Chen Xiao had expected the man to ask him something, but instead, it was the elder who stepped in. For some reason, Chen Xiao felt a faint sense of disappointment.

He quickly realized this was an extremely inappropriate emotion. His heart jolted in self-awareness. No matter how rare and alluring the man's aura was, it should not affect his mindset or judgment. He immediately began to reflect on his thoughts, silently vowing to correct his attitude from now on and not be so infatuated.

The elder gazed at Chen Xiao and asked, "Explain why you needed to move the main door and stove during the house repairs. Don’t tell me again that it's due to local customs."

On the way back to the Chen family, Chen Xiao had already prepared a response. Of course, he wouldn't tell the truth—talking about feng shui wouldn’t make sense to the people here.

However, as he prepared to speak, the words hung on the tip of his tongue, but the man’s intense gaze made him unable to say them. There was an undeniable feeling that lying in front of this man would be dangerous. This instinct, deep and primal, made Chen Xiao nervous, and his heartbeat quickened, causing pain in his chest.

He genuinely didn’t want to become an enemy of this unfathomable man. With no other choice, he decided to tell the truth, though it was difficult to make people believe it.

The thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind, and after a brief pause, he found his words. His expression calm, he spoke clearly, “I’ve already said, I fear that both of you might not believe me, thinking I’m speaking nonsense.”

Before the elder could respond, Fan Shiming couldn’t wait any longer and interjected, “So, you’re showing your true colors! You’re making up lies! It’s obviously dark magic!”

Fan Shiming had already made the elder unhappy by speaking out of turn twice before. Now, with his master present, his behavior was completely unacceptable.

"Impudent child!" The elder's eyes darkened as he raised his hand, and with a flick, Fan Shiming was sent flying like he had been struck by an invisible projectile. He crashed into the Chen family's courtyard wall.

The wall, made of mud bricks, couldn’t withstand the force. It crumbled, sending dust into the air as Fan Shiming fell to the road outside. Fortunately, the elder had no intention of killing him. Though severely injured and coughing up blood, Fan Shiming’s life was not in danger.

The elder’s swift and violent action stunned everyone present. Fan Shiming’s attendants, all top students from past academies who had been funded by the Fan family, now stood frozen in silence, too afraid to help him out of the rubble.

Chapter 14: A Warning to Others

After dealing with Fan Shiming, the elder turned back to Chen Xiao and said, “Speak quickly, and be clear! We will judge for ourselves.”

Chen Xiao was shaken by the elder’s sudden violence. He nodded and replied, “Yes, Immortal Master.” After a brief pause, he continued, “I was once an assistant at an antique shop in the county city, called Taxue Xunxian Pavilion. Both of you, Immortal Master I, know that this shop, besides selling mundane items, sometimes has relics passed down from ancient times, real tools once used by Immortals.”

At this point, the elder began to understand what Chen Xiao was trying to say.

In the antique district, it wasn’t uncommon to hear stories of lucky individuals who found treasures, buying items at low prices and selling them for a fortune overnight. Similarly, in the cultivation world, there were tales of lucky people inheriting ancient methods or discovering long-lost treasures. It seemed this young man from the Chen family had experienced something similar.

As expected, Chen Xiao continued, “I was fortunate enough to come across one such relic from the Immortals’ collection. This relic contained knowledge about residential techniques. The teachings were difficult to understand, but I managed to grasp the basics. The part I understood involved the positioning of doors and stoves, which is easy to remember. This technique teaches how to gather life energy in a home. People who live in such an environment are healthier and less prone to illness or misfortune.”

Residential techniques were another term for feng shui. These teachings related to homes where living beings resided, unlike burial practices related to the dead. Chen Xiao’s words were mostly true, except for where he had obtained this knowledge.

The elder’s expression shifted as he processed this. No wonder the Chen family’s atmosphere felt different—it was because it carried life energy. While this energy was insignificant compared to spiritual qi, it was still noticeable. He hadn’t noticed it immediately.

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After thinking it over, the elder realized that he had never heard of such a residential technique. But in this world, there were countless cultivation methods. Just because he hadn’t heard of it didn’t mean it didn’t exist. If what Chen Xiao said was true, he was indeed lucky, though somewhat unlucky at the same time. Lucky because he found such a secret technique in a mundane antique shop; unlucky because he didn’t fully understand it.

However... the elder gave Chen Xiao a thorough once-over. This man was of considerable age yet showed no cultivation skills, implying a lack of talent for cultivation. Whether lucky or unlucky, in the end, it hardly mattered.

