The deflated cultivator refused to give up and vowed to turn the tables.

In a single day, Su Zinong received 360,000 taels of silver notes, land, and shops. He had never been so wealthy before; previously, he only had about a thousand taels, which was all he had, making him quite well-off.

So after finishing his work for the month, he stopped helping out at the restaurant. When he left, he handed Da Niu a silver note with a value of 10,000 taels and told the two brothers to split it into 5,000 taels each.

Da Niu mentally calculated that he currently earned eight taels a month, which amounted to about one hundred taels a year. Five thousand taels would be fifty years' worth of monthly wages. Could he retire early then? If he used it to start a business, he could earn even more, and later marry two wives and have six children…

Although Su Zinong is now rich, he still dresses plainly, unlike before when he dressed like a rich young master.

Later, he would occasionally visit the Song family. Young Master Song had fully recovered and looked lively and cheerful, just like the other children in the Chang family. Sometimes Su Zinong would even teach him to play Go.

Song Fulai said that business volume is gradually increasing and he expects it to return to its peak level in two months. He repeatedly praised Su Zinong as a genius.

While feng shui formations are important, other factors also play a role.

The main reason was that after Song Gongzi recovered, Song Fulai was in a much better mood and devoted his main energy back to business. Another reason was that he paid more attention to competing with his neighbor across the street and formulated corresponding countermeasures to win back all the market share that his neighbor had taken away. As a result, his business volume and profits naturally increased steadily.

Su Zinong continued to live a low-key life, wearing ordinary clothes, living in an ordinary small house, haggling over prices when buying things, and always wearing a mask.

Having survived a life-or-death ordeal, his personality changed drastically, and he felt extremely insecure.

Although possessing immense wealth guarantees a life of comfort and security, it doesn't guarantee one's life. Only by improving one's spiritual cultivation or finding a powerful patron can one protect their life!

Having just emerged from the sinkhole, his meridians had almost fully recovered in the past six months. He had also been practicing martial arts, but progress had been slow. So far, he had only recovered to the level of a one-star martial artist, equivalent to a strong young man.

One day, Su Zinong bid farewell to Lishui City and set off for Yellow River Villa.

Ten days later, he arrived in Huanggang City and stayed at a small inn. It was already evening, and after dinner, it got dark, so he headed towards the Yellow River Villa.

The man in front, dressed in a brown robe, was a handsome young man from a turbid world, holding a paper fan and waving it; it was Huang Chenghe.

Su Zinong took off his mask and chased after him, gently patting his shoulder from behind.

Huang Chenghe turned around and, taking advantage of the darkness, was shocked. His face changed drastically, and his legs trembled as he said, "Brother Su... Brother Su, what brings you here?"

"I couldn't bear to die like this, so I came to find you," Su Zinong said calmly.

"You...you...you don't want to drag me to the underworld with you, do you! Brother Su...I treated you sincerely when you were alive. I'm still young and don't want to go with you. Please...please let me go. I'll burn lots and lots of paper money for you..." Huang Chenghe's lips trembled.

“I have unfinished business. You promised to teach me the Three-Tiered Waves of the Yellow River, but you haven’t delivered. I’ve come back to collect my debt.” Seeing that Huang Chenghe mistook him for a ghost, Su Zinong decided to scare him a little, and his tone became sinister.

"I'll teach you, I'll teach you, but can you still learn now? Do you still have the Kidney Water Meridian?" Huang Chenghe asked anxiously.

“Alas,” Su Zinong said, “It is indeed impossible to learn now; perhaps we should wait until another time.”

He shook his head and sighed. With his current cultivation level of one star, what was the point of learning the Yellow River's Three-Tiered Waves? He couldn't learn even a single drop of the Yellow River's water.

"If there's nothing else, I'll go back and burn...burn...burn paper money for you, goodbye!" Huang Chenghe tried to slip away.

"Hey, why are you in such a hurry to leave? Look at you, you're so scared your mouth is trembling. Aren't you usually so eloquent and talkative? Why are you stuttering now? Coward!" Su Zinong grabbed Huang Chenghe by the back of his collar, feeling that Huang Chenghe's behavior was exaggerated.

