Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

Deep within the underworld, the aura of the netherworld was as thick as ink. Only the six enormous orifices of light from the Six Paths of Reincarnation emitted a faint, iridescent glow, like ancient, unchanging stars, slowly rotating in the endless darkness. Visible ripples of energy flowed along the edges of the orifices, where occasionally blurry phantoms of souls would rise and fall, awaiting their next reincarnation. A faint scent of sandalwood mixed with earth permeated the air—the unique aroma of the power of reincarnation, both solemn and mysterious.

He Damin sat cross-legged on the smooth bluestone beside the Pool of Reincarnation, the surface beneath him warm from his weight. His face was pale, not the haggard pallor often seen after staying up all night, but a weakness that seemed to emanate from his very bones, as if his soul had been ripped away, even his eyes were somewhat unfocused. The water of the Pool of Reincarnation before him shimmered with a faint green light, its surface calm and still, yet reflecting the deepest desires and obsessions in people's hearts.

Chen Xueru gracefully walked along the bluestone path, carrying a bowl of freshly brewed spiritual tea. She wore an elegant, moon-white long dress, the hem swaying gently with her steps. A simple wooden hairpin adorned her hair, further enhancing her ethereal beauty. The spiritual tea, served in a translucent white jade bowl, was a clear, emerald-green broth, emitting wisps of steam and a refreshing fragrance. It was brewed with the Forget-Me-Not Grass unique to the Yellow Springs and the Netherworld Lotus Seeds that bloom only once every three thousand years, and was said to have miraculous effects on restoring consciousness.

Seeing He Damin's expression, Chen Xueru's heart skipped a beat, and her hand trembled, almost spilling the scalding tea from the bowl onto the back of her fair hand. She quickly steadied herself and hurried to He Damin's side.

"Brother Damin, what's wrong?" She crouched down, reaching out her slightly trembling hand to gently touch his forehead. Where her fingertips touched, it was icy cold, like a stone buried in a snowdrift in winter, devoid of any warmth.

He Damin slowly opened his eyes. His usually bright and piercing eyes were now dull and lifeless, like stars covered in dust. He looked at Chen Xueru's worried face, forced a smile, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "It's nothing, just a little tired."

"Tired?" Chen Xueru frowned, staring intently at his face, her eyes full of suspicion. "You're at the peak of the Tribulation Transcending stage. Even if you fought for three days and three nights straight, you wouldn't be like this. Have you been hiding something from me?" She knew He Damin too well; he was always like this, bearing everything on his own, unwilling to let her worry.

He Damin didn't answer immediately. He simply took the spiritual tea from Chen Xueru and took a small sip. The warm tea slid down his throat and into his stomach, transforming into a pure spiritual energy that slowly flowed into his dantian, like a warm current that slightly alleviated the emptiness that had seeped into his bones. He sighed deeply, knowing that he couldn't hide this from Chen Xueru; her eyes were too sharp.

"Extracting a soul from Earth consumed a lot of divine consciousness and spiritual power." He put down the jade bowl, the bottom of which made a crisp sound as it collided with the bluestone.

Chen Xueru was completely stunned, her eyes wide open as if she had heard something unbelievable: "Extracting a soul? When did you do that? How come I had no idea?" She had been busy familiarizing herself with the environment of the underworld and organizing the supplies that He Damin had brought over these past few days, and hadn't noticed that he had made such a big move.

"In the next few days." He Damin's gaze fell upon the Humanity Light Cave in the Reincarnation Pool, where countless phantom souls awaited reincarnation. "Didn't you say we need management talent? We also need some ambitious and capable people to help us establish ourselves in this world. So I selected a group from the six realms of reincarnation on Earth. There are experienced doctors, teachers who educate and nurture, highly skilled engineers, entrepreneurs proficient in management, and soldiers who protect our country. In addition, I also found a few people with imperial ambitions and the talent to govern a country. A total of ninety-seven."

"Ninety-seven?" Chen Xueru's voice trembled. She looked at He Damin in disbelief. "You guided ninety-seven souls by yourself? How is that possible! Guiding souls across worlds is such a mentally taxing thing, you..." She couldn't finish her sentence, her heart aching unbearably.

"It's not drawing, it's guiding," He Damin corrected her, his tone tinged with weariness. "Although Earth's Six Paths of Reincarnation is complete, the laws of each world are different. Guiding a soul across worlds requires a large amount of divine consciousness and spiritual power to resist the repulsion of the laws. I originally wanted to reach a round number of one hundred, but when I got to the ninety-seventh, I felt that my divine consciousness was almost exhausted, and I almost pulled my cultivation level down from the peak of the Tribulation Transcending stage."

Chen Xueru's face turned deathly pale instantly, even more so than He Damin's: "You almost dropped your cultivation level?" She knew how terrible it was for a cultivator to drop their cultivation level. At best, it would severely damage their cultivation; at worst, it would cause their Dao heart to collapse, leaving them with no further progress.

He Damin nodded slightly, his tone calm: "Yes, I almost fell to the peak of the Mahayana stage, just a hair's breadth away. Fortunately, I stopped in time, preventing irreversible consequences. I should recover after a few days of rest, don't worry."

Seeing his feigned nonchalance, Chen Xueru's eyes instantly reddened, and glistening tears welled up in them. Her voice trembled with a sob: "Why didn't you tell me? Even if I couldn't be of much help, I could at least protect you."

"You can't help." He Damin reached out and gently grasped her cold hand. His own hand was also cold. "Guiding a soul across worlds requires at least the spiritual strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator. You're only at the late Golden Core stage now, you're far from that. Telling you will only make you worry unnecessarily."

