After returning from my cultivation journey, I built a farm through fortune telling.

Chapter 53 Four-Sided Formation

"Oh, oh, oh!" Chen Dajiao had a sudden inspiration and realized what was going on. She quickly said, "Sure, sure! Whenever you need it, I'll dig it up and take it to Sanqing Temple for you. You know, our village is close to Sanqing Mountain!"

Carrying a tree up a mountain is exhausting!

"Need not."

Master Qingxu shook his head: "I will go and retrieve it when I have time. If it disappears one day, it means that I have retrieved it."

"Oh……"

Chen Dajiao felt something was off, but she didn't dare to ask!
He readily agreed.

With the matter resolved, Master Qingxu left without regard for the Chen family's attempts to persuade him to stay, and encountered Bailu at the corner.

Master Qingxu said, "Young friend, the matter has been taken care of for you!"

Bai Lu smiled gracefully: "Thank you, Daoist Master!"

"It's nothing." Master Qingxu waved his hand. "Such a legally conscious old lady deserves a helping hand—you didn't need to go through all this trouble to get that lightning-struck wood, did you?"

Bai Lu was a little embarrassed: "Besides this jujube tree, there were two other trees planted right in front of my front door on her land. They were considered evil spirits and blocked my feng shui. I used a lightning-summoning talisman to summon lightning and kill them. So, I have to resolve this matter for the old lady."

Master Qingxu never expected that Bailu would ask him for help for this reason.

These people have far greater abilities than ordinary people, and the authorities have strict regulations for them—the most basic and strictest rule is that they cannot use their abilities to harm others, but killing "two trees" like Bai Lu is not within their regulations.

Master Qingxu did not ask any further questions, but he was very interested in the "lightning-summoning talisman" that Bailu had just mentioned: "The lightning-summoning talisman you mentioned, is it the talisman you used to break the ghost realm when you were in Kyoto last time?"

Bai Lu nodded, then shook his head: "I used a thunder talisman to break the ghost domain, which is a little different from a lightning-summoning talisman."

Master Qingxu asked in surprise, "Two kinds of talismans?"

The egret was even more surprised: "You don't know these two kinds of talismans?"

Master Qingxu shook his head honestly.

Egret: "..."

What exactly has the Xuanmen sect passed down to this day?
Was it rubbish?
It's one thing if the disciple's cultivation level is inflated, but has the theoretical knowledge also been lost?

She explained, "A thunder talisman is a talisman that seals a trace of heavenly thunder power within a talisman, while a thunder-attracting talisman is a talisman that attracts heavenly thunder power. Both types of talismans have their advantages and disadvantages. The power of the thunder within a thunder talisman is not as strong as the power of the thunder attracted by a thunder-attracting talisman. However, the disadvantage of a thunder-attracting talisman is that there is a risk of failure in attracting thunder occasionally. As we all know from studying physics, lightning is not generated out of thin air. If there is no lightning, you cannot attract it by force..."

Bai Lu never imagined that she would one day be "teaching" a master.

Master Qingxu hadn't expected that Bailu, at such a young age, would have such a deep understanding of talismans, being proficient in both formations and talismans—such a rare talent…

"No, I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!" Bai Lu denied it three times: "Don't flatter me, I'm not an expert, I really am not an expert!"

Master Qingxu: "Such a humble young man is very rare these days!"

Egret: "..."

The two discussed cultivation for a long time. The more they talked, the more alarmed Master Qingxu became. He considered himself a pillar of the Xuanmen sect, but in terms of his understanding of cultivation, he was no match for the young girl in front of him.

Could it be that their once glorious but now declining Xuanmen sect is about to rise again?
Master Qingxu could not hide his excitement.

The egret was getting anxious—what's wrong?

She had originally planned to compile some of her knowledge about talismans and give it to the Sanqing Temple, but seeing the excited expression on Master Qingxu's face, she immediately sobered up.

She had only known Master Qingxu for less than half a month, and she didn't know him very well. Although he was an official, she trusted her official father implicitly, but money is a powerful motivator!
Although their spiritual cultivation seems to have some issues—high cultivation level but weak strength, making them no match for her—two fists can't fight four hands, and a flurry of punches can overpower an old master. What if they gang up on her?
Although she could also place restrictions on them, this Heavenly Dao was useless. What if it didn't work? Wouldn't she be standing under the walls?
Never mind, let's wait a bit longer!
What she needs now is to lie low, not show off.

Being high-profile can easily lead to trouble.

If Master Qingxu knew that his laughter had cost him the complete collection of talismans he was about to acquire, he would surely cry himself to death in the temple's toilet.

"correct."

