Chapter 2: Top Feng Shui? Feng Shui Taboos!

In the far north of the continent, there stood a massive ice wall, thick and towering, stretching as far as the eye could see, seemingly connecting with the heavens.

No one knew what lay beyond the ice wall, which completely isolated the continent, rumored to be the end of the world.

At the ice wall, there was a snow-capped mountain.

At the peak of the mountain, the century-old snow began to melt without warning, the ice layers turning into water, flowing through the mountain crevices.

Counting them, there were nine streams in total, which eventually converged into a river at the foot of the mountain, continuing its journey southward.

The ice melted, the snow disappeared, and the warm sun shone brightly.

It seemed to herald the awakening of something.

In a natural cave within the snow-capped mountain, a man sat cross-legged on a stone bed.

The man’s eyes were tightly shut, devoid of any signs of life, appearing as if he had been dead for a long time.

Yet, his body remained intact, showing no signs of decay.

The cave, untouched for who knows how long, was eerily silent, with a layer of dust covering everything.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept through, lifting the dust and instantly rejuvenating the cave, leaving no trace of filth in the blink of an eye.

The man’s eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Beneath his handsome appearance, his eyes shone like bright stars.

As his gaze gradually focused, the lifeless cave came alive, not only with the gentle breeze but also with the sound of dripping water.

Soon, the water droplets gathered into a spring in the center of the cave, with a few flower buds blooming around it, and the distant sound of birdsong.

This place was like a small world!

The man lowered his gaze, seemingly deep in thought, a fleeting light passing through his eyes.

Finally.

He stood up and walked towards the stone table ahead.

If the Backsword Warrior who had been to the peak of Ling Mountain were here, he would be shocked to see that this man’s attire was identical to that of the Female Expert in the thatched cottage!

Dressed in white, he was otherworldly.

The man walked to the table, flipped his hand, and the Four Treasures of the Study appeared on the table.

Without looking up, he hooked his finger, and a strand of water from the spring flew into the inkstone.

The man leaned slightly forward.

He ground the ink, picked up the brush, and began to write.

[First Life…]

—————–

At the thatched cottage on Ling Mountain.

The heavy rain had been pouring for who knows how long. Xiao Ranshu woke up hungry, slept when she was hungry, and woke up again…

This cycle repeated.

She suspected that she had fainted from hunger several times in between.

When the sky finally cleared, she practically crawled off the wooden bed, staggering out to find food.

Now she was so hungry she could eat two bowls of dirt!

She had already searched the main house and the east and west rooms thoroughly, and it was no longer just simple—it was completely empty, not a place where people lived.

Even if the Original Owner liked minimalism, surely they wouldn’t lack daily necessities, right?

This was beyond ridiculous!

Xiao Ranshu became more and more convinced that the Original Owner had starved to death…

After the sky cleared, she set her sights on the back mountain.

Logically, living in such a place, one would surely have a plot of land behind the house to grow some fruits and vegetables.

Maybe even a chicken coop?

She wanted meat…

But when Xiao Ranshu rushed to the back of the house, she was utterly speechless.

Behind it was a cliff!

A sheer drop!

The thatched cottage was built on the mountain peak, with a proper Four Waters Returning to the Hall layout.

But the front and back were neglected?

The front gate of the house faced the mountain path, a Straight Road to Emptiness!

The back was even worse, a massive cliff with no support, a sheer drop!

Who builds a house like this?

The courtyard boasts top-notch feng shui, while the outside is riddled with feng shui taboos!

Alright, alright, a complete reversal, huh?

If the owner of this house doesn’t die, who will?!

Xiao Ranshu really wanted to curse, but survival was the priority now. So, she grumbled and turned around, deciding to follow the stone steps in the front yard to explore the mountains.

She would eat whatever she could find—anything living would do!

Fortunately, although Xiao Ranshu was usually lazy and laid-back, she loved browsing the internet at home and had picked up some theoretical knowledge.

She knew a bit about architectural feng shui, had some survival skills, could identify a few types of mushrooms, and knew how to avoid danger.

Relying on the knowledge in her mind, Xiao Ranshu ventured into the forest.

After some searching…

She started digging for wild vegetables, muttering “Mom” as she dug.

Her shallow knowledge was utterly useless!!

Tears welled up in her eyes as she swallowed two leaves of wild vegetables to fill her stomach, then gathered a pile of them in her clothes to carry back.

As a modern person, she wanted to eat cooked food.

Her snow-white clothes were covered in mud, but she didn’t care—survival came first.

However, when she returned to the thatched cottage, something even more devastating happened.

She discovered there were no cooking utensils!

Xiao Ranshu was nearly driven mad. She rummaged through the house and finally found an earthenware pot, which looked like it was used for brewing medicine.

She couldn’t care less now—whatever it was used for, she would use it.

As for water, she eyed the large water vat in the courtyard.

In ancient times, there was no pollution, and rainwater was considered pure.

She could simply filter it with a cloth and boil it to drink, right?

As a complete novice to time travel, this was all Xiao Ranshu could think of.

She filtered the water, washed the wild vegetables, and managed to find some dry firewood, which was hard to come by on a rainy day. She set up a simple bonfire in the courtyard to cook.

Finally, everything was ready, but Xiao Ranshu’s face darkened.

Where was the fire?

Was the heavens really trying to kill her?

She couldn’t possibly resort to the most primitive method of rubbing sticks to make fire, could she?

But then, she glanced at the main house in the north.

A thin wisp of smoke still rose from inside, and on the narrow table in the main hall, an incense stick was burning in the incense burner.

A fire source!

Xiao Ranshu excitedly rushed over, her mind filled with triumphant thoughts.

Hahaha, you heavens!

Didn’t expect her to be so hard to kill, did you?

The narrow table was empty, with only a single incense stick burning in the incense burner.

Just as Xiao Ranshu reached out, she sensed something strange.

It had been a long time since she had traveled here, and the incense should have burned out long ago.

But now, it hadn’t changed at all—it was the same length as when she first saw it.

It was still burning.

It was a bit eerie.

But hunger and the instinct to survive overcame her fear.

Xiao Ranshu pulled out the incense stick and turned to light the dry firewood.

She was a staunch materialist!

With fire, everything went smoothly. The dry wood quickly caught fire, and the water boiled rapidly.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she threw the wild vegetables into the pot, eating them like hotpot once they were cooked.

She had no salt, no other seasonings, and the vegetables smelled like grass.

Even the pigs in those viral videos ate better than this!

But Xiao Ranshu devoured them voraciously, moved to tears.

After a few mouthfuls of hot vegetables, she finally felt a bit more alive and began to let her thoughts wander.

Speaking of the Original Owner (chew chew chew), she still didn’t know her name (continued chewing). Could that incense stick have been lit by her before she died? (Not tasty but still chewing) Why did she live alone on this mountain top? Did she have family?

Xiao Ranshu found the vegetables too tough to chew, so she swallowed them whole and moved on to the next leaf.

After eating, she glanced at her mud-stained white clothes and then at the messy makeshift stove on the ground, feeling utterly frustrated.

The view from the mountaintop was breathtaking, and the house with the Four Waters Returning to the Hall design was quite poetic.

Living alone was a paradise for an anti-social, lazy homebody.

But there was no food delivery…

No food delivery!!!

How was she going to survive the days ahead?