Chen Xueru lowered her head, tears clinging to her long eyelashes, and remained silent. She knew He Damin was telling the truth; with her current cultivation level, she really couldn't offer much help, but her heart still ached as if pricked by needles. She hated herself for being too weak, unable to share his burden.

"Brother Damin, please don't shoulder these kinds of things alone in the future, okay?" She looked up at him with teary eyes, her tone pleading.

Seeing her tear-streaked face, He Damin's heart softened. He reached out and wiped away the tears from her cheeks, smiling, "Okay, I'll tell you everything from now on, alright?"

He helped Chen Xueru to her feet, then slowly rose himself, walking to the edge of the Reincarnation Pool. His gaze was deep as he looked at the six slowly rotating portals of light. In the Humanity portal, ninety-seven souls from China quietly awaited their reincarnation. He had used a secret technique to erase some of their past lives' memories, leaving only their knowledge and skills, and had arranged suitable identities for them. Some would be reborn into wealthy noble families, some into the offspring of tycoons, and some into ordinary commoner families. Once they grew up, they would distinguish themselves through their abilities, becoming pillars of this world and laying a solid foundation for his and Chen Xueru's endeavors.

"Xue Ru, I have an idea." He Damin suddenly turned around, his eyes gleaming with wisdom.

"What are you thinking?" Chen Xueru looked at him curiously, wiping away the tears on her face.

"I'm going back to Earth." He Damin's tone was resolute. "I plan to build a passage to the underworld on the Japanese island. That way, I won't have to expend my energy guiding souls anymore; the passage will automatically send qualified Chinese souls over."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xueru fell into deep thought. Establishing a passage to the underworld was indeed a permanent solution, but the risks were considerable: "How long will it take to return?"

"It might take a few days if things go smoothly, or half a month if things go slowly." He Damin walked to her side and gently put his arm around her shoulder. "But before that, we need to settle down here first."

"An family?" Chen Xueru asked, somewhat puzzled. Aren't they in the underworld right now?

"Yes." He Damin pointed to the distant, mist-shrouded mountains, which was the mortal realm of this world. "The spiritual energy in this world is more than a hundred times richer than on Earth, making it very suitable for cultivation. If our children don't want to live on Earth anymore, they can come here. We need to find a valley with spiritual veins and establish our own family. We'll buy some servants, find some qualified children to train as guards, and make this our foundation."

Chen Xueru's eyes lit up instantly, her heart filled with anticipation: "You mean, we'll make this our second home?"

"It's not just a second home." He Damin shook his head, his eyes becoming incredibly resolute. "This is our backup plan, the foundation of our He family. Earth has the restriction of a hundred-year contract; once your cultivation level is high enough, you can't stay for long. But this world has no restrictions. We can cultivate peacefully here, multiply, and even... retire in peace."

Chen Xueru was amused by him and gave him a reproachful look: "How old are you? Already thinking about retirement?"

He Damin pulled her tightly into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head, savoring the faint fragrance emanating from her: "It's not about retiring now, it's about planning ahead. We need to leave a way out for ourselves and for our descendants."

Chen Xueru nestled in his warm embrace, nodded, and felt a deep sense of security. With He Damin by her side, she feared nothing.

They left the underworld, transforming into two streaks of light, flying through the skies of the mortal realm. Below them stretched the undulating Qingyun Mountains, their peaks soaring into the clouds, shrouded in mist, like a fairyland. He Damin's divine sense, like a vast net, covered an area of ​​tens of thousands of miles, meticulously scanning every mountain peak and valley, searching for the most suitable place to establish his family base.

They searched for three whole days. During those three days, they flew over treacherous cliffs, traversed dense forests, and crossed rushing rivers. He Damin's divine sense never ceased, meticulously investigating the concentration of spiritual energy and the direction of spiritual veins in every place. Their efforts paid off; on the evening of the third day, they finally found their ideal location.

It was an extremely secluded valley, surrounded on all sides by towering peaks that seemed to reach into the clouds, forming a natural barrier. There was only one narrow entrance, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The valley opened up into a wide, flat expanse. A clear stream flowed from the depths of the valley, its banks lined with a lush bamboo grove. A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves, filling the air with life. Not far away stood a magnificent waterfall, its water cascading down a cliff tens of meters high, crashing into a pool below and splashing countless droplets that, under the sunlight, formed a beautiful rainbow.

Most importantly, He Damin's divine sense detected that deep within the valley was a spiritual vein of considerable quality! The spiritual vein, like a sleeping dragon, flowed slowly hundreds of feet underground, emitting a rich spiritual energy that was almost tangible, invigorating anyone who smelled it.

He Damin landed at the valley entrance with Chen Xueru, took a deep breath, and felt the fresh air mixed with rich spiritual energy fill his lungs, instantly invigorating his somewhat tired spirit. "This is it," he said with certainty.

Chen Xueru excitedly ran around the valley, returning with a bright smile: "This place is wonderful! It's quiet and beautiful, and the spiritual energy is so abundant. We can build a big courtyard here, fill it with flowers, dig a pond to raise some fish, and even keep a few adorable spirit beasts. It'll be like a paradise on earth."

Seeing her excited, childlike expression, He Damin couldn't help but laugh: "You really want to retire here?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to establish a solid family foundation?" Chen Xueru glared at him, but the smile in her eyes betrayed her. "Shouldn't a family foundation be a warm and welcoming home like this?"