The landlady was plump with a booming voice that could be heard easily throughout the courtyard. The commotion caused by her shouting startled the nearly ten people living in the large courtyard.
A thin, dark head poked out from a window to the west. Upon seeing Yu Lie, the person's eyes lit up, revealing a playful expression. This person was Shan Dao Tong, leaning against the window with bare arms, grinning at Yu Lie and calling out, "Hey! Yu Lie is back, where have you been enjoying yourself lately? Share with us, brothers!"
Inside the house, everyone poked their heads out to watch the scene, some even brought out chairs to sit at the door, munching on melon seeds.
However, before the main character appeared, the people in the courtyard just smiled and watched, with few approaching Yu Lie or the landlady to talk. As for Yu Lie, standing in the courtyard, looking at the landlady and the neighbors, he couldn't help but chuckle.
Apart from the landlady and her precious son, the residents here were all Daoists, belonging to the same group as Yu Lie. Over a year ago, when they first arrived in Heishui Town, everyone proudly claimed to have passed the Daoist exam, carrying themselves with dignity. However, after more than a year of hardships, they had become no different from the village women, cursing, doing menial tasks, and enjoying gossip when they had free time.
For Yu Lie, facing such a situation before his transformation, he might have felt embarrassed and angry. But now that he had embarked on the path of cultivation, facing the nosy neighbors and the chatty landlady, he found them all noisy and ridiculous.
However, Yu Lie was truly broke at the moment. He just bowed to the landlady and said with a smile, "Tight on funds, landlady, please give me a few more days, and I'll pay you later."
Upon hearing Yu Lie's words, the landlady raised her eyebrows and gave him a few glances before grabbing a chicken and banging on the door of a nearby room, shouting, "Sister Pu, come out! The whole family is waiting for your meal money today!"
The banging on the door continued. Shortly after, a woman in a gray robe, named Pu Xing, walked out of the room. Her face was average, but her figure was slender, even in the loose Daoist robe, her curves were subtly visible.
When the female Daoist came out, the onlookers in the courtyard didn't immediately make a fuss; instead, they lowered their laughter. Pu Xing took out a few talismans from her sleeve and threw them to the landlady.
The landlady caught them and counted, finding only ten talismans. She was about to say that it wasn't enough for a month's meal money, but seeing Pu Xing's impatient expression, she wisely held her tongue.
The landlady quickly bowed and said with a smile, "Please forgive me, Sister Pu. Rest assured, I'll make chicken soup for you today!"
Pu Xing glanced at the landlady, too lazy to speak, and coldly told Yu Lie, "Aren't you ashamed? Come in!"
With that, Pu Xing snorted and walked into the room. Yu Lie frowned at the scene but followed behind her into the room.
As Yu Lie hadn't entered the room yet, laughter and whistles erupted in the courtyard. "Look! Yu Ge is lucky, broke but still has someone taking care of him." "Only with someone looking after him can Yu Ge lie in the courtyard all year without risking his life for work!"
The landlady continued to slaughter the chicken in the courtyard, laughing and scolding the tenants, "A bunch of poor ghosts, finding it amusing to laugh at Yu Ge! If you have the guts, find someone to take care of you too! Always delaying payments, a bunch of useless people!"
A Daoist disciple shouted back, "Landlady, how do you know we're useless? Did you peek at us changing? Do you know if Yu Ge's buttocks are white or not? Haha!"
The vulgar and crude insults echoed in the courtyard. Yu Lie and Pu Xing in the room heard it, furrowing their brows and looking displeased.
However, such behavior was common in the courtyard, where people joked, argued, and insulted each other without restraint. Both Yu Lie and Pu Xing had been there long enough to get used to it.
Although the shanty area was chaotic, it was still under some control, and the residents were a mix of people who couldn't easily cause trouble.
So, whether it was Yu Lie or Pu Xing, they just treated the vulgar noises outside as background noise, choosing not to pay attention. However, Yu Lie, listening to it all, was more determined to move out.
Yu Lie hadn't voiced this thought yet, but Pu Xing muttered under her breath, "This place is unbearable. Sooner or later, I'll move out!"
Pu Xing raised her head and found Yu Lie staring at her. She furrowed her brows and said, "You've been gone for over ten days, thought you were dead. Now that you're back, go wash the clothes in the corner!"
