, calling it his dinner.

Then he sat cross-legged on his bed, closed his eyes, and tried to enter cultivation.

But since his failed Foundation Establishment, his meridians had become tangled—once broad, smooth highways now twisted and blocked by mudslides, rerouted elsewhere.

His formerly fluid meridians were now blocked everywhere.

He took a deep breath and, guided by his memory of cultivation techniques, cautiously began to guide spiritual energy.

However, as soon as the "Zhou Tian Cai Qi" cultivation method began to activate, the spiritual energy struggled to enter his body through the acupoints, as if traversing a rugged mountain path.

Just as he attempted to guide this spiritual energy from his dantian, his meridians burned as if seared by flame and pierced by steel needles, agony unbearable.

Yu Ke startled inwardly and immediately halted his cultivation; the suffocating pressure in his chest gradually faded.

He understood that his current condition was unsuitable for forced cultivation—doing so would only backfire.

He let out a soft sigh and decided to set aside cultivation for now, to reconsider later.

It seemed the repair of his meridians could only rely on the Heavenly Rebirth of the simulated [Kun Xu Ding].

(End of Chapter)