Buying a house

Inside the largest detached villa in the Guanyin Mountain villa complex.

Zhuang Hao excitedly recounted the entire visit to Zhang Hongxing's home to Zhuang Huaide.

"Is that really what happened?"

"Yes, Grandpa. Just who is that man? How could he have such a terrifying aura?"

"I don't know either. Since his temperament is so unpredictable, we should avoid provoking him from now on."

"Grandpa, aren't you exaggerating? His aura was frightening, sure, but no matter how strong he is, could he possibly stand up to planes and artillery?"

"Ah, whatever the case, we'd best leave him alone."

From the moment he developed internal energy, the world had looked somewhat different to Zhuang Huaide. He had never dared imagine that the legendary arts of flying through the sky and burrowing through the earth were real.

But he firmly believed that some people could break through a cordon defended by ordinary rifles.

And Zhang Hongxing might very well be one of them.

While Zhuang Hao was reporting to his grandfather, Zhang Jun's family was discussing the two million yuan Zhuang Hao had given them at the Sincerity Hotel.

"Dad, why did that man give you so much money? You haven't done anything illegal, have you?"

"No. I just sold his family two potted flowers."

"What kind of flowers could be worth that much?"

"Will you stop already? Just take the money I gave you. Why all the questions?"

Zhang Hongxing glared at him. He hadn't spent fifteen thousand years striving just to return to Earth and put up with this.

"I..."

Silenced by the rebuke, Zhang Jun closed his mouth. Li Xiuying, who was sitting beside him, hurried to soothe Zhang Hongxing. "Red Star, Jun didn't mean anything by it. He's just worried you might have broken the law and could end up getting arrested."

"All right, Xiuying, don't worry. I'm not blaming him. By the way, I've been back for two days now. Why haven't I seen Ying or Bing? Where are they these days?"

Ying and Bing were Zhang Hongxing and Li Xiuying's other two children. When he had accidentally entered the Immortal Cultivation World, their second child, Zhang Ying, had just turned three, while their youngest, Zhang Bing, had been less than six months old.

"Ying married and moved to the capital. She won't be back until New Year. Bing has been serving in the army all this time. Six months ago, he said he was going on a mission to the Buddha Country border. This mission is rather unusual, and he hasn't contacted us in a long time."

As she spoke of their other two children, Li Xiuying's eyes filled with longing.

Zhang Hongxing noticed it and turned to Zhang Jun.

"Here's what we'll do. Take the money on this card as well and buy a bigger house. Over the next few days, try to contact Ying and Bing. Tell them I'm back and ask them to come home for a family reunion."

"Dad, this money..."

Zhang Jun still hesitated. He had grown up with Li Xiuying teaching him to be kind and honest, and he really didn't dare touch money of unknown origin.

"Don't worry about spending it. I already told you I earned it by selling flowers. As for the twenty million on this card, I'll find an opportunity to compensate them myself."

"Dad..."

Zhang Jun wanted to say more, but Yan Mei immediately caught his arm.

With his son finally silent, Zhang Hongxing couldn't be bothered to explain further. He took Li Xiuying back to her room.

Now that his cultivation had reached Foundation Establishment, it was time to begin restoring Li Xiuying's youth.

"Close your eyes and sit cross-legged on the bed. Don't think about anything. Starting today, I'll perform Meridian Cleansing and Marrow Washing on you once a day. It will hurt a little at first, but once you get through that, it will gradually become more and more comfortable."

To avoid any misunderstanding, Zhang Hongxing explained exactly what he meant.

For the next hour, Zhang Hongxing circulated his true qi, cleansing Li Xiuying's meridians and washing her marrow little by little. At first, muffled groans occasionally came from the room.

But before twenty minutes had passed, everything fell quiet.

Only after an hour and a half did Zhang Hongxing finally finish. By then, he was drenched in sweat.

Only he could perform Meridian Cleansing and Marrow Washing on someone with the strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Anyone else would have found it impossible.

"All done. Go take a shower now. I'll help you again tomorrow."

"All right."

Li Xiuying obediently stood up. At that moment, she felt a vitality that only the young possessed.

After entering the bathroom, she went straight to the mirror.

Looking at her reflection, Li Xiuying could scarcely believe her eyes.

Her sagging, wrinkle-covered face was gone. Though her face still couldn't compare with that of a young woman in her prime, it now had a hint of radiance. She touched her skin and found that much of its elasticity had returned. Even her eyes seemed considerably clearer.

All of this was actually real.

Red Star really could restore my youth.

Li Xiuying cried again, but this time, they were tears of happiness.

Her shower lasted a full two hours. When she emerged, Zhang Jun and Yan Mei stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Yan Mei's expression, in particular, was beyond words.

What woman didn't want to look beautiful?

If her mother-in-law could become ten years younger in just a few hours, didn't that mean she had a chance too?

"Dad, are you hungry? Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll go buy it for you."

"Dad, are you thirsty? There's watermelon in the fridge. I'll cut some for you right away."

"Dad, would you like some tea? I'll brew you a cup."

"Dad..."

Once again, someone who had held back was won over completely. This daughter-in-law, who had never felt comfortable calling him Dad, now said it more eagerly and more often than anyone.

Naturally, Zhang Hongxing didn't disappoint her.

He promised on the spot that he would buy some medicinal herbs soon to prepare a beauty treatment, and that he would make a portion for her too.

After witnessing Li Xiuying's incredible transformation, the family finally believed Zhang Hongxing's earlier grand claims. That very day, they happily went house hunting together.

Villas were practically impossible to find in their county town.

In the end, Zhang Jun chose a private residence.

The property covered nearly fifteen hundred square meters and featured a three-and-a-half-story house. The courtyard was planted with all kinds of flowers and greenery, and the interior decor had been kept in excellent condition.

Most importantly, such a fine house cost less than two million yuan in total.

According to the owner, he had originally planned to spend his retirement there. But after all his children moved to the capital, he and his wife no longer wanted to stay, so they decided to sell the house.

By the time Zhang Hongxing saw the house, the purchase contract had already been signed.

"Dad, isn't this house great? It's three and a half stories tall, with five rooms on each of the upper two floors. Even if Bing and Ying both came home with their whole families, there would be plenty of room.

"The interior was done three years ago, but every piece of furniture still looks brand-new. You'll see when we go inside. And all the flowers and plants in the courtyard are supposedly valuable varieties. The owner didn't want the trouble of moving them, so he left them all to us.

"Best of all, the whole place only cost us 1.8 million. Didn't we get an amazing deal?"

Zhang Jun excitedly showed Zhang Hongxing around, while Yan Mei and Li Xiuying wore satisfied smiles. Clearly, they all thought they had gotten an excellent bargain.

But there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Before he even entered the courtyard, Zhang Hongxing had already spotted the problem with the house.

In the back courtyard stood a large, straight mulberry tree, almost as tall as the house itself. Yin energy invisible to ordinary people swirled around the entire tree.