Chapter 6: The New Neighbor

The days passed by, one after another.

For the past half year, Li Guanzhen and his wife had led a peaceful and content life, though occasionally their nighttime activities drew complaints from their neighbors, the couple next door, Chen Yinshan and his wife, who grumbled that they were too noisy at night.

One day, Zhao Guili came by to consult Wen Rongxin about certain techniques, which left Wen Rongxin mortified with embarrassment. She resolved to keep her “cultivation” quieter at night so as not to draw any more protests from the neighbors, but in the end, she could not resist. As a result, Chen Yinshan ended up coming to Li Guanzhen seeking advice on those techniques…

This morning, Li Guanzhen was practicing absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the courtyard when he heard a firm knocking at the door. He turned his head, and was somewhat taken aback.

Was it her?

Wen Rongxin was watering the spiritual fields and, upon hearing the knocking, hurried over, her face alight with curiosity as she peered at the female cultivator standing outside.

“Um… hello, I’m a cultivator who just moved in next door. My name is Shu Yao. Sorry to bother you.”

“Is there… something I can help you with?”

“It’s not really a big thing, but at night, could you perhaps…”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I truly apologize—my husband and I will be more careful, we’re really sorry.”

“Haha, it’s fine, I completely understand… Wait, is that you?”

The female cultivator standing outside caught sight of Li Guanzhen approaching, and her face instantly showed astonishment.

He was the cultivator with whom she had been matched for a marriage interview over half a year ago—if she remembered correctly, he was also from the Li family of Great Heng.

Upon hearing that Shu Yao had just moved in next door, Li Guanzhen glanced to the right, his gaze tinged with melancholy.

The house that had been vacant belonged to Old Huang, a man who had struggled at the bottom for the better part of his life. In pursuit of a sliver of immortal destiny, he had resolutely set out for the Vast Ten Thousand Mountains.

Before leaving, Old Huang had said that he’d never had the courage to compete with others in this life. Now, with little time left, he might as well throw caution to the wind and see how fate would treat him.

Later, Chen Yinshan brought back news: Old Huang had died in those wild mountains, his body devoured by beasts until nothing was left.

Noticing Wen Rongxin’s inquiring gaze, Li Guanzhen briefly recounted his story with Shu Yao, then turned to her and said with a smile:

“Greetings, fellow cultivator. Last time was so rushed that I forgot to introduce myself—Li Guanzhen.”

Shu Yao returned the courtesy and introduced herself again, her eyes casting a complicated glance at Wen Rongxin before she said, “Fellow Daoist Li, you are truly blessed to have found such a virtuous wife.”

She could tell that Wen Rongxin was not only younger than her, but also much more beautiful. That stunning figure could hardly be hidden even by plain, coarse clothing.

And, moreover…

Wen Rongxin was also a cultivator at the first level of Qi Refinement.

Meanwhile, Li Guanzhen had already advanced from the second to the third level of Qi Refinement.

Remembering how she had turned down the match back then, Shu Yao couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret. She could see from Wen Rongxin’s eyes that the woman had been living in happiness all this time.

“Heaven’s favor, nothing more,” Li Guanzhen replied with a smile, his tone carrying a hint of polite dismissal. “You too, fellow cultivator Shu, will surely find a suitable partner.”

Shu Yao picked up on the hint, smiled faintly, and turned to head back to her own house.

Li Guanzhen looked at Wen Rongxin and found her standing there, wide-eyed, cheeks flushed on her round, delicate face, hands twisted together in nervousness, yet forcing herself to stand her ground, lips pressed together in silence.

Clearly, as the mistress of the house, Wen Rongxin felt a subconscious sense of wariness and rejection upon hearing that Shu Yao had once been a prospective match for her husband.

No matter how timid she was, she would still force herself not to shrink back.

Li Guanzhen gently brushed Wen Rongxin’s hair and said with a smile, “My dear, this Shu fellow is no simple character. She is ambitious and lofty, and if she hadn’t suffered some major setback, she would never have moved to this shanty district…”

“So, from now on, it’s best to keep your distance from her and not get too involved.”

Wen Rongxin’s face grew serious. She nodded and murmured “okay,” indicating she would remember, before quietly asking, “Husband, if you ever take a concubine, could you please not bring her into our home?”

