Jiang Zuo led the Duoling Dog out of the basement. Just as he reached the entrance, he saw Ximen Linglong and the small Water Qilin.

The moment Ximen Linglong saw the Duoling Dog, her eyes misted over. She was utterly heartbroken, especially when she saw it was covered in injuries. ’This is all my fault.’

When the Duoling Dog saw Ximen Linglong, it whimpered, as if admitting it had done wrong.

Ximen Linglong then ran over to the Duoling Dog, hugging it as she cried, "Qiqi, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I put you through so much. I’ll never speak so carelessly again."

"ARF, ARF." The Duoling Dog barked, a mix of happiness and guilt in its voice.

The Water Qilin, meanwhile, floated in front of Jiang Zuo. "This is to repay you."

A Sixth-Grade Spirit Stone hovered before Jiang Zuo. However, he didn’t take it. Instead, he said, "I told you, I want a dog’s leg."

The Water Qilin: "..."

’How can this person be so unreasonable?’ it thought. ’Qiqi is already in such a pitiful state, and he still wants to take its leg?’

’It’s a Sixth-Grade Spirit Stone! Aren’t you the least bit tempted?’

At that moment, Ximen Linglong shielded Qiqi and said, "I’ve already sent for my brother. He has a Duoling Dog, too. We’ll give you a leg within three days."

Jiang Zuo looked at Ximen Linglong. "If you don’t have the heart to do it, just remember to find me."

"..."

’He’s a Demon.’

Jiang Zuo left. He could afford to wait three days, and he wasn’t worried about them backing out of the deal. ’They’ll have to pay sooner or later. At worst, I’ll just add some interest.’

’Those six people from before were surprisingly aggressive, though.’

’When I reached the middle, all six of them actually attacked at once. It seems they have their principles—there was no way they were just going to let me walk away.’

’Too bad for them. With no Life-Protecting Treasures, they were destined to have picked a fight with the wrong person.’

After leaving the parking lot, Jiang Zuo remembered something. The Sweet Potato had been a gift from that Qilin; perhaps it knew what the deal with this duck was.

Jiang Zuo glanced at the Sweet Potato, which was perched on his shoulder as always, then shook his head and walked away.

’Whether it knows or not isn’t important. I’ll just raise it for now.’

After picking up the medicine sent from Liuyue Xue’s sect, Jiang Zuo planned to make a trip to the Chen Family. He needed to reset their Feng Shui Formation based on the original. It wasn’t difficult, but it would require two or three visits.

After contacting Mo Yan, Jiang Zuo arrived at the main gate of the Chen Family estate.

Before long, Chi Xue Child arrived.

He was still munching on a popsicle and casually handed one to Jiang Zuo. "Gutter-oil-edition popsicle. It’s not bad."

Jiang Zuo looked at Chi Xue Child. "You really like popsicles?"

Chi Xue Child knew Jiang Zuo wouldn’t eat it, so he put the popsicle away. "They’re alright. It’s just that when I was little, I wanted to eat ice cream, but later my master and senior brother kept stressing that I needed to be thrifty and manage the household.

"They said we were too poor to afford ice cream, so my master taught me how to make popsicles himself.

"After trying them, I realized they were pretty tasty, and it just became a habit.

"It wasn’t until I grew up that I realized they were messing with me."

Chi Xue Child didn’t sound angry at all as he spoke, as if this was all just a normal, everyday thing.

Then, Chi Xue Child added, "It can’t be helped. It’s a sect tradition to prank every newcomer. The only one we failed to get was Mo Yan. That one’s a pampered young lady; we let her cook once, and she almost poisoned all of us.

"Just as I thought. We’re just not compatible with Demon Cultivators."

Jiang Zuo found himself thinking that these people were rather interesting.

Then he said, "Let’s go."

Jiang Zuo and Chi Xue Child arrived at the Chen Family estate once more.

Jiang Zuo didn’t ask why Chi Xue Child had come instead of Mo Yan. It wasn’t important whether she came or not, as long as someone was there to represent her.

