Rise of the Wasteland in Cultivation

Just as Leng San was marveling at Chen Xi's talent, there was a gentle knock on the courtyard door. He couldn't help but frown, even though he had clearly hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign outside the door.

Leng San didn't want to pay attention, but the door was knocked on again, and this time with noticeable more force than the first time. Leng San had no choice but to put away the talismans and other items, walk to the gate of the courtyard, and look through the peephole. He was surprised to find that the person outside was Ye Wenrou.

Because Ye Wenrou has always been very mindful of boundaries, she rarely bothers him except when they are on a mission together, especially when he has put up a "Do Not Disturb" sign.

Leng San opened the door and saw that Ye Wenrou looked somewhat haggard. He said apologetically, "Xiao San, did I disturb you? I came by during the day and saw the sign on the door..."

"Come in and we'll talk!" Leng San interrupted.

He knew that Ye Wenrou was a strong-willed person who was reluctant to owe favors to others. Even though she saw that he had hung up a "Do Not Disturb" sign, she still couldn't help but knock on the door, so she must have encountered something particularly difficult.

Ye Wenrou entered the courtyard, and Leng San closed the door, gave her a bottle of water and a can of yellow peaches, and said, "Sit down!"

There was an eight-immortal table and four antique mahogany chairs in the courtyard, all of which were bought at the supply station. These things are not worth much now, and not many people are willing to buy them.

Ye Wenrou sat down in the chair and asked somewhat absentmindedly, "Is Xiaoxi asleep?"

Leng San didn't answer, but scrutinized Ye Wenrou carefully. Under his clear gaze, the latter blushed slightly and said, "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me? Do I have flowers on my face?"

Leng San withdrew his gaze and said, "Sister Wenrou doesn't seem to be in good spirits. Have you not rested well?"

Ye Wenrou felt a warmth in her heart and nodded slightly. Ever since she had that dream the night before, she hadn't recovered. Her head was still throbbing, especially when she tried to practice water control, her head would immediately throb and she couldn't concentrate at all.

Having finally awakened a special ability, Ye Wenrou naturally didn't want to lose it. She guessed it must be a lingering effect from the dream she had that night, so she thought of Leng San.

It wasn't just because Leng San appeared in her dream to save her, but also because of the various miraculous things Leng San had shown during this period. For example, the Nine Needles Divine Sealing and Ghost Catching, and the way he healed her injuries—such a severe penetrating wound, he could heal it simply by "touching" it with his hand.

In any case, Leng San is now seen as unfathomable by the members of the Canglang Squad.

"Xiao San, did you really not have a dream that night at Camp C-444?" Ye Wenrou frowned, her eyebrows like distant mountains, and said, "I had a dream, and my head still hurts."

"You've overused your mental energy, causing damage to your spiritual sea."

"Shinkai? What is Shinkai?"

"You can think of it as a container for storing spiritual energy. Now your spiritual energy container is leaking, and you need to replace it."

Ye Wenrou was taken aback for a moment, then asked anxiously, "What will happen if it leaks?"

"At best, it can cause lethargy, difficulty concentrating, or even headaches and insomnia; at worst... it can lead to mental retardation, or even—death!"

Ye Wenrou's pretty face immediately turned pale, because she was currently in a "mild" situation, and she stammered, "Then what should we do?"

"Sit here and wait a moment, don't wander around." Leng San left the courtyard, returned to the container, closed the door, took out the brush, cinnabar, and talisman paper again, and began to draw a calming talisman.

Leng San is only at the second level of Qi Refining. If he were at the third level, he could cast low-level spells like the Tranquilizing Spell simply by forming a hand seal. Now, he can only cast them through talismans.

The calming talisman is even simpler than the teleportation talisman. A faint white light flows smoothly along the runes on the talisman, and just like that, a calming spell is successfully drawn.

Leng San drew three calming talismans in one go before putting down his brush, taking the three talismans with him, and walking out of the courtyard.

When Ye Wenrou saw Leng San come out with several talismans, a strange look flashed across her face. She had seen these things in ghost movies. Aren't these the talismans that Taoist priests use to suppress ghosts and evil spirits?

"Little San, didn't I suffer damage to my Divine Sea? Will this ghost-catching thing still be useful?" Ye Wenrou asked weakly.

"Who told you this is for catching ghosts?" Leng San said, flicking his finger as a calming spell flew out, striking Ye Wenrou squarely between the eyebrows.

A soft white light flashed, and the talisman turned to ashes. Ye Wenrou felt a cool breeze penetrate her brain, which felt very comfortable. Then her eyelids grew heavier and her head became heavier and heavier. She actually fell asleep on the octagonal table.

Leng San took a thin quilt and draped it over Ye Wenrou, estimating that she would sleep until dawn, so he went back inside to continue drawing talismans.

This time, I drew the Green Vine Talisman, a basic wood-type spell. When released, it generates a green vine that wraps around the enemy's feet, with a maximum duration of three seconds. However, this depends on the enemy's strength; the stronger the enemy, the shorter the duration of the binding effect, which is almost zero.

