Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 11: My Own Home
This was a very desolate yard, with weeds growing around it as high as half a person.

The buildings in the courtyard were also in a dilapidated state, and the roofs were full of leaks because no one had repaired them.

But there was a viewing pavilion here that was surprisingly well-maintained. Zhao Yifu spread his bedding in the pavilion, sat there leisurely, drinking and eating, looking very relaxed.

In his arms, the black cat was still squatting on his chest, letting his slender fingers rub back and forth in its soft fur, squinting its eyes as if it didn't want to move.

Zhao Yehe was right next to them. He looked at them enviously and said, "Xin'er, can I pet this cat?"

Zhao Yifu immediately looked at him warily and said, "No."

Zhao Yehe was a little embarrassed. He said, "It's just a beast. What's wrong with touching it?"

Zhao Yifu said angrily, "Look at what you are saying. In our Great Xu State, raising a cat is like taking a concubine. Can you take your nephew's concubine to play with you?"

Zhao Yehe asked in confusion, "Is it really that formal?"

Zhao Yifu sighed, "After all, His Majesty gained the throne because of cats, so he has a strong preference for cats. Following his example, the people also take cat ownership very seriously."

Zhao Yehe was startled and immediately showed a curious look. "Xin'er, tell me quickly, how did the current emperor get the throne because of this cat?"

There was a gossipy glint in his eyes.

Zhao Yifu chuckled and looked around. They were the only two people in the deserted yard, so he said, "This is an interesting story told by my teacher, Zheng Fanggong."

"The previous emperor had no heir, so he selected two of his closest and most intelligent sons from the clan, intending to choose one of them as the crown prince."

"Originally, the two young men from the royal family were evenly matched, and both were so intelligent that it was hard to let them go."

"Who would have thought that just as the late emperor was testing the two young men, a yellow raccoon came out of the imperial garden and approached them."

"One of the young men was worried that the raccoon might offend the Emperor, so he reached out and gave it a light kick, trying to drive it away."

"Who knew the late emperor was a cat lover? Seeing this, he immediately rebuked: 'A cat just happened to pass by, why are you so critical? How can you govern the country in the future if you are so disrespectful?'"

"Thus, this young man from the royal family lost his chance to take the throne, and thus, His Majesty ascended the throne."

Zhao Yehe listened with great interest and thought that this kind of thing was really interesting.

He said, "It still has to be you scholars."

Zhao Yifu was bewildered: "What does this have to do with scholars?"

Zhao Yehe smacked his lips as he savored the experience: "This kind of royal anecdote is much more interesting than the fighting and killing in the martial arts world."

Zhao Yifu disagreed and said, "Third Uncle thinks the stories of the Jianghu are boring, but that's because he's been there and is used to hearing them. But I, your nephew, am very interested in the stories of the Jianghu."

This really tickled Zhao Yehe's heart, and he began to tell the story of his adventures in the martial arts world in a fluent manner.

Zhao Yifu listened with great interest.

At this time, the moon was bright, the stars were sparse, and the spring breeze was gentle. Listening to the legendary stories of the martial arts world while drinking, Zhao Yifu felt extremely relaxed and happy in his heart.

He has loved listening to these stories since he was a child. He originally thought that this world was a world of martial arts, but he didn't expect that this world also included the practice of cultivating immortals.

Originally, if it was just martial arts, although he admired it, he was not too obsessed with it. After all, no matter how powerful a person is, he can never compare to the state machine.

Moreover, martial arts will not prolong a person's lifespan, and one still remains at the level of mortals.

But it is different for those who cultivate immortality, this is the way to transcendence.

However, Zhao Yifu originally thought that he would enter the world of cultivation and gradually become completely separated from the mundane world, but he did not expect that he could only waste these years in the outer sect of Danqing Sect.

Even up to now, he couldn't even know the full picture of the cultivation world. It was as if he had never entered the real cultivation world and was still wandering in the secular world.

But in fact, stories about spiritual practice seem to have never ceased. At least in Zhao Yehe's stories, there are always some mysterious monks and Taoists... Zhao Yifu lay in the pavilion and looked up at the clear starry sky, feeling a wonderful feeling in his heart.

Compared with the starry sky, humans are so insignificant. He feels that under this starry sky, he must always strive to escape from insignificance... or at least become less insignificant.

At this moment, Zhao Yehe suddenly said, "Xin'er, remember your courtesy name is Junxin?"

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "Yes, Third Uncle, why did you suddenly bring this up?"

Zhao Yehe said, "It's nothing. I just feel that you've grown up now, and it's not nice to keep calling you 'Xin'er'. I'd rather call you Jun Xin."

Zhao Yifu asked curiously, "Uncle San can call me whatever you want, why are you suddenly bringing up all this?"

Zhao Yehe, however, asked in a completely unrelated tone, "Jun Xin, do you know how much this courtyard cost?"

Zhao Yifu shook his head and said, "I don't know, but Third Uncle will never let me suffer any loss."

Zhao Yehe smiled and nodded, and said with satisfaction: "It seems that your servant is not stupid enough to secretly spread rumors between us uncle and nephew."

Zhao Yifu turned his head to look at the house over there, and saw Wu Zhong busy tidying up a house that looked habitable. It seemed that he wanted to clean up a house for the owner to live in as soon as possible.

He said: "Wu Zhong has been with me for eight years. He has always been very responsible and has never done anything out of the ordinary. I still trust him very much."

Of course he trusts it, as it is the source that still provides him with stable yang and spiritual energy. Although the amount is not much, it is absolutely stable.

Zhao Yehe said: "That's good, now you have a confidant and can support your own family."

Zhao Yifu looked over in surprise and asked, "Uncle San, what do you mean by this..."

Zhao Yehe then said, "Originally, my elder brother wanted to call you back, but after one night he probably changed his mind and decided to have someone send you these two thousand taels of silver notes so that you can start your own business in Moyang City."

"Uncle San, I was worried that those people wouldn't be able to do their job properly, so I took on this job myself and came to see you."

"By the way, this courtyard cost 1,800 taels of silver. Do you think it's expensive?"

Zhao Yifu was stunned for a moment, confused by his uncle's random words.

But then he suddenly realized that someone at home must have tipped off Zhao Yunhe not to go back, and the two thousand taels of silver at this time looked more like a 'family separation fee' for him!
Then he thought of Zhao Yehe's question and immediately said, "I know the land prices in Moyang City. The cheapest yard in the west of the city costs three thousand taels of silver. A yard this big is even more expensive at five thousand taels."

"Uncle San was able to buy it for 1,800 taels, it's not expensive at all."

Zhao Yehe smiled and said, "But this is a haunted house, don't you mind?"

Zhao Yifu shook his head and said, "I don't mind."

Zhao Yehe was delighted: "That's good, but I'm afraid the remaining two hundred taels are not enough for you to renovate this house..."

Zhao Yifu understood and said, "Don't worry, Third Uncle. I understand."

Next, he has to support this business on his own!
"Meow~"

At this moment, the kitten in Zhao Yifu's arms cried out.

It seemed to hear something.

"Meow~"

After a moment, there seemed to be wild cats responding around.

Then, one after another, countless cat calls came from far and near, like several babies crying in the night.

Zhao Yehe stood up unexpectedly and said, "Why does it seem like I've fallen into a wild cat's den?"

(End of this chapter)