Ge Dongxu tidied up the room, took out everything from his suitcase, and arranged it neatly. Seeing that it was almost eleven o'clock, he went downstairs, planning to walk around Songyang Town and find a suitable place for lunch.
As he reached the second floor, Lehao's mother, Wu Xiaojuan, was already preparing lunch in the kitchen. Hearing the movement at the stairway, she turned and saw Ge Dongxu, then smiled and called to him, "Dongxu, have lunch here today."
"Thank you, Auntie, but there's no need." Although Wu Xiaojuan's offer was out of politeness, Ge Dongxu still felt a warmth in his heart. He quickly thanked her and then hurried downstairs.
Seeing Ge Dongxu hasten downstairs, Wu Xiaojuan shook her head with a smile, her eyes revealing satisfaction and relief. Having someone live in the house could be beneficial for her son's studies, but it also brought inconveniences, such as dining. Not inviting Ge Dongxu to meals might appear stingy on her part, yet his actually joining them daily, although trivial, could disturb the family atmosphere. Now that Ge Dongxu understood these norms, Wu Xiaojuan felt relieved.
Having gone downstairs, Ge Dongxu initially intended to leave through the back door, but remembering that he had forgotten to get a key from the landlord and might have to knock on the door upon returning if the shop was closed, he pushed open the door that separated the back room from the storefront.
In the shop, the landlord Cheng Yazhou was behind the cash desk, killing time by playing solitaire. Seeing Ge Dongxu enter through the back door, he smiled and asked, "Going out?"
"Yes, just walking around to get familiar and also to buy some stuff," Ge Dongxu replied.
"It's getting late. You might as well have lunch here first and then let Lehao show you around," Cheng Yazhou suggested, looking at the time.
"Thank you, Uncle; I've been staying at your place long enough, there's no need for formalities with me," Ge Dongxu said.
"You are a sensible kid. If only Lehao were half as sensible as you, I'd be relieved. All right, I won't be formal with you either. But remember, you're on your own out here now, don't be shy about asking for help if you need it," Cheng Yazhou, appreciating Ge Dongxu's appropriate response, did not insist further.
"Thank you, Uncle; I understand. By the way, do you have a spare key for the back door? If not, I can get one made so I wouldn't have to enter through your store and disturb your business," Ge Dongxu said.
"Look at me, I completely forgot to give you the keys. Here are the keys for the back door and your room; I still have spares here," Cheng Yazhou said laughingly as he smacked his head, then pulled out a bunch of keys from the drawer, selecting two to hand to Ge Dongxu.
"Thank you, Uncle; I'll head out now to look around," Ge Dongxu, taking the keys, expressed his gratitude.
"Alright, take care," Cheng Yazhou advised, and returned his attention to his solitaire game.
Leaving Cheng Yazhou's place, Ge Dongxu checked his bearings and headed east along the street.
Changxi No. 1 Middle School was located to the east of Cheng Yazhou's home, and Ge Dongxu wanted to visit the school first.
Changxi No. 1 Middle School was not far from Cheng Yazhou's home, about a fifteen-minute walk or a five-to-six-minute bike ride.
Changxi No. 1 Middle School is the only high-level secondary school in Changxi County of Jiangnan Province, containing only the senior high section.
Changxi County, both in terms of facilities and teaching staff, ranks first in the county. Every year, many students are admitted to top universities like Tsinghua, Yanjing University, and Jiangnan University. As for regular bachelor's and associate degree programs, the number is even larger. Thus, for the people of Changxi County, getting into Changxi No. 1 Middle School almost assures a spot in university later on. Having a child admitted into Changxi No. 1 Middle School is undoubtedly a matter of great pride for any family.
Of course, for someone like Cheng Le Hao who had paid his way in, that was another matter entirely. However, even with payment, there were still score limitations. Generally, those with very low scores couldn't dream of entering Changxi No. 1 Middle School, so from a certain perspective, Cheng Le Hao's performance among the students of Changxi County was actually decent. Had he attended an ordinary high school, he would have been ranked among the top students.
