Ha, Karma! – Chapter 32

Take a walk after meals, live to ninety-nine

Chu Sining brought Cen Zhu back to the Chu family residence.

This was Cen Zhu’s first time stepping into the Chu family home.

Standing alone was an impressive detached villa with a spacious, flat courtyard.

Walking inside, white coffee tables and sofas were arranged in the center of the living room, with a delicate fragrance wafting through the air.

She stood there, feeling solemn.

Soon after, she saw a woman coming down from upstairs.

The woman looked young, with striking and beautiful features that caught the eye.

Her glossy black hair was tied back, adorned with an ebony hairpin [發簪 | fā zān | traditional decorative hair accessory] with dark green tassels that swayed gracefully with her movements.

The woman walked up to her and extended her hand: “Hello, I’m Chu Zhaoqiu, the eldest in the family and Sining’s older sister.”

Her bearing was composed and unhurried, even her voice was pleasant to hear.

Cen Zhu’s first impression was that this sister was no ordinary person.

She reached out to shake Chu Zhaoqiu’s hand and introduced herself seriously: “Hello, I’m Sining’s classmate, my name is Cen Zhu.

“Has Sining already told you about my situation?”

Chu Zhaoqiu nodded slightly, watching as Sining bounced around hugging her arm while grinning.

“Yes, she has.”

Sining noticed Cen Zhu had many questions, but knew she might not be the best person to answer them, and worried about saying something she shouldn’t, so she had informed her sister beforehand.

Chu Zhaoqiu had told her to bring the person home, and she would answer Cen Zhu’s questions herself.

So now Sining and Cen Zhu stood there.

Bu Yu and Ah Li hadn’t come back with them.

They were dealing with the matter of the fraudulent Master Chu.

Chu Zhaoqiu had sent additional people to help them; they would handle it as they saw fit.

Chu Zhaoqiu looked at Cen Zhu and politely asked: “Would you like a drink, or perhaps something else?”

Cen Zhu shook her head: “Thank you, but I’m fine. Sining treated me to juice earlier.

“I just want someone who can answer my questions.”

Sining patted her sister’s shoulder proudly: “That’s what my sister is here for!”

Chu Zhaoqiu made a welcoming gesture: “Please, have a seat.”

Cen Zhu obediently sat down, first politely saying thank you.

After Chu Zhaoqiu sat down across from her, she eagerly asked: “Please tell me, do cultivators really live longer?”

Chu Zhaoqiu replied: “Yes.

“Cultivators possess spirit bones, their bodies are very different from ordinary people. With diligent cultivation, their lifespan can exceed that of normal people by one or two hundred years.”

“Only one or two hundred years?”

“Don’t be too greedy.”

“Then what about immortality?”

“It’s exactly what you think – achieving the Dao and ascending, completely transforming one’s body and essence.”

“That sounds difficult.”

“Yes, it is.”

Because it was difficult, because it was uncertain, because it was unknown, cultivators wandered in confusion while seeking the Dao.

Yet the temptation was too great; even in confusion, people would continue to pursue it relentlessly.

Thus, this long path never lacked those pursuing the Dao.

Chu Zhaoqiu fixed her gaze on Cen Zhu and asked: “You want immortality? Why?”

Was it because endless life was tempting, or because becoming a divine immortal seemed cool and appealing?

Cen Zhu didn’t answer immediately.

She sat there, looking down at the phone in her palm.

The screen had just gone dark; Qu Xinru had messaged her just minutes ago.

After a moment, she raised her head and said with certainty: “Simply because I want to.”

“True immortality is too long; I don’t care much about that.

“I just want to live longer, as long as I possibly can.

“That’s my only wish.”

After she finished speaking, she met Chu Zhaoqiu’s eyes and found the other person had been watching her the whole time.

Those beautiful eyes had a sharp gaze that seemed able to see through everything in the world, including her heart.

“You have desire,” Chu Zhaoqiu said.

Because of this desire, she wanted longevity, wanted to live longer.

As for what that desire was… she didn’t want to say, nor did she need to be so honest with them right away.

“I do,” Cen Zhu admitted frankly, “Does having desires mean I can’t become a cultivator? Do I really need to be like in TV dramas, where cultivators must be free of desires?”

Cen Zhu frowned in confusion.

But Chu Zhaoqiu shook her head and said with a smile: “You don’t need to.

“Even cultivators with attachments can still practice cultivation.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“No need to be free of desires and thoughts?”

Hearing her words, Chu Zhaoqiu’s lips curved slightly as she asked unhurriedly: “What truly counts as being free of thoughts?

“When cultivators desire to achieve the Dao and become immortals, isn’t that still a ‘thought’? If it is, how can that be called being free of thoughts?”

Cen Zhu was stunned, her thoughts gradually opening up.

So this wasn’t as rigid as she had imagined.

Or rather, the cultivator before her wasn’t so inflexible.

Chu Sining sat quietly to the side, silently listening and watching.

She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but her sister had become increasingly mature, increasingly reliable, and increasingly like their knowledgeable grandmother – except when it came to Fu Lianxue.

When it came to Fu Lianxue, her sister’s tolerance became surprisingly high, granting every request, even going to find Blue Stars for her.

Could this be the power of love?

Chu Sining shook her head.

Can’t understand it, won’t think about it.

She pulled back her thoughts and continued listening to her sister and Cen Zhu’s conversation.

Chu Zhaoqiu was speaking calmly to Cen Zhu: “I don’t deny that the cultivation method you mentioned exists, but it’s not a strict requirement, and it might not suit you.

“Cultivation methods aren’t fixed; what suits you is most important.”

Cen Zhu humbly asked: “Then what should I do?”

