Luo Cheng was someone who was relatively content and did not indulge in unrealistic fantasies. Or rather, he had once indulged in them during his middle school years. But the successive deaths of his closest relatives, the harsh reality of his own aptitude, and the beatings he received after stepping into society had finally erased all his unrealistic thoughts.
However, perhaps that was just what he told himself in the face of adversity and pressure.
At this moment, standing in the courtyard surrounded by green mountains and flowing water, Luo Cheng felt a sense of emptiness being completely filled by something. The feeling left him dazed in place for about half a minute before he snapped back to his senses. He quickly operated the wooden command token in his hand, activating the concealment formation of his portable house. This way, at least from the outside, the place where he stood would appear just like the surrounding vacant land, seemingly empty as if nothing was there.
After activating the basic protective formation, Luo Cheng finally began wandering around the courtyard, his steps feeling light and unsteady.
His portable house was not very large. Including the courtyard, the total area was only about one mu.666.7 meters But within this single mu of space, there were artificial hills, flowing water, pavilions, terraces, small bridges, and flower beds. Nothing was missing.
Various green plants adorned the place, with several different species of trees, a few distinct types of shrubs and vines, and a variety of common flowers that bloomed throughout all four seasons. Additionally, there were seven or eight types of low-growing plants mixed together, scattered around the courtyard as decoration.
The portable house came with its own irrigation system. When Luo Cheng had chosen this particular model, his main concern had been finding one with relatively high concealment, where the placement of the formation stones and the integrated offensive and defensive setup wouldn't be immediately obvious at a glance. Because of this, he had to pick from among the portable houses that featured a courtyard with a heavy emphasis on decorative plants.
But the courtyard that Luo Cheng chose, besides having relatively high concealment, also had a garden layout that he liked. The plants inside were also relatively easy to take care of.
Aside from the fact that the house’s formation would automatically water them every day, so he didn’t need to worry about it, the plants inside generally wouldn’t grow wildly. Even if one day he was in the mood to trim them a little, these were all hardy species that could survive even if they were randomly cut.
Ever since Luo Cheng bought this portable house, due to caution and the need to travel, today was the first time he had officially entered it. Before, when he had only looked at the thumbnail images, he had merely thought that the house looked to his liking and that he somewhat preferred it.
But now, standing inside, he felt more than just satisfaction. A slight sense of joy and delight grew within him as he walked along the cloister, arrived at the main entrance, and saw the pavilion atop the artificial mountain, the bamboo trellis with grapevines on the side of the main house, and the stone table and stools beneath the trellis.
Before this, he had indeed imagined in his heart, "If only I could have a portable house, how great would that be?" But that was just a fleeting thought he had while watching TV or seeing portable house advertisements. In his hometown, he had a house and a stable job. Although it wasn’t a "luxurious mansion" with a courtyard like this portable house, it was still a home that belonged to him alone.
Yet this unexpected event had given him the possibility of choosing another kind of life. And so, after hesitating only slightly, he resolutely reached out and seized it with all his might.
At this moment, standing in this courtyard, Luo Cheng felt that even if his choice later proved to be wrong, this kind of change was not a bad thing.
The courtyard of the portable house followed the typical style of Jiangnan garden courtyards, modeled after certain garden courtyards but modified and simplified. Though the flowers, plants, and trees inside were relatively common and easy to maintain, they still ensured blooming flowers and green leaves to admire throughout all four seasons.
The architectural style of the house in the center of the courtyard was also a southern-style building with white walls and black tiles.
This house was two stories tall and also had a rather large basement. Upon entering, one would find that although the exterior appeared classical, the interior decoration and functions were entirely modern.
From the main entrance, there was a hallway. Inside the entrance was a hidden shoe cabinet, a storage space combined with a walk-in closet. Entering through this hallway, one would face a folding screen, and going around it would lead to a spacious living room, along with the connected dining area and open kitchen.
The first floor also had a study, a bathroom, and a currently vacant room. The second floor housed the master bedroom, guest bedroom, and a large terrace with a bamboo trellis.
Each room was furnished with basic furniture. The open kitchen was fully equipped with essential appliances and kitchenware, including not only a double-door refrigerator but also a freezer.
Although these were all free gifts that came with purchasing the house, they were by no means cheap brands. They were long-established brands in Huaxia region, having produced spirit-powered appliances and spirit-powered stoves since the early days of spiritual energy revival, with a history of five hundred years.
The two floors above ground had a strong sense of livability, and each room was arranged in a neutral, simple, and comfortable style. But when Luo Cheng reached the basement, he was once again taken aback.
Once fully expanded, the portable house covered an area of about one mu. The house itself had a floor area of roughly one to two hundred square meters per level. However, unlike the structure above ground, the basement was built to span the entire cross-sectional area of the portable house—making it approximately six hundred square meters in total.
About one-third of this space was a planting chamber, equipped with special lighting devices and specialized farming equipment. It could automatically regulate internal temperature, environment, and humidity. As long as there was a sufficient supply of spirit energy and spirit stones, it could simulate even the most extreme conditions required for any plant!
