Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

He Damin stopped joking. With a solemn expression, he walked to the center of the valley, closed his eyes, and probed the ground with his divine sense. A hundred feet underground, the spiritual vein emitted a soft light, flowing gently like a luminous river. He guided the energy of the spiritual vein upwards, forming several small spiritual springs on the ground. Clear spring water gushed from these springs, carrying rich spiritual energy, and converged into a stream in the valley, joining the original stream.

"Let's build a simple dwelling first, and then expand it slowly later." With a thought, He Damin took out a large amount of building materials from his storage space—the Yin-Yang Space. There was hard, century-old pine wood, smooth and delicate bluestone, and exquisitely fired tiles, all of which he had specially prepared when he was in Hong Kong. He circulated his true energy, manipulating these materials as if they had come to life, and they were quickly built up in the valley.

Soon, a simple and elegant courtyard appeared in the center of the valley. The courtyard faced south, with five main rooms, spacious and bright, three side rooms on each side, as well as a kitchen, storeroom, woodshed, and so on, all complete. The courtyard wall was made of bluestone, about ten feet high, appearing sturdy and stable. In the middle of the courtyard, there was an open space, where He Damin took out a pomegranate sapling about half a person's height from the Yin-Yang Space and carefully planted it.

Chen Xueru looked at the pomegranate sapling, and her eyes instantly reddened again: "Did you bring this from our home on Earth?" She recognized the sapling; it was a descendant of the old pomegranate tree in the yard of their home on Victoria Peak.

"Yes." He Damin squatted down and gently mounded some soil around the base of the tree. "It was propagated from a cutting of the pomegranate tree on the top of Taiping Mountain. I brought it here, and it will take root and grow into a towering tree."

Chen Xueru also squatted down, reached out, and gently stroked the tender green branches, as if she were touching a rare treasure: "Will it survive? The environment here is different from Earth."

"Yes, it will," He Damin said confidently. "The spiritual energy here is a hundred times richer than on Earth, and the environment is much better than in Hong Kong. It will definitely grow strong and taller, even more lush than that old tree on Victoria Peak."

With the courtyard built, the next step was to consider servants and guards. He Damin didn't want to buy slaves from mortal cities; he felt that was too inhumane. He decided to go to several nearby villages to find mortals willing to work for him. He offered a generous wage: ten low-grade spirit stones per month, plus room and board. For an ordinary mortal, one low-grade spirit stone was enough to support a family for several months.

After the news spread, applicants came in droves. He Damin personally conducted the interviews. He didn't require these people to have high levels of education, but only that they be honest, hardworking, and diligent. He selected five honest and hardworking middle-aged women to be cooks and handymen, and eight quick and nimble young men to be gardeners and coachmen.

Guardians need to be trained from a young age to ensure their loyalty. He Damin went to an orphanage in a nearby town and adopted more than a dozen homeless children. The oldest of these children was only twelve years old, and the youngest was only five. They had all been abandoned by their parents and were living a life of hunger and thirst in the orphanage. He Damin dressed them in clean clothes, gave them a hearty meal, and then took them back to the valley. He not only fed them and clothed them, but also personally taught them cultivation techniques.

On a bright and sunny morning, He Damin gathered the children in the courtyard. Dressed in brand-new clothes, the children were still a little timid, but their eyes were filled with anticipation for the future. He Damin stood before them, his gaze gentle yet firm: "From today onward, you are members of the He family. I will teach you cultivation, martial arts, reading and writing, and how to be good people. When you grow up, you will be the protectors of the He family. But I hope you remember that you are not just protectors, but also members of the He family. If anyone bullies a member of the He family, you must stand up and protect them."

The children nodded, seemingly understanding. The youngest girl, only five years old, was skin and bones, but her large eyes were exceptionally bright. She timidly raised her head and asked softly, "Master, from now on... from now on, will we have food to eat every day?"

Upon hearing this, He Damin felt a pang of sadness. He knelt down, gently patted the little girl's head, and said tenderly, "Yes, you'll have food to eat every day from now on, and there will be plenty. Not only will you have food, but you'll also have meat and new clothes to wear."

The little girl's eyes lit up instantly, and a bright smile appeared on her pale face. She was missing two front teeth, and her smile made her look like a little old lady, yet she was exceptionally cute.

Chen Xueru stood to the side, looking at the poor children, her heart aching terribly. She walked over to He Damin and whispered, "Brother Damin, isn't it too...too cruel of us to raise them as guards? They're still so young."

"I'm not acting as their bodyguard." He Damin stood up, looking at Chen Xueru with a serious expression. "I treat them as family. They grew up here, this is their home, and we are their relatives. From now on, the He family will be their home, and what they need to protect is their own home."

Chen Xueru suddenly realized what was going on, nodded, and said nothing more.

Days passed, and the courtyard in the valley grew larger and more lively. The servants each performed their duties, keeping the entire courtyard in perfect order. Besides their daily cultivation and martial arts practice, the children also studied and learned to read and write under the guidance of a tutor hired by He Damin. This tutor was a failed scholar from the neighborhood; although he lacked cultivation, he was erudite and upright. He Damin also hired a retired martial arts master to teach the children basic fist and foot techniques. He himself personally guided the children in their cultivation, starting from the most basic Qi Refining stage, step by step, patiently and meticulously.

Chen Xueru wasn't idle either; she became the "housekeeper" of the household. She managed the daily affairs of the valley, such as shopping, cooking, laundry, and cleaning, all with impeccable order. She even cultivated a vegetable garden behind the yard, planting various vegetable seeds brought from Earth and irrigating them with spiritual spring water. Nourished by the spring water, the vegetables grew quickly and beautifully, a lush green that was a delight to behold.

"Brother Damin, look how big my cucumbers are! They're twice the size of those in Hong Kong!" One noon, Chen Xueru excitedly ran up to He Damin, holding up a freshly picked bright green cucumber, like a child showing off a treasure.

He Damin took the cucumber, washed it with water, and took a bite. The crisp cucumber, infused with rich spiritual energy, melted in his mouth, making his mouth water. "Mmm, delicious, much better than the ones on Earth," he said with a smile.

"Of course, look who planted it." Chen Xueru proudly raised her chin.

A month later, everything in the valley was back on track. The servants had become familiar with their jobs, and the children had gradually adapted to life there, cultivating and studying diligently. He Damin's complexion had also returned to its rosy hue; the spiritual energy and mental power he had previously depleted had been fully replenished, and his cultivation had returned to the peak of the Tribulation Transcending stage, even more stable than before.

He stood in the courtyard, looking at the pomegranate sapling that had sprouted new leaves, the tender green leaves shimmering in the sunlight. He took a deep breath, turned to Chen Xueru, and said, "It's time to go back to Earth. The matter of the underworld passage can't be delayed any longer."