Based on Ping'an's brief words, countless thoughts flashed through Liou Yuan's mind.
At this moment, he was very certain that the old woman was definitely no longer normal.
"That old woman has probably been possessed!"
Meanwhile, Liou Yuan also started to worry about the boy.
He himself is being monitored by the Star Evil, and that boy is practically in the jaws of the tiger.
Having encountered his grandmother's strange actions, now is definitely the most dangerous time.
Fortunately, the worst situation did not occur.
After the boy's voice, Liou Yuan heard a series of soft footsteps from the other side of the wall.
Tap tap~
It seemed that the old person had left the wall.
Hearing that sound, Liou Yuan only then realized that the old person was standing just a wall away from him.
Then came the old woman's aged voice from next door, without any emotion, the tone stumbling as if she were a stutterer.
"It's nothing~ just~ tired, leaning on the wall~ to rest."
"Oh, then grandma, quickly go rest on the bed."
Ping'an responded very sensibly.
From the look of things, it seems there's no need to worry about Ping'an's safety.
The old person didn't seem to have any intention of harming her grandson.
Liou Yuan listened to the footsteps of the grandparents fading away, and only then did he completely relax.
He contemplated the rumors about the Star Evil he had heard over these two months: "The Star Evil hibernates, either possessing objects or living beings. Anything it possesses has lost its nature. Why didn't she attack her grandson?"
"Could it be that the time is not right yet?"
"Or is it selectively making a move?"
Liou Yuan leaned more towards the latter possibility in his heart.
The Star Evil likely focuses on those with cultivation potential, like himself.
The original owner of Liou Yuan's body, though with poor talent, wasn't devoid of cultivation potential.
Perhaps in their eyes, this body is quite a treasure.
"Difficult!" Liou Yuan rubbed his brows. His every move now was undoubtedly under the Star Evil's surveillance, posing a constant threat to his life.
A strong sense of crisis surged in his heart.
"Fortunately, there's the Fixed Star Compass, letting me know the source of danger and giving me time to react. Otherwise, it would be too late when it comes."
Thinking of this, Liou Yuan recalled the tips revealed by the Fixed Star Compass about the Star Evil.
Besides the Star Evil itself, there were also tips on eliminating it.
It would reward Liou Yuan with a Micro-Star Elixir.
What the Micro-Star Elixir was, Liou Yuan didn't know.
But in this bizarre world full of cultivators,
Liou Yuan was certain that the Micro-Star Elixir must be related to cultivation.
If not for the temptation of the Fixed Star Compass's reward, moving out of this residence and staying far away from the source of danger would undoubtedly be the best option.
But seeing the potential benefits,
Liou Yuan, possessing cultivation potential, couldn't just give up on this opportunity.
A quick thought, and Liou Yuan had a strategy.
"I can't deal with this thing."
"But the Yanhe City Government Office surely has the means to handle the Star Evil."
The protective moat of Yanhe City can resist evil entities during the rotation of the Evil Star.
Similarly, the Yanhe Government Office, responsible for safeguarding Yanhe City's safety, should have the means to deal with the Star Evil as well.
Having thought of this, Liou Yuan made a decision.
"I'll make a trip to the Yanhe Government Office!"
When Liou Yuan first arrived in this world, drenched in blood and lying on the street, the Yanhe Government Office had sent people to his home.
At the time, Liou Yuan knew nothing, so even if they had the means, there would have been no way to find out.
Thus, after asking two questions, they left.
Now, using this reason to visit the government office, they certainly won't sit idly by.
Moreover, Liou Yuan's mother, Bai Xin, has some connections with the Yanhe Government Office. Once he goes there, they'll pay a bit more attention for Bai Xin's sake.
"Let's do it this way!" Liou Yuan had already crafted a draft in his mind on how to explain this matter.
Although he made a decision, Liou Yuan didn't leave immediately.
Because he had one more thing to do before heading to the Yanhe Government Office.
The Fixed Star Compass detected two anomalies.
One was the Star Evil aura from the neighboring residence.
The other was a mysterious blue light under Liou Yuan's bed.
"Being detected by the Fixed Star Compass, what's under my bed surely isn't an ordinary object."
Thinking this, Liou Yuan casually tucked the Fixed Star Compass into his bosom and glanced at the bed right beside him.
Due to the customs in Yanhe City, the beds in ordinary people's homes are simply made by building a stone platform that can hold a bed board, and placing the bed board on top.
So the bed is a combination of a platform and a bed board.
It's the same in Liou Yuan's house.
Liou Yuan half-squatted by the platform, easily using his fingers to hook up the bed board, and with a little force, lifted it.