Yes, this thing was that powerful. But the premise was having the ability to afford the cost of burning spirit stones. Without them—without the ability to activate the special lighting—specialized cultivation formations, temperature regulation devices, and even mushrooms wouldn’t survive here! It would just be an enormous storage space.
After Luo Cheng wandered around inside, he immediately designated this place as a temporary storage room. For someone like him, who was too lazy to even cook, who had bought enough stomach-filling pills before leaving the city to last him five years in the wild, could anyone really expect him to develop some kind of farming talent? That would be thinking too highly of him!
Perhaps one day in the future, if he had a stroke of incredible luck and entered a secret realm rich in spiritual plants and herbs. If he also managed to find a large amount of spirit stones to sustain the operation of this planting space, then he might consider transplanting the spiritual plants he discovered. He would bring them back to the outside world and then sell them through a reliable platform to exchange for cultivation resources.
Yes, in truth, the most basic purpose of this planting chamber was for transplanting newly discovered spiritual plants and herbs.
Because, honestly, using this two-hundred-square-meter plot of land just to farm staple crops? It was definitely not enough to sustain the daily consumption of an adult cultivator.
Of course, in certain extreme situations, cultivators might find themselves trapped in a special secret realm with no food or water, stuck for several years or even decades. In those cases, having a planting space was still better than having none.
Combined with a cultivator’s ability to absorb spiritual energy while meditating, growing even a small amount of food could allow one to last a few more years. And who knows? Maybe by sheer chance, they’d endure long enough to escape from that extreme environment.
So, in the storage cabinets of this planting room, there were also various grains and common vegetable seeds that came as a bonus with the house purchase. Possibly, it was something for the owner when they occasionally have the whim to farm a bit and experience the life of a farmer cultivator.
Other than the planting-room-turned-into-storage room, this floor also had a secluded cultivation room and a study used for drawing talismans or writing and sketching things related to cultivation. There was also an alchemy and spiritual artifact refining room.
The alchemy and artifact refining room did not have a pill furnace or any workbenches for refining artifacts. On the other hand, the study was fully furnished with bookshelves, desks, and other essentials. But the books and such inside had to be prepared by the owner themselves.
Compared to those two rooms, the secluded cultivation room was much larger. However, it was divided into an inner and outer chamber.
The inner chamber was very small and completely empty, with only a meditation cushion on the floor, along with a short tea table placed on the ground. On the tea table sat an incense burner with a simple and ancient design, though it was clearly a modern craftwork, used for meditation and cultivation in seclusion.
The outer chamber was a rectangular room, covering a full two hundred square meters, also completely empty. But this empty room should not be underestimated as it could be used as a secluded cultivation room or a training room. Because of this, just like the alchemy and artifact refining room, the walls had special protective formations and were resistant to water and fire.
Generally speaking, as long as they were below the Golden Core stage, cultivators using spell techniques in these rooms or experiencing a furnace explosion while refining pills would not cause any damage to the walls or floor.
Of course, if it were a Golden Core-stage expert, that would be another matter. But by then, they could contact the housing office to upgrade the house, or they could add their own defensive formations into the walls and floors. As long as they had enough money, or their formation skills were high enough, they could modify the house however they wanted. Turning it into a fortress with top-tier defenses, practically impervious to swords and spears, would be no problem at all!
After wandering around the rooms in the basement, Luo Cheng was very satisfied and went back up to the first floor via the stairs. He had no use for any of the rooms down there at the moment. The secluded cultivation room could be used for body tempering, but for someone like him, still in the Body Training stage, the open space in the garden outside was more than enough. Only when he had a real cultivation method would he start making proper use of the lower level.
Still, the space down there didn’t feel excessive. At worst, he could just use it for storage in the meantime. A bit of extra space, who is unwilling to have that?
———
In a city about four or five days’ journey from Zhiluo No. 7 City, three people hurriedly boarded an intercity bus. They climbed into three adjacent bunk beds on the third underground level and placed down their belongings. After they tidied their clothes, they prepared to go to bed.
One of them asked the highest-ranked cultivator among the three, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, “Fourth Brother, it’s been so many days already. How are we supposed to find that brat?”
Lao Si looked exhausted. Hearing this, he glanced at his little brother, then raised his hand and smacked the back of the man’s head. “What do you mean, ‘how to find him’? You think that brat’s a cultivator? A mortal with a home, a job, and a fixed routine. How could he possibly be like those slippery rogue cultivators who scatter at the slightest sign of trouble?”
Another person quickly flattered their eldest brother. “Exactly! It’s just keeping an eye on a mere mortal, why make things so complicated? Fourth Brother, if you ask me, we should just kidnap the brat when we find him. Instead of waiting for him to figure things out on his own, we could just use Soul Searching or Spirit Seizing—either method would dig out whatever’s in his head, right? His parents weren’t some big shots either. What kind of safeguards could they have possibly left behind? Wouldn’t this be faster~?”
Lao Si gave him a sideways glance and let out a cold snort. “You think you’ve got all the bright ideas? Wu-ge naturally has his own reasoning. Once we get there, I’ll discuss it with him.”
He was feeling just as impatient. The brat’s suggestion was exactly what he wanted, but he couldn’t agree to it right away. He still had to see what Brother Wu thought.
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