A Tiny Courtyard, Crouching Tigers and Hidden Dragons

For some reason, Luo Chen felt that Wang Yuan had become colder than before.

He still did not talk much, but the occasional remark he made was rather chilling.

Naturally, Luo Chen had no idea about Wang Yuan's recent brilliant record, nor that he had earned the fearsome name of Mad Blade.

Killing for treasure had nothing to do with him.

Even if it did, he had always been forced into it.

He, Luo Chen, was wholeheartedly devoted to the Dao!

After rummaging through a pile of books again and again, Luo Chen finally found his target.

"Wang, I count as your little brother now, right?"

"Mm, barely."

"Then are there any benefits to being your younger brother? For example..."

"This book is out of the question. A Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator from the Mountain Shattering Gang entrusted me to sell it. If you want to read it, you can only buy it."

The book in Luo Chen's hand was precisely the copy of Five Essential Spells for the Qi Refining Stage that Wang Yuan had displayed for ages without managing to sell.

But Luo Chen remembered Wang Yuan saying before that he had snatched this book!

What happened to rogue cultivators not deceiving rogue cultivators?

Cursing under his breath, Luo Chen took out two hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, then carefully tucked the book into his Storage Bag as though it were a treasure.

Wang Yuan watched him and suddenly gave a soft laugh.

"That Chen Xiao really was unlucky. He worked his fingers to the bone for half a year, only to sew a wedding dress for you."

What did he mean, sew a wedding dress for me?!

I'm a man, brother.

"The unlucky bastard you killed before was named Chen Xiao?"

"Mm. He discovered a Senior's Cave Residence and spent half a year breaking its formation. He gained quite a lot, but it all became yours in the end."

Luo Chen touched his Storage Bag, suddenly enlightened.

No wonder a mere Qi Refining Fifth Layer rogue cultivator had both a Storage Bag and the High-Grade Magic Tool Soul Severing Nail. So he had stumbled upon a Fortuitous Encounter!

"The brothers gained quite a bit, so they had the nerve to join forces and kill me. Unfortunately, they had treasure but did not know how to use it."

"What do you mean?"

"For example, this Soul Severing Nail. It easily pierced my defenses back then, but it could only wound me lightly. It posed less of a threat than his other Thunderclap Bomb."

Perhaps Wang Yuan was in the mood to give Luo Chen some guidance, so he spoke casually.

"But if he had smeared poison onto the Soul Severing Nail, I would have been in danger back then."

Luo Chen froze, then gave him a thumbs-up.

"Brother, you really are sinister!"

"Oh, no, Brother, your combat experience is truly abundant!"

Seeing Wang Yuan's expression turn unpleasant, Luo Chen immediately changed his tune.

Wang Yuan shook his head. "Whether immortal cultivators or mortal martial artists, the logic of battle is actually the same: put the other person to death. Too many rogue cultivators in Great River Market are overly bound by convention. They only know how to rigidly bombard each other with Magic Tools."

"Of course, it is also possible that he could not obtain poison capable of affecting cultivators."

Luo Chen nodded heavily.

Cultivators breathed in and out spiritual qi. Even without deliberately practicing Body Tempering, their physiques gradually evolved.

Otherwise, when high-level cultivators casually squandered vast amounts of spiritual qi, frail bodies would never withstand such ravaging.

A jade bottle was handed to Luo Chen.

"This is Chaos Spirit Powder that I seized. Smear it on the Soul Severing Nail. Once it touches an enemy's flesh and blood, their spiritual qi will fall into chaos and become impossible to mobilize."

Was this the benefit of being a younger brother?

Luo Chen accepted it joyfully, intending to smear it on as soon as he returned.

He wanted to become someone with abundant combat experience too!

"Remember, Chaos Spirit Powder lasts only a very short time. Someone with sufficient spiritual qi can suppress it easily. Therefore, once you fire the Soul Severing Nail, you must be prepared to end the battle swiftly."

Wang Yuan warned him solemnly.

He still had several bottles left for his own use, but there was no need to tell Luo Chen that.

He was not much of a talker to begin with, and he had already said plenty today.

Seeing this, Luo Chen left behind a bag of little snacks to pass the time, then tactfully took his leave.

Before leaving the market, he looked back and discovered that Wang Yuan seemed to be practicing cultivation?

"Using the time he spends tending his stall to mooch off the First-Order Spirit Vein in the Inner City?"

The discovery gave Luo Chen a flash of delight.

But he swiftly dismissed any thought of imitating him.

The market was packed with people and deafeningly noisy. It was not a good place for quiet cultivation at all.

If someone disturbed him carelessly, he might very well Go Astray.

Wang Yuan dared do this because he likely had some other safeguard.

If Luo Chen copied him, he would simply be courting death.

"You really are a Pill Refiner!"

Cai Yi woke up in the afternoon. After washing and dressing, she slipped over to the Rear Room.

She saw Luo Chen holding a stone pestle and forcefully grinding a mineral she did not recognize.

The spacious Rear Room was filled with medicinal herbs.

The mingled scents made one feel uncomfortable after a single breath.

Yet Luo Chen was thoroughly enjoying himself, having long since grown accustomed to the smells.

Seeing Cai Yi leaning against the doorway, Luo Chen grinned and poured the Gilding Powder from the stone mortar into a wooden bucket.

Another kind of medicinal herb had already been soaking inside. The instant the Gilding Powder was added, a strange reaction occurred.

