Early in the morning.
Monk Hugo arrived on the mountain, brimming with enthusiasm.
He had come to ask Quinn Ye for guidance on the Ancient Buddha Yoga Sutra.
As soon as he came up, he could see from afar that Quinn's courtyard was bustling with activity.
A calf, a small monkey, and a little fox.
Along with Big Fuzz and The Rabbit who were already there.
It was practically turning into a zoo.
Monk Hugo was a bit surprised.
The three listless demons also spotted Hugo.
"Someone from the Buddhist sect?"
A look of wariness immediately washed over the three demons.
The Buddhist sect and the demon race had never really gotten along. In the eyes of the demons especially, Buddhist practitioners were practically their mortal enemies.
However, at this moment, the three demons' powers were entirely sealed, so Hugo couldn't tell that they were actually demonic beasts.
Quinn was not yet out of bed.
Not daring to disturb him, Hugo obediently stood outside and waited.
Who knew this wait would last for over two hours.
Only then did Quinn leisurely get up.
Holding a cup of water and a toothbrush, Quinn walked into the courtyard to brush his teeth and happened to see Hugo waiting outside.
"Hugo, why are you here so early?"
Hugo hurried forward and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Holy Son."
Quinn had long since stopped caring about the title of "The Holy Son," so he just grunted in acknowledgment and began brushing his teeth.
It was Hugo's first time seeing someone brush their teeth, and he couldn't help but feel curious.
"What is The Holy Son doing?"
"Brushing my teeth."
"Brushing your teeth?"
"Yeah, using this toothbrush to clean my teeth."
Hugo looked utterly baffled.
Teeth need to be cleaned? Fortunately, Hugo had already witnessed many of Quinn's eccentricities, so he didn't dwell on it too much.
After Quinn finished washing up, he began teaching the art of yoga to Hugo.
"Hugo, follow my lead."
"Yes, Holy Son!"
Quinn assumed a yoga pose.
Hugo quickly mirrored him.
"Follow me, breathe in~ breathe out~"
"Right! Good rhythm, keep it up."
"Stretch your arms out as far as possible, then slowly open them."
"Very good, very good. Your comprehension is excellent."
"Keep going! Exhale~ and slowly bend your legs."
...
Whatever move Quinn made, Hugo learned and followed from behind.
It had to be said, Hugo was indeed a genius; he could replicate any movement identically. And the key points Quinn casually mentioned were all deeply memorized by Hugo.
The rhythm of every breath, the amplitude of every movement—he grasped the very essence of it all.
Soon.
Hugo felt as if a current of qi was flowing through his body.
This qi amazed him.
It was different from his own cultivation base. This current seemed to contain boundless vitality and possessed an incredibly strong inclusivity.
Hugo's own power merged flawlessly with this qi.
There was no stagnation whatsoever.
Moreover.
As Hugo gradually mastered the essentials of yoga, this qi grew increasingly robust.
Hugo could even feel signs of a breakthrough in his cultivation.
He was on the verge of stepping from the late stage of the Golden Core Realm into the Great Perfection of the Golden Core Realm!
This discovery left Hugo ecstatic.
After practicing for a while, Quinn figured it was enough.
"Did you remember everything I just taught you?"
Hugo nodded repeatedly, his face beaming with joy.
"This poor monk has memorized it all."
Quinn smiled. "Then go back and practice it well. Even though this yoga isn't useful for much else, it can at least strengthen your body and keep you fit."
Hugo gave a wry smile.
The Ancient Buddha Yoga Sutra, a supreme technique that countless Buddhist practitioners dreamed of, was spoken of so dismissively by Quinn.
If other monks heard this, they would probably cough up blood in sheer anger.
"Thank you for your guidance, Holy Son. Hugo is endlessly grateful," he said sincerely.
"Alright, alright, no need to be so polite. Just do me a favor and stop bringing weird people up the mountain for no reason," Quinn said, curling his lip.
Hugo looked a bit embarrassed.
He had previously brought up Rosie Song, who had the Body of Calamity, and later brought Ezra Yin and Arthur Chu.
They were indeed rare eccentrics.
And they had brought Quinn some trouble.
Fortunately, it had all been resolved without any serious consequences.
After Hugo headed down the mountain, Quinn also made his way toward the market at the foot of the hill.
Because of the three new demons, the courtyard was feeling a bit crowded.
Plus, since he and his disciple had opened up a watermelon patch earlier, he needed to expand the yard a bit more.
He needed to buy some tools.
Ideally, he also wanted to see if he could buy a male fox.
Quinn had always kept the matter of finding a mate for the little mother fox in mind.
To Quinn, this world where people could cultivate was cruel.
Because he couldn't cultivate himself.
So, he had figured it out.
His advantage lay in the skills The System had taught him.
As long as he could put them to use, making a name for himself in this world wouldn't be too hard.
Farming and animal husbandry.
That was what Quinn needed to focus on right now.
Make it bigger and stronger!
Create new glory!
Ideally, he would establish the Cloud-Drifting Mountain Ecological Breeding Base.
Then he would never have to worry about food or drink again.
Quinn carried The Rabbit down the mountain with him.
He was afraid that if he left it behind, the mother fox might eat it.
In Quinn's mind, didn't foxes eat rabbits?
The market was as bustling as ever.
And perhaps because it was close to Cloud-Drifting Mountain, there were quite a few cultivators coming and going.
Walking through the market, Quinn enthusiastically greeted many acquaintances.
Over this period, he had become quite familiar with the locals.
After buying some tools for courtyard construction, Quinn wandered around the market but didn't spot anyone selling foxes.
So, he headed to the teahouse to sit for a while.
Inside the teahouse, a young man in his twenties was standing in front of the guests, enthusiastically telling a story.
And the story he was telling was The Legend of the Condor Heroes.
Quinn was a bit surprised.
He remembered that Old Man Huang was always the storyteller here.
Why had he been replaced by a young man?
The youth was speaking with passionate emotion when he suddenly caught sight of Quinn sitting in the corner.
The young man paused for a moment but quickly recovered and continued his storytelling.
It wasn't until the segment was finished that the guests erupted in applause.
Quinn clapped as well.
The guy was genuinely good; both his emotional delivery and tone were perfect.
Quinn was just about to leave when he saw the young man walking straight toward him.
"Are you Young Master Quinn?" the youth asked proactively.
Quinn was taken aback.
"You know me?"
Overjoyed, the young man immediately bowed deeply to Quinn.
"Young Master Quinn, I finally get to meet you. Please accept my bow!"
Quinn was a bit confused.
He definitely didn't know this young man.
Why did the guy act like they were old friends?
"You are?"
"Young Master Quinn, you don't know me, but you should know my father. His name is Homer Huang."
And who is Homer Huang? Quinn still looked blank.
Seeing this, the young man felt a little awkward.
"My father is the one who used to tell stories at this teahouse all the time. Everyone called him Old Man Huang."
Quinn suddenly realized.
So this was Old Man Huang's son.
No wonder he felt the young man's face resembled Old Man Huang's.
"How is your father doing?" Quinn asked.
The youth looked sorrowful.
"My father passed away. Just a month ago, he got too excited while telling a story, couldn't catch his breath, and died right there on the stage."
Quinn: "..."
Talk about dedicating one's entire life to the great cause of storytelling. "My father always used to say that you, Young Master Quinn, are incredibly learned and talented, and he told me that if I ever met you, I should learn as much as I can from you," the young man said with a face full of reverence.
Quinn scratched his head. "Actually, I'm not really all that learned."