Rockery and Flowing Water

There was no fourth option.

With so many benefits laid out before them, anyone would know how to choose.

Moreover, after five years of knowing each other, Wei Fan had come to understand He Song quite well, and He Song naturally understood Wei Fan just as deeply.

That was why one could extend the invitation, while the other could nod in agreement.

Wei Fan knew of He Song's circumstances and wanted to lend him a hand.

He Song, meanwhile, knew Wei Fan's character. Living together was not out of the question.

With such mutual trust, without those five years of companionship, neither of them would even have considered such a thing.

Given He Song's caution, if some other Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator had invited him, he would probably have immediately suspected the other man of plotting to rob and murder him.

Let alone agreeing outright.

Only because it was Wei Fan, and only after knowing him for so long and giving it careful thought, did He Song agree.

"Since that's the case, Fellow Daoist He, go pack your things first. I'll wait here. When the time comes, we'll head home together." Seeing He Song agree, Wei Fan's face lit up, and he immediately urged him on.

For a cultivator like Wei Fan, whose cultivation had reached the Qi Refining Late Stage and who merely needed to slowly accumulate spiritual power to cultivate all the way to Qi Refining Perfection, the dull monotony of everyday life was the hardest thing to endure.

Now, He Song had agreed to come live with him.

Did that mean his life would no longer be as tedious as it was now?

They could drink tea and chat together each day, talk of heaven and earth, and when free, wander about with a friend at their side.

Just imagining such a life made Wei Fan feel it would be far more interesting than his current one.

That was also why, upon first meeting He Song, Wei Fan had frankly admitted that he loved making friends.

Before breaking through to the Qi Refining Late Stage, most of his energy had been devoted to overcoming his bottleneck.

Only after successfully breaking through to the Qi Refining Late Stage and experiencing the dullness and monotony of silently cultivating every day did he begin to enjoy making friends.

Without a few friends in one's daily life, its tedium could even crush a person's spirit.

However.

Just as Wei Fan urged him on with delight written across his face.

A trace of wariness suddenly appeared in He Song's gaze as he looked at him.

This Wei Fan, throughout the five years they had known each other, had never shown the slightest interest in women.

Yet the moment He Song agreed to live with him, he had become this excited.

Could it be...

After hesitating slightly, He Song ultimately cast aside that frightening thought.

He himself had not seemed to show any interest in women over the past five years either. Perhaps he was overthinking it.

With that thought, the wariness in He Song's eyes quickly faded. He then cupped his hands in farewell.

After leaving Lingjian Pavilion.

He Song first returned home and packed up all his belongings.

He had wanted to bid farewell to Lin Cong next door, but after thinking it over, He Song abandoned the idea.

He was merely going to Wei Fan's home to avoid disaster. Though he would give up the lease on his room, with Wei Fan, a steward of Lingjian Pavilion, around, this room would remain reserved for him.

The houses available for rent in Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market were not filled every month.

Keeping one room vacant was a small matter for Wei Fan.

After some time, once he had avoided the calamity, He Song would return here to continue living.

Rather than say anything now, it would be better to stay at Wei Fan's place for a while before using the Sound Transmission Technique to explain the situation to Lin Cong.

That way, Lin Cong could be more vigilant and would not be caught completely unaware if evil cultivators attacked.

Having made his decision, He Song pondered for a moment before swiftly deciding to give Wei Fan the rent he saved during the period of sheltering from disaster.

Wei Fan's help in allowing him to avoid disaster was already a great favor.

If he did not even pay some rent, He Song himself would feel bad about it.

Though the rent he could offer was indeed not much, it was still a token of his appreciation. He could not simply live in Wei Fan's home with a clear conscience, could he?

With that thought in mind.

He Song quickly returned to Lingjian Pavilion with his belongings.

When Wei Fan saw that He Song had already packed his luggage and returned to Lingjian Pavilion, he promptly led him to his residence.

The residence of a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator was far superior to the place where a Qi Refining Early Stage cultivator like He Song lived.

Wei Fan lived in a small courtyard.

There were rockeries and flowing water in the courtyard, along with a two-story building.

Inside were one master bedroom, two secondary bedrooms, and one servant's room—a total of four rooms fit for living.

There was also a reception hall, two quiet cultivation rooms, a study, a kitchen, and a training room.

With so many rooms, He Song was dazzled, inwardly crying out at the extravagance.

On top of that, the spiritual energy here was far denser than where He Song had lived, allowing for faster cultivation.

One had to know.

The room He Song had previously rented for ten Spirit Stones a month had only one room and a quiet cultivation room.

Other than that, there was nothing else.

And even for that, he had to pay ten Spirit Stones in rent every month.

But now?

Looking at the size of the buildings in Wei Fan's courtyard and the density of its spiritual energy, He Song could not even imagine how much the monthly rent for this small courtyard would cost.

"Brother Wei, how much is the monthly rent for this courtyard?" If he could not figure it out, he asked. Before a friend, He Song had never felt embarrassed about such things.

"The market rate is fifty Spirit Stones a month, or five hundred Spirit Stones for a full year. But I don't need to pay Spirit Stones to live here. Once one reaches the Qi Refining Late Stage, as long as they are a cultivator within the Immortal Market, the Immortal Market will arrange a small courtyard for them free of charge."

Facing He Song's confusion, Wei Fan immediately revealed something He Song had not known before.

To Wei Fan, who was already at the Qi Refining Late Stage, this information was merely common knowledge.

But to He Song, it brought a faint trace of surprise to his heart.

One had to know.

Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market was not a charity hall.

This much was evident from the ten Spirit Stones of rent he paid each month.

After deducting one hundred and twenty Spirit Stones in yearly rent, an Immortal Market cultivator at the Qi Refining Early Stage only had twenty or thirty Spirit Stones left for free use over the entire year.

They were practically treating Qi Refining Early Stage cultivators as laborers.

Yet once one's cultivation reached the Qi Refining Late Stage, they were given a small courtyard for free. He Song simply could not make heads or tails of it.

So they really did not treat the lowest-ranking Qi Refining Early Stage cultivators as people?

"Don't be too surprised. Those are the rules of the Immortal Market. Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators reside here year-round and can make the Immortal Market safer, so naturally they deserve better treatment."

"But Qi Refining Early Stage cultivators are already fortunate just to enter the Immortal Market. It is at least far safer than the outside world. Within the Immortal Market, they can at least safely pass through the most vulnerable period of a cultivator's life."

"Rogue Cultivators who cannot enter an Immortal Market die in numbers beyond counting every year outside. Compared to them, being able to enter the Immortal Market is already a stroke of tremendous luck."

"Besides, once your cultivation reaches the Qi Refining Middle Stage, your treatment within the Immortal Market will improve somewhat as well. You'll understand when the time comes, so don't be surprised."

As he led He Song around to familiarize him with the surroundings, Wei Fan also told him about some matters within the Immortal Market.