Chapter 51: My Fate Belongs to Me, Not to Heaven

"My fate is my own, not heaven’s to decide"—just an empty joke, really.

After patiently calming Yu Yanan, he told her to get some good rest and focus on recovering her health. For now, this would have to do.

As expected, that very night, a citywide curfew began. Shen Xin had initially thought it was only Niucheng under lockdown, but later learned that the entire Yuancheng Province was subject to the same restrictions.

All he could do now was take care of Yu Yanan, train diligently, and hope that this time he could survive a little longer, perhaps master a few more cultivation techniques.

But where could one find such techniques so easily? He only knew that Sister Dan surely possessed quite a few, though there was no guarantee she’d share any with him.

He opened his phone and logged onto the Bounty Order APP, heading straight for the marketplace. After searching for a while, he found no secret manuals for cultivation. There were, however, some elixirs, though he had no idea how effective they were.

He didn’t dwell on it—he simply bought two vials of enhancement serum, spending two million in an instant. Less than an hour after placing the order, someone delivered the serums to his door.

He injected one, but the results were mediocre, nowhere near as effective as the Vitality Pills. He felt a wave of regret; two million, just like that! With no other choice, he went to Sister Dan, pleading and cajoling until she reluctantly gave him a few more Vitality Pills.

This time, Sister Dan hesitated for a long while before handing them over, speaking to him with grave sincerity. “Shen Xin, it’s not that I’m stingy, but these Vitality Pills come with side effects. Ten is the absolute limit anyone should take. I’m giving you three now. Counting the two I gave you before, you mustn’t take more than five in the future.”

“It’s fine. After all, there’s no future for me anyway.”

Sister Dan leaned over and gave him a sharp knock on the head, scolding, “What kind of defeatist talk is that?”

Shen Xin just grinned, popping the pills one after another. The term exams ended, and summer vacation began.

He guessed his little sister, Shen Lan, would be getting her college entrance exam results soon, but he wasn’t particularly excited—he already knew she’d applied to Longcheng University.

What piqued his interest was the true extent of her awakened superpower.

After summer began, Yu Yanan didn’t dare return home and continued living in the apartment Shen Xin rented. She also enrolled in a cooking class, dedicating herself to learning how to cook.

This didn’t surprise Shen Xin—it was just like before.

This time, he wasn’t in a rush to head home. He planned to visit Huangni Village first. The spiritual fruit in the hands of the Spirit Turtle Child there would be of great help to him; he had to get his hands on it.

So, he called Tang Ziran and his sister Shen Lan over, arranging for them to stay with Yu Yanan. At least they could look out for each other.

He warned his sister not to fall for any more prize scams—last time, she’d been fleeced out of over a thousand gems.

Once everything was set, he made for Huangni Village.

Returning to Huangni Village once more, he found it far less lively than before. There were no streamers at the village entrance, and only a few elderly villagers remained inside.

Guided by memory, he made his way to a crystal-clear stream and found the massive stone shaped like a turtle.

“Spirit Turtle Child, come out. I know this is your true form.”

After calling several times, a child wearing a red bellyband suddenly appeared. Shen Xin nodded inwardly—this was the one.

The Spirit Turtle Child held a spiritual fruit, tilting his head to study Shen Xin curiously. “Big brother, what do you want with me?”

Shen Xin raised two fingers. “Two things. First, I want to warn you—your hiding place has been discovered, and someone’s coming to catch you. Second, I want your fruit—the more, the better.”

“Heh, that won’t do—unless you can catch me first!”

“Distort!”

“Wait… wait! I’ll give it to you!”

Shen Xin immediately stopped, never intending to hurt the child.

The Spirit Turtle Child obediently tossed him the spiritual fruit.

“Any more?”

“Uh, these fruits are called Earth Vein Fruits—they take a hundred years to ripen, very rare.”

Shen Xin immediately knew the child had more. “I can trade these gems for your fruit.”

“Sure, sure! Ten gems for one fruit. But no more than three.”

To his surprise, the Spirit Turtle Child agreed at once upon seeing the gems.

“Deal. Three it is.”

Once the exchange was done, Shen Xin slipped away as quietly as he’d come.

Returning to his apartment, he took one Earth Vein Fruit himself and gave another to Yu Yanan. He believed that only by growing stronger could Yu Yanan hope to break free from the control of high-level vampires.

Yu Yanan accepted the fruit and ate it absentmindedly, thinking it was just a cherry. The taste was similar, though it lacked a pit. The Earth Vein Fruit was gentle in nature, causing no discomfort, yet its effects were long-lasting, quietly enhancing a person’s abilities over time.

Shen Xin remembered that in his last cycle, it took him half a month to fully digest the fruit, and his constitution improved greatly.

But if he were to die and start over, he’d have to cultivate from scratch—a troublesome prospect.

Still, Shen Xin dared not gamble. He couldn’t be sure there would be another cycle. What if there wasn’t?

The next day, taking advantage of a break in Chen Jiawang’s schedule, he approached him. “Wang, you’ve got connections—do you know any practitioners of mental-type cultivation?”

Chen Jiawang paused, then understood. “You mean mental-type superhumans? Actually, I do know someone. Her superpowers are hypnosis, mind control, and illusions.”

“Oh, and how do you know all that?”

Superpowers were usually closely guarded secrets—no one showed their full hand.

For instance, Shen Xin never told anyone his own ability was teleportation, and that it was triggered through his eyes. If an enemy knew, wouldn’t they just gouge his eyes out?

“Heh, we’re close friends, that’s all. So, what do you want?”

“I just want to learn more, that’s all. Can you introduce me?”

“No problem. I’ll take you to meet her tonight.”

Shen Xin voiced a concern. “Are we at risk of being controlled by her power and becoming her slaves?”

“Relax—if she was that powerful, she’d be living in Holy City, not hanging around Niucheng.”

Shen Xin felt a bit reassured.

That evening, the two of them drove to a mental health clinic. They arrived at exactly 7 pm, the start of curfew.

Though called a hospital, it was really a private clinic, situated on the fifth floor of an office building.

Inside, a small assistant greeted them.

After Chen Jiawang spoke with her, he turned to Shen Xin, “You can go in, but there’s a fee.”

“No problem. Thanks.”

Shen Xin pushed open the door and entered a sixty-square-meter hall. The decor was lush and natural—the wallpaper depicted a forest, and flowers and plants were everywhere.

Soothing nature sounds played: insects chirping, birds calling, rain tapping on a pipa, all blending into a tranquil atmosphere.

The lighting was soft, almost dim.

A young woman in a light green dress sat at a wooden desk, gazing at him with a warm smile.