Bubbles rose continuously, making gurgling sounds.

After washing his hands, Luo Chen walked to the doorway and stretched lazily.

"Want some hawthorn? I bought medicinal herbs today and got them as a little extra from the shopkeeper. There's not much spiritual qi in them, but they're sweet and sour."

Cai Yi accepted a handful of hawthorn from Luo Chen, but her gaze landed on his Storage Bag.

"You Pill Refiners really are wealthy. You already have a Storage Bag in the Mid Qi Refining Stage."

Her voice was brimming with envy.

Envious, woman?

I traded my life for it!

Naturally, Luo Chen would not flaunt his wealth. Avoiding the sensitive subject, he began asking Cai Yi about the neighboring residents.

When living somewhere new, it was better to familiarize oneself with the people nearby.

Otherwise, if any conflict truly arose later, it would greatly affect his work.

But after asking around, he became a little stiff.

"One main room, an East Wing and west wing, plus two side rooms and your largest Rear Room. Six households live here in total."

"Fu Xiu Xiu lives in the East Wing. She is at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer and normally works at the Divine Talisman Pavilion. She has already risen to become a manager."

"The Qin Family lives in the west wing, three people in all. Qin Liangchen and his wife are both at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. You have not seen them lately because they personally escorted their son to the Fallen Cloud Sect for its Entry Level trial."

"The two side rooms are occupied by Bai Mei Ling and Feng Xia respectively. Both are female cultivators at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, and both work at Hundred Herbs Hall."

After hearing this introduction to his neighbors, Luo Chen could not help being stunned.

Crouching tigers and hidden dragons indeed!

In such a tiny courtyard, there were actually three Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivators and two Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivators.

Only Luo Chen was at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer. How pitiful. He wanted a hug.

Naturally, Cai Yi would not hug him. Puffing out her chest, she smiled. "As for me, Gu Cai Yi, Qi Refining Eighth Layer. I make my living dancing at Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion."

"How is the income?"

"Not bad, I suppose. Don't you see that I live in the main room?"

Ah, shake his head, sigh.

He had thought that after advancing to the Mid Qi Refining Stage, he could at least count as a Great Cultivator. Who would have thought that in this tiny courtyard, everyone could bully him with their cultivation realm?

In truth, although Luo Chen was surprised, he did not find it unexpected.

Among the tens of thousands of rogue cultivators in Great River Market, several hundred were in the Late Qi Refining Stage.

Those several hundred might be rare sights in the Outer City Area, but in the Inner City, they were everywhere.

Or rather, Low-level cultivators simply could not afford houses in the Inner City. Only Late Stage cultivators with some marketable skill could settle down securely in the Inner City.

Like Old Taoist Chen, at Qi Refining Layer Six, skilled at Talisman Making and tanning talisman hide, who had the confidence to say, "If the Outer City gets any more chaotic, I plan to move into the Inner City."

This alone made the situation clear.

If Luo Chen had not been seeking refuge, and if he had not licked the blood off the blade twice, he would not have had the capital to rent a house in the Inner City.

"Speaking of which, something feels strange."

"What feels strange?"

Luo Chen asked curiously, "Other than me, are the other five households in our courtyard all female cultivators? And the residents in the alleys on my way home seem to be mostly women too."

"You really are stupid!"

Gu Cai Yi laughed reproachfully. "Heaven and earth have yin and yang, and spiritual qi naturally has yin and yang as well. A Ghost King is suppressed in the north of the city, so over time, the spiritual qi here has leaned toward the yin attribute. Men belong to yang, women belong to yin. Naturally, most of those renting homes here are female cultivators!"

Luo Chen suddenly understood, then worriedly asked, "Then if I stay here for too long, will it affect my cultivation?"

"It probably will not, right?" The tall Gu Cai Yi crossed her arms and said uncertainly, "We female cultivators do gain some benefits in yin-aspected places, but you male cultivators simply do not gain anything. It should not become harmful."

"Is that so?"

"Hasn't Fellow Daoist Qin lived here for years too? I have never heard him mention anything."

Gu Cai Yi thought for a moment. "How about this? If I have time tonight, I'll ask Miss Yu Xiang from Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion. She understands these matters better than I do."

"Mm, then I'll have to trouble you."

"By the way, I still haven't asked you. What pills are you refining?"

Gu Cai Yi eagerly looked around the dim room. She did not recognize most of the medicinal herbs inside.

If the pills Luo Chen refined suited her, that would be wonderful.

They were neighbors, after all. A friendly price should always be possible.

After waiting for a long while, however, she heard no reply from Luo Chen.

Was it inconvenient for him to say?

Gu Cai Yi glanced at Luo Chen and discovered an almost imperceptible flush on his face.

"Grain Avoidance Pills."

"Yes, Grain Avoidance Pills!"

Luo Chen repeated himself, his tone particularly firm.

As Gu Cai Yi went to work that evening, her mind was still on their afternoon conversation.

When she arrived at Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, most of the girls had gotten up and were preparing to eat something to fill their stomachs.

The spiritual food supplied once a day at Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion was good stuff, and Gu Cai Yi would never miss it.

While eating the delicious, spirit-filled meal, Gu Cai Yi saw Yu Xiang taking small bites of her food.

"Xiang Xiang, you understand Pill Refining. Let me ask you something."

"Mm?"

"Do Mid Qi Refining Stage cultivators earn a lot by refining Grain Avoidance Pills?"

Yu Xiang blinked, then covered her lips and smiled.