Walnut used me to boost her sales performance.

"This one will do!"

Jiang Bai was extremely satisfied with this courtyard; it perfectly met all his needs.

Jiang Bai is now someone who can own his own courtyard!

"Okay. Clean up the house and tidy it up, then you can move in tonight."

Jiang Bai rolled up his sleeves and started cleaning, mopping the floor and wiping the windows, while also opening the doors and windows to let in fresh air.

Hu Tao carefully arranged the items she had bought one by one.

Carpets, desks, bookshelves, display shelves, vases, ornaments, chairs, sofas, paintings, plants, wardrobes, lamps—it seems like everything usable was crammed into the room…

After tidying up, the previously empty house finally felt somewhat habitable.

Walnut placed a pot of emerald green pennywort on the windowsill in the bedroom, put writing brushes, ink, paper, and a warm yellow lamp on the desk, placed a few cushions on the sofa, and changed the bedding to a warmer color scheme before laying it on the bed.

It wasn't until evening that the house finally looked somewhat presentable.

Looking at the warm and cozy room, Hu Tao nodded in satisfaction.

Now this feels like a home!

"Everything is set out. You can clean up the rest yourself. I'm going to eat now."

"Alright, thank you for your hard work, Master. Farewell!"

Jiang Bai moved some of the things that were originally in the house to this place, and was so tired that he lay on the sofa and didn't want to move.

The sofa was soft, much more comfortable than the hard chairs he used to have in his room.

Looking at the cozy house, Jiang Bai sighed contentedly, "This is home!"

He will be living here for quite some time to come.

"I'll tidy up again tomorrow, clean the bathroom next door, then clear the weeds in the backyard and cultivate the land..."

Time flies when we are filled with hope for a bright tomorrow.

The next day, Jiang Bai got up early and continued to tidy up and clean the yard.

The front yard was relatively empty except for a big tree. He planned to plant flowers in the front yard, such as expensive flowers like glass lilies and dandelions, and sell them for money when they grew well. He also planned to plant flowers in the back yard, but only sweet flowers, which he would eat as snacks when they bloomed.

Thinking about his grand plan to make money, Jiang Bai worked hard weeding.

Bored, Hu Tao climbed over the wall and sat on it, eating sunflower seeds and watching him weed.

The little ghost perched on her shoulder, acting as her garbage incinerator.

Seeing Jiang Bai clumsily loosening the soil, relying entirely on brute force to swing the hoe, Hu Tao felt that his idea of ​​planting sweet flowers was probably a bit far-fetched.

Although sweet flowers are abundant in the wild, it doesn't mean they are easy to grow. Jiang Bai clearly has never done anything like this before; he doesn't even know how to hoe the ground.

"Should I find someone to teach you how to farm?"

Hearing Hu Tao's voice, Jiang Bai looked up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Master, what brings you here?"

"I was bored, so I came to see how your tidying was going."

"That's about it, we can clean up the rest slowly."

"I really love this courtyard. I hope you'll come visit often, Master."

Hu Tao crossed her arms and adopted the airs of a hall master: "Aren't you going to thank me, hall master? Not everyone gets this kind of treatment."

"I will never forget your great kindness, Master." Jiang Bai pretended to clasp his hands in a fist salute, but then revealed his true colors the next moment.

"Master, if you're bored, come help me hoe the ground! It's good exercise and it helps cultivate the land—it's a win-win situation!"

Hu Tao jumped down and grabbed his ear. "Hey, one second you're saying you'll never forget my kindness, and the next second you want me to help you hoe the ground. Is this how you repay a debt of gratitude?"

"Master, I was wrong..."

Chapter 176 Shen He in the Forest

The mountain breeze in Liyue was quite pleasant. Jiang Bai walked among the clouds, pondering what birthday present to give Hu Tao.

Jiang Bai hadn't decided what to give her for her birthday in less than three days.

Going to the store to buy things always feels a bit lacking, but if he tries to make them himself, he really can't make anything with his skills.

