Chapter 14 : The new home
Tock tock tock.
The sound of knocking echoed through the door as Chen Fan waited patiently. The footsteps grew louder as the person inside approached. When the door opened, Chen Fan was greeted by a middle-aged woman with brown hair, the beginnings of wrinkles visible on her face. She glanced at him, and he returned her gaze.
"Hello, Mrs. Wu. I'm Chen Fan," he greeted her with a smile. The previous day, he had reached out to Wu Zhilan to inquire about the house.
"Oh, so you're the one. Come in, quickly," Mrs. Wu responded warmly, smiling as she stepped aside to let him in.
"Thank you," Chen Fan said as he stepped into the house. His eyes immediately took in the interior—it was already fully furnished and ready to move in. There was no need for him to purchase anything new.
The house featured three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and a terrace. The walls were painted a warm sky-blue color, giving the space a cozy yet airy feel. There was plenty of room to add personal touches, like paintings or wall clocks, to enhance the decor.
They moved to the living room, where Chen Fan and Wu Zhilan sat across from each other on a comfortable sofa. Snacks and drinks were neatly arranged on the coffee table between them.
"So, what do you think?" Wu Zhilan asked, her smile widening as she awaited his response.
"I can't wait to live here," Chen Fan said enthusiastically, his words earning a look of approval from Wu Zhilan.
"If you'd like to make any small changes, just let me know. I'll do my best to help," she offered.
"It's hard to imagine a better version of this house, Auntie. You have an incredible sense of style," Chen Fan replied sincerely, his tone filled with admiration.
Wu Zhilan's smile grew even brighter, a hint of pride flickering in her expression at his compliment.
They quickly moved on to discuss the contract details, with some light conversation sprinkled in. Chen Fan was satisfied with the house and made plans to move in right away.
"Xiao Fan, before you sign, there's something I need to tell you," Wu Zhilan said, just as Chen Fan was about to finalize the agreement. She brought a small box and placed it in front of him.
"This is the previous tenant's belonging," Wu Zhilan explained. "The package arrived right after she left, and she mentioned she would pick it up when she returned. Would it be okay if you hold onto it until she comes for it?"
Chen Fan glanced at the box wrapped in cloth. Wu Zhilan had already mentioned that she planned to leave Lingzhou City for some time, making it difficult to keep the box at her place.
"Of course, Auntie. I'll keep it safe for now," he replied.
"Thank you," Wu Zhilan said gratefully. "Her name is Bai Mulan. She said she'll come by to pick it up sometime this month or next."
After the final details were settled, Chen Fan signed the contract and saw Wu Zhilan out.
---
After making slight adjustments to the furniture, Chen Fan immediately settled down, relaxing his mind as he fiddled with his smartphone. His attention turned to the newly joined chat group.
There were three admins listed in the group: Ethereal Frost, Jade Spirit, and Azure Sky.
"The three sects," Chen Fan murmured under his breath.
His master had already told him about the three prominent sects in the cultivation world, each possessing equal strength and influence. Their locations were hidden from non-cultivators, concealed by barriers that altered the perception of their surroundings. Ethereal Frost Sect was said to be near the North Pole, Jade Spirit nestled in a mountain range close to the equator, and Azure Sky situated on an independent island invisible to satellite cameras near the South Pole.
The three sects were the ultimate aspiration for cultivators across the world. With their vast accumulation of resources over countless years, they represented unparalleled opportunities for growth and enlightenment. Naturally, the requirements to join these sects were extraordinarily strict. According to his master, each sect housed approximately five thousand members. Recruitment was held only once every 30 years, with eligibility limited to individuals under 50 years of age. The next selection process was set to occur in six months. Typically, each sect accepted no more than 300 new members, and in some years, the number fell below 100.
Chen Fan was naturally intrigued by these legendary sects and had already decided to attempt their entrance test. He had assumed that his master would allow him to descend the mountain when the recruitment period began, so he was caught off guard when his master unexpectedly told him to leave.
"The competition will be held at the Jade Spirit Sect," Chen Fan muttered, reading the announcement in the group. The event, as detailed in the post, required participants to be under 30 years old and below the Golden Core stage, sparking his interest even further.
"I suppose I have time to break through to the next level." Sitting cross-legged, Chen Fan calmed his mind and immediately began cultivating, focusing intently on advancing his cultivation as quickly as possible.
