The difficult path of cultivation for a grassroots female practitioner

Xiao Han had seen cave dwellings on the Loess Plateau on a video website. The cultivator's cave before him was exactly the same as a cave dwelling, except that the walls were made of stone instead of loess.

The house was built into the mountain. It was a long single room with an arched roof, about three meters wide and eight meters deep. Eating, drinking, defecating, urinating and sleeping were all done in this one room.

The furnishings inside were also simple. In the innermost part was a stone bed, like a kang, that had been reserved when the cave was excavated. In the middle was a stone table that was integrated into the rock wall. In the other three sides not leaning against the wall, there were three stone benches.

Near the entrance was a stone platform two meters long and a little over a foot wide. In the middle of the platform was a stove-like area, but there was no opening for firewood. Xiao Han had no idea what it was used for.

Next to the front door was a window. It was covered with a piece of glass that allowed light in, but obstructed vision. Even with the door closed, the clear window allowed enough light inside during the day. She could write by the window from then on, no problem.

Although Xiao Han's living standards were very low, as long as the house could shelter her from the wind and rain and allow her to barely make a living, this place was even more inconvenient than her life in a mortal village.

How does she cook? How does she go to the toilet? Where does she get water, and where does she dump the dirty water?

When you are in a mortal village, you can pour dirty water onto the land next to your house, or fetch water from the river.

There was no outhouse, and the place she lived in was isolated at the back of the village, so she could find a toilet in any corner behind any house. But here, all these were inconvenient.

After thinking about it, Xiao Han walked out and returned to the manager who collected the rent.

"Senior, I'd like to ask you, is there a place to get water here? Also, are there any public toilets here?"

Seeing the middle-aged monk looking at him, Xiao Han carefully asked all the questions in his mind.

The middle-aged monk took a look at his cultivation level and understood a little.

His cultivation was too low, and he couldn't even perform the art of gentle rain, so he could only drink ordinary water from outside.

He stood up, walked outside, and led Xiao Han around a grove of trees that looked a bit like a green belt. He pointed to a small stream about two miles away from the cultivator's cave area and said, "My last name is Tian. From now on, you can call me Fellow Daoist Tian or Manager Tian. You don't need to call me Senior. If you can't use magic to get water yourself, then you can only go there to get water."

He pointed out the river to her and said as they walked back, "There are no toilets here. Because everyone eats spiritual food, there is very little waste excretion, so there is no need for toilets. If you still eat mortal food, then buy yourself a toilet bucket and carry it to a farther place to dispose of it yourself."

Xiao Han was speechless. It would be worse than living in a mortal village.

Alas! If it weren't for the need to cultivate quickly, she wouldn't have moved here. With these five spirit stones, she could live in a mortal village and even hire someone to fetch water and cook for her.

When Manager Tian saw that the door of her cave was open, he walked over, took a look inside, and asked, "Any other questions?"

Xiao Han then pointed at the stove-like object and asked, "What is this used for?"

Manager Tian asked casually, "Did you live with mortals before?"

Xiao Han nodded.

Manager Tian then patiently said, "The monks here who cook their own meals usually buy fire briquettes and burn them in this hearth. Fire briquettes are made by grinding flint into powder and mixing it with coal powder. They have a strong fire and are durable. If you can't use a storage bag to store fire briquettes, you can place purchased fire briquettes under the stone slab."

After thinking for a moment, he continued, "The houses in the northeast corner are the market. They sell everything. Fire coal balls cost three spirit beads each. If you buy a hundred or so, you can burn them for a month without any problem."

Xiao Han secretly calculated that the firewood cost alone would cost three spirit stones a month. How could she live on the few spirit stones in her pocket?

Although she was worried, after thanking Manager Tian, she closed the door and immediately returned to Dayuan Village to pack her things and prepare to move.

For the sake of cultivation, she can find ways to overcome these problems.

Along the way, I took stock of the essentials and decided to buy a toilet at the Mortal Market. When in Rome, do as the Romans do; you'll need what you need. A desk and chair for writing under the window were also essential.

As for fire coal balls, they probably aren't available in the mortal market, so I'll have to wait until I return to the cave and buy them at the cultivator market.

I returned home, packed my things, bought tables, chairs, and a toilet, then went to see the village head and paid him to find someone to get a cart to move.

The village chief naturally agreed happily. However, he still felt a little regretful that Xiao Han had lived in the village for too short a time and had to leave without bringing much benefit to the village.

Xiao Han's stuff mainly consisted of clothes and bedding, but after living there for more than a month, the pots, pans, tables and chairs were packed away, and the cart was completely filled.

After moving, there was no time to pack up, so I went to the monks' market to buy coal briquettes and asked the village to use a cart to transport them back home.

However, in order to save money, Xiao Han only bought fifty coal balls.