Moving

"Moving? No problem."

Ma Yan immediately gave his word.

The homes in the outer city were all old and run-down, and the houses weren't worth much.

Even a house with a courtyard usually cost only two silver dollars a month to rent.

"I need somewhere quiet, preferably with few people around—or none at all." Zhou Yan took the opportunity to state his requirements.

"No problem."

Half a day later, Ma Yan brought Zhou Yan to a rather secluded place.

"This house used to belong to a spirit medium. A few years ago, she suddenly went mad, then jumped into the water and died. After that, the house was left empty. No one dared to live here..."

As Ma Yan explained, his expression turned a little awkward, as if he felt somewhat embarrassed.

"By your criteria, this house is the most suitable. But if you think it's unlucky, we can find somewhere else..."

Zhou Yan shook his head, looking quite pleased. "I'm preparing to refine corpses. What do I care about whether it's unlucky? Besides, the surroundings are nice, and it's secluded. It's perfect for me—definitely the best choice."

Ma Yan looked around at the eerie atmosphere and couldn't help muttering, "Nice surroundings?"

He began to wonder whether his young brother-in-law's mind had started going bad since he took up cultivation.

Just like those spirit mediums and shamans, he'd started acting all strange and mysterious.

Zhou Yan ignored Ma Yan's muttering. The place was secluded and steeped in yin energy, so it really wasn't a good place for ordinary people.

But Zhou Yan practiced Corpse Refining and Corpse Controlling. For him, the stronger the yin energy, the better the place was for both cultivation and corpse refining.

A place like this was truly hard to come by.

Moreover, the house had plenty of space, with its own courtyard and several rooms. It was suitable for refining and keeping zombies, and was exactly the kind of place he needed to live in right now.

Zhou Yan made his decision at once and chose the place.

"Since you think it's good, then let's settle on this one," Ma Yan said.

After returning home, the two began preparing to move.

Zhou Chuan and Zhou Jing were both unhappy about Zhou Yan moving out. Zhou Jing clung to Zhou Yan's leg and wailed.

In her eyes, her second brother was leaving home and abandoning her.

"Second Brother, don't go..."

"I won't be greedy anymore. I'll only eat a little every day. Don't leave me..."

"Waaah..."

Zhou Yan's heart ached as he held Zhou Jing and kept comforting her.

Zhou Chuan took it a little better. After all, he was already twelve.

At that age, in this era, he was already beginning to shoulder some adult responsibilities.

He knew his second brother wasn't leaving home for good. He was only staying elsewhere because of certain reasons, and could still come home often.

Besides, he could take his little sister to visit their second brother.

"Don't cry. Third Brother will look after you from now on."

"No, I want Second Brother..."

"..."

"..."

In the end, Mother Zhou carried Zhou Jing away, and only then did things quiet down a little.

Zhou Yan was at a loss. It was only a fifteen-minute walk, yet they were acting as if they were parting forever.

If he could, he wouldn't want to live apart from his family either.

But he practiced an unorthodox path and followed the way of Corpse Controlling.

It was not only dangerous, but also easy to lose control.

So he absolutely couldn't live with his family, in case something went wrong.

Only after his cultivation improved in the future would he be able to ensure their safety.

"You're the pillar of the family now. Take good care of Mother and your little sister. If anything happens, come find me there right away." Zhou Yan gave Zhou Chuan the address of his new home and patted him on the shoulder.

Zhou Chuan nodded firmly, like a little adult. "Yes, Second Brother."

Mother Zhou was reluctant to see him go, too, but she knew Zhou Yan was doing it for the family's sake.

Zhou Yan's move didn't cause much of a stir, mainly because he didn't have much to move.

Apart from a quilt and a few clothes, he had only some things like cinnabar and glutinous rice.

Zhou Jing came along to the courtyard, too. Once she was sure her second brother wasn't abandoning her, she stopped crying and soon began running around the courtyard with Zhou Chuan.

Children's moods came and went quickly.

And coming to a new place made it easy for them to forget their unhappiness.

After looking around carefully for a long while, Mother Zhou couldn't help saying, "Second Son, why does it feel so gloomy here? This isn't a good place!"

She wasn't educated and hadn't seen much of the world, but after all these years of living, she'd gained some practical wisdom.

She couldn't see what was wrong with the courtyard, but she knew it wasn't a place to settle down.

"Mother, this is exactly the sort of place I need for my cultivation. The gloomier, the better," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

He'd already explained the general details of his cultivation to Mother Zhou.

But she probably didn't really understand. She only knew that her son was like those spirit mediums and shamans, and she was deeply reluctant to see him go.

But her son was determined, and there was nothing she could do.

Mother Zhou wasn't an overbearing person. In the past, Father Zhou had made the decisions. Later, Zhou Yan grew up and took on the responsibility of supporting the family, and most matters were left to him.

When Mother Zhou left with Zhou Chuan and Zhou Jing, Ma Yan walked at the back and quietly said to Zhou Yan, "I've got one ready. I'll bring it over tomorrow night."

"Mm."

Zhou Yan nodded.

The goods they were talking about were, of course, corpses.

Normally, the corpses from the Police Station were sent to the charity cemetery outside the city.

Now Zhou Yan had stepped in, and there was a pile of silver dollars on offer, so the corpses were naturally sent to him instead.

Zhou Yan watched his family leave, then closed the door and went back inside.

Dusk began to fall.

The yang energy faded, and the yin energy gathered.

The already gloomy courtyard was soon filled with even more yin energy, bringing a bone-chilling cold.

After refining Mystic Yin Qi and condensing Profound Yin Essence Blood, Zhou Yan had become much more sensitive to yin energy.

He quickly made his way to the place in the house where the yin energy was strongest. It wasn't the main hall or the side rooms, but the master bedroom.

Even Zhou Yan couldn't help cursing inwardly at how concentrated the yin energy was in the master bedroom.

At night, it was like an ice cellar. How could anyone sleep there?

Although he'd already entered the ranks of the unorthodox practitioners, he was still human, unlike those spirit mediums whose thoughts and minds had become completely twisted.

Moreover, Zhou Yan still hoped to change course in the future and become a true cultivator of the Mystic School.

This can't stay the master bedroom. It could still serve as a room for refining corpses and nurturing zombies, but I'll use one of the other rooms on either side as the master bedroom instead, Zhou Yan thought silently as he felt the yin energy in the room growing stronger.