I struggled with this decision for several days and couldn't make up my mind.

So he went into the mountains to see if he could find any treasures.

He held a notebook, looking at it and comparing it with the terrain.

"Where exactly is this trial of [heaven]?"

This notebook was given to me by Wu Cong when I first came here. It records the process of their family ancestors seeking immortality and enlightenment.

It includes descriptions of the trials of [Heaven].

It is said that after completing this heavenly trial, one will feel as if standing on a cloud, with the three rivers and four seas at one's feet and the sun, moon and stars at one's side, a truly magnificent sight.

Upon reading these words, Jiang Bai suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

If you were to receive such a view as a gift and spend your birthday atop this summit, the commemorative significance would be extraordinary, and it would be a wonderful memory to look back on in the future.

His idea was good, but finding the right place was the real challenge.

The notebook didn't explain in detail how to complete this day's trial, only leaving one sentence:

To ascend to the summit, one must bow to the three sacred mountains. The sun, moon, and stars must shine upon them. The phoenix and luan birds bring forth three auspicious omens.

"Kowtowing to the Three Mountains? How exactly does one kowtow? Why not just write it out clearly, instead of using such a mysterious language!"

Looking at this brief prompt, Jiang Bai was practically scratching his head in frustration.

The people of Liyue love to do this kind of literary stuff, which makes him, an uncultured person, very uncomfortable.

Unable to figure it out, he could only wander around the mountain, hoping to discover some secret.

Jueyun Mountain is quite vast. Even though he had come here to set up anchor points a few times out of boredom, he still hadn't explored even a tenth of this mountain range.

He knew he wouldn't find anything by searching on his own, so he decided to look for people living in the Jueyun Mountains. These people had lived in the mountains for a long time and might be able to understand what the sentence meant.

"Where are any houses?" Jiang Bai stood on a large, protruding rock and looked around. Soon he saw smoke rising from the mountains and forests.

Smoke rising from the woods means there are people there!

Jiang Bai spotted the direction and flew towards the mountainside.

……

Shen He stood on the canopy of a tall tree as thick as a person, watching expressionlessly as several members of the treasure-hunting team gathered around a campfire, cooking food and dreaming about the wonderful days after finding the treasure.

She is a disciple of the True Lord of Wind and Cloud, and has been cultivating in these mountains with the immortal for decades.

There are often some people in the mountains who disturb the peace and quiet. They have shifty eyes and impure thoughts, and they are annoying to look at.

If they were on Mount Aozang, she would use magic to drive these people away so as not to disturb her master's peace.

But this is Jueyun Realm, which is vast and consists of more than just one or two mountain peaks. Moreover, this place is quite a distance from the center of Jueyun Realm. To say that these people have disturbed the hermit immortals living here is a gross exaggeration.

The only reason she was standing here was because these people were talking too loudly and disturbing her cultivation.

Seeing that these people were getting more and more excited and showed no sign of stopping, Shen He frowned and jumped down from the tree.

Her long-term life in the mountains and fields made her unfamiliar with tact; she spoke directly and in a flat, straightforward manner.

She spoke directly, her expression indifferent:

"You guys are too noisy."

When a white-haired woman suddenly appeared and immediately said that it was too noisy, the members of the treasure-hunting team were all taken aback and subconsciously stood up, assuming a defensive posture.

There are very few people in these mountains, let alone a strangely dressed, clean-cut, and beautiful white-haired woman.

Who knows what kind of spirit it is, or what kind of amazing abilities it might have? If we can catch it, we'll be rich!

The group exchanged glances, their eyes quickly filled with greed.

No wonder they have such poor judgment. If they were truly intelligent, how could they have joined a treasure-hunting gang? And why are they still at the bottom of the gang?

“Girl, that’s not right. If you think it’s noisy, you can go away. We brothers are having a good chat, and you suddenly jump out and ruin the atmosphere. Aren’t you just deliberately looking for trouble?”

