While Weiqi was busy being happy, Shi Huizhong was astonished. He thought this boy was a genius.

Sure enough, he can't expect just any vegetarian to be brought over by the Underworld.

Refining and Creation were Shi Huizheng's cultivation paths, but he always loved Talismans and Formations. It's just that his Qi was not very suitable for that, much to his disappointment.

He bought many books on the subject and even dabbled a little in it. Of course, he hired an expert for the formations on his house, and the expense was astronomical.

Weiqi was excited that he could use his talents from his previous life, and Shi Huizheng was excited to teach someone what he always loved.

So, the two were just excitedly going back and forth until the sound of a growling stomach interrupted this harmonious scene.

"Ah, Grandpa Shi, sorry, I haven't eaten so long that my stomach is practically glued to my back." Weiqi rubbed his stomach and smiled up at Shi Huizheng.

Shi Huizheng's opinion of this boy was excellent at this point, so he replied warmly, "Ah, you silly boy, you should have stopped me from talking. Here, I will order some food now. Let me show you to your room while we wait for the food to arrive." Then looked down at the backpack and asked, "Is this the only thing you have? We can go and buy you necessities later."

Weiqi remembered the boy's old apartment with some strewn clothes but thought that by now, young master Tao had probably bought the building and had him evicted. So those belongings were most likely trashed.

Shi Huizhong took Weiqi up the stairs explaining, "The first floor is the store; all cabinets have formations on them, so do not touch them yet, or you will get hurt. There is also a kitchen in the back of the store.

The second floor has the tearoom where I receive guests, a bathroom, and two studies. One of the studies is my crafting room, which also has a formation. Make sure you don't trigger it, or you might get seriously hurt. We can set the second study as yours. You'll need it for your Talismans." Then rubbed the boy's head affectionately.

Shi Huizhong had already gotten over his reluctance and now was happy that he got such a talented roommate, yes, roommate. After witnessing the boy's talent, he couldn't bring himself to call him a tenant.

Imagining the interesting future talismans, he might see; he was very excited.

They made their way through to the third floor, and Shi Huizhong continued.

"The third floor has three bedrooms and a bathroom. That bedroom next to the stairs is mine, and it has its own bathroom, so the bathroom in the hall is all yours."

Then pointed to the two doors further down, saying. "You can pick any of the bedrooms you like. This house has a Qi-enhancing formation in its base, so all the rooms are equally beneficial."

Then Hu Weiqi remembered the feeling of tranquility that he felt while walking around downstairs and wondered if that was the effect of the Qi-enhancing formation. He quite like the atmosphere in this house.

He realized that in this world, Qi is essential, and the abundance of Qi is also something to look for when buying a house.

He was even more thankful to King Yama and Heng Taio for finding him such a gem to live in. He was very satisfied and wanted to laugh when remembering Tao Fenhua's threat of having him live in the streets.

Weiqi opened the door to the first room and looked in.

The first thing that caught his eye was a large window on the opposite wall from the door.

Through that window, he could see the mottled sky, which ranged from blue-grey to orange, with whisps of pink and purple clouds skimming across as though chasing the sun.

The room was medium-sized with light grey walls, and a shimmering, barely perceptible pattern was revealed in the glow of the sunset.

On the left was a large double bed with a sky-blue comforter flanked by two nightstands pressed against the wall.

On the right, across from the bed, was a beautifully carved bookcase and an equally beautiful desk nestled against it.

And on the same wall as the door, to the left, was a luxurious dresser.

The sunset light bathed the room in a warm glow, making it seem more inviting.

Weiqi could not believe that this was considered a guest room. It was just too excellent.

He really loved this room, so he turned and said with a bright smile. "Grandpa Shi, I really like this room."

The boy's smile was as bright as the sunset, and Shi Huizhong felt warm just looking at it.

He patted Weiqi's head and said with a smile. "Good choice, Xiao Hu. Grandpa Shi's friend made all the furniture for my house, from the cabinets in the shop downstairs to every piece in the study and bedroom. It was made from a spirit birch tree. It is of excellent quality and quite sturdy."

Then remembering the exorbitant fee his friend exhorted out of him once the work was done, his smile dimmed a little. Bah, what friend?

Shi Huizhong shook himself out of that bad mood and continued.

