Chapter 29: Cultivating an Internal Cultivation Method
’An auction in Sunset City in over a month? A Mystic Level Skill?’ Ye Xing’s eyes flickered as he silently committed it to memory. After paying, he placed the Basic Breathing and Exhaling Technique inside his robes, keeping it close to his body for safekeeping. After all, it had cost a hundred Gold Coins—enough money to build a grand mansion.
After leaving the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, Ye Xing headed toward the end of Phoenix Town’s main street.
Meanwhile, at Ye Xing’s stall at the end of Phoenix Town’s main street.
The young girl Qiao Qiao was helping him watch over things. A large crowd had gathered in front, buying items like lighters and mirrors. Business was booming.
"Qiao’Er, how much have you sold?" Ye Xing asked as he walked over.
"Big Brother, I’ve already sold a whole big bag!" the young girl said happily.
"Mm, not bad, not bad! I’ll be able to leave the stall for you to manage in the future!" Ye Xing smiled and patted the young girl’s head. "By the way, Qiao’Er, do you know any builders in town?"
"Big Brother, you’re going to build a house?" The young girl’s eyes lit up as she said joyfully, "There are lots of builders! My neighbor, Uncle Lin, is one."
"Mm, that’s great. We’ll sell the rest of this tomorrow. Come on, take me to find your Uncle Lin now," Ye Xing said quickly.
Building the residence was a matter of utmost importance, as it concerned the ownership and concealment of the cave. The sooner it was built, the sooner he could rest easy. Ye Xing immediately packed up the stall, picked up the remaining bag of goods, and followed the young girl back to her home.
The young girl’s home was an old, dilapidated residence with wooden walls, gray tiles, and moss growing everywhere. There was even a bird’s nest under the eaves. Two swallows flew in from a distance, chirping as they landed beneath the roof. Although the residence was old, it was very clean, free of cobwebs or dust; clearly, the young girl cleaned it often.
"Big Brother, please wait here a moment. I’ll go get Uncle Lin!" the young girl said before leaving the courtyard.
Ye Xing put down his bundle and began to look around. The residence was very small, consisting of only two small wooden huts. The door to one of them was ajar, and if he listened carefully, he could faintly hear the sound of steady snoring coming from within.
’Could that be Qiao Qiao’s mother inside?’ Driven by curiosity, Ye Xing stepped into the hut.
The scent of medicine immediately filled his nostrils. A woman in her thirties or forties was asleep on the wooden bed, covered by a blanket riddled with patches. Her face had a sickly pallor, a clear sign she had not yet fully recovered from a serious illness.
Ye Xing backed out of the wooden hut, gently closing the door behind him. He sat down on a rattan chair in the small courtyard and waited for Qiao Qiao to return.
Uncle Lin’s house was very close to Qiao Qiao’s. Sure enough, a short while later, the sound of footsteps could be heard from outside the main gate.
"Big Brother, I’m back!" The young girl ran in cheerfully, followed by a man in his forties or fifties with slightly graying hair.
"You must be Uncle Lin," Ye Xing said, standing up to greet him.
"I am Lin Qijian. And you, young sir, must be the benefactor who took in young Qiao’Er. Truly a man of fine bearing!" Lin Qijian said with a cupped-fist salute.
"Haha, you flatter me, sir," Ye Xing replied with a slight smile. "I’ve asked you to come here because, as I’m sure Qiao’Er has already told you, I wish to build a residence here and set down some roots."
"Mm, as for building the residence, you can rest easy, young sir. I have been in this line of work for over twenty years," Lin Qijian said gravely. "I just need to know where you plan to build, whether you’ve purchased the land deed, and a few details about the desired size and style."
"The residence doesn’t need to be too large to start. I’ll expand it later when I have sufficient funds. As for the location, let’s build it on White Cloud Mountain, three li outside of town. I’ll take you to see the site now, sir. We can talk as we walk!" With that, Ye Xing and Lin Qijian left Qiao Qiao’s home and headed for the slopes of White Cloud Mountain.
"The construction speed needs to be as fast as possible; I’m in a hurry. Please assign more craftsmen to rush the work. An extra thirty to fifty Gold Coins won’t be a problem."
The two chatted as they walked, arriving at the spot on the slopes of White Cloud Mountain in under an hour. Ye Xing gave some specific instructions, and they discussed the details of the residence’s style for over an hour more before finally leaving the mountain.
After returning to Phoenix Town, Ye Xing made a trip to the Government Office. By spending thirty-five Gold Coins, he finally obtained the land deed for the plot on White Cloud Mountain.
By the time he emerged from the Government Office with the paperwork complete, it was already dusk.
The setting sun dipped toward the west, its lingering rays dyeing the clouds on the horizon crimson.
’Phew, finally done. Construction can start tomorrow. Now, time to head home for dinner!’ Ye Xing gave a big stretch and strode toward Qiao’Er’s home.
Wisps of smoke from kitchen chimneys drifted up throughout the small town as many households began preparing dinner.
When Ye Xing arrived at Qiao Qiao’s home, he caught the fragrant aroma of cooking rice the moment he reached the door. It was a wonderful smell—that of pure, natural rice, without any chemical additives.
"Big Brother, you’re back! Dinner will be ready in a moment, I’m almost done," the young girl called out. She was feeding firewood into the stove, where orange-yellow flames leaped and danced. Wisps of steam rose from the iron pot, filling the entire hut with the aroma of rice.
Ye Xing glanced at a small basin of washed greens and a bowl of sliced pork on the table. "You haven’t cooked the other dishes yet, have you? Here, let me cook for you!"
"No, you can’t!" The young girl scrambled to her feet. "That’s a woman’s job. How could Big Brother do something like that? People would laugh at you."
"Er..." Ye Xing spread his hands helplessly. Then an idea struck him. "In that case, I’ll go buy a couple pounds of Demon Beast Meat. This ordinary pork isn’t very tasty."
"Oh, but I heard that Demon Beast Meat is very expensive!" said the young girl.
"Don’t worry, eating Demon Beast Meat is good for your health, and we’re not short on a few Gold Coins," Ye Xing said with a smile.
After deducting the money for the Martial Arts Manual and the house construction, Ye Xing still had two or three hundred Gold Coins left.
He bought the Demon Beast Meat and brought it back, letting the young girl cook a plate of braised meat.
He had to admit, Qiao’Er’s cooking was excellent. Both the greens and the braised meat were delicious.
At dinnertime, the young girl helped her mother come out to eat. Auntie Qiao was only thirty-seven or thirty-eight, but years of hard labor had made her look as if she were in her forties, prematurely aged.
Night fell. A cool breeze drifted by, making the leaves of the locust tree outside the window rustle.
The night wind stirred the clouds on the horizon. A crescent moon hung high in the sky, its faint, starry glow filtering through the small wooden window and into the room.
Inside the room, Ye Xing took out the Yellow Level Inner Power Heart Method, Basic Breathing and Exhaling Technique. He read it over carefully, then sat cross-legged in the Five Hearts Facing Heaven posture. Following the description in the Heart Method Mantra, he began to breathe in and out in a regulated rhythm.