Red Spirit Gold Mine

There had never been an opportunity before.

He had had no way to display his Qi Refining Late Stage strength before He Song.

But now, it seemed that the opportunity might be right before him.

Thinking that he had yet to make a move since breaking through to the Qi Refining Late Stage, Wei Fan immediately felt eager to stir.

Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators were few and far between in Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

Even though he was only at Qi Refining stage 7, he still belonged to that tiny group at the very peak of the pyramid.

In ordinary times, who would not treat him with utmost respect upon seeing him?

As a result, he had not made a single move since breaking through to the Qi Refining Late Stage.

But now, things were different.

Judging by He Song's appearance, it seemed he finally had a chance to make a move.

Under the two men's eager gazes,

the expression on He Song's face gradually turned sorrowful.

"It's nothing. I merely spent a hundred Spirit Stones to buy an Introductory Guide to the Hundred Arts of Cultivation just now, and I'm feeling somewhat lost."

"Sigh, that was my entire fortune. I don't even know when I'll truly get started." The sorrowful expression remained on his face as He Song took the cup of tea Meng Guan had handed him and drank it in one gulp.

Then, the sorrow on his face vanished in an instant.

"Fine tea."

He Song had no idea that Wei Fan was already itching to make a move and stand up for him.

Everything he had said and done was merely an excuse he had prepared long ago.

Even if Wei Fan and Meng Guan had not teased him as they had earlier, he would still have done the same.

First, he would reveal that he had bought an Introductory Guide to the Hundred Arts of Cultivation.

Yet he would not say which art it concerned.

Then he would say that those hundred Spirit Stones had been his entire fortune.

Now that he had spent it all, he would not need to worry about anyone setting their sights on him.

This way, he got the best of both worlds.

It let people know he had purchased an Introductory Guide to the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, so that when he displayed other skills in the future, he would not draw too much attention.

At the same time, it showed that he was dirt poor, that his entire fortune had gone toward the Introductory Guide to the Hundred Arts of Cultivation. That way, no one would covet the few Spirit Stones in his possession.

Based on what He Song had learned of Wei Fan and Meng Guan over the past five years, telling them was equivalent to telling the entire Immortal Market.

For no other reason than that both of them were the sort to have friends everywhere.

As the manager of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, Meng Guan was responsible for recruiting Spirit Plant Farmers and distributing spirit seeds. Over time, he had come to know countless cultivators, most of them Spirit Plant Farmers.

As for Wei Fan—

As a steward of Lingjian Pavilion, nearly everyone working within the Immortal Market had dealings with him, and he himself loved making friends.

As a result, Wei Fan's network of connections was extraordinarily strong within Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

With just these two men, once he told them about his circumstances, word that he had become a pauper would likely spread throughout the entire Immortal Market in no time.

Of course.

Though Wei Fan and Meng Guan had many friends outside, their true inner circle consisted only of the three of them, including He Song.

Everyone else was merely a connection, not someone who had entered their little circle.

Therefore, having them spread word of his situation was only a small matter to He Song.

"Good, good, good. I thought the girls at Phoenix Perch Pavilion changed faces quickly, but I never expected you to be even faster than them. I, Meng Guan, am impressed." The meaning behind He Song's words was clearly not lost on these two old hands.

Thus, the moment He Song finished speaking, Meng Guan began wiggling his brows and teasing him.

"I'm impressed too. I thought there was going to be a fight, but it turned out to be another matter of flapping lips. Kid, that wasn't very decent of you." Wei Fan had also caught on by then, and the urge to step forward on He Song's behalf was suppressed at that moment.

They had both understood the meaning behind He Song's two sentences perfectly.

They could even sum it up in two sentences.

He had bought an Introductory Guide to the Hundred Arts of Cultivation.

He had no Spirit Stones left on him.

Everything else—the expressions, gestures, and speed at which he changed faces—was secondary.

"Alright, we know about it now. Don't worry. No one will dare lay a hand on you. And if they do, I'll chop off their dog paws."

In the end, Wei Fan waved a hand, thoroughly dispelling the worries in He Song's heart.

The words of a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator still carried considerable weight, at least within Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

The only people He Song needed to guard against were Qi Refining Early Stage cultivators, or at most, Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivators.

With a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator like Wei Fan backing him, He Song's safety naturally increased greatly.

He Song cupped his hands and thanked him.

Connections had to be used when the time came.

Otherwise, waiting until someone truly set their sights on him would be real trouble.

When one had someone to rely on, letting it spread around at the proper time could also prevent many unnecessary troubles.

The word He Song had always believed in was caution.

He possessed an endless lifespan, so naturally he did not want his safety to face any threat.

This approach kept him from drawing attention while also bringing out his backer to intimidate petty villains. It killed two birds with one stone.

Once it was clear that He Song had no other business, the conversation among the three quickly returned to its proper course.

He Song brewed tea himself.

Then Wei Fan's voice reached his ears.

"You both know about that Ore Vein that appeared near the Immortal Market, where so many Foundation Establishment families fought to the death over it, right?" Wei Fan's opening words immediately drew the curiosity of He Song and Meng Guan.

"I know. Didn't the Thick Earth Sect step in later and seize the Ore Vein? Is there more to it?" Meng Guan asked curiously.

He Song also turned his gaze toward Wei Fan, wanting to hear what came next.

"Of course there's more. After the Thick Earth Sect occupied the Ore Vein, they discovered that it was highly valuable. It was a small Red Spirit Gold Ore Vein." Midway through, Wei Fan paused. Seeing the confused looks on the faces of the two before him, he added another sentence.

"Red Spirit Gold can be used to forge Magic Artifacts. A small Red Spirit Gold Ore Vein, converted into Spirit Stones, is worth at least tens of thousands of Spirit Stones—perhaps even over a hundred thousand."

The moment those words were spoken,

the two men, who had still been somewhat confused, were instantly shocked.

A few more strands of beard appeared in Meng Guan's hand, yet he was completely unaware of it.

He merely kept muttering the words "tens of thousands of Spirit Stones."

The greedy gleam in his eyes at the mention of Spirit Stones was practically overflowing.

He had been stuck at Qi Refining stage 6 for a long time, and the Realm-Breaking Pill needed to break through from the Qi Refining Middle Stage to the Qi Refining Late Stage was incomparably expensive. With what he had, he feared he would have to wait a long time before he could buy one.

Whenever he spent Spirit Stones, he wished he could split one into two and spend them separately.

And now, an Ore Vein worth at least tens of thousands of Spirit Stones was right beside him.

At that moment, it was impossible not to feel greedy.

Fortunately, he still had his reason and knew that this was not something a mere Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivator could touch.

Thus, he only muttered to himself instead of taking action.

He Song's hand as he brewed tea could not help but tremble as well.

At least tens of thousands of Spirit Stones!

He had transmigrated to this world more than five years ago, and the most Spirit Stones he had ever possessed was only a little over a hundred.

With that many Spirit Stones, how many years would he have to spend farming to earn them?