We Rogue Cultivators Must Huddle Together for Warmth

Once he entered the East Wing, Luo Chen finally understood why the Rear Room he lived in cost only the cheapest ten Spirit Stones a month.

Though it was not as spacious, its layout was extremely sensible.

Every window had been placed for optimal lighting.

And at night, it was not nearly as cold here.

Compared with the warm and comfortable East Wing, his own Rear Room was practically a warehouse crossed with an ice cellar.

After pitying himself for a while, Luo Chen happily sat down at the dining table.

Feng Xia glanced at him and set a bowl of Spirit Rice before him.

"Thanks, Sister Xia!"

Feng Xia said, "Don't thank me. Xiu Xiu is treating."

She had been fine while silent, but the moment she spoke, her voice sounded like sandpaper grinding together.

Luo Chen frowned and carefully asked, "Sister Xia, your throat?"

"It has always been like this. Back when Sister Xia tested medicine for Hundred Herbs Hall, she accidentally consumed a poisonous herb. Though she received treatment, her throat could only recover this much."

Bai Mei Ling sat down beside them, her tone somewhat subdued.

Only then did Luo Chen learn the reason.

All he could say was that working for big companies was not easy either!

Hundred Herbs Hall was merely one of Medicine King Sect's businesses, yet the work within still carried no shortage of danger.

Work like Feng Xia's medicine testing paid well, but it was also highly dangerous.

Common herbs often developed peculiar mutations because of their growing environments and their proximity to demonic beasts.

At times like that, it was fine if conventional methods could detect the differences.

If they could not, then cultivators' bodies had to be used for personal testing.

That was Feng Xia's job.

Things had improved over the past two years. Hundred Herbs Hall in Great River Market had recruited new medicine testers, so she had begun taking on some deep-processing work involving medicinal herbs.

"What are you talking about? Why is the atmosphere so gloomy?"

Fu Xiu Xiu came over carrying a platter of steaming meat slices.

"Try this. It's Luo Scale Beast elbow meat. I brought it back from Divine Talisman Pavilion for you all to taste something new."

Bai Mei Ling told her what they had just discussed, and Fu Xiu Xiu could not help sighing as well.

"That is how we rogue cultivators are. Either we live from hand to mouth in the Outer City Area, or we let ourselves be ordered about in the Inner City. Any job with slightly better pay demands a huge price."

At those words, Bai Mei Ling and Feng Xia both looked despondent.

Luo Chen, on the other hand, was rather carefree.

Let themselves be ordered about?

They needed the qualifications to be ordered about first.

To say nothing of anything else, places like Spirit Medicine Pavilion and Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion only employed young, beautiful female cultivators to receive customers.

Male cultivators like them did not even get the chance to be summoned and dismissed at will.

"So we need to help one another even more, huddling together for warmth."

Fu Xiu Xiu picked up the wine jug and poured everyone a drink. Bai Mei Ling wanted to do it herself, but Fu Xiu Xiu pressed her hand down.

"The fact that we can live here means we are fated. If anyone has difficulties in life or cultivation later on, we should help whenever we can."

"Little Luo, though you just moved in, Senior Sun has already vetted you. Your character and temperament naturally cannot be a problem."

"From now on, we can be considered family."

With that, she raised her wine cup.

Bai Mei Ling and Feng Xia raised their cups at the same time.

Luo Chen, however, was deeply surprised.

Ever since crossing into this world, what he saw every day was the chaotic slaughter of the Outer City Area and cultivators in the marketplace haggling over every last penny for cultivation resources.

Honestly, it was somewhat cruel.

Yet he had to admit, it fit perfectly with his understanding of the Cultivation World's style.

But within this little courtyard, there was actually such warmth.

What was this, a Cultivation World version of Love Fills the Courtyard?

He did nothing to spoil the mood and raised his cup as well.

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The clear, transparent wine was smooth and non-irritating as it entered his mouth, carrying a faint fruity fragrance.

Fu Xiu Xiu smiled faintly. "Eat. Stop holding back."

Bai Mei Ling was the first to move her chopsticks. After taking a bite of stir-fried demonic beast meat, she smiled until her eyes curved into crescents.

"Sister Xiu Xiu's cooking is the best!"

"You, eat more if you like it. Little Luo, don't be so restrained either. Eat as much as you want. There's plenty of Spirit Rice in the pot."

"Mhm, mhm!"

Something soft within Luo Chen's heart seemed to have been touched.

With his eyelids lowered, he could not help shoveling rice into his mouth a little faster.

Seeing this, Fu Xiu Xiu picked up a piece of meat for him.

"What a pity the Qin Family has all gone to Fallen Cloud Sect. Once they return, we likely will not see Little Hu for quite some time either."

"Yes. Little Hu has Gold-Water Dual Spirit Roots, he is only twelve, and his background is clean. Great sects like disciples like that best," Bai Mei Ling said.

After living here for the past few days, Luo Chen had gained some understanding of the family in the west wing.

Qin Liangchen and Duanmu Qinglian were both at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

Their son, Little Hu, whose full name was Qin Yuanjiang, had been intelligent and quick-witted since birth. From childhood, he had received the devoted care of Qin Liangchen and Duanmu Qinglian.

Medicinal baths and spirit medicines were arranged for him every month.

At the age of eight, Little Hu had tested positive for Gold-Water Dual Spirit Roots.

They had originally wanted to enroll him in Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, but the sect would not open its gates to recruit disciples again for another ten years.

Left with no choice, in order not to delay his best cultivation years, Qin Liangchen and Duanmu Qinglian took him to enroll at Fallen Cloud Sect in the Jade Cauldron Domain.