Chu Zhaoqiu remained composed as she slowly opened her lips.

Cen Zhu’s heart lifted inexplicably with tension.

Then she heard Chu Zhaoqiu say: “Eat well, sleep well, exercise regularly, and balance work with rest.

“Also, spend time on weekends sitting quietly in the mountains, cultivating your character, improving yourself. You can go with Sining.”

“Why the mountains? To absorb the divine qi?”

“Yes, divine qi nourishes spirit bones, but there’s another reason.”

“What?”

“The air is better in the mountains.”

Cen Zhu was speechless.

This cultivation wasn’t what she had expected.

“Is that all?”

“Hmm? Do you want to become a demon hunter?”

“Probably… not necessary?”

“Then that’s all.”

Suddenly, a saying the older generation loved came to mind: Take a walk after meals, live to ninety-nine.

This cultivation method gave her that same feeling.

Apart from absorbing divine qi to nourish spirit bones, everything else could help anyone live longer, not just cultivators.

It was… quite scientific?

Chu Zhaoqiu and Chu Sining could tell what she was thinking from her slightly stunned expression.

Chu Zhaoqiu said gently: “Is it different from what you imagined?”

Cen Zhu nodded honestly.

Chu Zhaoqiu smiled gracefully: “Being one with nature, one with life – this is cultivation.”

Cen Zhu seemed to half-understand.

“Thank you for explaining…”

Chu Zhaoqiu nodded slightly, her dark green tassels swaying: “You’re welcome.”

“Also,” she said, “don’t mention these matters to anyone, keep them absolutely secret.”

Whether demon hunters or cultivators, everyone must follow the basic rules of secrecy, which cannot be carelessly broken, or there will be consequences.

This much Cen Zhu understood.

She said thank you again.

Thanks to Chu Sining and Chu Zhaoqiu, she could understand these matters.

If she had to figure it out herself, not only would she be lost, but she might have been fooled by those scammers selling courses.

She remembered that “Master Chu” and asked: “Oh right, that fraud, is he related to you…”

“No connection,” Chu Zhaoqiu said, “His surname is actually Ren [任 | rén]. He opportunistically used our Chu family name as a gimmick to commit fraud.

“Don’t worry, our Chu family will handle him.”

Cen Zhu was curious: “How will you handle it?”

This was a family different from ordinary people; perhaps they had special methods for dealing with such matters?

Chu Zhaoqiu said with a straight face: “Report to the police.”

Cen Zhu: “?”

An undeniably practical solution.

Yes, letting the police handle it was best.

Looking at it this way, demon hunters weren’t so different from ordinary people.

She should probably watch fewer TV dramas.

Chu Zhaoqiu had other matters to attend to and left early.

Chu Sining was responsible for taking Cen Zhu home.

In the car, they had an open and honest conversation.

Neither had expected that they both possessed spirit bones, both had encountered opportunities.

But one wanted to grasp it, while the other didn’t care.

Chu Sining was the one who didn’t care.

She just wanted to eat, drink, and be merry, living life this way. After all, her sisters handled all the family’s internal and external affairs, so she could happily be a salted fish [鹹魚 | xián yú | Chinese idiom meaning to live a comfortable, lazy life].

Their grandmother hoped she would cultivate properly, but didn’t want to force her, so she let her enjoy her university life comfortably, have fun while she was young, and leave the rest for later.

Therefore, she lived each day very freely and happily.

Cen Zhu watched her carefree demeanor and felt genuinely happy for her.

Chu Sining turned to ask her: “When did you discover you had spiritual power?”

Cen Zhu couldn’t pinpoint exactly when.

She recalled while speaking: “One night, I was sitting on my bed looking at water on the table. I wanted to drink but was too lazy to move, so I thought how nice it would be if it could come to my hand by itself, and then the cup actually moved…”

Chu Sining couldn’t help laughing: “Weren’t you scared to death?”

If ordinary people encountered this, it would probably add another entry to Zhou City’s urban legends.

But Cen Zhu just smiled and said calmly: “It was a bit surprising, but I wasn’t really scared, because I’d always known there were things in this world that science couldn’t explain.”

She looked at her palm, her memory seeming to sink into the past, her tone distant: “I’ve known since I was very young.”

Chu Sining blinked, keenly sensing a story.

She tilted her head and asked: “Did something happen when you were little?”

Cen Zhu came back to herself, shook her head, and gently changed the subject, her tone natural: “Nothing happened. Shall we go mountain climbing tonight?”

Chu Sining was taken aback: “You’re so enthusiastic!”

Cen Zhu nodded calmly.

Chu Sining thought for a moment and said: “Alright, I’ll go with you! I’d be worried if you went alone, mainly afraid you might get scammed again.”

Cen Zhu smiled helplessly: “I’m not that foolish…”

She hadn’t even fallen for any scams yet.

To live longer, Cen Zhu maintained a regular schedule every day, eating and sleeping well, and on weekends she went to the mountains with Chu Sining to absorb divine qi.

Occasionally, Chu family disciples would accompany them.

The rest of the time it was just the two of them, no one else.

Qu Xinru naturally noticed Cen Zhu’s frequent weekend outings.

Cen Zhu didn’t deliberately hide anything, always telling her straightforwardly that she was going to meet Chu Sining.

But whenever Qu Xinru suggested going along, she was always refused.

Today was no different.

Qu Xinru stood in place watching Cen Zhu leave.

She saw Cen Zhu break into a small run after a few steps, as if eager – eager to see Chu Sining.

When this meaning registered in her mind, Qu Xinru felt a surge of sourness in her heart, and seeing a small stone at her feet, she kicked it dejectedly.

Could it be… she had fallen for Chu Sining?

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