A Man from Black Stone City, Layered Cloud Kingdom

"Since I'll be staying here for a while, we'll be seeing each other day and night. So let me give you a little help."

With a thought, Ye Fu gently touched his index finger to the pear tree's bark. A wisp of faint green light slowly flowed from his fingertip, gradually enveloped the trunk, then seeped into it bit by bit.

The whole pear tree trembled without warning. Every snow-white blossom gave off a faint glow, and the unopened buds vied to bloom. In moments, clusters of pear blossoms covered every branch, shining with the light of life. Halos of light flowed among them, mingling with the warm sunlight that fell into the courtyard, like a starry sky in broad daylight.

Ye Fu smiled in satisfaction and said to the pear tree, "All right, the rest is up to you."

With that, he was just about to turn and have a look inside when the pear tree trembled again. From its luxuriant crown, a slender twig bearing pear blossoms slowly lowered itself before him, then gently touched his hand.

The pear tree's goodwill reached Ye Fu.

Ye Fu smiled faintly. See? I said I'd be living in this courtyard house for free from now on. Then he turned and went inside.

The house was simply decorated and clean, just the sort Ye Fu preferred. It was fully furnished, with stools, tables, screens, lattice windows, beds, cabinets, chests, and everything else one could need. Since he had no need to relieve himself, he didn't pay much attention to the latrine.

The kitchen was his top priority. He cared quite a bit about what he ate. Ye Fu had always lived by the creed, "I can dress poorly, but I must eat well." So during the days he had worked away from home and lived alone, he had practiced his cooking plenty. He wouldn't claim to be a master chef, but everyone who had tried his cooking had praised it.

There were pots, bowls, ladles, basins, and all the other kitchen utensils. They weren't particularly fine, but they were usable. If worse came to worst, Ye Fu could always find someone to make what he needed, and even if that failed, he could make it himself. Though unless he had absolutely no choice, he didn't intend to use his cultivation.

He held to the belief that "since I'm going to live an ordinary life, I should see it through to the end." Come to think of it, it felt a little strange. He had only just arrived in a new world, and he was already living a farming life. It was really something. Still, Ye Fu truly had no desire to go adventuring or roaming about.

There weren't many seasonings in the kitchen. At a glance, there was only salt, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and some chili flakes. That wasn't much of a problem, though. He could always make his own seasonings, and Ye Fu had done that plenty of times before. He had often made his own blends by hand because he wasn't satisfied with the seasonings at the supermarket.

"Even if this world doesn't have processed seasonings like cooking wine, chili oil, or Sichuan pepper oil, it should at least have natural seasonings like the five spices, right?"

There wasn't much more to say about the seasonings.

The trouble now was that the kitchen used firewood. It had the kind of earthen stove commonly found in the countryside, with three pots-small, medium, and large-and three firebox openings underneath.

Ye Fu had no experience cooking with firewood and worried he wouldn't be able to control the heat. But when it came to eating, he had never minded the trouble, and he figured he should be able to learn if he took his time.

After leaving the kitchen, Ye Fu planned to go buy some everyday necessities. But on second thought, a problem immediately occurred to him: money.

Although he had some money on him now, it certainly wouldn't be enough to live on forever. He needed a steady source of income.

Ye Fu had no intention of stealing or robbing anyone, much less of using his cultivation to create money outright. If he did that, things would still be rather dull, and in time he would probably feel empty. Alone in another world, Ye Fu was already in an emotional slump. If he couldn't find some enjoyment in life, he reckoned it would be a torment to live.

"I need to find an honest trade to make money."

He clearly had cultivation and could conjure gold, silver, and jewels with a flick of his fingers, yet he still talked about making money. That sounded rather pretentious, didn't it? But to Ye Fu, it was worth doing. That was just the kind of person he was.

After turning it over in his mind, Ye Fu considered what he could do that would be enjoyable enough to keep him from sinking into depression from sheer tedium, while also earning enough to cover his everyday expenses.

Teaching...

As a child, Ye Fu had always wanted to be an educator, but the various knocks and setbacks he encountered after university had cost him the chance.

"Now that I've come to a new world, I ought to start a new experience. I'll treat it as a chance to fulfill a wish I couldn't fulfill before."

The thought took root and sprouted, and he couldn't shake it.

"Besides, I did graduate with a degree in literature, after all. I've read the Three Books and Five Classics thoroughly, and the knowledge I still have in my head should be enough to teach the children of this world."

The idea grew into a plan. Ye Fu found paper and a brush in the house and made a detailed shopping list, including everything he would need in the near future. But when he went out to buy those things, he found that he couldn't quite be bothered with these small but troublesome tasks. After all, there were still a lot of things to buy...

Especially when he thought about having to wash clothes, sweep the floor, and wipe tables by hand from now on, his head began to ache. Although he had lived alone for a long time, he had been reasonably well-off, and his home had been thoroughly equipped with appliances and furniture. Smart appliances had taken care of most tedious chores, such as laundry and sweeping.

Now that he realized he would have to do everything with his own hands, his head instantly began to hurt. Then he remembered that the kitchen needed a fire, and that when cooking he would have to control the heat at the firebox opening while stir-frying the food. It seemed like even more trouble.

Ye Fu's little urge to slack off rose in him. He sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, leaned back against the pear tree, and gazed at the sky.

"I thought my life would become more refined in another world, but..."

"Why not hire someone to help out? I'll be opening a school later anyway, and I definitely won't be able to handle everything alone."

Chapter 9: A Man from Black Stone City, Layered Cloud Kingdom

The moment the idea arose, he couldn't shake it.

The more Ye Fu thought about it, the more he felt it was the right thing to do, so he leaned against the pear tree with an easy conscience. The pear tree had gained spiritual awareness, and it trembled, making the spot where Ye Fu leaned sink inward until it formed a recliner with just the right curve.