The man’s gaze remained fixed on Chen Xiao as he spoke, then slowly asked, “Can you read?”

Chen Xiao paused before answering, “Yes. Back in the county city, I learned a few characters from the masters at the shop.”

Chen Xiao knew well that, in any place, reading and writing were the most essential tools for understanding the world. So, from the moment he started his job, he’d relentlessly asked the shop masters to teach him how to read. Though they weren’t keen to teach him the high-level techniques for identifying ancient Immortal artifacts, they didn’t reject teaching him basic characters.

The writing in this world resembled that of his previous life, evolving from pictographs. After learning the rules, Chen Xiao could now recognize most of the common characters used daily.

The man didn’t look at him any longer and instead surveyed the Chen family residence. He spoke, not directly to anyone, but loud enough for all to hear: “Though this residential technique is minor, it’s quite useful for ordinary people. It could be considered a form of craftsmanship.”

The elder spoke again, acknowledging the man’s words, as he didn’t dare disregard them: “Indeed, ordinary people fear birth, aging, sickness, and death. With this technique, even in the mortal realm, one’s life could be preserved.”

Chen Xiao stood quietly to the side, reflecting on the words. Was that last remark meant for the elder, or for him?

The Chongxuan Sect was a prestigious Daoist sect, and their cultivators looked down on such minor techniques those that could only gather life energy in a home. Once the questions about the house’s changes were settled, the elder, displaying his composure, didn’t pry into the secrets of others’ cultivation methods. Chen Xiao had worried for nothing, thinking the elder might inquire deeper.

Once the elder understood that there was life energy in the Chen family home, he realized that it couldn’t be dark magic. One of the hallmarks of dark magic was its ability to drain energy—whether spiritual energy or life energy. Prolonged exposure would cause illness, and in severe cases, even death.

Since this wasn’t dark magic, it was simply a misunderstanding.

The elder also realized that Fan Shiming had been making a scene, trying to bring down Wu family’s young heir and replace him on the list. Had it not been for this, the rumor would have remained just that rumor and would not have been used as leverage against the Wu family.

Fan Shiming lay on the road for a while, eventually managing to get up. By then, it seemed the situation had settled. He hadn’t yet realized the consequences of slandering the Wu family in front of the Immortals. He hadn’t taken their previous warning to heart.

Furious, he glared at Wu Xinzhi and then shot a venomous look at Chen Xiao. The Wu and Chen families had displeased him, and now he intended to get his revenge. The Immortals from Chongxuan Sect would ignore the matter for now, but once they left, he would make sure they paid.

As Fan Shiming stood there scheming, the crowd before him parted, revealing him to the Immortals.

Confused, Fan Shiming was suddenly faced with the elder’s stern gaze. The elder, standing just behind the man in black, addressed him directly: “Fan Shiming, you have exaggerated, spread rumors, and disrupted justice. Your character is corrupt, and your behavior is improper. Today, you dare to interfere with the Chongxuan Sect’s recruitment process. By order of my master, you shall face severe punishment to set an example!”

Only then did Fan Shiming realize the gravity of the situation. He screamed and tried to flee back to his family. But it was too late. The moment the elder decided to act, Fan Shiming would not escape, no matter how far he ran.

Suddenly, Fan Shiming felt as if an icy iron hook had plunged into his abdomen, twisting painfully. His internal energy, like a leaking water barrel, drained away completely.

With a pitiful scream, Fan Shiming collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach. “My dantian! My dantian is shattered! Father! Mother! My dantian is shattered—!”

The attendants from the Fan family were stunned. Fan Shiming’s dantian was destroyed, leaving him crippled and unable to cultivate further.

Some of the onlookers felt the punishment was too harsh. The Wu and Chen families had not been punished as severely, so why had Fan Shiming been treated this way? What they failed to understand was that, in the eyes of the Immortals, the authority of the Chongxuan Sect could not be defied. Punishing Fan Shiming was not the end of the matter.

After dealing with Fan Shiming, the elder turned to the Fan family attendants and said, “You have aided evil. While you may escape death, you will not escape the consequences!” The elder did not intend to destroy all of their dantian, only to knock them down a level, forcing them to start their cultivation anew.

These attendants were the elite of the Fan family. Though losing one young master would deeply wound the family, it wouldn’t cripple them. But the loss of their followers’ cultivation would cause a breakdown in their power, something the Fan family couldn’t afford.

Immediately, the Fan family’s head, who had been secretly observing from the shadows, rushed to the scene, calling out as he ran, “Immortal Master, please show mercy!”