Shi Xiang receives no message even as Yan Yu comes online. Yating has been avoiding the whole discussion for the last few days to gather her thought.

He went home alone. His old bamboo home that was rebuilt from the remnant of the old one. In this home remains the memory of his time with Liu Xun, his old childhood sweetheart. Shi Xiang used to love hearing his name called when he returned home, however just like how his home was burnt down and rebuilt, nothing from those time remains. Not even the feeling.

Shi Xiang took a bath in the old wooden tub. Normally water is meant to purify the unclean, for cultivator even moreso. There are body cleansing medicinal bath meant to do exactly that. Extracting the impurity from the body of a cultivator to improve their cultivation. Usually after such a bath, the water would become extremely unclean, worst than sewage, even poisonous.

However, after Shi Xiang took a bath, the water is clearer than before he took a bath. He leaves the water for later to water his garden.

Then he pretends to ignore the men that has been following him ever since he left the government office.

These people are from the Hu family.

Immediately after he left, Hu Wu has contacted his family men to keep an eye on Shi Xiang, however no one dare to make a move. Among them is one head butler from the Hu family itself. Among the servants, his cultivation was the greatest so he personally takes this task.

Even still, he is dissatisfied.

"That bastard Shi Xiang, how dare he made a scene to humiliate the Hu family like that? Just because he has a backing now, he dares to show off? If it was before, let see if your grandfather would let you be or not."

The head butler's relationship with the Hu family... he has been working for the family for more than 30 years. He may be a lowly one, but he has been looking over the family for all of those 30 years. Working up slowly from a position of servant to a grander position.

And among the descendant of the Hu family, Hu De was his favorite young master.

The head butler was the one who burnt Shi Xiang's house down, on Hu De's behalf. From his point of view, life like Shi Xiang was lower than dirt. If they dare to become an obstacle to the Hu family, they may as well be grounded into oblivion.

That night, Shi Xiang sleeps tight in his home while the head butler of the Hu family considers gathering firewood and oil and burn Shi Xiang's house down one again with Shi Xiang inside.

A distance thunder changes his mind.

Shi Xiang ignores all of it to have a good night sleep.

In the morning, Shi Xiang poses in front of the mirror alone, and then he threw the old bath water out, using it to water the vegetation. The Hu family men who has been staying awake all night seeing the commotion immediately straighten up at the sight.

The moment the water touch the vegetation, the flower and herb seem to come alive.

Like a lover caressing each other, the vegetation, gently touches Shi Xiang as he passes. This is clear to everyone except Shi Xiang who ignores it.

There is a story called Flower-touched, where a man's red spider lily come to life and become the man's lover. Of course for cultivators, they don't believe it and think it's the common people's nonsense. But this scene seem like it comes straight from the book.

"This phenomenon... That water has some profoundness to it! Immediately, after he leaves, dig out the root and extract the water. Gather some plant sample too, it may be beneficial to our master's cultivation."

The men from the Hu family was extremely spooked after seeing the phenomenon even as they follow Shi Xiang around. The scene of the flower moving like they were alive scared them into thinking that at any moment the flower would come alive, and it would be just like "Flower-touched" all over again with a red demoness that suck out cultivation and bring disaster.

When Shi Xiang crosses a bridge, a lady in red appears and greets him in a friendly manner.

This lady is... not the red spider lily in Shi Xiang garden, but the men from the Hu family believes it all the same.

And then they run.

The lady was there to buy calligraphy. Her name is Kong Lingxin, the heiress of another famous family within the continent, the Kong family. Apparently after hearing of Shi Xiang's calligraphy fame, she has come to buy something for her father.

However Shi Xiang stops her.

"Beautiful calligraphy only has one owner. If it was the lady who chose it, it would belong to you and not your father."

The prestigious lady Kong Lingxin was not angry.

"Everything that belong to their children would belong to their parents. That is parental fealty. Something that I buy for my father would be the same as my father who buy it."

Shi Xiang does not know how to refuse it. However, he continues

"However, such calligraphy may not be what your father wanted. It would be best if he is the one who buy it himself. Whatever you choose, it has to be something you wanted, this is the motto of this shop."

Instead of refuting him about inviting someone like her father to a small shop like this, the lady only smiles

"Something that I wanted huh?"

The lady jade-like hand moves toward the calligraphy.

Suddenly their hands touch.

"Ah." Shi Xiang withdraw his hand. It was because the result was out of his expectation.

The lady from the Kong family chooses both. And the System Notice also counted her as of the buyer at that moment.

"I'm sorry." Shi Xiang bows his head.

"Nothing. It was nothing." The lady forgives him.

After all if they look at the two at that moment, Shi Xiang is nothing more like a big pile of cow dung on the road and the lady, the flower at that moment. Despite his beautiful face, Shi Xiang does not groom himself, or wear good clothes. After the he was reborn, things like beautiful clothes is a foreign concept to Shi Xiang.

"It's empty today isn't it?" Suddenly the lady says.

Shi Xiang as the seller still bows respectfully.

"Ah. It was because of me. I have to deal with a bunch of ruffian yesterday, so that may have chased the potential customers away."

At that moment, Shi Xiang could feel a strange anger from the lady, however that moment pass.

"I already heard the rumor. It was the Hu family wasn't it? Those loathsome coward only know to rely on force."

With a disdain, suddenly the lady says.

"I always want to do something about them. But the Kong family and the Hu family is on equal term, and nothing can be done."

Saying that, the lady shakes her head. Suddenly she took out one of her handkerchief and hands it to Shi Xiang.

"This must be fate. Take this, the next time something happens, you could take this to the Kong manor. With enough evidences, we could bring you justice."

Suddenly she notices a third party and her face turns strange.

"What is this about justice?"

It was the scholarly man from the other day who is looking quite pleased at that moment. Following him is not the two masters from the other day, there are two newcomers.

"Hello. I'm bringing two new customers. Give me some face and help them with choosing what is suited for them okay?"

The man looks over at lady Kong Lixing with surprise face, but then it turns into intrigue and quickly amusement. He didn't say anything, and the two newcomers make their purchase.

Again, they choose the two teaching from Yan Yu.

From the start, excluding the scholarly man, everyone chose the calligraphy that tries to copy Yan Yu. For the normal people, their live are hard.

After that, the man and Kong Lixing leaves.

"System Notice:

Mission: As before, so after. Pass on what you have learned and improve the cultivation level of the people with the right mindset.

Write down the teaching of Sect Master of the Heavenly Sword Sect, Zheng Jie and Devil Path Ancestor, Yan Yu and sell it to more than 3000 people (0009/3000, incomplete)

Reward: Video Replay System"

Shi Xiang feels that something is amidst, but he can't quite place what is wrong. Suddenly, as if choosing the exact moment to interfere, Yan Yu opens a chat window.

"Devil Path Ancestor, Yan Yu: How is it going Shi Xiang?"

Exchanging a few small word, Shi Xiang dutifully retold what happened the last few days.

Yan Yu sitting on the other side of the screen was extremely amused. However he only types one sentence back.

"Devil Path Ancestor, Yan Yu: Of course something is wrong, from the start, you have been played."

After that he sits back to see how things would turn out.