Recommendation

Following the bluestone-paved path, the two quickly found the room they had rented using the map Steward Hu had provided.

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

It was a stone-built room, moss filling every crevice, its exterior dark and faded with age, clearly having stood for many years.

This area was specifically for rental rooms, row after row of them.

The two felt a small surge of excitement; after all their hardships, they finally had a little nest of their own. Though it didn't look like much from the outside, it was theirs.

As the saying goes, a golden nest or a silver nest is no match for one's own dog kennel—that was the truth of it.

Lu Wanyuan took out his token and placed it on the door. A rippling light screen appeared, then vanished with a soft pfft.

It seemed the place was worth the price after all—there really was a forbidden seal, making it fairly secure.

Pushing the door open, they expected the room to be completely empty, but to their surprise, there was quite a bit of furniture inside.

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

There was one bed, two tables—one resembling a desk, the other a dining table—along with several benches and chairs. On the dining table sat a few teacups and a teapot. In another corner stood a small stove, along with cooking utensils.

Noticing a bit of dust, Lu Wanyuan immediately cast a Cleansing Spell, and before long, the entire room was spotless.

Baili Qiuyue busied herself rearranging the seating. Since only the two of them would be living here, she moved the extra chairs and benches against the wall to free up space.

"Husband, this isn't bad at all. The space is quite large. But ten Spirit Stones a month is still a bit steep—can we really earn that many Spirit Stones in the future?"

"Wife, don't worry. The cart will find its way around the mountain when it gets there!" Lu Wanyuan reassured her.

"Hmm. I wonder why you thought to rent such an expensive place here?"

"Wealth is an external thing. In an unsafe place, especially when the two of us aren't strong enough yet, I have to prioritize our safety above all else!"

"Without safety, even if we earned Spirit Stones, we'd be living in constant fear."

"Every day in an unsafe place would be nerve-wracking, life meaningless. So I'd rather spend a few more Spirit Stones to pick a better place to live—that's what I need to consider. As for earning Spirit Stones, I'll definitely figure it out. You can rest assured!"

Lu Wanyuan said with a smile.

"Hmm, what you say makes sense. At least it feels very safe here. With the forbidden seal activated inside the room, no one outside can get in. And the soundproofing is excellent—there must be a soundproofing seal too!"

Baili Qiuyue pointed at the walls, introducing them excitedly.

After Lu Wanyuan's explanation, she realized that the husband she had chosen thought differently from others. He had probably taken her safety into account when renting a house in this market town. Though she had been tricked by this guy at first, it seemed things were working out well now. Of course, she felt pleased—what woman wouldn't want her husband to cherish her?

Three days later, under Chu Tianxing's guidance, Lu Wanyuan arrived at a piece of abandoned Spirit Field.

This was the job he had found over the past three days, secured only thanks to Steward Hu's recommendation.

He wasn't sure if Steward Hu was worried he couldn't pay the rent on time or something.

While browsing the tasks posted at the management office, Steward Hu had walked up to him and assigned this task personally.

For that, Lu Wanyuan was deeply grateful. The man had helped him for no reason, and that put him in a significant debt of gratitude.

At the management office, there was a dedicated Task Bulletin Board where tasks were posted. Each posting required a certain number of Spirit Stones, making the information available to everyone in the market town—far more convenient than searching for work one by one.

Over these three days, Lu Wanyuan had been checking the Task Bulletin Board for information.

Many tasks weren't suitable for him, mainly because his strength was still lacking.

Things like searching for Spiritual Medicine, Spirit Fruits, tracking down Spirit Beasts, or prospecting for ores.

He hadn't even glanced at those tasks. With his current cultivation and strength, first, the task issuer wouldn't trust him, and second, he himself was worried about the dangers outside.

He knew his own limits.

But after three consecutive days without finding a suitable task, he was starting to feel the pressure. Fortunately, on the first day, Baili Qiuyue had found work—she was now a server at Osmanthus Pavilion.

Osmanthus Pavilion was a newly opened eatery that happened to be hiring ten service staff.

At first, Lu Wanyuan hadn't wanted her to take the job, since the room for advancement was limited.

But Baili Qiuyue insisted, saying that at least she could earn about five Spirit Stones a month, covering half the rent. Every little bit helped.

In the end, Lu Wanyuan thought it over and agreed. The main issue was that the two of them had no connections in Bayberry Market. They had to make do for now and survive first. Fortunately, Osmanthus Pavilion wasn't far from where they lived—about a li away—and since it was within the market town, safety wasn't a problem, as Patrol Squads frequently appeared.

On the third day, Steward Hu saw him still searching for tasks in the main hall and casually asked about his situation. When he learned that Lu Wanyuan only knew how to cultivate Spirit Fields, he was quite surprised.

In his eyes, Spirit Field cultivation was a low-level job, with returns far inferior to other work. Yet this young man had dared to rent a house in the market town—it seemed unbelievable to him. How would this guy pay the rent on time?

Still, seeing that Lu Wanyuan had nothing to do, Steward Hu decided to recommend something for him.

And so, Lu Wanyuan was now here with Chu Tianxing.

This abandoned Spirit Field was actually within the market town, on someone's property—just the backyard, though.

Looking at the vast stretch of Spirit Field before him, roughly five mu in size, it was completely overgrown with weeds as tall as a man, covering every inch.

Chu Tianxing said, "This is the Spirit Field you'll be reclaiming. According to the contract, 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 land, you'll have to compensate me at five Spirit Stones per mu per year. There are five mu here, so you'd owe me that amount."

"Understood. Thank you, Young Master Chu. I'll definitely clean this place up and get the crops planted as soon as possible!" Lu Wanyuan quickly replied.

He didn't know why Chu Tianxing had let him come here to reclaim the land, but the contract terms were extremely favorable to him.

Here basically requires no cost on your part, and the other party even proactively provides the crop seeds.

Chu Tianxing hadn't expected that the person before him was recommended by Steward Hu, with whom he still had some business dealings.

The spirit field in this backyard had been abandoned for many years, and he'd never had the time to come cultivate it. After all, cultivating a spirit field was quite laborious, and the main issue was that the pay wasn't very high. So he'd just let it lie fallow, since spirit fields need to be tilled every year—if left untended for a year, they easily go to waste.

This time, since Steward Hu could recommend this young man over, he might as well repay a favor. So he brought Lu Wanyuan here and let him do the farming.

"Alright, these are Yellow Barley Malt seeds! As for the seeds, you can buy them yourself and deduct the cost later, or you can give me a list of what you need and I'll purchase them for you. It's up to you to decide what to plant!"

"Also, this is the token for entering the courtyard. With this token, you can get into the yard. Don't lose this formation token, or replacing it will be very expensive—after all, it's tied to the Great Formation Seal of the entire courtyard."

With that, Chu Tianxing took out two large bags of seeds from his Storage Bag, dropped them on the ground, and handed Lu Wanyuan a golden, palm-sized token before leaving.