Qingzhou, Linjiang City, February 14th, light rain.
“The Dao is empty, yet its use is inexhaustible. It is profound, like the origin of all things.
It blunts its sharpness, untangles its knots, harmonizes its light, and shares its dust. It is tranquil, as if it exists…”
The children’s clear voices reading aloud came from the school.
Before long, more than twenty children, around ten years old, ran out of the classroom like playful fawns.
“Goodbye, Mr. Su!”
“Goodbye, Mr. Su!”
After a day of lessons, the children had all returned to their homes.
Su Jingzhe was the last to push open the door and exit the classroom.
He held a scroll, glanced at the blooming peach tree in the courtyard of the Cultivation Enlightenment School, and smiled slightly.
“The peach blossoms on this tree are blooming exceptionally well this year, but tomorrow should be Jingzhe.
I’ve been here for a full two and a half years.”
As he mused, Su Jingzhe had already walked through the courtyard, about to return to his dwelling.
He lowered his head and saw his shoe soles covered in yellow mud, and couldn’t help but shake his head with a bitter smile.
On a rainy day, the small path in the courtyard, once stepped on, became as muddy and unsightly as a female Cultivator from Flower Moon Tower after a night of passion, with flowers accompanying the rain and dew.
“It would be good to lay some stone slabs tomorrow.”
After the students dispersed and he returned to his dwelling, Su Jingzhe took out a Storage Pouch from his waist.
From it, he poured out twenty-five Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
His brows suddenly furrowed.
“The school is recruiting fewer and fewer children. Without the support of Spirit Stones, not to mention the indefinite Breakthrough of the Qi Refinement Stage, even the rent will soon be unaffordable.”
Whenever he saw his current situation, Su Jingzhe couldn’t help but feel a bit self-mocking.
Before his Transmigration, he worried about rent every month.
He never thought that after Transmigrating to this Cultivation world, he would still have to worry about rent.
What was the difference between Transmigration and not Transmigrating then?
And none of this was what bothered Su Jingzhe the most.
He came to the quiet room, sat cross-legged on the futon, and a line of small characters appeared before his eyes.
【Time until Host’s Dantian is permanently shattered: 503 days left!】
The Dantian is the foundation of a Cultivator; after it is permanently shattered, one completely loses their Realm and becomes a Mortal.
At that time, even if he wanted to continue living here, he wouldn't be qualified.
He would only be able to go to the Mortal Realm.
With this thought, Su Jingzhe made up his mind that this time, no matter what, he had to struggle a bit.
Fortunately, should he take a gamble?
Su Jingzhe’s gaze fell upon the small Pill Furnace that had been placed in the corner of the room for a long time.
And at this moment.
“Mr. Su, Mr. Su, are you there?”
A rather pleasant voice sounded in the courtyard.
Su Jingzhe pushed open the door and saw a graceful beautiful woman walking through the muddy path.
She was scraping the yellow mud off her shoe soles on the eave’s edge.
“It’s Sister-in-law Ning, ah. Has that girl Yao’er not returned yet?
It’s been a while since school ended.”
Su Jingzhe proactively asked the woman.
Sister-in-law Ning’s name is Zhang Xiu. Don’t let her being a mere woman fool you; she is one of the few Cultivators at the Late Stage of Qi Refinement in Linjiang City.
She could be considered a minor figure in Linjiang City.
The Spirit Stone rent that all Cultivators in Peach Blossom Lane pay to the Huayang Sect is given to Zhang Xiu, who collects it centrally and delivers it to the Linjiang Branch of the Huayang Sect.
Zhang Xiu’s husband, Ning Kaishan, was also once a master at the Late Stage of Qi Refinement, and was even the most promising existence in Linjiang City to Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Unfortunately, two years ago, he went out with someone to explore ruins and tragically perished.
Only Zhang Xiu and her daughter were left as a mother and daughter pair.
Two and a half years ago, when Su Jingzhe Transmigrated into this body, he was already half-crippled, and it was Zhang Xiu who took him in.
After getting along, she found that Su Jingzhe was of excellent character. She learned that he once had impressive cultivation, but his Dantian was severely damaged, causing his cultivation to drop to the Early Stage of Qi Refinement.
She truly felt sorry for him.
So she suggested that he open a Cultivation Enlightenment School here to earn some Spirit Stones and make a living.
In the Cultivation world, not everyone has the opportunity to Cultivate.
Those without a Spiritual Root can only practice Mortal Internal Skill, and even if Mortal Internal Skill is practiced to its limit, it only reaches the level of an Early Stage Qi Refinement Cultivator.
The ultimate destination is still only the Human Realm.
One must possess a Spiritual Root, but among the multitude of beings, even the children of Cultivators cannot guarantee the existence of a Spiritual Root.
Thus, Cultivators thought of many methods.
For example, if a knowledgeable Cultivator provides some guidance before adulthood, the child’s spiritual awakening can be smoother.
In his previous life, Su Jingzhe accumulated profound “knowledge” from reading novels and debating with others, making it easy for him to deal with children.
He had spoken about the Traditional Chinese Medicine meridian and Internal Skill system.
He had spoken about various modified versions of Cultivation novel systems.
He also combined and outputted much of the content from Laozi, Confucius, and Guiguzi, relying on his memories of debating with others in his previous life.
At first, he felt a bit guilty.
But whether it was luck or truly effective, the spiritual awakening results of the children in Peach Blossom Lane genuinely improved after he arrived.
Therefore, this Enlightenment School could barely continue to operate.
From this perspective, Zhang Xiu was both Su Jingzhe’s savior and his benefactor.
At this moment, Zhang Xiu smiled and said, “Yao’er went home a long time ago. This time, sister-in-law came to find you for a great matter.”
Su Jingzhe was stunned for a moment.
Before he could ask further, Zhang Xiu said, “You’re not young anymore, so sister-in-law wants to ask you.
Do you want a Dao Companion?”