She feared she would be no match for such a calculating woman.

She also didn’t want her home to become a constant scene of strife and unrest.

Li Guanzhen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “What are you saying…”

Wen Rongxin replied in all earnestness, “I’m not imagining things. With your constitution, I alone am nowhere near enough.”

As the person most involved, she had the most say in the matter.

“In the world of cultivation, there is also the path of body refinement. If you strengthen yourself, it might one day be harder for me to win against you than to ascend to the heavens,” Li Guanzhen said, half teasing, half serious.

Wen Rongxin gave him a gentle tap, cheeks still flushed. “Don’t joke around, husband. We need to be more careful in the future—Shu Yao is not like Guili and the others.”

“What’s there to fear? Shu Yao is hardly ignorant—if she finds us too troublesome, she can always move away. That’ll save us the trouble of having to deal with her in the future.” Li Guanzhen laughed heartily, appearing unconcerned, though inwardly he made a mental note.

Back during that matchmaking meeting over half a year ago, he had already realized Shu Yao was not one to settle for an ordinary life.

If she hadn’t run into trouble, she would never have ended up hiding in this part of town.

Besides, his own wife was pure and simple, easily deceived, and he absolutely could not allow Shu Yao to get too close to her.

With that thought, a faint chill flickered in Li Guanzhen’s eyes—if Shu Yao ever truly threatened their peaceful life, then he would have no choice but to…

Seeing her husband still acting unserious, Wen Rongxin poked him lightly in the side.

“It’s fine. At worst, I’ll just stick a protective talisman on the wall—the sound will be completely blocked that way,” Li Guanzhen said with a grin.

He had long said that a talisman could block sound for a whole month, but Wen Rongxin always insisted it was a waste…

Before Wen Rongxin could reply, Chen Yinshan strolled over and said in a low voice:

“Old Li, that Foundation Establishment battle in Qing’an City the other day was terrifying. The forces from all sides besieged the old ancestor of Joy Mountain, leaving him gravely wounded. It’s said he might not make it.”

“Really?” Li Guanzhen’s eyes lit up. Such good news!

If the old ancestor of Joy Mountain died, then aside from the sect leader, nobody else in the world would know the secret of the Velvet Blossom Spirit Tree, right?

Wonderful!

Li Guanzhen wished those cultivation powers would hurry up and wipe out Joy Mountain, so he could live in peace and quietly build his own strength.

Chen Yinshan gave him a strange look. “Why are you so happy? It’s like you think the old ancestor’s death will make you sect leader of Joy Mountain.”

Li Guanzhen shook his head with a smile. “Can’t a man even smile? But back to the real question—did they find the long-lost sect treasure tree in Qing’an City?”

“No. That was just a rumor spread on purpose, a trap to ambush the Joy Mountain ancestor.”

Chen Yinshan shook his head and sighed. “After this battle, the old ancestor is gravely wounded, and the sect leader was injured trying to save him. Now, some of Joy Mountain’s properties will likely change hands… At the very least, Qing’an City will soon fall into others’ hands.”

The struggles between cultivation powers were especially brutal. At best, a sect lost its businesses and valuable resources; at worst, it was completely wiped out, returning to dust and ashes.

“That’s nothing to do with us lowly rogue cultivators,” Li Guanzhen said with a smile. “People like us should just live quietly and not get caught up in these storms… By the way, you haven’t had lunch yet, right? Bring Guili over—we’ll all eat here.”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly impose… Heh. I’ll go get her to come help.”

Chen Yinshan did not stand on ceremony and hurried home to fetch his wife for a free meal.

Li Guanzhen smiled. Now that the Foundation Establishment battle in Qing’an City was over, he could finally make a trip to East Street Market.

Time to sell off the talismans he had accumulated over the past half year, then buy some supplies… With luck, he would soon earn enough spirit stones to purchase a dual cultivation secret manual and regain his full vitality.

That night, since there was now a new neighbor next door and to avoid any eavesdropping, Li Guanzhen, ignoring Wen Rongxin’s objections, firmly stuck a sound-blocking talisman on the wall.

Afterwards…

He let loose, holding nothing back.