Bai Lu suddenly remembered something: "You said last time that it was difficult to exorcise that python spirit? Has it been successful yet?"

Although the egret is said to be "forgiving," it is actually destroying the soul and spirit. For those who are wicked and have caused great harm to others, whether they are evil ghosts or monsters, the underworld will not come to settle accounts if they are killed.

But if someone is killed, the police and the Xuanmen (Taoist sect) will investigate thoroughly!

Humans, from ancient times to the present, have always been a favored species in the Heavenly Realm.

"No," Master Qingxu shook his head and said, "Before you came to me today, I was still trying to help it pass on to the afterlife."

"But no matter what method I used, I couldn't succeed. Moreover, after my ritual to release him from the mire dispelled some of his resentment, I discovered that his soul contained a great deal of golden light of merit!"

"Golden light of merit?" Bai Lu raised an eyebrow.

This is a very rare item.

The golden light of merit is an extremely rare existence in the world, representing good deeds and accumulated merit. Beings who possess the golden light of merit are often protected by heaven and earth.

How could a python spirit that has harmed so many people possibly have any merit or golden light?

"Yes, the golden light of merit, that's probably why we can't kill it!"

Master Qingxu nodded and continued, "Although this python spirit has caused a lot of harm, it seems to have also done many good deeds and accumulated a lot of merit, which is why it has a place in the world. I have tried many methods, but I have not been able to completely eliminate it. It seems that I can only seal it away temporarily. Is there anything unusual about the bead you have?"

The egret shook its head: "Nothing's wrong."

Actually, Bai Lu suddenly remembered a formation called the Four Directions Formation, which is divided into four directions: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise. This type of formation is usually used for city protection, but that little ancient building doesn't seem to be one!
Moreover, that python spirit wasn't a Azure Dragon!
But Bailu didn't say anything to Master Qingxu.

Now that Chen Dajiao's mother's matter was resolved, she bid farewell to Master Qingxu. Master Qingxu gave her many Taoist treasures as a way of thanking her for popularizing his knowledge of areas he was unfamiliar with today.

The egret gladly accepted.

I just got home and ran into Bai Chen and Bai Wei, who were walking barefoot like ducks, their pants legs and even their bodies and faces covered in mud!

His head and face were covered in mud, but his white teeth gleamed against the yellow mud.

Tomorrow we're going to plant peanuts. Grandpa Bai went to the field to take a look, and sure enough, he figured out three or four acres.

Uncle Bai still had three or four acres of abandoned land in Tianshan that had been forgotten. Because it was quite far away, Grandpa Bai hadn't even remembered it. He initially thought it was best to just let it go, but Bai Chen called Bai Lu, and of course, Bai Lu wasn't having it!

Who would complain about having too much land!
Grandpa Bai didn't want to either!
This past week, at an age when he's practically buried to the neck, he's discovered for the first time that making money can be so easy!
Wild vegetables and bamboo shoots are businesses with no initial investment!

But every day they earn several thousand or even tens of thousands!
The eldest granddaughter not only paid the lazybones a salary, but also wanted to buy the wild vegetables they picked and the bamboo shoots they dug, all at the original price!
On her first day selling vegetables, Bailu transferred 1,600 yuan to Baihe and gave the elderly couple 1,000 yuan in cash.

He said, "Why do they have to keep the excavated material separate?"
If you calculate it this way, that lazy bum could earn over ten thousand this week!
He earns in a week what he earns in three months!
What's the difference between this and giving money directly?
Seeing how easily the eldest son made money, Grandpa Bai was actually envious of the money, but his simple, old-fashioned farmer mentality prevailed.

He felt that as long as the employer pays you a salary, you just need to do your job well. What does it matter to you how much money the employer makes?
You only dare to be envious if the boss is your older brother. If he weren't your older brother, would you dare to be envious?
Yes, wild vegetables are everywhere, and the bamboo shoots come from our own bamboo forest, but if you pick and dig them yourself, can you sell them for that price? Even if you pick a hundred or so pounds of wild vegetables, can you sell them all?
They've sold before!

If they had that kind of ability, they would have made a fortune and bought houses in the city long ago! Why are they still stuck in this remote mountain village?!

You have to accept your fate; some money you just can't earn!
Therefore, Grandpa Bai wouldn't allow him to accept this extra income besides his salary, and after Grandpa Bai gave Uncle Bai a thorough analysis, Uncle Bai was too ashamed to accept it either.

Although he wasn't an extremely shameless person.

Seeing their persistence, Bailu didn't try to pull them to the limit. How should I put it? She knew that she could make money easily now, but her uncle could stick to his principles now, and things would be different in the future.

But Bailu never intended for her uncle's family to work for her forever.