"Humans...humans and ghosts are on different paths, how can I not be afraid?" Huang Chenghe huddled up.

"I'm a human, not a ghost. Look, I have a shadow behind me. Touch me, I'm warm." Su Zinong said irritably, but had to patiently explain.

Huang Chenghe stared at Su Zinong, looking him up and down. He grabbed Su Zinong's ears and shook them, shouting, "Hey? Is he really a person? You're not dead? How come Qin Xiangxue told me you fell into an abyss and died? I'll teach that little brat a lesson next time. She made me shed so many tears for nothing."

"I almost died, but luckily I survived, and it's all thanks to the Heavenly Silkworm Armor you gave me. Are there still any people lurking near your Yellow River Manor?" Su Zinong thought it was better to be cautious.

“When I came back before, there were some, but after two days we found that they had already left. Later we sent more people to search around, but there were no suspicious people left. Come on, come back to the village with me, come to my house for dinner.” Huang Chenghe gestured for them to come.

“I won’t be going to Yellow River Villa for now, after all, I’m still worried about implicating your family. Besides, I’ve already had dinner, so let’s go to the teahouse later for a cup of tea and a chat,” Su Zinong said.

*** ***

teahouse.

Good tea has already been brewed. After a few cups, my stomach felt warm and comfortable.

"What are your plans, Brother Su?" Huang Chenghe asked, taking a sip of tea.

"I don't have any specific plans for now. I just feel very anxious and scared now that I've lost my cultivation and am in constant danger of losing my life. I'm even more afraid than you were of ghosts. After all, I've already died once. I want to cultivate quickly to regain my cultivation and also find a powerful backer. Saving my life is the most important thing right now," Su Zinong said truthfully.

“You’re already nineteen, past the age range for major sects to recruit disciples. If you could get into a sect, you wouldn’t have to be afraid of that murderer. It’s just a pity they only recruit people under sixteen,” Huang Chenghe said.

“I know it’s difficult, otherwise I wouldn’t have come to you for advice. After all, you know more people and are well-informed.” Su Zinong had no choice but to turn to him.

“Why don’t you try Tianqi Mountain? I know their sect leader, Qi Luye, and his young master and mistress. Their young lady, Qi Jiaojiao, is quite pretty, a year or two older than you, and I heard she’s looking to find a husband for you. If you enter the Tianqi Sect through this marriage proposal, you won’t be subject to the age restriction,” Huang Chenghe said, holding his cup.

"Why do you like playing matchmaker so much? You immediately started talking about finding a husband for me. I'm afraid the other person won't even like me." Su Zinong frowned.

"No, no, with your figure and looks, you're absolutely a handsome man. What woman wouldn't like you? Let's not delay, let's set off tomorrow, lest someone else beats us to it." Huang Chenghe struck while the iron was hot.

*** ***

Tianqi Mountain is not far; it takes two days to reach it from Huanghe Mountain Villa.

This is a relatively large sect with four or five hundred disciples. Although it doesn't rank in the top ten in the cultivation world, it can rank eleventh or twelfth, making it a relatively strong sect.

This mountain soars into the clouds, shrouded in mist all day long, and is said to be as high as the sky, hence the name Tianqi Mountain.

The leader of Tianqi Mountain is named Qi Luye. He has a son and a daughter, neither of whom are yet married. As parents, they are extremely anxious and urge the two siblings to get married as soon as possible.

Therefore, they asked acquaintances to introduce them to potential suitors who were handsome, virtuous, and skilled in martial arts.

Huang Chenghe didn't dare to say for sure that it would work. After all, Su Zinong originally met the requirements, but now that he had lost his cultivation and true energy, he would probably be rejected.

However, aside from his cultivation level, he is exceptionally outstanding in all other aspects, including appearance, character, and intelligence. He is even willing to marry his younger sister.

Moreover, if one's cultivation energy is depleted, it can be gradually replenished.

Thinking of this, Huang Chenghe couldn't help but sigh silently.

He believed Su Zinong deserved a better life, but reality didn't. Perhaps that's the cruelty of reality. Even now, Su Zinong is far less impressive than he was a few months ago, when he was full of youthful vigor.

Just then, someone screamed, "Help! Someone come quick, help me..."