Chapter 14: The New Home
Time: 23 Hours after leaving the Slums.
Location: Green Willow District, Courtyard
The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting long, golden shadows over the slate roof of the new courtyard.
For the first time in ten years, Luo Feng didn't smell sewage, rotting garbage, or the metallic tang of dried blood. He smelled jasmine flowers from the garden and the faint, ozone scent of a protective formation.
"It's huge," Luo Xia whispered, spinning slowly in the center of the Master Bedroom.
It wasn't a cramped, moldy box like their old room. It had polished wooden floors that gleamed in the twilight, a large window that let in natural light, and a bed made of Red Pine that didn't squeak when you sat on it.
"And the kitchen," she continued, her voice trembling with excitement. "It has a working stove. I don't have to burn wood coal anymore; it uses Earth Fire Tags. I can cook an entire meal in ten minutes without coughing from the smoke."
Luo Feng smiled, leaning against the doorframe, watching her explore. He held a pouch of Spirit Stones in his hand, feeling their reassuring weight.
"Comfort costs money, Xia," he said softly, walking over to a stone pillar in the corner of the room.
Carved into the pillar were complex runic lines that glowed faintly—an Array Node.
The Arrays.
"This house comes with two formations," Luo Feng explained, crouching down to inspect the grooves. "But the previous tenant took the power source. We have to pay to turn them on."
He opened his pouch and took out 5 Spirit Stones. He placed them one by one into the indentations on the pillar.
Click. Click. Hummmm.
A soft vibration ran through the floorboards.
Outside the house, the air shimmered. A translucent, gray dome flickered into existence over the courtyard walls, covering the property like a bowl, before fading into invisibility.
"That is the Low-Grade Concealing Array," Luo Feng said, dusting off his hands. "It blocks Spirit Sense probing from anyone below the Foundation Establishment realm. It also prevents sound and light from leaking out. We can scream, fight, or brew explosive wine in here, and the neighbors won't hear a whisper."
He then moved to a smaller jade pedestal in the center of the living room. He placed 3 more Spirit Stones there.
Whoosh.
The air inside the house suddenly became heavy and sweet. Luo Xia took a deep breath, and her eyes widened.
"The Qi... it's rushing in! It feels thick, like water."
"Low-Grade Spirit Gathering Array," Luo Feng nodded. "It pulls ambient Qi from the surroundings and traps it inside the house. Cultivating here is 20% faster than outside, and 50% faster than the slums."
He stood up. "8 Spirit Stones a month just to keep the lights on. Plus 30 for rent. We are burning money just by breathing."
"But we are safe," Luo Xia said, hugging his arm tightly. "And we are free."
Luo Feng kissed her forehead. "Yes. We are."
He looked at the empty space in the middle of the large bedroom.
"And now... we bring the Kingdom here."
The Re-Anchor.
Luo Feng sat cross-legged in the center of the spacious bedroom. He checked the timer in his vision.
[System Rebooting...]
[00:00:05]
[00:00:04]
His heart beat faster. For the last 24 hours, he had felt naked. He had no inventory, no instant healing, no farm. He was just a man with a ring and a sword. It was a vulnerability he never wanted to feel again.
[00:00:00]
[System Online.]
[Drift Mode Deactivated.]
[Please Select New Anchor Point.]
Luo Feng didn't hesitate. He placed his hand on the polished wooden floor.
"Anchor Here."
Thrum.
A pulse of invisible energy shot out from his hand, anchoring the dimensional pocket to the geometric center of this room. The connection snapped back into his mind like a dislocated shoulder popping back into place—painful, but infinitely relieving.
He gasped. The void was back. The infinite inventory was back.
[Anchor Established: Green Willow Courtyard.]
[Syncing Storage Ring... Complete.]
"It's back," Luo Feng exhaled, standing up and wiping sweat from his brow. "Let's go check the damage. We left the farm alone for three days."
"Do weeds grow that fast?" Luo Xia asked.
