Chapter 2: Evil Neighbor
West of Yanhe City.
Liou Yuan walked briskly along the main stone-paved road of Yanhe City.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he barely made it back to the west of Yanhe City, arriving at his doorstep just as the first rays of morning light touched the city.
Though Yanhe City boasts a long history, its walls have been repaired countless times.
Even its buildings have been torn down and rebuilt countless times.
The small courtyard of Liou Yuan’s home has stood for less than a hundred years.
There is an old locust tree at the entrance, and during this autumn season, many withered yellow leaves have accumulated at the doorstep.
Liou Yuan swiftly stepped across the blanket of fallen leaves, causing some to lift and quickly fall again.
Creak~
Closing the door, Liou Yuan glanced at the northern room where his mother resided.
The door was tightly shut, and the windows were securely locked.
"Phew, thank goodness, she’s not back." Seeing this, Liou Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling grateful.
His mother, Bai Xin, worked at the Xuanhu Clinic in Yanhe City as a very skilled female healer, fairly renowned in the city.
Because the clinic had close ties with the city’s bureaucracy, sometimes they would specifically invite his mother to treat injuries from swords and knives.
As the chill of autumn set in, many fell ill, making it an exceptionally busy time for the clinic.
It wasn’t uncommon for Bai Xin to be away for days.
Otherwise, Liou Yuan wouldn’t dare stay out every night.
Feeling more relaxed, Liou Yuan’s pace was no longer hurried.
Leisurely, he walked to his room, closed the door, undressed, and climbed into bed.
He was no immortal who didn’t need sleep; after staying up all night at the mountaintop, his eyes were already tired.
Once he snuggled into the warm bedding, drowsiness washed over him, and his breathing gradually steadied.
The original owner of this body, also surnamed Liu, was called Liou Yuan, a name differing only slightly from Liou Yuan, both in character and pronunciation.
Thanks to his mother Bai Xin’s skills, their family wasn’t wealthy in Yanhe City, but they lived quite comfortably.
Thus, he didn’t need to worry about earning a living; his mother’s greatest hope was for him to study at home, read books, and try to enter the Donghe Academy in Yanhe City.
Of course, he also had to attend private school.
However, after Liou Yuan came to this world, he had no interest in private school.
His mother, being busy, did not ask much.
As for Liou Yuan’s father, he had been gone for years.
He died many years ago in an incident defending Yanhe City against the Star Evil.
Before his death, he was also a public servant and was considered a hero, leaving behind a large pension.
The majority of that money went to his elder brother.
As Bai Xin would say, the resources needed for cultivation were not a small sum.
Moreover, with Bai Xin’s remarkable medical skills, they didn’t need much money.
But his elder brother only returned home once every few years, leaving Liou Yuan alone most of the time, almost like an orphan, though not lacking in livelihood.
Liou Yuan slept until it was near dusk.
In his dream, he saw his Fixed Star Compass floating in a dark, chaotic space.
Its appearance was identical to real life, blurring the line between dream and reality for Liou Yuan.
Instinctively, he moved closer to the Fixed Star Compass.
As he drew near, Liou Yuan could clearly see that the pointer at the center of the Fixed Star Compass was now glowing with a white spiritual light.
As Liou Yuan approached, the radiance emanating from the center of the Fixed Star Compass began to distort.
Finally, above the Fixed Star Compass, it coalesced into a script only Liou Yuan could comprehend, unpertaining to this world.
[Human Race Liou Yuan]
[Cultivation]: Not yet initiated
[Aptitude]: One-Star Water Acupoint, Two-Star Gold Acupoint
[Talent]: None
[Magic]: None
Half-awake, Liou Yuan paid no heed to the scenes in his dream.
In a foggy state of reality consciousness, he instinctively reached towards his chest, but found nothing.
"The Fixed Star Compass is gone!"
The emptiness under his touch instantly jolted Liou Yuan awake; he sat up in bed with a start.
"Where’s my treasure!" Liou Yuan didn’t even have time to wipe the sleep from his eyes as he hastily patted down his body.
Searching all over, he couldn’t find his Fixed Star Compass, and a chill ran through him.
He distinctly remembered tucking the Fixed Star Compass into his chest when he left Virgo Peak.
"I’ve been robbed!"
Liou Yuan cursed angrily, his expression fierce, ready to go to the kitchen to grab a Bone Knife.
But he quickly halted his actions.
Because the string of words he saw in his dream hadn’t disappeared from his eyes.
The source of the light beam forming those words was the Fixed Star Compass!
After a moment of surprise, Liou Yuan’s expression suddenly calmed, understanding dawning in his eyes.
"So that’s how it is."
People in this world might not comprehend what it meant.
As a true descendant of the Yan Huang, how could he not know what this represented?
His Fixed Star Compass was indeed extraordinary; evidently, last night on Virgo Peak, the Fixed Star Compass had absorbed enough energy, and now it was revealing its unique properties.
Those words, they were an evaluation of Liou Yuan’s current state.
"It can even detect my aptitude."
Calmed down, Liou Yuan focused on the Fixed Star Compass’s [Aptitude] line.
Among all, it was the only thing that seemed decent.
"I actually have two aptitudes!"
Liou Yuan recalled his elder brother testing his aptitude two years ago.
His brother deemed him unsuitable for cultivation, not that he lacked talent completely, but his aptitude was too poor.
Over the past two years, Liou Yuan heard snippets from his mother Bai Xin, mentioning his aptitude was one star, categorized as the worst.