Neighbor Hu Daoyou

The sun had not yet set when Lu Wanyuan returned to his residence.

"Hello, fellow Daoist!"

Before he could step inside, a voice called out from behind him.

Lu Wanyuan turned around and saw a tall, imposing man standing behind him.

"Who are you?" Lu Wanyuan immediately grew wary. He barely knew anyone in Yangmei Market, so he regarded the other man hesitantly.

"Sorry to bother you! I live at number 77, right next door. My name is Hu Yidao!" Hu Yidao introduced himself warmly.

"Is there something you need?"

"Nothing in particular. I was just wondering if you're a Spirit Planter?"

"Why do you ask?" Lu Wanyuan immediately grew wary. He was new here and had only arrived a few days ago, yet this man already knew what he did. That was troubling. Had the fellow been keeping an eye on him?

"Nothing special. It's just that I noticed how you're dressed, and you've got quite a bit of Spirit Field soil on you. It's all fresh, too, so you must have just finished reclaiming a Spirit Field."

Hu Yidao pointed to a little clump of soil stuck to Lu Wanyuan's clothes.

"Oh, you've got a sharp eye! My name is Lu Wanyuan. I really have been working a Spirit Field these past few days. I figured I'd cultivate a few mu and find some way to earn an income. Otherwise, I won't be able to pay the rent and they'll kick me out. Unfortunately, I'm not a Spirit Planter yet, just a Spirit Farmer. What kind of work do you do?"

Lu Wanyuan glanced at him and spoke with self-deprecating humor.

"Heh, Brother Lu, you're too modest. Everyone has to start at the bottom. For loose cultivators like us, with no backing or foundation, just being able to live inside the market is already pretty good. At least it's a lot better than living outside; you've got some measure of safety here. Plenty of people can't even get a start like this, so there's no need to feel sorry for yourself."

Hu Yidao had already launched into a friendly introduction as if they were old acquaintances.

"I'm a member of a Mercenary Group. Usually, I take on jobs for a bit of commission, just enough to make a living. Are you interested in joining?"

"Interested? I'm interested in anything that makes money. It's just that, with my current strength, I'd better not wander around too much. Otherwise, I wouldn't even know how I died. That's why I paid such a high price to live here. Keeping my life comes first!"

"But once I'm strong enough, I could go out with you sometime. After all, you can't stay cooped up at home forever while cultivating. That definitely won't do!"

"You'll have to help me out then!"

Lu Wanyuan regarded Hu Yidao thoughtfully.

"Of course. We're neighbors, after all. If I can help, I definitely will. It's good to lend each other a hand!"

"Everyone's afraid of dying, of course. That includes me!" Hu Yidao gave an awkward smile.

"Mm. Hu Daoyou, did you need something from me today?"

"No, no. I just wanted to get to know my neighbors. That way, we can help each other out if anything comes up."

"Mm, you're right, Hu Daoyou. I only moved in a few days ago, and I've had some urgent matters to take care of, so I haven't had a chance to meet the neighbors. I'm really sorry about that!"

"It's fine, it's fine. It's nothing, and taking care of your business comes first!" Hu Yidao said understandingly.

"Do you know what the resident next door, in number 79, does? I haven't seen what he looks like."

"Mm, him? He's a bachelor, too. He seems to be an Artifact Refiner, though I don't know if that's true. He comes home very late every day."

"Mm, there's no choice. You have to earn money to get by. I just wonder when this cultivation will ever end," Lu Wanyuan said with a sigh.

"Yeah, yeah, that's true. Nothing to be done about it. It'd be great if we ran into some kind of lucky opportunity someday! Haha." Hu Yidao nodded.

"Mm, Hu Daoyou, if there's nothing else, I'll head inside."

"Sure, go ahead. I won't keep you."

As soon as Lu Wanyuan entered his room, he activated the Forbidden Seal.

Although the market was very safe, it certainly wasn't absolutely secure. His neighbor, Hu Yidao, was a member of a Mercenary Group, and his Cultivation Realm was higher than Lu Wanyuan's—probably the Qi Refining middle stage.

What's more, he was in a Mercenary Group. Just one look at his eyes was enough to tell: even though he did his best to hide it, you could still sense the murderous glint in them.

In his current state, Lu Wanyuan probably wouldn't last a single move against him. Naturally, the farther away he stayed, the better. That would save him trouble.

Feeling the pressure of having such a neighbor, Lu Wanyuan's mind cleared of distracting thoughts, and he began cultivating.

However, he wasn't cultivating normally. Normal cultivation was out of the question in this place. There wasn't a shred of Spiritual Qi, so who knew how long it would take to advance his cultivation.

Of course, he planned to use up the four "Strand of Spiritual Qi" Entries. There was no point in keeping them, and using them would speed up his cultivation.

Four hours later, all four Entries had been used up, and his Qi Refining second layer cultivation had actually begun to loosen, with signs of advancing toward the Qi Refining third layer.

Sensing this, Lu Wanyuan was overjoyed. At this rate, it wouldn't take long to reach the Qi Refining third layer. He would probably need no more than four "Strand of Spiritual Qi" Entries.

If things continued like this, even Foundation Establishment seemed within reach.

At the thought, he felt that life had suddenly become so much more enjoyable. It was just a shame he couldn't share the news with anyone.

After all, there was no way anyone could know about his Golden Finger. And if they did, it would only bring him needless trouble and get him killed.

It made sense. When you were all struggling on the same starting line, it didn't matter much. But if one day you suddenly got a cheat and shot ahead of everyone else, where did that leave them? Some people might take it in stride, but others would surely grow resentful. Why should you, who started on the same level, be the one to surpass them? They might very well do something to harm you.

As the saying went, "The spear in plain sight is easy to dodge; the arrow in the dark is hard to guard against!"

So it was best to keep a low profile. At least, that was the plan for now.

Of course, if he became overwhelmingly powerful, those who envied and resented him would have no choice but to look at him with admiration.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a single Spirit Stone left. Otherwise, he'd need to buy some offensive Cultivation Techniques. Right now, all he had were spells related to Spirit Planting Talismans, and he didn't know any other spells.

It was already almost eleven, and Lu Wanyuan realized that Baili Qiuyue still hadn't come back.

He immediately got up and left his room, planning to go and meet her. It was late at night, after all, and he was worried it might not be safe.

As soon as he reached the doorway, he saw Baili Qiuyue walking back with a blissful look on her face.

"Husband!"

Seeing Lu Wanyuan waiting outside the room for her, she was instantly surprised.

"Wife, what's got you so happy?"

"Mm, let's go inside first." Baili Qiuyue looped her arm around his and tugged him inside, speaking with a bashful look.

Seeing her expression, Lu Wanyuan's heart gave a sudden lurch. What was going on?

Once they were inside, Lu Wanyuan looked at Baili Qiuyue's blissful expression and asked in confusion, "What's got you so happy?"

"Husband, take a guess. Why do you think I came back so late?"

"I don't know. I really had no idea why you were so late. I was worried something had happened to you, and I was about to go out and meet you. I'd just stepped outside when you came back!" Lu Wanyuan looked at her and answered honestly.

"While I was working today, I suddenly felt a little unwell. There was an apothecary not far from the next door, so I went to see a physician. Do you know what the doctor said?"

Baili Qiuyue said excitedly.

"Mm, what did the doctor say?"