A dilapidated courtyard, an ancient dried well.
Surrounded by overgrown weeds and litter, the well covered in assorted debris, Yanchen wouldn't have noticed it if not for Qingya's prior knowledge of the location.
Fortunately, the rope is intact, with a rusty bucket attached.
Qingya descends into the well to explore while Yanchen, holding onto the rope, follows suit, slowly descending.
Now filled with strength, Yanchen feels no fear despite the chilling darkness below, only excitement for the adventure.
An ancient cultivator's cave, tempting for someone new to cultivation.
After about ten minutes of descent, Qingya, ahead like a wisp of smoke, points to the wall below: "Young Master, the entrance is there. I've just checked, no danger inside."
Yanchen continues descending and finally reaches the spot Qingya mentioned.
On the moss-covered well wall, a dark, mysterious hole appears. Even with his night-sight eyes, he can't see its depths.
Qingya floats ahead, explaining: "Young Master, there used to be restrictions on this entrance, invisible to mortals. But recently, it's collapsing, and many restrictions inside are losing their effect, allowing us to enter."
Yanchen follows cautiously, arriving at a door carved with peculiar patterns.
Being a soul, Qingya effortlessly passes through but then returns, embarrassed: "Almost forgot, Young Master can't pass through doors. What should we do?"
Approaching, Yanchen tries to push the stone door with all his strength, but it remains unmoved.
His inner bead starts spinning rapidly; a surge of power reaches his hands. Stepping back, he clenches his fists, radiating a dazzling light.
Sensing the terrifying power, Qingya startled, swiftly moving behind Yanchen, keeping a safe distance.
Yanchen's face grew serious as explosive energy gathered in his fists. Milky-white energy swirled rapidly, and with a low shout, he thrust his fists forward.
A loud bang echoed as the sturdy stone door instantly shattered into pieces.
Qingya, who had kept his distance, widened his eyes in fear, relieved that he had yielded earlier; otherwise, he might have been shattered by Yanchen's power.
"Ah, Young Master, mighty and domineering! Young Master, your might is like the surging river, continuous and overwhelming, like the Yellow River in flood, a single move... Oh, Young Master, please wait for me. Let me lead the way ahead for you..."
Qingya, shouting and flattering, hurriedly caught up, behaving like a loyal servant, bowing and scraping.
Fortunately, the passage, worn down by the years, was already in ruins, and many restrictions had lost their effectiveness. Besides the recently shattered stone door, there were no more obstacles inside.
Guided by Qingya, Yanchen quickly arrived at the cave where the ancient cultivator had practiced.
It was a dust-covered, rudimentary stone chamber with a stone bed in one corner, accompanied by a meditation cushion. Presumably, the cultivator had practiced here.
However, there were no bones or remnants of the cultivator, and his whereabouts remained unknown.
Hovering above a stone table, Qingya pointed to a simple-looking book: "Young Master, there's an ancient book here. Flip it over; maybe it contains the cultivation method the ancient cultivator once practiced."
Yanchen walked over, picked up the dusty book, and blew off the dust. As he turned the pages, strange characters densely filled them. After staring for a while, he realized he couldn't recognize a single word.
Excitement filled Qingya's face as he suddenly exclaimed, "Congratulations, Young Master! This ancient book is indeed a cultivation technique called the 'Ghost Control Technique.' It's the supreme cultivation method for practicing ghost arts!"
"The Ghost Control Technique?" Yanchen questioned. "Does it outline the fundamental methods of cultivation? I've never practiced before. Can I directly cultivate using this?"
Qingya scratched his head and explained, "Unfortunately, that won't work. To cultivate any technique, one needs to become a cultivator first, understanding how to mobilize the mana within. Otherwise, you can't practice any technique."
Yanchen patted the dust off the ancient book, feeling a bit disappointed.
Currently, he could only activate the bead inside him to gain otherworldly strength, but he lacked knowledge of any cultivation methods, and there was no inherent power within him.
"Don't be disheartened, Young Master. There's a box in the corner that might hold some treasures. And beneath the stone bed, there are some pills; they should be of high quality," Qingya comforted, floating over to the corner.