The environment of Changxi No. 1 Middle School was quite appealing, with a river flowing slowly not far from the school gate, and behind it lay the hill of Changxi County Park, which was the lush small mountain Ge Dongxu had seen from a distance at the station. It truly bordered the mountains and was close to water.
"The Feng Shui here is quite good, and the air is a bit clearer than in other places. It's just a pity that practicing here isn't suitable, otherwise living directly in the school's dormitory would be even better," Ge Dongxu, who had been cultivating with Ren Yao from a young age and had delved broadly into Breath Control, Talisman Drawing, Physiognomy, and even Feng Shui, determined after walking around the campus that Changxi No. 1 High School not only had good Feng Shui but also less of the murky energy.
After taking a brief walk around the campus, Ge Dongxu left the school grounds and then found a small restaurant nearby. He ordered one meat and one vegetarian dish, casually getting by with a meal.
After finishing his meal, Ge Dongxu didn't immediately return to Cheng Yazhou's home but instead asked the restaurant owner where he could find a shop that sold incense and candles.
The incense and candle shop sold items used for funerals and Taoist and Buddhist rituals. It was rare for someone to inquire about a shop selling incense and candles, let alone a young person. Thus, the restaurant owner gave Ge Dongxu several probing looks with a strange gaze before telling him where to find such a shop.
Once Ge Dongxu learned of the incense and candle shop's location, he went straight there. Upon arriving, he bought twelve knives of yellow ritual paper and some cinnabar.
One knife of yellow ritual paper had about one hundred sheets.
Ge Dongxu buying yellow ritual paper and cinnabar was naturally for the purpose of Talisman Drawing.
A Talisman is a "Magical Treasure" for cultivators to communicate with the mysterious forces of heaven and earth. There is a saying, "Draw a Talisman without knowing the knack, and you'll only amuse the spirits. But know how to draw it right, and you'll make the spirits shout," which speaks to the mysteries of Talisman Drawing. Thus, it was not something to be done recklessly.
Although Ge Dongxu had studied the Dao with Ren Yao for six years and had been cultivating independently for two years, his skill in Talisman Drawing was still mediocre; he was far from making "the spirits shout." Therefore, he still needed to spend a lot of time practicing Talisman Drawing. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. While there are tricks to Talisman Drawing, it is not as simple as merely mimicking a pattern, but proficiency is also very important.
Before coming to the county town, his supplies of yellow ritual paper and cinnabar at home had been running low, and Ge Dongxu found it troublesome to carry them around due to their bulk, which is why he didn't buy them back in Baiyun Town, choosing to buy them after arriving in the county town instead.
The incense and candle shop owner was a middle-aged woman, who found it quite strange to see a young man buying yellow ritual paper and cinnabar. Generally, those who bought these items were either monks or much older people; it was her first time encountering a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy purchasing yellow ritual paper and cinnabar.
"Young man, what are you buying yellow ritual paper and cinnabar for?" Ge Dongxu was about to leave after paying when the shop owner could not help asking, and without waiting for his response, she added, "I happen to know a high monk at Guangyun Temple and a Daoist priest from Qingguan Mountain Taoist Temple. If your family needs them, I can arrange for them to perform a ritual at your house."
It was clear she thought that Ge Dongxu's family might have had a death or encountered something unclean.
"Thank you, but no need, I just bought these to have a bit of fun," Ge Dongxu was momentarily stunned, then casually replied and left the incense and candle shop.
"Have a bit of fun? Young people these days are really getting harder and harder to understand!" The shop owner watched Ge Dongxu's retreating back, shaking her head and muttering to herself.
ps: Thank you to the readers for your favorites, recommendations, and rewards. Today this book finally sees its first Sect Leader. Here's an extra update to celebrate and express my gratitude. I will also try to update another chapter in the old book today.