"After dinner, let's go to the market and buy some necessities. We can go to the stores later and buy the clothes and supplies."

Weiqi plucked at the cuff of his shirt, chewed his lip, then said in a low voice, too embarrassed to meet Shi Huizhong's eyes.

"Ah, Grandpa Shi, I don't have any money."

Shi Huizhong looked at Hu Weiqi and thought of the pouch that was still sitting in the tearoom. He silently mused, if that is considered not having any money, then how are the rest of us supposed to live?

He wondered which rich family could produce someone so wasteful, that he considered that small fortune nothing. 

Weiqi, unaware that he was labeled a wasteful young master, was still pondering his lack of funds when Shi Huizhong interrupted him.

"It's ok, Xiao Hu, you can buy many things with that money. If you are not too extravagant, you can live off that for a couple of years." Then added, "Just don't buy the expensive brands."

Weiqi was about to ask, what money? What expensive brands? But then he remembered the pouch Heng Taio gave Shi Huizhong and smiled. He started to really appreciate Heng Taio, this overbearing CEO, and completely let go of his regret over the clothes at the old apartment. Let that young master Tao have them.

He realized that Heng Taio only helped him because King Yama asked. And King Yama only helped him because he was his friend's descendant.

So, he owed it all to Wang Yingyue and said a silent, thank you Grandma Yue.

The food arrived, and the two returned to the guestroom and sat to eat.

Weiqi blew on his hot food as his stomach rumbled. He took a bite, then winced and cooled his burning mouth with a gulp of cold water. He blew on the food a couple more times, then when he deemed it safe, he started gobbling up the delicious food.

He then continued eating for half an hour straight, only satisfying sighs peppering the silent atmosphere every now and then.

Shi Huizhong watched as Hu Weiqi practically inhaled his food and thought that maybe half of that money was for the boy's meal. He sure eats a lot.

Weiqi finally stopped, his stomach reached total capacity, and he could not take another bite.

After he satisfied his hunger, he noticed the silent atmosphere and looked up, only to be met with Shi Huizhong's surprised eyes.

"Ah, sorry, Grandpa Shi" He then rubbed his nose sheepishly. "The last thing I ate was a sandwich, and that was over a day ago." Then he added, "Oh, and a milk tea." Then he smiled, his eyes squinting in the delightful memory of the milk tea.

"You can eat as much as you want then," said Grandpa Shi looking at his silly smiling boy, while pushing over some more food.

"I'm full now" And as if to accentuate the point, a soft burped came out of him, turning his face pink.

"Sorry," whispered Weiqi softly.

Shi Huizhong laughed. "Ah, that's all right, Xiao Hu. Now let's go to the store around the corner to get the essentials. It is getting late now. It is a quick 10-minute walk."

Then the two cleaned up the table and went downstairs, putting the leftovers in the fridge.

As they were heading out, Shi Huizhong stopped by his study, brought out a small porcelain cup, a brush, and two small bottles, and then walked out with Hu Weiqi in tow.

Shi Huizhong stopped in front of the store. He then took the porcelain bowl and put a drop from each of those bottles inside the bowl. One looked like ink, and the other looked like cinnabar mixed with gold powder.

Weiqi was curiously watching these actions and was stunned when he saw Shi Huizhong prick his own middle finger and drop blood in the bowl.

The drop of blood had a sheen to it, and before he could say anything, Shi Huizhong turned to him and handed him the knife.

"Ok, now your turn."

When hearing Shi Huizhong's voice, Weiqi stared dumbfoundedly at the knife? What is this craziness?

Perceiving his confusion Shi Huizhong patiently explained.

"The house has a strong defensive formation. I used my blood to recognize me as the owner when it was created. If there is danger, it will protect me and expel all others. Now that you live here, you should also be recognized as the co-owner and be protected. I will need a drop of your heart blood infused with Qi to add you. You will only be added to the protection. My blood will still be the main core in case something happens to the formation."

After hearing so much confusing information, Weiqi thought that, in simple terms, this was just like signing a lease contract, except, in blood.

Well, that sounds about right when it comes to this unscientific world, and he isn't even fazed anymore.

So then takes the knife and lightly pricks his middle finger, copying Shi Huizhong.

