New Residence

Dog Head Ridge towered over three hundred zhang, mostly made of stone with rugged, craggy peaks. From afar, it resembled a cooked, ferocious dog's head.

At the foot of Dog Head Ridge stood a few houses, all built from greyish-brown stones, with even the roofs covered in stone slabs. The material of these stones was the same as those on Dog Head Ridge, suggesting they were quarried locally for construction.

Most of these stone houses had already collapsed; only two appeared relatively intact.

"Woof woof..."

A scrawny black dog barked incessantly at Fang Chen.

Seeing this scene, Fang Chen couldn't help but frown. He hadn't expected the living quarters of the Outer Sect Disciples to be so shabby; it was different from what he had imagined.

Li Yanshan dismounted from his donkey, tied it to a large tree, and walked up to the stone houses. He spoke to the barking black dog, "Little Six, stop barking, it's one of us!"

Upon hearing Li Yanshan's words, the black dog immediately ceased its barking and wagged its tail at Li Yanshan.

Li Yanshan then called out to the stone houses, "Elder Yun, new arrival!"

"Cough cough cough..."

A coughing sound came from the second thatched hut. The door slowly opened, and an elder with white hair emerged, leaning on a cane.

His face was gaunt, deeply wrinkled as if it were a dried bitter gourd. His left hand was gone, his right leg was also missing, and even his right hand only had his thumb, index finger, and little finger remaining.

The elder walked up to Fang Chen, his cloudy eyes scanning Fang Chen. He frowned and said to Li Yanshan, "Did you make a mistake? This kid has all his limbs, soft skin, and tender flesh. He's willing to come to our Dog Head Ridge?"

Dog Head Ridge had thin spiritual energy and harsh living conditions, even worse than where the stewards lived. Almost no one was willing to come here.

Dog Head Ridge also had another name: the concentration camp for the useless.

Li Yanshan looked at the elder before him, his brow furrowed, unsure how to explain. He felt it would be impolite to tell the elder that Fang Chen had no Spiritual Root to his face.

Fang Chen seemed to sense something was amiss. He immediately spoke to the elder, "Esteemed senior, although I have all my limbs, I have no Spiritual Root. Everywhere else rejected me. Fortunately, Uncle Li is kind and took me in!"

"No Spiritual Root?"

The elder was taken aback by Fang Chen's words. He looked up at Li Yanshan.

Li Yanshan nodded slightly to the elder and said, "Yes, he truly has no Spiritual Root!"

The elder's brow furrowed slightly. He looked at Fang Chen and smiled, "It's no big deal to have no Spiritual Root. It's still better than people like me who are missing limbs. Besides, you're still young!"

Li Yanshan smiled and said to the elder, "Fang Chen, this is Elder Yun!"

Fang Chen immediately bowed to the elder, saying respectfully, "Greetings, Elder Yun!"

"En!"

The elder nodded slightly at Fang Chen and then said, "Wait a moment!"

After speaking, the elder turned and walked back into his stone hut, leaning on his cane.

Fang Chen looked up at Li Yanshan, a hint of confusion in his heart, wondering what Elder Yun intended to do.

Li Yanshan saw the confusion in Fang Chen's eyes and smiled slightly at him, "Elder Yun is a kind old man. For a first meeting, he must want to give you a small gift!"

"A gift for me?"

Fang Chen was stunned. He hadn't expected Elder Yun to be so generous. Back in Dragon Tiger Mountain, new handymen would proactively offer gifts to Cao Bin.

Just then, Elder Yun emerged. He handed Fang Chen a dark, black object and said, "This is Cow Dung Incense. It's made from the feces of a Red-Eyed Spirit Ox, combined with dried tangerine peel, balloon flower, and dozens of other medicinal herbs. Although the smell is a bit pungent, its refreshing effect is no less than Exquisite Incense!"

Fang Chen was surprised that the treasure Elder Yun gave him was this thing.

"Thank you, Elder Yun!"

Fang Chen did not show any disgust. He knew it was the elder's good intentions.

"You're welcome!"

The elder smiled faintly at Fang Chen and then said to Li Yanshan, "Take young brother Fang Chen to get familiar with the place. I'm going back to my room for a nap!"

"Alright!"

Li Yanshan nodded slightly at Elder Yun.

Elder Yun leaned on his cane and walked back into the stone hut, then closed the door.