With that, she walked to the bed, getting ready to continue her cultivation practice.
When the landlady called her earlier, Pu Xing didn't open the door immediately because she was practicing, still sweaty and damp. Yu Lie followed her gaze to the corner and saw a pile of worn-out Daoist robes, some torn and stained with sweat and blood, emitting a faint odor.
Seeing the pile of smelly clothes, Yu Lie couldn't help but laugh. His laughter disturbed Pu Xing, who hadn't started her practice yet. She shot him an annoyed glance but then ordered, "Forget it, wash them later. Come help me loosen up my muscles and bones first."
The guiding technique was a method used by Daoists to refine their bodies, focusing on physical training. Besides cultivation, it involved massage and acupuncture to help strengthen the body.
As Pu Xing spoke, she casually tossed her robe to Yu Lie, revealing her back, then lay down on the wooden bed, covered in sweat.
But Yu Lie didn't come back today to wash clothes or massage her. He shook the woman's robe, hung it aside, and sat on a chair. "I have something to say today. This place is not suitable for long-term stay. I plan to move out of this courtyard."
Pu Xing, finding Yu Lie slow to act, was about to scold him but was taken aback by his words. She turned her head, squinted at Yu Lie, and replied disdainfully, "You? That's easy to say, as if someone would willingly stay here."
"Eating, practicing, learning techniques, all without money? Now that I've transformed, I'm still stuck in this place. And you, too scared to work, unable to pay for meals, what right do you have to say this?" Yu Lie was no longer the same as before, and he had the confidence to speak up. He didn't bother arguing with her, just shook his head, stood up, and said, "I'm not here to discuss with you, just informing you." With that, he started gathering his belongings in the room.
There weren't many things belonging to Yu Lie in the room, just some basic utensils that were shared and wouldn't be taken away. His main focus was on organizing his cultivation notes, the result of his hard work over the past year.
This might have been the first time Pu Xing had seen Yu Lie's attitude. She looked surprised, feeling a bit unfamiliar with the current Yu Lie, and remained silent for a moment.
When she finally reacted, Pu Xing saw that Yu Lie was indeed packing up, focusing on the essential books and documents. Her brows furrowed, as if she had realized something.
It is true what the landlady and others said, the relationship between Yulie and the woman in front of him is nothing else but "concubinage"! However, in Yulie's own eyes, this situation should be more appropriately called roommates. After all, everyone is a cultivator, how can they be called concubines?
During the year and more that Yulie has been in Heishu Town, he has been living with the woman in front of him day and night, sharing this small room together. However, even though they shared their days together, all the household chores in the room and courtyard were taken care of by Yulie. Yulie would also have to serve tea and water to the "concubine" on a daily basis, assist her in cultivation, almost like a child-raising husband.
Furthermore, in order to cultivate, Yulie had hidden for over a year, during which he never went out to find work, making the people in the courtyard laugh at him, thinking he was a useless person who had been kept by someone.
In reality, Yulie was only seeking refuge in Pu Xing, using her as a support to exchange labor for stability, avoiding some troubles in the town. Yulie's current situation was no longer the same as before, he would not endure hardship anymore. He had long been unable to continue this kind of life and had been eagerly awaiting a clean break.
Before long, Yulie packed his things, picked up a book box, bowed to the woman in front of him, and walked out of the room with large strides, his steps somewhat jubilant.
The woman finally couldn't bear it, she jumped up with bare legs and coldly shouted, "Stop!"
Yulie ignored her.
"Do you dare to leave?! Get back here!" The woman's true nature was exposed, her voice sharp and piercing, like a wild cat in heat.
The people in the courtyard immediately heard it, they all quieted down and listened carefully.
But Yulie, hearing the call behind him, still did not stop at all, he opened the door and walked outside.
As he arrived in the courtyard, the onlookers who were already interested became even more excited, eagerly looking towards Yulie.
Facing the miscellaneous activities and gossip in the courtyard, Yulie's mood was not good. He just glanced at everyone, bowed, and continued to stride towards the main gate of the courtyard.
At this moment, the woman from the room rushed out. She hadn't even fastened her clothes, her face dark, just wrapping herself tightly.
