The days of a celestial being in the mortal realm

At the end of a quiet alley in the west of Blackrock City, an old house with a small courtyard became the temporary shelter for Fang Li and her group of five.

They reluctantly paid the broker with the silver they had obtained from exchanging their last few low-grade spirit stones, which were considered hard currency in the mortal world, and barely managed to buy the place.

The first thing we did after settling in was to divide the work.

Xie Chen naturally took on the role of "accountant." He somehow acquired an old abacus and sat on a stone bench in the courtyard every day, his fingers flying across the abacus, meticulously calculating every penny in and out. His brow was often furrowed as he worried about the finances of this temporary household.

Ji Qianqiu readily became both the "guardian" and the "woodcutter." His astonishing strength proved exceptionally useful in the mortal realm; chopping wood and carrying water were no problem for him, and he could occasionally venture into the mountains to try his luck. He was quite satisfied with this, feeling that he had finally found a place to use his skills.

Shen Yunzhou held the title of "Sword Instructor" and practiced swordsmanship in a secluded corner of the courtyard. In reality, he was honing his sword intent in the purest way possible in this place with scarce spiritual energy, slowly recovering his strength. Occasionally, curious neighbors would peek over, but they simply thought he was a martial arts fanatic.

Ye Wuyang… His assignment caused a moment of silence among the crowd. Finally, he uttered two words expressionlessly: “Ice maker.” And so, an inconspicuous earthen cellar appeared in the corner of the courtyard. He would go in for a short while each day, and when he came out, he would have several blocks of ice, pure and translucent, exuding a chilling aura.

In the still sweltering Blackrock City at the end of summer, this unexpectedly became a source of income for them, albeit not insignificant.

No one knows how he created this ice in the mortal realm without using magic. As for what to sell in winter... we'll see.

The Qilin beast lay down to one side, yawned, and after its mighty body shrunk, it looked like a slightly larger guard dog, which Fang Li casually named "A-Qi".

Fang Li became the nominal "head of the family," responsible for overall planning and... disguise.

She found an embroidery frame and needles and thread, trying to play the role of a girl who supplements her family's income through embroidery.

However…

"Tongzi! We're almost out of money!" Fang Li complained to Tongzi, her finger pricked by the embroidery needle again, making her wince in pain. "How come embroidery is harder than fighting! It turns out that being an ordinary person dealing with daily necessities like firewood, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea is so difficult!"

The system mentally encouraged her: [“Host! Remember, you're the woman who's going to punch the Celestial Court and kick the Celestial Lords! How can you be defeated by a few coins and a needle? How about… having Night Ice Cube perform a chest-breaking stunt on the street? That would definitely make a fortune!”]

Fang Li: "..." She imagined Ye Wuyang performing the scene of breaking a boulder on his chest with that icy face, and shuddered, decisively rejecting the idea.

Their financial difficulties were real. Xie Chen's daily abacus clicks served as a constant reminder of their tight budget.

Fortunately, there was some good news.

"Junior Sister! Look!" Ji Qianqiu's loud voice came from outside the courtyard. He was carrying a huge wild boar on his shoulder and striding in with a simple and honest smile on his face. "I'm lucky today! I ran into this big guy! It'll be enough to eat for several days! I can even sell it for some money!" He threw the wild boar in the corner of the courtyard, and the ground shook.

Shen Yunzhou returned silently from outside, placing several strings of copper coins and some loose silver on the stone table in the courtyard. These were the coins he had traded for ordinary mountain goods he had hunted. He said nothing, only glancing at Fang Li: "...Here you go."

Xie Chen fiddled with the abacus, glanced at the wild boar, then at the money on the table, and nodded slightly: "Income and expenditure... barely balanced. But we still need to be frugal." He was getting more and more into the role of the concerned housekeeper.

Ye Wuyang, on a sweltering afternoon, silently pushed a bowl of chilled plum soup in front of Fang Li, who was struggling with her embroidery frame. Fine water droplets condensed on the bowl's surface. "...to relieve the heat."

Fang Li paused for a moment, then took the bowl. The cool touch traveled through her fingertips, dispelling the late summer heat. She whispered, "...Thank you."

In this seemingly peaceful and ordinary life, certain subtle emotions are quietly growing, like undercurrents.

Under the guise of teaching basic swordsmanship, Shen Yunzhou instructed Fang Li to practice the most basic chopping, thrusting, parrying, and hooking techniques.

Sometimes, he would "coincidentally" stand behind her, "accidentally" take her hand, correct her posture, and his breath brush against her ear. Whenever this happened, a soft "crack" would come from Ye Wuyang's hand as he fetched ice in the corner of the courtyard, a piece of fine ice being crushed in his palm, releasing a burst of cold air.

Ji Qianqiu eagerly took on all the heavy work for Fang Li, chopping wood, carrying water, and even trying to embroider for her! Fang Li stopped him in horror. He then rushed to wash Fang Li's few poorly embroidered handkerchiefs. Each time, he was drenched in sweat, then ran to Fang Li, grinning foolishly and boasting, "Junior sister! I finished all the work! Aren't you amazing!" His eyes sparkled, as if waiting for praise.

Xie Chen would "coincidentally" calculate that "today is a good day for shopping," and then "naturally" invite Fang Li to go shopping at the market together. At the market, he would "casually" buy an ordinary wooden hairpin that Fang Li had glanced at a few times, and then hand it to her casually, as if he had just bought a radish and cabbage on the side.

Fang Li knew all about it, but felt completely overwhelmed and could only try to play dumb.

That day, Fang Li was once again dragged by Xie Chen to the bustling market of Blackstone City under the pretext of "supplementing household expenses." The market was teeming with people, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares filled the air, creating a vibrant and lively atmosphere.

Fang Li tried her best to play the role of an ordinary girl, her eyes wandering among the stalls, but in her heart she was complaining to Tongzi about the prices.

Suddenly, she stopped abruptly!

Just now, as she passed through the cacophony of voices and chaotic atmosphere, she clearly sensed a trace of primordial chaos! It shared the same origin as hers, yet was far more ancient and silent!

The source of the disturbance was a nearby stall selling miscellaneous goods and secondhand items. The stall owner was a drowsy old man, and his stall was filled with various rusty ironware, broken pottery jars, and some oddly shaped stones.

The slight ripple came from one of the stones, which was entirely black and had a rough surface! It lay quietly in the corner, covered in dust, among a pile of broken copper and scrap iron.

Fang Li's heart suddenly raced! She instinctively wanted to walk over and pick up the stone.

However, the moment she lifted her foot, that faint fluctuation vanished like wisps of smoke scattered by the wind, disappearing without a trace! It was as if everything just now was merely her illusion. Yet, it made Fang Li's heart skip a beat!

She forcibly suppressed the strangeness on her face, subtly shifted her gaze, and continued to follow Xie Chen forward, but her heart was already churning with turmoil.

What was that just now?