When he gets rid of his laziness, his time to make a fortune will come.

Back to the three or four acres of land, Bailu originally said that she would spend another five hundred to hire someone to plow it properly, but Grandpa Bai refused no matter what. It's just three or four acres of land, and there are so many people in the family who are just eating, why hire someone!

No matter how much money you earn, you can't waste it!

The old man originally wanted to do it himself, but Bai Chen and Bai Wei, for some reason, each took a farming machine and started working with great fanfare.

The two of them knew nothing and just haphazardly tilled the land. Not only did they fail to till it properly, but they also ended up in a mess. In the end, Bai Jiang and Bai He finished tilling the land together. When they were packing up to go home, Bai Lu had just arrived home.

"I'm home?"

Upon seeing Bai Lu, Qin Xiu asked, "How did the talks go?"

When Bai Lu went out to ask Master Qingxu for help, Qin Xiu saw her and asked her where she was going. She replied that she was going out to discuss purchasing agricultural products.

With production expected at home in about two weeks, going out to do some business is a perfectly valid reason.

Grandpa Bai and his family were used to eating at Bailu's house. After washing her hands and feet, Aunt Bai started to help wash the vegetables.

In rural areas, people generally eat whatever is available.

During this period, we ate mostly wild vegetables, bamboo shoots, pork, and pork bones.

Qin Xiu is a good cook; even if she doesn't cook different dishes, you'll never get tired of them.

They completely understand why city dwellers are willing to spend thirty yuan on a bunch of vegetables; if they had a little money, they would be willing to do the same!
But what he couldn't understand was why his silly nephew wouldn't eat such delicious food!

Every time I cook and call him, he says he doesn't have an appetite and doesn't want to eat!

Good guy!
I have a poor appetite for three days in a row!
I went hungry for three days and ate nine meals a day!
He hasn't sat down to eat for the past three days. He wonders if he's sneaking off to eat snacks like he did when he was a kid. He thinks that's quite likely, otherwise he wouldn't be so energetic after not eating for three days!
When Qin Xiu called Bai Chen to eat again, he refused. Fearing her son would starve, Qin Xiu ordered Bai Lu to drag him down. Bai Lu asked, puzzled, "The food doesn't suit your taste? That shouldn't be the case!"

"The food is delicious, of course!" Bai Chen said, "It's just that I'm fasting, so I won't be eating these things for now!"

"What the heck?!" the egret exclaimed in astonishment. "Bigu (abstinence from grains)?"

"Yeah!" Bai Chen opened his eyes and glanced at his sister. "I thought you understood me!"

"I know your ass!" Bai Lu sighed, "You can only abstain from grains after you've reached the Foundation Establishment stage. You've only been practicing Qi Induction for a short time, and you're already thinking about abstaining from grains? You idiot, you'll starve to death!"

"Huh?" Bai Chen was stunned: "No wonder my stomach kept rumbling. I thought it was because my fasting practice wasn't going well enough..."

Egret: "...Let's eat!"

Bai Chen: "..."

……

In the dead of night, the three siblings, Bai Lu and her brother, quietly went downstairs.

The egret, sporting a buzz cut, grumbled, "I'm just going to uproot a tree, can't you all stop following me around like stinky bugs?"

"No way!" Bai Chen replied without hesitation, "I've seen plenty of weeding, but I've never seen anyone uproot a tree. Can't I broaden my horizons?"

Bai Wei: "We're just killing time anyway, let's go together!"

"Together! Together! Together! We have to do everything together!"

As the egret examined how to uproot the tree without damaging its roots, it said, "Although we are three siblings born of the same mother, we are not conjoined twins. We don't need to be stuck together all the time. Don't you have anything to do?"

Bai Chen and Bai Wei said in unison, "Yes, cultivation!"

"Then you guys go and fix it!"

Bai Chen said matter-of-factly, "Cultivation is too boring! I just wanted to find some fun, and you happen to have some fun!"

"Tsk!"

The egret scoffed, "Cultivation is so tedious! Didn't I tell you all before? If you can't stand the loneliness, what great things can you achieve! You're just trying to become a ghost immortal!"

Bai Lu has been there, so how could he not know how tedious cultivation is? It's like doing homework. If you're made to do the same math problem every day for eight hours, you'll be sick of it in less than three days.

The siblings' relationship is also very superficial.

When I first traveled back in time, I felt very close to my parents, younger brother and sister, no matter what they did or said, even if they scolded me.

Ah, this is what home feels like.

But as time went on...

So annoying.

"Need any help? This jujube tree is probably over three meters tall, you can manage by yourself... Okay, never mind, you can manage by yourself!"

(End of this chapter)