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Chapter 120: Report Number: Three Fire Goddesses

When Xu Yuan woke up the next day, he habitually looked up at the almanac. Today's prohibitions:
Walking at night, sitting on stones, hunting, and receiving wealth.

It is not that you cannot check the almanac in advance, but doing so will bring "bad luck".

The so-called "unlucky" doesn't necessarily lead to disaster; it's only likely to happen seven or eight times out of ten. So unless there's something important that needs to be arranged in advance, there's no need to check the almanac in advance.

Over the past few hundred years, the people of the Ming Dynasty have long been accustomed to arranging their daily lives according to the lunar calendar and have made some habitual preparations.

Lin Wanmo didn't make breakfast. He said to Xu Yuan through the door, "I'm busy. Go to the alley entrance to eat."

There is a breakfast stall at the entrance of the alley.

Xu Yuan prepared incense, candles and paper, and took Dafu out.

After a quick breakfast, I went out of town to visit my father's grave.

Xu Huanyang's tomb is ten miles south of the city. Most of the elders of ordinary families in the city are buried here.

This is a sunny hillside with a large temple on the top. A ritual is held there every half month to prevent the ancestors in the tombs from taking strange turns.

Xu Yuan burned some paper and bowed, then spoke to his father and said goodbye.

"Dad, what are you hiding from me?"

"It's very dangerous, right? Otherwise, Lin Wanmo wouldn't be so stubborn. I can tell at a glance that she wants to handle it all on her own. Humph, don't I know her well enough?"

"If you don't tell me, can't I just check it myself? Lin Wanmo let it slip last time that there are our family files in the 'Forbidden Star Tower' of the Imperial Observatory."

Xu Yuan burned the last pile of paper money in his hand, stood up, and brushed the dirt off his butt. "Alright, I'm leaving now. I'm afraid I won't be back for the New Year. Please take care of yourself down there. Next time you come, your son will have money. I'll burn eight paper beauties for you."

This time, there were many new graves on the hillside, all of which were the result of the evil spirits causing trouble last time.

Xu Yuan walked down the mountain along the path and shouted to the bushes beside him, "Da Fu, let's go back."

Da Fu came out and caught a lot of insects to feed himself.

When I came back, the city was already bustling with people transporting goods, pulling carts, selling vegetables, hiring workers, barbers, knife sharpeners, and performing martial arts... You shouted to them and heard the clanging sounds. Amidst the clinking and clanging sounds, the small restaurants on the street opened their large steamers and the freshly steamed buns blew out clouds of steam, and the fragrance filled half the street.

Xu Yuan suddenly thought: Only the humdrum atmosphere of this world can really drive away all the ominous things, right?

While Hu was lost in thought, he heard someone not far away praise him: "Huahua is so beautiful!"

"Grandma is here to buy groceries?"

"You don't need to buy this rock candy. I just bought it yesterday. We're neighbors. I can't cheat you."

Xu Yuan looked in the direction of the voice and saw Ah Hua holding a basket in her mouth and Grandma Ying walking in front with her hands behind her back. She smiled as she passed by every stall, checking to see if there was anything she needed and chatting with the stall owner for a few words.

It seems that Grandma Ying can adapt to the new environment better than himself. Xu Yuan smiled and felt relieved.

Turning around, Xu Yuan returned to Hegong Lane.

He went to Aunt Wang's house first, returned the spleen to her, and told her that he was going to Luocheng Mansion.

Aunt Wang's eyes showed obvious distress and worry: "Take it for self-defense..."

Xu Yuan, however, stubbornly returned the criticism: "You're not in good shape, and it would be even worse without this. Don't worry, the Extermination Department is such a big government office, even if something happens, you can't let a mere inspector rush in first, right?"

Aunt Wang sighed, thought for a moment and said, "Wait for me."

She went up to the attic, rummaged around for a while, found something and handed it to Xu Yuan: "Take this with you." It was a three-foot square iron box, very heavy, and Aunt Wang had a hard time carrying it.

When Xu Yuan opened it, there was a loud clanging sound from inside.

There were seven or eight daggers in the iron box.

You can tell at a glance that these are all sword pills!

After the master died, the sword pills were unable to transform back into pills. However, these sword pills were of a high standard and still retained a strong spirituality.

The iron box was covered with rust. Aunt Wang had been collecting these sword balls for at least ten years, but they still clanged when the box was opened. They were definitely not just at the seventh-rate level back then.

Xu Yuan snatched Xing Guolong's Seven-Flow Sword Pill, picked it up casually and refined it as bait without any resistance, because the sword pill was not of such a high level and did not have such strong spiritual power.

Xu Yuan asked curiously, "Aunt, where did you get all this from?"

Aunt Wang looked reluctant to speak, but she didn't want to lie to Yuan either, so she hesitated and said, "Well, back then, I was just like your second uncle, wanting to go out and explore the world. I was young and full of energy, so I ended up taking these sword balls back."

Xu Yuan gave a thumbs up.

"I see your sword pills are of poor quality. You ate all of these and melted them in. You absolutely cannot use them directly. If their descendants see them, it will be a troublesome matter."

Xu Yuan smiled secretly and replied, "Don't worry, auntie, I promise no one will recognize me."

"That's good, that's good. Yuan, being outside is different from being at home. Be patient and you'll have peace and quiet. Take a step back and you'll have a broader horizon! Don't get into fights with others. When you encounter something, avoid it. Don't get carried away. We're not a wealthy family with a deep heritage..."

Xu Yuan looked at the box full of sword pills, then at Aunt Wang: You went out and made a living, snatching back so many things, and now you're nagging me to be patient?!
Aunt Wang didn't feel there was anything wrong at all. Her mind was working slowly now, after all, her brain had also been refined into an elixir.

"Your advice is invaluable. I've taken note." Xu Yuan closed the box and said, "I'll be leaving now. I still have to go see Mr. Shen."

"Okay, go ahead." Aunt Wang waved her hand, then suddenly pulled him back: "Hey, Yuan, if someone asks you if you know someone from Shanhe County named 'Three Fire Goddesses', you must deny it flatly. Remember this!"

Xu Yuan opened his mouth but said nothing and could only nod vigorously.

Auntie, how many people did you offend back then?
Xu Yuan came out of Aunt Wang's house, feeling both amused and helpless. He went to put down the box first, as it was quite heavy.

Then he took the two plasters and the gourd of wine and went to Uncle Shen's house.

Uncle Shen was lighting the stove, but the old man's hands and feet were not very flexible, and after a long time, there was only smoke but no flame.

The fumes made Mr. Shen cough repeatedly. Xu Yuan rolled up his sleeves and said, "Let me do it."

A puff of fire rushed in and the stove was lit successfully.

The whole stove was on fire.

Xu Yuan looked at the burnt stove awkwardly and scratched his head: "Oh, I didn't control it well."

Uncle Shen dropped the fire tongs and glared at him: "Seventh-rate?"

"Hmm."

I have just been promoted to the seventh level, so my control over the fire in my abdomen is still a little inaccurate.

The old man waved his hand and said, "Life is life, and cultivation is cultivation. You can't get along with them anymore. You always want to use the methods of the seven major sects to solve all problems."

"Yeah." Xu Yuan accepted the advice humbly. No matter whether what the old man said made sense or not, you burned someone else's stove and were taught a lesson. Shouldn't you listen obediently?

(End of this chapter)