Harvest, Moving

Zhou Yan had never expected that a rogue cultivator practicing heterodox arts like him would be viewed by outsiders as someone of a higher standing.

Setting aside heterodox arts, even the methods related to the "Five Evils and Three Defects" and those minor, overlooked esoteric arts were inheritances passed down through centuries within rogue cultivation families, rarely taught to outsiders and often kept strictly within the male line.

The difficulty of cultivation can well be imagined!

The Lamp Lighting Method and the Starfire Method were things Zhou Yan had looked over; although they lacked any major drawbacks, they held no profound mysteries either. Furthermore, the rate of accumulating mana was agonizingly slow, and they were prone to failure or causing one to go into qi deviation, making even the entry-level stage extremely difficult.

Consequently, he had no interest in them and simply tossed them aside.

Had they not been stored alongside some low-quality magical artifacts, Zhou Yan would have almost forgotten about them entirely.

Now, selling them to Jin Mantang had actually fetched a full five hundred silver dollars.

Even at that price, it was clear that Jin Mantang had made a profit, his mouth nearly unable to close from a grin.

With everything bundled together, the final haul came to seven hundred silver dollars, along with some yin-attributed items used for nurturing zombies.

The zombies Zhou Yan was currently refining were the lowest-grade Corpse Controlling types, which could be continuously re-refined and upgraded in the future.

According to the records in the Profound Yin Corpse Refining Technique, the Black Zombie was merely the beginning; once one reached the stage of refining a Hopping Zombie, one could refine different types of Corpse Controlling zombies based on necessity and the specific fate of the corpse.

For instance: the Combat Zombie, which excelled in close-quarters fighting; the Escape Corpse, which specialized in concealment and movement; as well as the Magic Zombie, proficient in various yin arts, and the Armored Zombie, clad in sturdy armor and wielding weapons.

Refining these powerful Corpse Controlling zombies was no easy feat. Beyond the requirement that the primary material—the zombie itself—be sufficiently formidable, various auxiliary materials were also crucial, potentially even affecting the quality of the final product.

What Zhou Yan desired most was to refine one Armored Zombie and one Magic Zombie, providing him with both offense and defense, as well as both melee and ranged capabilities.

Only at the Hopping Zombie level could the true power of the Profound Yin Corpse Refining Technique begin to manifest.

Jin Mantang left, fully satisfied, and Zhou Yan felt equally pleased as he looked at his increased wealth.

He had never imagined that the items he held in such low regard could be exchanged for so much money, enough to cover his cultivation needs for an entire year.

However, before anything else, his first thought was: should he move his family to a new house?

This place was, after all, in the Outer City. Although the neighbors were familiar, there were also quite a few gangsters and thugs lurking about.

Moreover, if word got out that his family had money, he feared it would only invite the covetous eyes of others.

Zhou Yan did not want to test the nature of human hearts, so the most prudent course of action was to leave Stone Pool Alley for a place with better public security.

"Brother-in-law, are there any houses for sale near your place?" Zhou Yan asked.

Ma Yan's home was also in the Outer City, but it was closer to the Inner City, and that area was home to many families of police officers.

Consequently, in terms of security, it was comparable to certain parts of the Inner City.

Ma Yan quickly grasped Zhou Yan's intent and immediately replied, "I recall there being a house for sale, but that residence originally belonged to a police inspector who was promoted and moved his family to the Inner City. To secure it, I'm afraid it will take quite a few silver dollars..."

"How much?" Zhou Yan asked directly.

Ma Yan gestured with his hand: "At least five hundred silver dollars, and that fellow is quite greedy; I'm afraid he might raise the price at the last minute."

Zhou Yan frowned slightly, pondering for a moment.

He could afford five hundred silver dollars, but he feared the other party's insatiable greed, or worse, that they might be tempted by the sight of his wealth, which would be troublesome.

Even if Zhou Yan could take the man out, or even wipe out his entire family, his own home would likely be ruined in the process.

"Look for another one. If there's nothing nearby, just find a place with a better security environment," Zhou Yan said in a deep voice.

He chose to give up.

Though he felt a twinge of reluctance, Zhou Yan had not yet grown strong enough to disregard a police inspector, so he still needed to keep a low profile.

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

Hearing this, Ma Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been terrified that Zhou Yan might have been carried away by the praise of those around him and would actually do something reckless.

It seemed now that his brother-in-law was still sufficiently calm and cautious.

Ma Yan was highly efficient. Within a few days, he found a decent single-courtyard house just two streets away from his own home.

On the day of the move, Stone Pool Alley was quite lively.

At Zhou Yan's urging, the family only took their personal clothing and bedding, while most of the other furniture and decorations were distributed among the neighbors, which helped earn them a good reputation.

As for the grain in the cellar, it remained sealed there.

After all, Zhou Yan's family was only moving; the house still belonged to them.

However, he set up several traps and mechanisms at the entrance and inside the cellar.

If anyone with no eyes for danger dared to sneak in, they could just stay there forever.

Originally, Zhou Yan had wanted to leave his newly refined zombie in the cellar, but he couldn't bring himself to do it later.

After all, compared to nearly a thousand catties of grain, his Corpse Controlling zombie was far more precious.

Most importantly, his strength was still weak, so he could not afford to waste any combat power at his side.

Watching his family settle into their new home, Zhou Yan felt a weight lift from his heart, allowing him to once again focus his full attention on cultivation.

As for the business, Zhou Yan had no interest in concerning himself with it while he still had money.

However, while Zhou Yan did not care, Ma Yan could not afford to be so indifferent.

With Zhou Yan rarely stepping out of the house, Ma Yan had practically become his spokesperson, helping him solicit business.

Especially after Zhou Yan dealt with a few cases of evil spirits in a clean and decisive manner, his reputation grew increasingly prominent, and people gradually began to come to him of their own accord...

"Dharma Master Zhou, how is my husband doing?" the woman asked anxiously.

Zhou Yan looked at the woman; her attire suggested she was not wealthy, but she was clearly from a middle-class family.

The man sitting before him was staring with wide, unmoving eyes, his expression stiff and rather frightening.

Most importantly, the man's face was painted with rouge and powder, and he was even wearing jewelry, making him look neither like a man nor a woman.

This was not the society of later generations; in this day and age, anyone dressed like this was either mentally ill or had been afflicted by something unclean.

Zhou Yan secretly activated his Dharma Eye, seeing the silhouette of a woman within the man's eyes, her shadow appearing seductive, and he understood the situation at once.

He dispelled the spell and said to the woman, "It is nothing major; your husband has simply been entangled by a female ghost."

"Ah, a female ghost?"

The woman was instantly terrified and hurriedly pleaded, "Dharma Master Zhou, please, you must drive the ghost away. I beg of you."