"Let's go, I'll take you to find a place to stay!"

Li Yanshan said, then led Fang Chen along the gravel path to the west side of the mountainside of Dog Head Ridge. Here stood a courtyard. This courtyard looked even more imposing than the houses where Li Yanshan and Elder Yun lived, with a front yard.

In front of the courtyard gate, a peach tree was planted. The ground was covered with fallen yellow leaves. Behind the courtyard, there was a small stream, so there was no need to worry about water sources here.

Li Yanshan said to Fang Chen, "This house was the residence of an old friend of ours. He passed away half a year ago. You can stay here."

"Passed away?"

Fang Chen frowned and asked, "If I move in, where will he live when he returns?"

Li Yanshan sighed and said, "He died!"

"Died?"

Fang Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. He had thought the person had merely left, but he hadn't expected him to be dead.

Seeing Fang Chen's expression, Li Yanshan quickly said, "Don't worry, he didn't die in this house. He was digging for herbs and accidentally got bitten by a venomous snake. He died from the poison. Wait a moment, I'll tidy it up for you!"

After speaking, Li Yanshan reached out and pushed open the door of the house, preparing to go in and clean.

Fang Chen hadn't expected Li Yanshan to be so polite. He immediately stopped Li Yanshan and said, "Uncle Li, let me do this. How could I possibly trouble you!"

"It's no trouble at all, just a bit of physical labor!"

Li Yanshan ignored Fang Chen and walked into the house.

Fang Chen followed him in immediately. The living room was spacious, with a stone table and three stone stools in the center. On the table sat a candlestick covered in verdigris, and some dust had already settled on the surface.

As Li Yanshan began to tidy up, Fang Chen rolled up his sleeves and joined in the cleaning.

He felt a bit confused, unable to understand why Li Yanshan and Elder Yun weren't living in such a nice courtyard. He opened his mouth and asked, "Uncle Li, this courtyard is so large and the environment is so good. Why aren't you and Elder Yun living here?"

Li Yanshan sighed softly and said, "You've seen Elder Yun's condition. His leg isn't convenient, and this courtyard is halfway up the mountain. He finds it too troublesome!"

"And you?"

Fang Chen looked up at Li Yanshan.

Li Yanshan shook his head with some helplessness and said, "I'd like to live here, but it's just Elder Yun and me in Dog Head Ridge, along with Xiao Liu and Donkey Egg. Elder Yun isn't in good health and needs someone to take care of him. If I live here, what about him?"

Fang Chen was surprised by Li Yanshan's loyalty. Such people were rare in the sect. He couldn't help but say, "Uncle Li, you're such a good person!"

Li Yanshan smiled helplessly and said, "It's not that I'm a good person, it's that Elder Yun is a good person. If it weren't for Elder Yun, I would have died long ago..."

Li Yanshan said this as he tidied the room.

Fang Chen listened quietly. From Li Yanshan's words, he learned that Elder Yun's name was Yun Yi. His Spiritual Root was a first-grade Wood Attribute True Spiritual Root, and his cultivation had once reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. However, he was later harmed by a villain, severely injured, and his limbs were cut off. Now, his cultivation was only at the second level of Qi Refining.

As for Li Yanshan's Spiritual Root, it was a Gold-Earth Dual-Element Mixed Spiritual Root, and his current cultivation was only at the third level of Qi Refining. He was originally from Lingluo Mountain, but he offended someone, was blinded in one eye, severely beaten, and then abandoned at Dog Head Ridge. It was Elder Yun who saved him. If not for Elder Yun, he would have surely died.

Elder Yun was now over eighty years old. While this age wasn't considered high among Qi Refining Realm cultivators, Elder Yun had suffered severe injuries, his body was incomplete, and he suffered from old ailments, sometimes experiencing mental confusion.

Li Yanshan looked at Fang Chen and said with a smile, "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. You should rest for a bit. I'll go make dinner. Remember to come down and eat later!"

"Okay!"

Fang Chen nodded.

"Boom!"

Just then, a loud noise came from outside the house, and the entire stone house shook slightly.

"Woof woof woof..."

A series of dog barks followed from outside.

"What's going on?"

Fang Chen looked up towards the door.

"Not good!"

Li Yanshan's face changed drastically, and he rushed out immediately.

Fang Chen didn't know why Li Yanshan was so anxious and quickly followed him out.