This scene made the onlookers in the courtyard even more stunned, their eyes fixed on Yulie, and the resentment on Pu Xing's face.
Suppressing her anger, she just muttered, "Yulie, get back here! I have something to say to you!"
Yulie had already reached the gate of the courtyard, where there was stagnant water, and his footsteps were making splashing sounds.
Feeling the eyes of the people behind him watching, as well as Pu Xing's call, Yulie finally paused and turned around.
Facing the people in the courtyard, he saw faces of joy, amusement, and disdain, as well as Pu Xing's resentful expression.
Yulie smiled faintly, stood tall, rolled up his sleeves, and bowed to the woman, saying, "The path of cultivation is long, the music stops and people disperse, I hope Pu friend takes care. The assistance today, the poor will remember."
He looked at the others in the courtyard and said, "Fellow cultivators, let's part ways here."
With these words, Yulie bowed again and continued walking towards the gate of the courtyard without looking back.
As he stepped out, a mist from the river bank flowed along the street. When the mist encountered the gate, it entered and surged into the courtyard, rolling and writhing. After Yulie's figure entered the mist, he shook and disappeared into the mist like a banished mountain ghost.
The people in the courtyard were all a bit stunned watching this scene, as they had never seen Yulie act so decisively and confidently.
Pu Xing was also stunned in place, feeling Yulie's unfamiliarity once again, feeling empty inside, but more so, a sense of betrayal and resentment.
She gritted her teeth, her eyes full of hatred, her teeth audibly grinding, her mouth stiff.
On the other side, the people in the courtyard reacted, realizing that Yulie and Pu Xing had fallen out and Yulie had left the courtyard directly.
Among the smiling onlookers, some were bewildered, while others were more entertained by the drama.
The landlady was taken aback, and quickly ran to Pu Xing's side. She rubbed her hands and asked Pu Xing, "I was so surprised, did Brother Yu really... did he really leave and not come back?!"
"So, we'll have to find a new tenant for the courtyard!" The landlady's face wrinkled with a smile.
The number of people the courtyard could accommodate was limited, so with Yulie leaving, the landlady could find a new tenant and earn a resettlement fee. As long as Yulie didn't die, the three years' rent promised by the town would continue to be paid... There were many hidden rules, and the landlady fattened herself and her son by relying on them, more prosperous than ordinary cultivators.
Upon hearing the landlady's words, Pu Xing's expression changed immediately.
She did not want another roommate in the room. Initially, the reason she had taken Yulie into the room was because she found Yulie handsome and convenient to order around.
She was not happy about having to replace him with someone else!
So Pu Xing retorted to the landlady, saying, "He's not dead yet, and you're already thinking of making space? You're really planning ahead!" She disdainfully added, "When a dog is hungry, it will come back on its own, we still need to keep a place for it." With that, she slammed the door behind her and entered the room.
The landlady, being scolded by Pu Xing, stood stiff in place.
She was already somewhat afraid of Pu Xing, and now with no reason, she could only stand at the door of Pu Xing's room, muttering to herself, "The things raised by a b*tch! If your concubine doesn't want you, why take it out on me!"
The landlady then hypocritically started crying, "Oh! Now that one less person, no money, how will we two live! Heartless."
The courtyard burst into laughter, some mocking, some watching the show, discussions lively.
Inside the room, Pu Xing's resentment towards Yulie deepened. She had never thought of her own faults, only feeling that Yulie had come and gone suddenly, as if he had come just to play with her, making her resentful.
In reality, when the cultivators first arrived in Heishu Town, survival was difficult, and it was common to team up. If it weren't for Yulie helping with the chores, Pu Xing's life would have been even more miserable.
For over a year, Pu Xing had always treated Yulie as a tool, and today they had a "ten coin affinity".
With more people living together, splitting up became more common.
Because it was so common, the people in the courtyard were used to it, knowing that it could be them tomorrow.
So after a while of laughter, everyone went back to their own homes, closing the doors, resting, practicing, and continuing with their daily lives.
Only the landlady continued to slaughter chickens while also thinking about how to find a "new concubine" for Pu Xing, earn some money, and please Pu Xing.
The landlady dared not confront her directly, but she had many means behind her.