Yanchen went to the corner, opened the dark wooden box, finding two more ancient books and some rusty broken swords. At the bottom, he discovered a green, ethereal jade ring.
At the sight of the ring, Qingya's crimson eyes lit up. He exclaimed, "Young Master! That's a storage ring, a spatial treasure that can hold many things!"
Yanchen picked up the ring, puzzled. "How do I use it?"
Qingya happily approached, "First, drip blood to recognize the owner, then activate your mana to use it. After so much time, the imprint of the ancient cultivator must have dissipated."
Yanchen squinted at him, asking, "Qingya, you're just a ghost. How do you know all this?"
Qingya smiled wryly, "True, I'm just a ghost, but I've wandered this world for at least a few thousand years, encountered many bizarre things, heard a lot about cultivation, and even seen some cultivators. Knowing these things is not surprising."
He added earnestly, "I'm utterly devoted to Young Master, without deception. If you don't believe me, I'm willing to prove it with my death!"
Yanchen bit his index finger, nodded, and said, "Alright, I'll see it for myself."
"..."
Qingya opened his mouth but quickly flashed a pleasing smile, "Young Master, there are still pills under the bed. Let me check for you. You can take your time to recognize ownership with your blood. I won't disturb you."
With that, he swiftly dove under the bed, seemingly forgetting about his earlier pledge to die for Yanchen.
Yanchen dripped his blood onto the jade ring, instantly feeling a connection deep within. Unsure about what mana was, he activated the power within him.
Suddenly, a radiant light enveloped him, revealing another space—blank and vast, devoid of any living beings.
"So, this is the inside of the storage ring. Truly spacious, probably enough to hold dozens of tall buildings," Yanchen marveled at the sight.
"There are many pills below, along with valuable artifacts. Young Master, please collect them quickly," Qingya, now daring to emerge from under the bed, eagerly suggested.
Yanchen, unfamiliar with pills and artifacts, saw porcelain bottles and delicate weapons. With a thought, they were instantly absorbed by the ring.
"These are indeed precious items," Yanchen delightedly thought, packing everything from the wooden box into the ring for later study.
Realizing that time had passed, and dawn was approaching, he decided it was time to leave. If he were caught wandering outside by his family in the middle of the night, it would be troublesome.
As he was about to leave with Qingya, the bead inside him suddenly trembled. The painting of a blue sea and sky on the wall above the stone bed emitted a gentle glow, illuminating the dim cave like a sun.
Startled, Qingya trembled, quickly darting behind Yanchen, shouting, "There's a ghost!"
After his awkward declaration, Qingya's normally green face turned slightly red. He chuckled awkwardly, saying, "I'm sorry, Young Master. I'm just a ghost... I've watched too many movies sneaking into people's houses at night, and those girls like to say such things..."
Yanchen rolled his eyes at him, then went over to take down the strange landscape painting. After examining it without finding anything special, he tossed it directly into the storage ring.
"Qingya, those ancient books should contain cultivation techniques. In the future, you can help me read and explain them while I cultivate. Maybe there's a technique in there that you can practice independently. We can help each other. What do you think?"
Qingya promptly responded, "I'm honored, Young Master!"
"Don't agree so quickly. Take your time to consider. I never force anyone. If you're not willing, I won't insist."
Young Master, even if it's a mountain of knives or a sea of fire, Qingya is willing to follow you! Cough, cough... But, Young Master, could you release my neck?"
"Oh, sorry, couldn't help it."
...
In an elegant courtyard somewhere, the new moon hung high, and falling petals resembled rain.
Hu Guguagua stood in front of a peach tree, plucking leaves one by one with a frustrated mood. She muttered words, but they were too low to be heard clearly.
"Swoosh!"
A snowy-white fox ghostly flew over the roof and landed behind her. With a flash of light, it transformed into a graceful and dignified beauty.
"Miss, the human family has been frightened away by this servant overnight. Presumably, the property will be on sale tomorrow, and we can move there. As for the boy and his family, they will move into the adjacent courtyard tomorrow, becoming our neighbors."
The elegant lady bowed respectfully.
Hu Guguagua threw a few leaves to the ground, stomping on them angrily. She gritted her teeth, "If it weren't for fear of damaging the golden core, I'd want to go over there now and kill that jerk!"
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