That was also a major sect. Its Supreme Elder, Han Zhan, possessed the potential to reach the Nascent Soul realm.

It could be said that it was a sect with limitless prospects.

Wanting to feel involved, Luo Chen chimed in.

"Sister Cai Yi is not here either. She seems to enjoy good food quite a bit."

Yet after he said that, Fu Xiu Xiu visibly frowned.

But she quickly hid it and shook her head.

"Gu Cai Yi keeps a different schedule from us. We rarely run into each other normally."

Luo Chen blinked, nodded, and said nothing more.

Matters between women were the most troublesome.

After dinner, Fu Xiu Xiu brought out some fruits and pastries, then set up a small tea gathering in the courtyard beneath the moonlight.

Everyone spoke freely and chatted about many things.

For instance, how the shops owned by the six major sects in the Inner City had been doing lately, or how miserably the shops of several smaller sects from the Jade Cauldron Domain had been suppressed in the Marketplace.

They heard that a cultivator who had obtained a treasure at last year's United Auction had been hunted for an entire year. He had recently returned to Great River Market and was now arguing with Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion, the event's organizer.

He claimed that Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion had leaked his information, placing him in mortal danger.

Naturally, Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion denied it. They brought out the name of Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, leaving the cultivator who had come to argue so ashamed and furious that he retreated.

Fu Xiu Xiu's becoming a manager at Divine Talisman Pavilion, with hopes of joining Divine Talisman Sect's outer sect, was also brought up.

Once she succeeded, Fu Xiu Xiu would no longer be a rootless rogue cultivator.

Even if she no longer made a living in Great River Market in the future, she would be able to gain a firmer foothold elsewhere.

The others in the courtyard all envied her over this.

Everyone wanted to join a major sect. Once inside, the benefits and treatment were simply too good.

To say nothing of anything else, dispatched disciples could return to their sect every ten years and cultivate for free for one year atop a Second-Order Spirit Vein. That alone was the most eagerly anticipated benefit.

The tea gathering did not last long.

When the moon climbed to the middle of the sky, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

After all, Bai Mei Ling and the others still had to work tomorrow.

"Put it here, here."

"Everyone, have some water!"

"Manager Liu, sorry to trouble you. Here are five Spirit Stones. Count them..."

The two men laughed.

Why count five Spirit Stones? It was obvious at a glance.

After putting away the Spirit Stones and chatting with Luo Chen for a few moments, Manager Liu left the courtyard with several cultivators in the Early Qi Refining Stage.

Luo Chen looked at the mountain-like pile of bricks and stones and nodded in satisfaction.

Cloud Sand Bricks for building walls, fine Creek White Stone for insulation, and a pile of highly adhesive Sulfur Soil—his pill room could finally begin construction.

Without hesitation, Luo Chen rolled up his sleeves and began carrying bricks into his room.

By noon, he had already begun laying Creek White Stone over an empty space partitioned off within the Rear Room.

Fu Xiu Xiu had awakened that morning and placed a large number of potted plants from her room in spots where they could receive sunlight.

From time to time, she trimmed branches and leaves, and occasionally added packets of spirit fertilizer.

She had seen Luo Chen busily working as well. After greeting him, she did not disturb him.

Not until noon, when Luo Chen looked at the pill room beginning to take shape, did he feel a great sense of accomplishment.

"I'm a Pill Refining master with an independent workspace now!"

Seeing Luo Chen's satisfied and proud expression, Fu Xiu Xiu smiled. "Little Luo, you will definitely become an Alchemy Grandmaster whose name resounds throughout the Six Regions!"

Luo Chen chuckled. "Of course. I'm a pill-refining genius!"

"Would you like to eat lunch together? There are still a few dishes left from yesterday."

"That would not be appropriate... Then this Younger Brother will accept without further ceremony!"

The two of them ate lunch together.

Fu Xiu Xiu was a very gentle woman, and she was also widely knowledgeable. She could often easily answer some of Luo Chen's cultivation-related doubts.

It was a feeling Luo Chen had never gotten from Old Taoist Chen, Wang Yuan, or even Gu Cai Yi.

In Fu Xiu Xiu's words, she had once attempted to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

But without the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill, a rogue cultivator like her could only fail.

After that, she no longer harbored any improper hopes toward Foundation Establishment.

Even her usual cultivation was merely a habit built up over many years.

"After eating Sister Xiu Xiu's cooking twice, I'm starting to feel embarrassed. I'll wash the bowls and chopsticks!"

Fu Xiu Xiu brushed Luo Chen's hand aside. "How can a man do such things? I'll do it!"

Picking at his teeth, Luo Chen stood at the kitchen door and watched Fu Xiu Xiu, wearing an apron, wash the dishes by the basin.

For a moment, his eyes brimmed with hot tears.

As a native Sichuan-Chongqing mixed-blood man in his previous life, how could he ever have enjoyed such treatment?

His only girlfriend's catchphrase had been, "I'll count to three in Sichuan dialect."

"Sister Xiu Xiu, do you usually stay over at Divine Talisman Pavilion?"

"Mhm. The managers have rooms provided there, equipped with small Spirit Gathering Arrays suitable for our cultivation."

"I see quite a few of your flowers and plants love sunlight. Just applying spirit fertilizer and keeping them hidden indoors is not good."

Luo Chen offered a suggestion. "Why not place them outside? I can help watch over them when I have time."

It was absolutely not because one of those pots contained Moonlight Grass, which had the wonderful effect of calming the mind and stabilizing the soul.

After placing the bowls and chopsticks on the rack, Fu Xiu Xiu thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Then I'll have to trouble you."