Looking down, a thin blue-covered ancient book, about the width of half a finger, lay within.
Obviously, this book was the source of the glow detected by the Fixed Star Compass.
To the naked eye, it appeared ordinary, no different from common books.
The cover was printed with the words "Five Mansions Star Gazing Breathing Skill".
Liou Yuan picked it up from under the bed board and opened it, looking at the writing with a strange expression.
The reason for his odd expression was that he more or less guessed who had put this book under his bed.
"My dear elder brother!"
The only person who could provide such a heart method related to cultivation was his elder brother.
His elder brother had left two years ago after testing Liou Yuan's aptitude. Before leaving, perhaps still holding a sliver of hope for his younger brother, he had placed this clearly cultivation-related book under the bed.
When Liou Yuan picked up the "Five Mansions Star Gazing Breathing Skill", a sheet of yellow xuan paper slipped out from between the pages.
Liou Yuan, with quick reflexes, grabbed it before it hit the ground.
On it was written in this world's script, characters in small regular script:
To my brother, Liou Yuan, if you obtain this "Five Mansions Star Gazing Breathing Skill", then it proves you may embark on this path.
Your elder brother has placed the choice in your hand; whether to practice or not is up to your heart.
Aptitude does not define everything; navigating thorns may lead to a clear path.
Three years from now, your brother will return home once. If you have not found this book or achieved First Mansion Perfection, your brother will cease any intention to guide you.
If you achieve First Mansion Perfection, your brother will exhaust all efforts to assist you.
Brother: Liou Zhen's writing.
Indeed, it was his good elder brother who left this cultivation method.
He also left words of encouragement for Liou Yuan, saying something about passing through thorns leading to a smooth path.
"I guess in Liou Zhen's heart, he doesn't hold much hope either." Liou Yuan smiled wryly.
Otherwise, Liou Zhen wouldn't have left the "Five Mansions Star Gazing Breathing Skill" for his younger brother in this manner.
It completely depended on whether his younger brother possessed the 'fortune'. If the aptitude wasn't enough and the luck wasn't there either, there really wasn't any need to step onto the path of cultivation.
What's more, it's already been two years since Liou Zhen was last home, and there's only a year left on the three-year agreement in the letter.
To put it bluntly, even given three years, with Liou Yuan's One-Star Water Acupoint aptitude, at best he wouldn't achieve First Mansion Perfection.
Yet Liou Zhen still did it; it shows how conflicted his mind was at the time.
Knowing his younger brother had no hope, yet he still couldn't bear it, so he sought to relieve his guilt in this way.
"This elder brother isn't bad." Liou Yuan sighed, gaining a bit of fondness for the mostly distant Liou Zhen.
After a moment of reflection, Liou Yuan's eyes fixed on this Breathing Skill.
He wasn't Liou Yuan, he was Liou Yuan, not that good-for-nothing with only a One-Star Water Acupoint.
He was someone with Two-Star Gold Acupoint... with potential.
"There's still a year; let's see if I can reach the First Mansion Perfection mentioned in the letter!"
Liou Yuan pursed his lips slightly.
Without the Fixed Star Compass, his heart might be uneasy.
But now, with the Fixed Star Compass revealing its wonders, maybe he could truly reach First Mansion Perfection within this year.
With that thought, Liou Yuan gently opened the "Five Mansions Star Gazing Breathing Skill".
The first page detailed the diagram of the human internal organs.
It focused on the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, with annotations on the five organs.
There were also writings from Liou Zhen, some cultivation insights.
Essentially, it explained that the practice of the Five Mansions Star Gazing Breathing Skill mainly relied on the cooperation of the five organs and the Star Acupoint to absorb the power of the stars and refine the five internal organs.
In the world of Liou Yuan's previous life, the five organs already had the concept of the Five Mansions; the name "Five Mansions Star Gazing" itself felt familiar to him.
The remaining sections described in detail the methods of Star Acupoint operations during breathing practices.
And detailed to the extreme cultivation insights.
All were painstakingly written by Liou Zhen for his younger brother.
Even if Liou Yuan knew nothing, one glance and he could understand most of it.
Liou Yuan spent the time of one incense stick to finish the last page and let out a heavy sigh.
"Brother, from now on, you're truly my brother."
Now wasn't the time to practice this Breathing Skill.
Therefore, Liou Yuan roughly went through it once and carefully kept it close to himself.
Finally, after taking one last look at the wall that shared a border with the neighbor next door,
Liou Yuan pushed the door open and walked straight towards the Yanhe City government office in the evening light.
The urgent matter at hand was to first resolve the hidden danger next door.