Chapter 102 : Being Neighbors for a Lifetime

Chapter 102: Being Neighbors for a Lifetime

Looking at Nan Yuchen’s confident and high-spirited expression, and then thinking of the System task requirement to “ensure Nan Yuchen enters the top four,” Long Tao’s mouth twitched slightly, his emotions tangled and complex.

On one hand, he felt gratified by the boy’s confidence—at least the half of the System task concerning him seemed to have a fair chance.

On the other hand, he once again felt despair over his own nearly impossible objective of “participating in the competition and checking in.”

The kid was brimming with confidence about fighting for a top-four spot—but how exactly was Long Tao supposed to enter that competition among those Foundation Establishment big shots as an official participant and still be alive to “participate” in the top-four stage?

Zhu Huaisu stood to the side, her cool gaze carrying a trace of scrutiny as it swept across Long Tao’s face, as though she wanted to read something from his subtle expressions.

But Long Tao concealed himself well.

In the end, she only said calmly, “Yuchen, we’ve been out long enough. It’s time to return. Master instructed us not to remain outside for too long, and… have you forgotten that there’s still a ‘little ancestor’ at home waiting for you to feed it?”

A clear trace of disappointment crossed Nan Yuchen’s face.

He had actually wanted to chat with Long Tao a while longer.

But he also understood that Senior Fifth Sister was right.

With heavy responsibilities now on his shoulders, it was indeed unwise for him to linger outside and draw attention.

Being able to come out for a breath of fresh air was already good enough.

“Mm, I understand, Senior Fifth Sister.” He nodded obediently, then turned toward Long Tao and Luo Yusi, cupping his hands in salute.

“Senior Brother Long, Daoist Luo, then Senior Fifth Sister and I will head back first. It truly made me happy to run into you today.”

Just as Nan Yuchen was about to be half-forcibly taken away by Zhu Huaisu, a key issue suddenly surfaced in Long Tao’s mind—communication!

In the previous task, one of the greatest difficulties had been the inability to contact Nan Yuchen in time.

Information had not flowed smoothly, and many matters had to be handled hastily.

After all, it would be extremely difficult for him to go to Moon-Washing Peak again and openly drop by to visit the boy.

If he could establish a stable means of contact, many things in the future would become much more convenient.

At the very least, they could notify each other in advance and arrange countermeasures.

“Hey! Wait, wait—don’t be in such a rush, Senior Sister Zhu,” Long Tao hurriedly called out, piling warmth into his smile as he stepped forward and very naturally draped an arm over Nan Yuchen’s shoulder, guiding him slightly away from Zhu Huaisu.

“It’s rare to run into each other outside. Junior Brother Nan, didn’t you mention last time that there’s a particularly good hole-in-the-wall eatery in Qixia Town? You had me craving it for ages. Since we don’t have time to eat together today, at least point me in the general direction and tell me the name. I’ll go try it myself another day.”

As he spoke, using his body and words as cover, he leaned close to the slightly bewildered Nan Yuchen’s ear and whispered in a breath so soft that only the two of them could hear, “You silly kid, those Message-Transmitting Paper Cranes you used last time—give me a few more!”

Nan Yuchen froze for a moment, then a flicker of understanding flashed through his eyes.

Immediately playing along, he revealed a look of sudden realization.

“Oh! You mean the one I mentioned last time! I’ll just write it down for you.”

As he spoke, he naturally took out a small stack of specially cut talisman paper from a hidden pocket inside his sleeve.

To conceal the true purpose, he picked up the top sheet, gathered a faint glow at his fingertips, and briskly wrote down the name of the restaurant and a rough description of its location with impressive seriousness.

At the same time, he secretly mobilized his spiritual power and silently marked the blank sheets beneath with simple spiritual imprints—this was the foundational step in crafting those simple Message-Transmitting Paper Cranes.

The entire process flowed smoothly, as though he were merely earnestly recording restaurant information for Long Tao.

