Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

He dared not speak, but simply followed the young Taoist priest through the long corridor.

As soon as you enter, these little guys attract the attention of many people.

Zhuang Xing had no intention of hiding them; there was no need to hide them, and they couldn't be hidden anyway.

There are plenty of Taoist priests in the temple who have been practicing for decades. A group of seven-year-old red pandas could not possibly escape the eyes of their masters.

It's not like we've done anything wrong, so just bring them in openly.

Teaching and guiding a little demon is a good deed, and he believed that his teachers would not blame him.

However, since we brought them to the temple, we must take responsibility for them and not let them cause trouble everywhere. We must keep them in check.

Otherwise, if something goes wrong, he'll be held responsible.

Even so, the disciples passing by all stopped to watch when they saw the red panda's adorable appearance.

Red pandas are very rare, much rarer than cats or dogs. They only exist in the wild, and you have to go to high mountains to have a chance to see them.

This is a very rare little animal. Although it looks cute, it has never been domesticated.

Several senior female students stopped and wanted to touch the red panda's fur.

However, the red panda was extremely wary of outsiders and dared not let anyone touch it, fearing that if it were touched, it would be captured, turned into jerky, and die.

Zhuang Xing felt very hungry. He had been walking all day and had only eaten breakfast. The flatbread he had brought up the mountain had all ended up in the red bear's stomach. He and Yunling had only managed to eat two or three bites.

Zhuang Xing really wanted to get something to eat, but he decided to take the red panda to Qiluzhai first to report to Daoist Qingxuzi.

He recounted the events of the day, telling the old Taoist about the red panda.

The old Taoist priest looked at the five little pandas, squinted his eyes and smiled, "The Tao follows nature. Their meeting with you is also a matter of fate."

"However, do you really think you can teach these five little demons well?"

"I have a method, a secret technique I obtained from the Southern Beast Taming Sect many years ago. It can make these little demons form a master-servant contract with you. If they disobey their master's orders, they will be consumed by evil fire and their blood will boil. You can control their life and death with a single thought. This way, you can ensure that they will not cause trouble. Do you need it?"

Zhuang Xing shook his head: "I am not their owner."

He considered himself, at best, the boss of the red pandas, providing them with jobs, safe shelter, and food.

This is a matter of mutual consent; it is employment, not slavery.

Whether he can teach well or not is not something he can decide.

If someone can teach well, they will naturally teach well; if they can't teach well, they won't force it.

If we can't control them, we can just fire them and send them back to the wild.

That's how the mischievous monkey was sent back to Flower Fruit Mountain by his master.

“Good.” The old Taoist nodded, this was exactly the answer he wanted. “Then go and settle these five red pandas. If you are too busy, you don’t need to go to school for the time being.”

"Disciple understands." Zhuang Xing cupped his hands in greeting.

The five red pandas were probably entering a human's house for the first time. They were still looking around, at the roof beams, the corners of the table, and the old Taoist priest, perhaps not understanding the meaning of what had just been said.

After bringing them to see Master Qingxuzi, it was already quite late.

Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling were still hungry, so they went to the canteen to buy food and shared it with Red Panda.

They arrived late, and there were hardly any people left in the canteen. There wasn't much food left, so they didn't care and simply bought some guokui (a type of flatbread) to eat.

The freshly baked guokui has a crispy crust, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and is very savory and delicious, much better than when it's cold.

The red pandas were eating with great relish. They lay on the table, burying their heads in their food like cats, and rolled around happily, which was quite endearing.

The canteen staff saw it and all came to watch.

"The last time I saw a red panda was many years ago."

One of the workers remarked that he wanted to touch the panda's fur.

The master knew how to deal with them. Seeing that they liked to eat biscuits, he fed them with biscuits and successfully touched the panda's head.

A comfortable smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

Zhuang Xing watched from the side, letting them get to know the people in the temple better.

After all, this place will be their home from now on.

After dinner, Zhuang Xing took Yunling back home and then returned to the house with the red teddy bear.

Da Chun and his neighbors were all surprised to see the panda.

Seeing that the panda could talk and listened to Zhuang Xing, they were even more startled.

"Oh my god, it's a monster!" Da Chun waved his arms and struck a pose.

"Dachun, what are you afraid of?" Zhuang Xing laughed. "Look, they're afraid of you."

Da Chun, however, felt extremely uneasy, terrified of the panda.

"Let them sleep in our room tonight," Zhuang Xing discussed with Da Chun. "I'll go find a room for them tomorrow, and we won't be sharing with you anymore."

"Zhuang Xing, are you moving away?" Da Chun asked, stunned.

"Mm." Zhuang Xing nodded. "I've been taken care of by you for the past four years. Even though I'm moving out, we'll still be brothers. You can always come to me if you need anything. I'll also welcome you to come visit anytime I move."

Chapter 152 Buying a House in Guanzhong

That night, Zhuang Xing let the five red pandas sleep on his bed, while he went to Da Chun's bed and squeezed in to sleep.