Only when they reached the gate did Chi Xue Child contact the Chen Family. Soon, Elder Chen emerged, accompanied by Chen Yao.

Old Master Chen immediately greeted them politely. "Esteemed Immortals—"

Before he could finish, Jiang Zuo cut in, "Give me the Compass, then tell me what layout you want. Nothing else is necessary."

Chi Xue Child also smiled. "Elder Chen, please don’t be so formal. We’re juniors, after all. You and Master Mo Yan have a deep friendship, so we don’t deserve such courtesy."

’So that’s why Mo Yan didn’t come,’ Chi Xue Child thought. ’In front of this old man, she’d have to behave herself and act like a proper junior. It can’t be helped; Elder Chen’s friendship with her master is just that strong.’

At this, Elder Chen chuckled. "In that case, shall this old man take the liberty of pulling rank?"

Chi Xue Child gave a slight smile and nodded.

Jiang Zuo, of course, couldn’t care less about such things. As long as they could interact normally and it didn’t affect him, he was fine.

After giving Chen Yao a few instructions, Elder Chen turned to Jiang Zuo and asked, "Are you the young friend who will be resetting the Feng Shui Formation?"

Jiang Zuo nodded.

Elder Chen said, "I’ve already sent my grandson to fetch the Compass. It shouldn’t take long."

Jiang Zuo said flatly, "Tell me about the layout."

Elder Chen had originally intended to invite them inside to sit and talk, but he had to admire the man’s swift, decisive manner.

He then said, "Nothing else needs to be changed; I only need two adjustments. First, I hope you can complete the Feng Shui Formation. I heard my old friend left out some particularly important elements, and I hope they won’t be missed during this reset.

"Second, I wish for the nexus of the moving formation to be transferred from me to my grandson, Chen Yao."

Jiang Zuo asked, "That’s it?"

Elder Chen nodded. "That’s it."

Jiang Zuo understood. This was much simpler than he had anticipated.

’If I push myself, I might even be able to finish today.’

At this point, Chi Xue Child asked, "Elder Chen, you seem to be in perfectly good health. Are you already in a hurry to retire?"

Elder Chen laughed heartily. "I already have one foot in the grave. If I don’t retire now, when will I? I recently accepted an invitation from that old friend of mine and plan to spend my retirement at his place. I probably won’t ever come back.

"Once the Feng Shui Formation is settled, I’ll have no more worries. The main thing is, this boy Chen Yao is quite capable. I’m very much at ease handing the Chen Family over to him."

Since Elder Chen had put it that way, Chi Xue Child naturally had nothing more to say.

’I guess Mo Yan won’t be going home for the next few years,’ he mused. ’With a guest in the house, she’d be getting lectured every single day for sure.’

’And if Mo Yan doesn’t go home, that means she’ll have to stay with us and continue to be a menace.’

’The wheel of karma turns, and retribution is certain.’

’His master and senior brother,’ Chi Xue Child thought, ’totally deserved it.’

Chen Yao then brought out the Compass, and Jiang Zuo began to reset the Feng Shui Formation.

Since it wasn’t a huge amount of work, Jiang Zuo decided to finish it all at once, so he worked straight through until the next day.

He only went back to sleep after the sun came up.

＊＊＊＊＊＊

「Beneath the Ice and Snow Mountain Range lay a small town brimming with the life of spring.」

The town was fully equipped, showing none of the backwardness one would expect from a remote mountain location.

"Haha, we actually made it back safely! To think this event would be near this town, though. It’s pretty far from the Holy Land," Jingyue said with a laugh as she pushed Yue Xi in her wheelchair.

Su Qi, who was beside them, said, "Senior Sister, I just thought of something. This town has both ordinary people and Cultivators, right? And it was established by the Holy Land, wasn’t it?"

"And?"

Jingyue froze, then said, "Don’t tell me you’re thinking..."

＊＊＊＊＊＊

A special thanks to Xiao Xia, Brother Da Peng, and Star Creation Saint for their generous tips.