Recommendation

Following the stone-paved road, the two of them used the map Steward Hu had provided and soon found the room they had rented.

The number 78 hung alone above a door. This was the room they were looking for.

It was built of stone, with moss growing in the cracks. The exterior looked rather dark and weathered, and it had clearly been there for some time.

Rows of rooms like this one were specifically built for rent.

The two of them were a little excited. After going through so much hardship, they finally had a little nest of their own. It might not look like much from the outside, but it was theirs.

As the saying went, a golden nest or silver nest could never beat your own doghouse. That was exactly the point.

Lu Wanyuan took out the token and placed it against the door. A rippling screen of light appeared, then vanished with a soft pop.

It seemed the place was worth the price after all. It really did have a Forbidden Seal, and looked fairly secure.

When they pushed open the door, they had expected the room to be completely empty. Who would have thought it would come with quite a few pieces of furniture?

A Night-Shining Pearl hung from the ceiling, lighting up the entire room.

There was a bed, two tables—one that looked like a writing desk and another for dining—along with several stools and chairs. Several teacups and a teapot sat on the dining table, and a small stove with cooking utensils stood in one corner.

The room looked a little dusty, so Lu Wanyuan immediately cast a Cleansing Spell. Before long, he had cleaned the entire room until not a speck of dust remained.

Baili Qiuyue rearranged the chairs and stools. Since there were only two of them living in the room, she moved the extra seats against the walls to open up more space.

"Husband, this place seems pretty good. There's plenty of room, though ten Spirit Stones a month is still a bit expensive. Will we be able to earn that many Spirit Stones later on?"

"Don't worry, dear. Where there's a will, there's a way!" Lu Wanyuan reassured her.

"Mm. I still don't know what made you think of renting such an expensive room here."

"Money is an external possession. When we're somewhere unsafe, especially when the two of us aren't strong enough yet, my first priority has to be our safety!"

"If we aren't safe, even earning Spirit Stones will only leave us worrying all the time."

"Living somewhere dangerous would have us on edge every day. There'd be no point to life at all. I'd rather spend a few extra Spirit Stones to live somewhere better. As for earning Spirit Stones, I'll find a way to handle it. Don't worry!"

Lu Wanyuan said with a smile.

"Mm, I suppose you have a point, husband. This place does feel very safe. Once we activate the Forbidden Seal from inside, people outside definitely won't be able to get in. And the room is well soundproofed, too. It must have a soundproofing seal!"

Baili Qiuyue pointed at the wall and excitedly explained.

From Lu Wanyuan's explanation, she could tell that the man she had chosen as her husband saw things differently from other people. He must have rented a room in the market because he had taken her safety into consideration. Although he had talked her into marrying him back then, things seemed pretty good so far. She was naturally over the moon. What woman wouldn't want her husband to cherish her?

Three days later, Lu Wanyuan followed Chu Tianxing to an abandoned Spirit Field.

This was the job he had been searching for over the past three days. He had managed to get it only because Steward Hu had recommended him.

Perhaps Steward Hu was worried Lu Wanyuan wouldn't be able to pay his rent on time, or perhaps it was something else.

While Lu Wanyuan was looking through the tasks posted by the management office, Steward Hu had walked right up to him and arranged this task for him.

Lu Wanyuan was extremely grateful. Steward Hu had helped him for no reason at all, and Lu Wanyuan felt he owed him a huge favor.

The management office had a dedicated Task Bulletin Board for posting jobs. Posting a task required a certain number of Spirit Stones, but in return, it could be advertised to everyone in the market. That was certainly more convenient than searching for workers one by one.

For the past three days, Lu Wanyuan had gone to the Task Bulletin Board to check for work.

Many of the tasks were unsuitable for him, mainly because his strength was still lacking.

Some involved searching for Spiritual Medicines or spirit fruits, hunting for Spirit Beasts, or exploring for ores and other materials.

He hadn't even bothered looking at those tasks. With his current level of cultivation, first, the people posting the tasks wouldn't trust him; second, he was worried about running into danger if he went out.

At least he knew his limits!

But after three days without finding suitable work, he was starting to feel the pressure. Fortunately, Baili Qiuyue had found a job on the first day, working as a server at Osmanthus Pavilion.

Osmanthus Pavilion was a newly opened restaurant that happened to be hiring ten servers.

At first, Lu Wanyuan hadn't wanted her to take the job. There wasn't much room for advancement.

But Baili Qiuyue had insisted. She would earn about five Spirit Stones a month, enough to cover half a month's rent. Every little bit would help.

After thinking it over, Lu Wanyuan agreed. The two of them had no connections at all in Bayberry Market, so for now, they could only make do and focus on getting by.

Fortunately, Osmanthus Pavilion wasn't far from their place—only about a mile away. Since it was inside the market, it was safe enough, especially with patrols passing by regularly!

On the third day, Steward Hu saw him looking for work in the hall again and casually asked about his circumstances. When he learned that Lu Wanyuan only knew how to cultivate Spirit Fields, he was rather surprised.

After all, in his eyes, tending Spirit Fields was low-level work that paid less than other jobs. Yet this young fellow had actually rented a room in the market. Steward Hu couldn't understand how he planned to keep up with the rent.

Still, seeing that the young man had nothing to do, he decided to recommend him for a job.

And so, Lu Wanyuan had come here with Chu Tianxing.

The abandoned Spirit Field was actually inside the market, in someone's courtyard—though it was in the back garden.

Before them stretched a vast Spirit Field, about five mu in size, completely covered in weeds as tall as a person.

Chu Tianxing said, "This is the Spirit Field you'll be cultivating. According to our agreement, I won't charge you rent for the first year. For the next three years, I'll provide the seeds, and we'll split the harvest seventy-thirty. Of course, if you can't clear this place out, you'll have to pay me five Spirit Stones per mu each year. There are five mu here, so you'll owe me twenty-five Spirit Stones."

"Thank you, Young Master Chu. I'll definitely clear this place and get the crops planted as soon as possible!" Lu Wanyuan said hurriedly.

He didn't know why Chu Tianxing had brought him here to reclaim the land. The terms of the contract were very favorable to him.

He wouldn't need to put up any money himself, and the other party would even provide the crop seeds.

Chu Tianxing had no idea that Steward Hu had recommended the young man to him. He had some business dealings with Steward Hu.

The Spirit Field in his back garden had been abandoned for years. He had never had time to reclaim it, since cultivating Spirit Fields was hard work and didn't pay very well. So he had simply left it there. Spirit Fields needed to be farmed every year; if they went untended for a year, they could easily become overgrown.

Steward Hu had recommended this young man to him, so Chu Tianxing figured he might as well repay the favor. He had brought Lu Wanyuan here to cultivate the land.

"All right. These are Yellow Barley Malt seeds. You can buy whatever else you need and deduct the cost later, or you can give me a list of what you need and I'll buy it for you. You can decide what to plant."

"Also, this is the token for entering the courtyard. You'll need it to get in, so don't lose it. Replacing it will be very expensive, since it controls the Great Formation Seal protecting the whole courtyard."

With that, Chu Tianxing took two large bags of seeds out of his Storage Bag and tossed them on the ground. He also handed Lu Wanyuan a palm-sized, gleaming golden token, then left.