"Ok, now add your Qi to it and drop it in the bowl." Said Shi Huizhong.

Weiqi looked blankly up at Shi Huizhong and asked, "Ummm, how do I do that?"

Shi Huizhong remembered that this genius-like boy had common sense problems and explained.

"Just guide your Qi to the tip of your finger and envelop the drop of blood. Once you see the blood shimmer, drop it in the bowl."

Weiqi remembered that Shi Huizhong's blood had a sheen to it and thought it must have been the Qi, so he followed the advice.

He felt the Qi energy in the body move and was able to gently guide it towards his finger.

Joyously, he again felt like a top student succeeding on the first try. Then continued until he felt the Qi reach his fingertip and tried enveloping the finger with it.

And then, the blood on the tip of his finger slowly seeped back, and the wound healed completely, barely a smudge left.

Where was his Qi-infused blood? He thought and called out, "Grandpa Shi!" stretching out the last syllable in grievance. He really tried. What happened now?

Shi Huizhong looked at the boy and sighed. Sure enough, a genius.

"It seems your Qi is also very suitable for the healing path." Then afraid that this boy would switch paths, he quickly added, "But you are more suitable for Talismans and Formations. You can cultivate your Qi much better that way."

"I also like Talismans much better. They are a lot of fun." Said Weiqi remembering the earlier tests.

Shi Huizhong had him make some simple talismans, his favorite being the warming talisman.

Once he infused it with this Qi, the talisman radiated heat. It was low but incredibly pleasant.

Weiqi then decided that he would stack up on these talismans and never be cold again, and that is how the path of the Talisman was picked.

If Shi Huizhong had known his thought, he would have told him. Once you master Talismans, you can even create miniature suns, don't be so amazed at this little warming one.

So, for the next couple of minutes, Weiqi became a small pincushion as he kept trying to infuse Qi in his blood and then instead kept healing himself.

Weiqi was staring at the drop of blood on his finger as if it was a lover who betrayed him. He resentfully thought, why can't you just listen to me. I know I can heal myself, but the original poke still hurts, okay?

Just as Shi Huizhong was about to suggest doing this the next day, he saw the drop of blood shimmer brightly, like it was liquid mercury.

Shi Huizhong quickly put the drop in the bowl, mixed everything together, and then started drawing lines on the ground, chanting softly. He did not want to wait any longer. It wasn't good if the blood dried up, and they tried so hard for this one.

While that was happening, Weiqi finally relaxed, crouched on the ground, and rubbed his finger. It did not hurt anymore after healing it, but he still felt little phantom stabs every now and then.

He watched, captivated, as the lines Shi Huizhong drew, lit up. The light was like a cat chasing an invisible mouse, running in intricate lines all over the ground. It was magical, and Weiqi's eyes shone.

Once the lines connected, the whole formation flashed once and gave out a humm. Shi Huizhong got up, and Weiqi followed, but before they could take a step, a crackle was heard, and static-like electricity was coming off the formation, making their hair stand up like angry little bees, disturbed out of their hive.

Shi Huizhong paled and took a step back, the ground started to tremble, and both men fell to their knees.

Weiqi watched as the trembling became more and more intense until it felt like an earthquake. He looked around and noticed that only this piece of land was shaking, everything else around them was peaceful, but that worried him even more. He liked this house very much; this was his future house.

"Did… Did I break it?" A small mosquito-like voice was heard, and Shi Huizhong looked at the boy, who seemed to shrink into himself.

Before Shi Huizhong could respond, a pop was heard, and a wave came over them like pressure releasing, then the trembling stopped.

The surroundings were calm as if the earlier disturbance had never happened, but the two knew otherwise.

Shi Huizhong lightly touched the formation with his finger, and when he tried to probe it, he pulled back as being burned.

Ah, the thought, this is the second time this boy's Qi shocks me.

Then, giving Hu Weiqi a complicated look, he said. "No, no, it's not broken. It just… just upgraded a little."

Of course, a little is an understatement. Shi Huizhong thought that not even secret government facilities have such a strong defensive formation.

"Oh, good. I was worried." Weiqi got up and was already smiling again.

From what he understood, his house was still intact and had a better security system. It all sounded like great news.

Shi Huizhong looked at the Weiqi's back and thought, who exactly is this boy?