The red pandas crawled from one end of the bed to the other. After Zhuang Xing waited for them to find their spots, he covered them with a blanket.

It was the first time they had ever been covered with a thick blanket, and they seemed to find it very novel. At first, they burrowed around inside the blanket and even tried to bite the bedding with their claws and teeth. However, after Zhuang Xing spoke up, they settled down and stopped making a fuss.

Once the excitement wore off, the red panda fell asleep.

They curled up in a ball, with only their little heads showing, their bodies rising and falling with their breath.

They came all the way from the mountains, enduring hunger and snow, to find Qingxuan Mountain. You can understand how much hardship they went through by looking at the red panda sleeping soundly.

Five red pandas slept on the stone bed without any suspicion.

Zhuang Xing waved his hand in front of them and rubbed the panda's ears, but they didn't react at all; they were really fast asleep.

In just half a day, they lost their guard.

They really are a bit silly and too simple-minded. If you sold them, they would probably help you count the money.

Red Panda slept peacefully, so Zhuang Xing went to Da Chun's bed and squeezed in to sleep with him.

I've spent four whole years with Dachun, from the moment we started climbing the mountain together until now.

They didn't eat together, but they lived and slept together.

Aside from snoring while sleeping, Da Chun has no other health problems.

Zhuang Xing, on the other hand, often went out and asked Da Chun to help him take care of his things.

Zhuang Xing chatted quietly with Da Chun for a while, talking about their past experiences going up the mountain. When they talked about the clam demon, Da Chun was completely unaware of it.

That day, Da Chun slept like a log.

Zhuang Xing couldn't help but laugh at him, and Da Chun laughed too, touching his nose.

As they talked, they listened to the sound of snow falling outside and fell asleep.

The next day, before dawn, Zhuang Xing took the red panda out to look for a suitable house.

Xuanqing Temple is a very large place with many residents.

The Taoist temple was very small when it was first built. It was only after several generations that it was gradually expanded to this size.

It's easy to tell which parts are old and which are new. Over the past few decades, the temple has had more dealings with the government and has been expanded. You can tell which parts are new and which are old by looking at the color and wear of the bricks and stones.

Some houses are so old that, although they are still preserved, no one has lived there for a long time.

Zhuang Xing wanted to find a place near the back mountain, somewhere large, preferably with a yard, and with few people around.

It wasn't that he liked peace and quiet; he was mainly afraid that the red panda would run into other people's houses and cause trouble, and then he would have to pay compensation.

After searching for a while, he found a house in a remote corner that looked old, but not so old that it was about to collapse.

This place is far from the canteen and the city where the most people gather. It doesn't have a yard, but the surrounding area is spacious and all muddy. If you want a yard, you can just fence it off yourself.

It's clear this place has been abandoned for a long time; the old locks on the doors are rusty and haven't been opened for many years.

He wanted to go inside and take a look, so he found the housekeeper and explained his purpose.

If you have the time and inclination to build your own house, you don’t need to bother others. Many disciples cut down trees and bamboo themselves, ask some acquaintances for help, and build a bamboo house to live in peace and quiet.

However, doing this in the snow is too much work and not worth it. He prefers to do what's already done. He can clean it thoroughly, patch up the bricks and walls, and furnish it with furniture. He can move in in two or three days at most.

“This room…” the old craftsman said slowly as he saw the room, “This used to be used to store silk, not a place for people to live. Do you really want to move here? There’s nothing left in the room.”

Is it spacious inside?

Zhuang Xing doesn't care whether there's furniture or not. Even if there is, it's all old stuff now, and the quality is questionable. Since it's going to be replaced anyway, not having furniture saves him the trouble of cleaning.

"Let me take you inside and show you," the old craftsman said.

As the old craftsman spoke, he walked to the front of the house with his hands behind his back. Zhuang Xing thought he was going to get the key, but to his surprise, the old craftsman grabbed the iron lock with both hands and pulled it gently as if tearing paper, breaking the iron lock and pushing the door open.

His calm and serene demeanor resembled that of a hidden, unassuming monk.

Xuanqing Temple is indeed full of masters.

As I followed the master craftsman into the house, the smell of compressed dust hit me.

Surprisingly, the floor inside wasn't mud; there was a layer of bluestone brick flooring.

Unlike the rough stone bricks outside, each one is polished very smoothly. Although it is covered with dust, you can tell at a glance that the texture is different, with a faint luster.

There were no cabinets in the room, so I guess the silk was just piled on the floor before.

Silk is a very valuable commodity; in fact, it can be considered a form of money. During times of instability and war, silk is even more valuable than money, so naturally, the places where it is stored must be of high quality.

Zhuang Xing felt that the whole house was like a giant storage cabinet, with very few windows and several dark areas where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

Zhuang Xing activated his fire magic, igniting a small flame at his fingertips, the faint light illuminating the surroundings.

There was a draft in one of the walls, and then came a ghostly wailing sound.

When they came in, the red panda nervously clung to Zhuang Xing's feet.