The members of the treasure-hunting gang, who were talking, were holding large hammers, constantly tapping the wooden handles in their hands. They were speaking as they slowly walked forward, ready to strike at any moment.

The rest of the treasure-hunting team also picked up their weapons. Several of them, who were good at sniping, had already quietly taken out their elemental potion bottles, waiting for the signal to move together and capture this woman who was so beautiful she seemed otherworldly!

Shen He didn't pay attention to these people's little tricks. She thought about it carefully and felt that what they said made a lot of sense, so she turned around and left.

These members of the treasure-hunting gang had already considered her theirs for the taking, so why would they let her get away?

The gravedigger with a shovel scooped up a handful of soil and threw it directly at Shen He. Seeing that Shen He was so unprepared, the crusher with a sledgehammer jumped up, picked up the hammer, and prepared to knock her unconscious with a blow to the head.

The others didn't falter either; they all threw various elemental potion bottles at Shen He, preparing to subdue him in the shortest possible time.

Sensing the movement and murderous intent behind him, Shen He frowned.

"Fu Jun's true form!"

She gave a low shout, and a talisman appeared in her hand. The icy phantom instantly swept towards the members of the treasure-hunting group, freezing them in place with an irresistible force.

When Jiang Bai flew into the air, this was the scene he saw.

He stared in surprise, realizing he had arrived at the wrong time.

But being in mid-air and preparing to land, it's not easy to make a turn at this point.

Shen He also noticed him and looked over at him.

But he only glanced at it before turning and leaving.

Jiang Bai was completely bewildered. What was going on? He was trying to ask someone for directions!

I thought there was a family living here, but when I got closer I found out it was just a group of treasure thieves.

It would be a huge mistake to expect the heist gang to understand that passage; they might as well find this woman who looks quite extraordinary.

Shen He's steps were not fast, but each step covered a great distance, giving the impression of walking on water with light steps, and he would soon be out of Jiang Bai's sight.

"Wait a minute, please wait a minute!"

Seeing her walk away so quickly, Jiang Bai didn't bother to continue flying. He immediately retracted his Wind Wings and jumped down while shouting.

Shen He stopped and turned to look at Jiang Bai with a puzzled expression.

"You want to avenge them for me?"

She didn't kill the group of thieves directly; she just froze them. They'll be thawed by this time tomorrow.

But when she saw the stranger who suddenly appeared, she instinctively thought that this person was there to question her.

Chapter 177 The Location of Heaven and Earth

Upon hearing this, a non-existent bead of cold sweat trickled down Jiang Bai's forehead.

How could he possibly look like he's seeking revenge for those treasure hunters? Does his handsome face really look like that of a villain?

At this moment, he finally saw the appearance of the person in front of him clearly.

A face as beautiful as a peach blossom, yet as cold as ice—that's exactly it.

Especially her ethereal气质 (qi zhi, a kind of refined and otherworldly aura), like a fairy who doesn't eat the food of mortals, makes people feel at first glance that she is not a person of this world.

Jiang Bai had once heard Hu Tao say that many immortals lived in the mountains and forests of Liyue, and these immortals would occasionally take on disciples.

The person in front of me has the air of a disciple of an immortal.

"You've misunderstood!" Jiang Bai quickly explained.

This is a disciple of an immortal who can understand the poem and give the answer directly! We absolutely cannot let him leave!

"Then what do you want?"

Shen He is not good at interpersonal communication, nor does he know how to beat around the bush; he always speaks his mind directly.

"My name is Jiang Bai, and I am a soul-ferryman from the Hall of Rebirth. I would like to ask the fairy for directions to a certain place." Seeing her personality, Jiang Bai didn't beat around the bush and directly introduced himself and stated his purpose.

“The Hall of Rebirth…” Shen He repeated in a low voice.

Although she had lived in the mountains for a long time, she knew about the Hall of Rebirth, mainly because she had met Hu Tao a few times.