Starting Cultivation During a Trip

Li Yishan walked into the private room with two bottles of booze, and looked up to see Zhang Fan.

”You’re here! You all know each other already, right? No need for me to introduce?”

Without further ado, Li Yishan plunked down next to Zhang Fan and popped open the bottles.

”We know each other.” Zhou Miaochan paused her previous topic and spoke softly.

”Where’ve you been these past couple days?”

Li Yishan picked up his wine glass, about to pour a drink for Zhang Fan.

”I drove here, can’t drink.” Zhang Fan raised a hand to indicate no.

”You bought a car?”

”Bicycle.”

”...”

Li Yishan squinted and poured Zhang Fan a glass to the brim.

”Life’s too short, might as well fill it up!”

Saying so, Li Yishan lifted his glass and drank.

”My sister and I are still observing the fast, so we can only toast with tea.” Zhou Miaochan signaled apologetically.

”Cultivators, I get it.” Li Yishan nodded.

”Hell, I’m a cultivator too!”

Zhang Fan leaned over to Li Yishan’s ear, muttering quietly.

”You’re just some Wild Fox Zen who jumped the fence into the Daoist Sect—barely counts as a cultivator!”

”I’ve got the certificate.” Zhang Fan replied coldly.

His Daoist Sect Faculty Qualification Certificate had been arranged by Senior Po Jie from Zhenwu Mountain—cost him 120 yuan.

Just so you know, even the Zhenwu Mountain tourist ticket only costs 280.

Li Yishan shot him a look: ”If I hadn’t traveled with you, I’d think you got a fake one.”

”...”

”Yishan, best if your friend moves out for a couple days. Wait for the evil qi to dissipate, then move back in—safer that way.”

After a round of drinks and three cups of tea, Zhou Miaochan spoke up.

”I’ve had her stay in a hotel these past two days.” Li Yishan nodded.

”What’s going on?”

Zhang Fan was totally lost, and couldn’t help asking.

”So, here’s the deal...” Li Yishan explained.

Recently, he’d met a girl, also a student at East University, same year as them, bumped into her last time when picking up their files at school.

”You really do have a Peach Blossom aura.” Zhang Fan shot him a look.

The moment he said it, Zhou Miaochan and Zhou Miaoyu smiled knowingly but kept silent.

Li Yishan just glared angrily and kept talking.

After that, the two of them got friendly, and when the girl needed to move, she had Li Yishan help out.

But ever since she moved into her new place, weird stuff kept happening.

The job she’d landed vanished, company shut down, boss ran off overnight with his mistress.

Then, she herself got into a car accident, flung ten-plus meters with her bag, didn’t die—but broke her leg. Won’t be healed for three or five months.

”That’s seriously unlucky.” Zhang Fan curled his lip.

”That house must have bad feng shui, right!?”

”That’s what I said, but she wouldn’t believe it.” Li Yishan said flatly.

That’s how it is with Hua Country folks—anything good, total faith; anything bad, superstition and backwardness.

Last month, she ordered delivery, the courier was riding too fast, got in an accident, and included that girl in the claim too—said her order made her partly responsible.

”...”

Zhang Fan was speechless.

By then, even the girl couldn’t deny it, so Li Yishan reached out to the Zhou Sisters.

Hearing all this, Zhang Fan couldn’t help glancing over—just from the conversation, he could tell these sisters weren’t your run-of-the-mill cultivators. They were seriously impressive, must come from some prestigious mountain sect.

He couldn’t help but wonder how Li Yishan got to know folks like this.

Then again, Li Yishan’s family was well-off, had a string of businesses, so if elders made friends with Profound Sect feng shui masters, it wasn’t that surprising.

After all, anyone in government or business, whether they admit it or not, always make some connections with Daoist Sect folk to seek fortune and avoid evil, dissolve bad qi, and resolve grudges.

Just like Night is not bright—they’ve got business in that field too, and their clients are all rich or powerful.

”Their roots are pure—work at the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance Headquarters...” Li Yishan said solemnly.

”So they’re official!”

Zhang Fan couldn’t help sneaking another look at the Zhou Sisters. That means they’re colleagues of Sui Chunsheng and Zhan Xinyue!?

”I just passed the entrance exam this year...” Zhou Miaoyu laughed lightly.

The Daoist Alliance isn’t easy to get into—besides being a cultivator, you need credentials. Bachelor’s at minimum. If it’s not 985, then at least 211. Plus, your family background gets vetted for three generations, and there’s a ton of assessments.

Eating state rice isn’t for everyone.

Don’t mind Zhang Fan calling himself a disciple under Zhenwu Mountain—academic record, family background, tests... not a chance he’d pass any.

”Unbelievable, I’m out here cultivating and they still care about degrees?” Zhang Fan muttered to himself.

He knew—if you make it into the Daoist Alliance, you’re true elite. Way above the usual Daoist Temple priests and monks.

No wonder these sisters carried themselves differently—they really radiated confidence in their words.

Zhou Miaoyu joined the Jiangnan Province Daoist Alliance Headquarters just this year. Meanwhile, Zhou Miaochan had years of grassroots experience, traveling around dealing with demons and subduing monsters.

Through his connections, Li Yishan found these two sisters and had them come to the girl’s house to check things out.

”The feng shui is seriously messed up...”

The building where the girl lived had a road in front and back, perfectly aligned with her room. In feng shui terms, that’s called Steel Spear Stabbing the Back.

Steel Spear Stabbing the Back means a building’s back is hit straight by a road, as if a steel spear jammed right into your spine—like someone stabbed you in the back for real.

”Steel Spear Stabbing the Back—if it doesn’t kill, it ruins you.” Zhou Miaoyu said calmly.