“Here, Senior Brother Long, I’ve written the address and the name for you. Don’t say I’m keeping secrets anymore!” Nan Yuchen laughed as he openly handed the small stack of papers to Long Tao.

The top sheet bore the restaurant’s information; beneath it were several prepared talisman papers.

Although Zhu Huaisu found it somewhat abrupt that the two of them had suddenly begun discussing restaurants, seeing that they had merely written down an address—albeit with a few extra sheets of paper—she did not find anything strange.

After all, her junior brother was often careless.

“Alright, you have the address. We really must go now.” Zhu Huaisu did not delay further.

She stepped forward and lightly tugged at Nan Yuchen’s sleeve.

The two cupped their hands in farewell and soon disappeared into the bustling street.

Meanwhile, Long Tao calmly stored the stack of talisman papers away.

A weight lifted from his heart.

With these sheets, he now possessed an emergency channel of communication with Nan Yuchen.

This would undoubtedly be a significant advantage in dealing with future System tasks.

“Shall we go as well? Or do you still want to pick out another Spirit Pet to bring home?” Luo Yusi, who had been quietly following beside him, asked with a soft smile.

“Forget it. Judging from today, it’s not a good time to buy a pet.”

If not for the System suddenly issuing a task, he would have happily strolled around longer with Luo Yusi.

But now, he truly was not in the mood.

However, unlike the previous tasks that had left him feeling utter despair, this time failure would not result in immediate annihilation.

Though the consequences of failure certainly would not be pleasant, being given even a sliver of opportunity was vastly different from having none at all.

Of course, that did not mean he would completely lie flat and give up.

As long as there was even a thread of hope, he would do his utmost to complete the task—after all, he now understood the benefits of Soul Lamp Value.

There were still three months left.

Rather than losing sleep over anxiety now, it would be better to cultivate step by step and handle the matters that needed attention.

For instance… that piece of land he owned.

“By the way, Yusi, there’s something I originally wanted to discuss with you and your brother.

Since he can’t return for the moment, I’ll ask your opinion first.”

“Go ahead. As long as it’s not something especially major, I can make the decision.”

As expected of the most doted-upon daughter in the family—she spoke with confidence.

“Good. You’ve heard that the sect plans to build a new town by the river, right?”

“Mm, that’s a major matter. If not for the war with the Wuyi Sect, everyone would probably be discussing that new town right now. What about it?”

“Well… I was lucky before and was allocated a piece of land there. But it’s a bit too large. Even if I brought my whole family over, it would still be excessive. So I’m thinking of selling off a portion. But you know, finding trustworthy good neighbors is as difficult as finding a Dao Partner. So… would you and your brother consider it? I’ll give you the lowest price.”

Luo Yusi’s expression shifted repeatedly before settling into one of disbelief.

Though over this period they had become close friends, being invited to become neighbors still surprised and moved her.

After all, no matter what, she and her brother’s appearance made it difficult to fully integrate into the everyday life of the human race.

Although their reputation within the sect had improved after the last Secret Realm expedition, being short-term neighbors and being lifelong neighbors were entirely different matters.

This meant he truly regarded them as his own.

Since arriving at the sect, the siblings had not failed to make friends.

Yet in the end, they had still moved into that remote three-connected side-room courtyard, living an almost reclusive life.

“You’re… serious?”

“Of course! When it comes to money, who wouldn’t be serious?”

“Then you’re not afraid of gossip from neighbors? Living next to Spider Spirits… And when your family comes to live there, won’t they be afraid?”

“I’m just a Qi-Refining minor cultivator. Why should I fear idle gossip? As for my family…” He smiled.

“Trust me. Most people, once they spend enough time with you, will accept you.”

“Then… alright. There’s no need to ask my brother about the size of the land. The two of us don’t need too much space anyway. Once I personally take a look, I can decide. But don’t regret it later.”

“Don’t worry. The only thing that might make me regret it is that you’re too beautiful. You might attract swarms of admirers and bring a bunch of idle busybodies over.”

“Ugh! You’re saying that kind of thing again!”