"In there? Yes. Especially in the Red Zone."
He grabbed her hand.
[Enter.]
Whoosh.
The Wild Farm & The Fire Weeds.
They stepped into the Space.
The first thing they noticed was the noise.
"CHEEP! CHEEP! KREEE!"
Little Gold, who had been brought inside immediately via the ring, was screaming at them from the roof of the tool shed. He looked agitated, flapping his wings and pointing his beak toward the south.
"What's wrong?" Luo Feng looked around.
The farm looked... wild.
24 hours outside meant 3 Days inside. In just three days of neglect, the Yellow Jade Rice stubble had already started regrowing shoots. The Star Grass had spread, creeping into the pathways.
But the real crisis was the Red Clay Area.
Luo Feng walked over to the 5 acres of Fire Soil. He stopped, his eyes narrowing.
The beautiful, cracked red earth was covered in ugly, jagged plants. They were dark crimson, with thorns that looked like rusted nails. They didn't have leaves; they had suckers that drilled into the ground.
"What are those?" Luo Xia asked, reaching out to touch one.
"Don't touch it!" Luo Feng warned. "That's Demon-Blood Thistle. It's a parasitic fire weed."
He kicked one of the weeds. It crumbled into hot ash, but he could feel the soil beneath it was slightly cooler than before.
"The Fire-Pattern Soil we made from the ants is too rich," Luo Feng explained grimly. "These weeds spontaneously generated from the intense Yang energy. They are parasites. They suck the Fire Qi out of the ground to grow."
He looked at the field. It was 30% covered.
"If we let them grow, they will eat all the nutrition. The Red Clay will turn back into useless dirt."
"We have to pull them out," Luo Xia said, reaching for a hoe.
"No," Luo Feng stopped her. "If you pull them, they release their seeds and multiply. We need to burn them... or eat them."
He turned to the roof of the shed.
"Little Gold! Come here!"
The Fire Crow flew down, landing on the red soil. He looked at the ugly, thorny thistles and let out a sound of disgust. "Gack."
"I know they taste bad," Luo Feng crouched down, petting the bird. "They are bitter and tough. But look at them."
Luo Feng crushed a thistle leaf. A drop of glowing, red liquid oozed out.
"That sap is pure, concentrated Fire Essence. It's the energy they stole from my soil. You need to eat it to reclaim it."
Little Gold looked at the weed, then at Luo Feng. He shook his head violently. "Chee! (No!)"
"Do you want to evolve?" Luo Feng asked sternly. "Do you want to be a Rank 1 high rank Beast? Eat."
Little Gold looked at the ugly weed again. He hesitated. Finally, trusting his master, he pecked at a thistle.
Crunch.
The bird's face twisted. He let out a squawk that sounded like a gag. It clearly tasted like burning garbage.
But a second later...
Whoosh.
A ripple of red light pulsed through Little Gold's feathers. The Fire Essence inside the weed was potent. It was disgusting, but it was basically a steroid for a Fire Crow.
Little Gold's eyes widened. He felt the power.
"CRAW!"
He didn't like the taste, but he loved the power.
He attacked the weeds.
Peck. Gag. Swallow. Burp Fire.
Peck. Gag. Swallow. Burp Fire.
Luo Feng watched the bird tear through the infestation. Every weed he ate saved the soil's fertility and strengthened the bird.
"It's a perfect ecosystem," Luo Feng grinned. "The soil feeds the weeds. The weeds feed the bird. The bird protects the soil."
He looked at the pile of 300 Spirit Stones in his Storage Ring, then at the clearing patches of Red Clay.
"Eat up, Little Gold. Clear the field," Luo Feng said, turning to Luo Xia. "Because tomorrow, I'm going to the Seed Shop. It's time to buy the Blast Chilies."
[End of Chapter 14]
— Author's Note —
Home Sweet Home! 🏡
The upgrade is complete.
Support the new home!
1. Add to Library!
2. Power Stones! 💎