After having breakfast, the three of them prepared to head down the mountain together to Jizhou.
At the strong insistence of the two young women, however, they decided to spend the morning sightseeing a bit more. Since they had come all this way, how could they not fully enjoy such beautiful scenery?
Lin Tianchen took this opportunity to let the neighbors in the village know so they wouldn't worry. Lin Tianchen's house was located at the far eastern end of Dragon King Village. Not far away, a small stream flowed by, and along the bank stood a row of large willow trees that Lin Tianchen had planted himself when he was ten years old. Once the willows grew large, whenever the weather turned hot, people would come to rest in their shade.
Right at that moment, the two women were sitting in a pair of rocking chairs. They loved the environment here immensely, and bursts of laughter rang out from time to time~~~
The household immediately next to Lin Tianchen's was Aunt Zhang's. When he was little, he hadn't missed many meals at Aunt Zhang's house, and after growing up, he would often help Aunt Zhang with heavy physical labor. There was a deep affection among the fellow villagers.
Lin Tianchen went around to his neighbors to the left and right, telling them one by one that he was heading down the mountain to make his own way in the world. Uncle Liu, puffing on a large tobacco pipe, smiled and asked, "Little Chen, are those two pretty young ladies your girlfriends? I saw them coming out of your house."
"Uncle Liu, don't talk nonsense. They're just two college students I rescued in the mountains yesterday; we can only be considered ordinary friends," Lin Tianchen hurried to explain.
Uncle Liu laughed even louder. "You rascal are saying one thing and meaning another. Look, your face is even red. You've got ideas in your head, haven't you~~"
~~~~
After making his rounds, Lin Tianchen returned home to pack his things simply. Actually, there wasn't much to pack—just a few changes of clothes, which he neatly arranged in a small bag.
Then, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, he began today's cultivation. Lin Tianchen was extremely diligent in his cultivation, practicing whenever he had time, and it had already become a fine habit.
Calming his mind, he could feel the Taiyi Bead inside his Dantian slowly rotating. Ever since his cultivation realm had advanced to the Kaiyang Realm, the Taiyi Bead had also grown much stronger, and its internal space had expanded considerably. Once his cultivation advanced to the next realm, he would be able to store non-living objects from the outside world into the internal space, turning it into a portable dimension where he could carry all necessary items with him, both safe and convenient.
When Lin Tianchen finished his cultivation session, it was already approaching noon. He found the two beautiful campus belles, Gu Yanzi and Su Shanshan, and asked, "Two beauties, what would you like to eat for lunch?"
"I want to eat fish. I just saw quite a few fish in the small stream," Su Shanshan said, looking at Lin Tianchen with a face full of anticipation.
Gu Yanzi also nodded in agreement, saying, "I want to eat fish too. The fish here are completely natural and definitely fresh."
"Alright, you two young ladies just wait here. I'll go get the fishing net."
As a rural boy, catching fish and scooping up shrimp was a piece of cake for Lin Tianchen—nothing could be easier. Before long, he had caught a large carp weighing four or five catties.
Gu Yanzi volunteered to help Lin Tianchen carry the fish back to the house, but when the fish wriggled its body, it splashed water all over the two women, setting off another wave of laughter.
In the courtyard, Lin Tianchen picked up his tools and skillfully gutted and cleaned the fish. About an hour later, a fragrant fish meal was ready. Both women ate with great relish, exclaiming that it was utterly delicious and practically better than anything cooked by a five-star hotel chef.
Lin Tianchen smiled and said, "First of all, this fish is completely natural and fresh enough. Secondly, it contains my secret recipe, which is both nourishing and delicious. You can't get this outside, so you two are truly in for a treat today."
The two women hurriedly pressed him, "What is the secret recipe? Quick, tell us."
"This is a secret, how can I just tell anyone?" Lin Tianchen teased.
"Stingy! If you won't say it, then don't," Su Shanshan turned away angrily, indicating she would no longer pay attention to Lin Tianchen.
~~~~~
After chatting, laughing, and fooling around for a bit, the two women brought Lin Tianchen back to Jizhou.
Looking at the surrounding towering skyscrapers, Lin Tianchen shouted out loud, "Jizhou, your master has arrived!" At the same time, he thought to himself, *Let my hegemony begin right here.*
The mission given to him by the Taiyi Bead was to make himself strong as quickly as possible to face the calamities of the future. Although the world was peaceful and quiet at present and he didn't know where the calamity would strike, growing stronger first could never be wrong.
The car drove into an upscale villa complex called Rose Garden and pulled into Villa Number 8. After the three of them got out of the car, Su Shanshan said to Lin Tianchen, "From now on, you'll live here with us."
Entering the interior, they saw that the decor was luxurious yet filled with a youthful vibe.
Lin Tianchen tossed his luggage onto the large sofa and leaned back, a wave of comfort welling up naturally. "The place where you two beauties live is truly luxurious and comfortable."
Gu Yanzi glanced at Lin Tianchen. "Look at that country-bumpkin look on your face."
Lin Tianchen chuckled and didn't retort. As a grown man, could he possibly argue with a young girl? However, he forgot that he was actually the youngest person here.
Su Shanshan said, "Little jerk, no man has ever stayed here before; you are the first. Therefore, we need to establish three chapters of agreement."
"Rule number one: we both live on the second floor. You are to pick a room on the first floor to live in—it has everything you need, and you only need to prepare your personal belongings to move in. Without our permission, you are strictly forbidden from going up to the second floor."
"Rule number two: no matter when you are in the house, you are not allowed to wear overly revealing clothes."
"What's there to look at anyway? It's just like that," Lin Tianchen muttered under his breath.
"What did you say?" Su Shanshan asked coldly.
"Oh, no, nothing at all. Please continue," Lin Tianchen replied immediately.
"Rule number three: whenever you're at home, you have to cook all the meals. Every month we'll give you enough food allowance, and you'll be responsible for buying the groceries and cooking."
"Wait, how did you eat before? Why is everything falling on me?" Lin Tianchen asked hastily.
"A nanny used to do it all, but something came up at her family, and she just resigned recently," Gu Yanzi chimed in.
"No, I firmly disagree! You two are exploiting the laboring masses here—either you raise my pay!" Lin Tianchen retorted.
"What, is cooking for two great beauties wronging you? We can raise your salary to ten thousand per month, how's that?" Su Shanshan said with the air of a domineering female CEO.
Lin Tianchen: "What do beauties have to do with me? I can only look, not touch."
In an instant, he felt a wave of murderous intent closing in. The two women glared fiercely at Lin Tianchen, as if saying, *Just try saying that again.*
Lin Tianchen immediately said, "I'm just joking, don't take it seriously. Of course I agree."
"Good thing you know what's good for you, otherwise we'd show you," Su Shanshan said coldly.
A man under the eaves has to bow his head, Lin Tianchen thought resentfully. *Just you wait, you two chicks better not fall into my hands later, or I'll make you pay.*
"Rule number four: to be determined, we'll talk when we think of it. The second party is not allowed to dispute this clause; if you have any objections, please refer back to this rule. Alright, little jerk, if you have no questions, please sign and press your fingerprint."
In the end, under the coercion of the two women, Lin Tianchen signed the first unequal treaty of his life. Thinking about it brought tears to his heart.
Although the two ladies would later both become the wives of the Heavenly Emperor Tianchen, this also reflected Lin Tianchen's deep love for his wives. Of course, that is a story for another time and will not be dwelt upon here.