Ye Wenrou slept soundly until about 11 a.m. the next day, having slept for a full fifteen hours. When she opened her eyes, she saw Chenxi sitting opposite her at the octagonal table, lost in thought. Sunlight pierced through the hazy atmosphere and through the glass above the courtyard house, shining on the little girl, making her appear even more delicate and exquisite, like a jade sculpture.

"Good afternoon, Sister Wenrou!" Leng San came out from the east wing and greeted her with a smile.

"Noon?" Ye Wenrou stood up and looked at the sun in the sky with some surprise. Judging from its height, it was indeed close to noon. She had slept for so long, and... her head didn't seem to hurt as much anymore.

"My head doesn't hurt anymore, Xiao San, thank you!" Overwhelmed with emotion, Ye Wenrou opened her arms and gave Leng San a warm hug.

Ye Wenrou's enthusiastic gesture caught Leng San off guard, and his tender face flushed red instantly, entirely out of his body's instinct.

To be honest, although Leng Shan had cultivated to the Golden Core stage in his previous life, he had devoted himself to cultivation since childhood. He had never seriously held a girl's hand, let alone dated or hugged her. In the end, he was still a virgin. As for the original owner of this body, Leng San, he was even worse. He rarely had the opportunity to talk to girls his own age.

"Ahem, you're too kind, Sister Wenrou!" Leng San coughed lightly, his face still a little flushed. Ye Wenrou had hugged him too tightly just now, and the sensation on her chest was quite obvious.

Ye Wenrou acted so intimately in her excitement, and afterwards felt a little embarrassed. But seeing that Leng San was blushing, she giggled and teased, "Hey, why are you blushing? Never hugged a girl before? How about letting Sister Wenrou hug you again?"

Just as Leng San was feeling awkward, the door of the courtyard was knocked on again. Chen Xi actually took the initiative to open the door, and there were Bi Lang, Zhou Chen and Fatty standing outside.

The three men were visibly taken aback when they saw Ye Wenrou there. The fat man breathed a sigh of relief and said, "So Wenrou was with Third Brother. We've been looking for her for ages."

Seeing that Ye Wenrou had just woken up, Zhou Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he said with a grin, "Hey, did Wenrou sleep here last night?"

Bi Lang gave Zhou Chen a whack on the back of the head and said, "None of your business. If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."

Ye Wenrou blushed. She had indeed spent the night at the mistress's place last night, but it was definitely not what Zhou Chen thought. However, the more she explained, the worse it got, so she simply stopped explaining.

Bi Lang looked at Leng San with a fatherly "kind" smile and said, "Little San... cough, we plan to set off for the Yangcheng A-level shelter tomorrow to sell that nuclear battery. If we find any Tier 3 gene enhancement drugs, we'll buy them. Do you want to come along?"

The original owner of this body, Leng San, had never been to a B-level shelter before, let alone an A-level shelter. Thinking it wouldn't hurt to go and see for himself, and perhaps he could find some good stuff, he nodded and said, "Let's go!"

Upon hearing this, Bi Lang happily said, "Alright, then Xiao San, you get ready. We'll set off early tomorrow morning. Yangcheng is over 300 kilometers away from here, so it will be much safer with you, Xiao San, traveling with us."

After Bi Lang finished speaking, he forcibly dragged Zhou Chen and the fat man away, as if he was worried that the two of them would get in the way if they stayed. This made Ye Wenrou blush with embarrassment, and now there was a big misunderstanding.

"Little San, I'm going back now too. See you tomorrow!" Ye Wenrou then prepared to say goodbye and leave.

Leng San hurriedly called to her, "Sister Wenrou, take these two calming talismans back with you. Use one before bed, and after two nights, the damage to your mind should be mostly gone."

Ye Wenrou felt a warmth in her heart and said, "Thank you, Xiao San. How do I use it?"

"Just tear it open and slap it on your forehead."

Ye Wenrou nodded, turned around and walked away with her long legs. Now she was getting used to Leng San's endless stream of amazing methods.

Leng San closed the door and made Chenxi another meal of canned meat and potatoes. The smoked meat was all gone, so they could only use canned meat, but the little girl still ate it with relish. After finishing, she opened her arms and gave Leng San a warm hug.

Clearly, Chenxi had just learned this from Ye Wenrou, and had no other intentions; she simply felt it was a way to express happiness and gratitude.

So from then on, whenever the little girl was happy, or whenever Leng San made her something delicious or bought her something, she would hug and cuddle with him.

Fortunately, Chenxi is still young. In a few years, her physical development will be somewhat hindered, and Leng San will have to find a way to correct it for her.

After the two finished lunch, Leng San seized the time to cultivate, while Chen Xi moved the crops from the east wing out to sunbathe and water them. Then, she imitated the green vine talisman drawn by Leng San and carefully drew it on the talisman paper.