-----
Meanwhile, in the Su family manor, Su Ming lay sprawled on his bed, glaring at the glowing system interface hovering before him. He had just completed his first task and earned 100 points. At first glance, the system mall seemed like a treasure trove—offering everything from cultivation resources to one million in cash for a single point. For a moment, Su Ming was ecstatic, dreaming of becoming a millionaire once he returned to his original world. But his enthusiasm quickly gave way to dismay as he scrolled further. The prices for skills and items he actually needed ranged from thousands to millions of points, far beyond his reach.
"I really, truly hate you," he muttered through gritted teeth.
"Fair, my ass," Su Ming snapped, clenching his fists. Nearly a week of dealing with this insufferable system had stretched his patience to the limit, though he begrudgingly admitted that it had forced him to develop a thicker skin.
"Well, I guess I could just focus on becoming the richest man alive. Who even needs to be a cultivator, right?" Su Ming tried to console himself with the thought.
"DAMN YOU, SYSTEM! I SWEAR I'LL DESTROY YOU SOMEDAY!" Su Ming's furious outburst echoed through the manor.
Outside his door, a bodyguard shook his head, sighing at yet another tantrum from the young master. "Here we go again," he muttered under his breath.
After calming his restless heart with a few deep breaths, Su Ming resolved—yet again—to ignore the infuriating system. Shifting his focus, he began mentally reviewing the events of the past three days.
"The plot seems to be only slightly deviating," Su Ming thought, analyzing how things had unfolded. First was the incident with Wang Yue. During her rescue, she had cast a suspicious glance at Chen Fan, which slightly altered the dynamic of their first meeting. Their bond wasn't as strong as it had been in the original novel. This shift had also caused Chen Fan's meeting with his fiancée, Feng Xueying, to occur a day earlier. Naturally, Feng Xueying didn't have a favorable impression of Chen Fan at first, which led her to suggest a private conversation to strike a deal. She proposed that they pretend to be engaged solely for her grandfather's sake.
Recalling the scene when Chen Fan and Feng Xueying were about to talk privately in the Feng family manor before he interrupted, Su Ming assumed that the plot was progressing as normal. If he knew that Feng Xueying and Chen Fan had already broken the engagement, he would definitely cry.
He rubbed his temples, easing the irritation that came with reliving those moments. "At least I have a reasonable excuse to start targeting Chen Fan," Su Ming muttered. He knew the engagement wasn't going to be made public right away, so his timely interruption gave him the perfect opening to get involved without drawing suspicion.
Over the next two days, things proceeded as expected. Wang Yue and Chen Fan's relationship continued to develop, and Chen Fan had even met Xu Jianhong today, as per the original storyline. Reflecting on everything, Su Ming couldn't help but sigh, running a hand through his hair.
"I'm basically a stalker, aren't I?" he mumbled to himself.
For the past three days, Su Ming had been diligently tracking Chen Fan's movements, ensuring that the plot stayed on course. Of course, he wasn't tailing him every second. Whenever Chen Fan met key characters, Su Ming would leave immediately, relying on his subordinates to monitor the situation.
For example, when Chen Fan took Wang Yue to a restaurant after rescuing her, Su Ming left the scene but instructed his men to notify him when the two parted ways. Since it was a public setting, Su Ming was confident that Chen Fan wouldn't notice he was being followed—unless, of course, his subordinates displayed any hostility. This allowed Su Ming to quickly rush to the Feng family manor in time to encounter Feng Xueying..
The following day, Su Ming deployed his subordinates near Wang Yue's house, which he had effortlessly located using his family's extensive network. After confirming that Chen Fan had entered her home, Su Ming instructed his subordinates to leave, confident that the plot was progressing as expected.
Today, however, Su Ming had personally followed Chen Fan to his meeting with Xu Jianhong, a cultivator. He couldn't risk mistakes by sending subordinates, especially with someone as perceptive as Xu Jianhong. Thankfully, thanks to the system's concealment abilities, neither Chen Fan nor Xu Jianhong had noticed his presence.
After confirming that Chen Fan had started building a relationship with Xu Jianhong and now knew about the upcoming competition, Su Ming returned to the manor, his mind already racing with plans for two days from now. According to the plot, Chen Fan would focus on cultivating for the next two days before a fateful encounter with Feng Yanyan—one that Su Ming intended to "accidentally" interrupt.
"I need to cause just enough trouble for him to slap me in the face," Su Ming mused. "That way, Feng Yanyan will admire him more."
He sighed deeply, his frustration evident as he muttered under his breath, "This is so damn annoying."