The Three-No Cultivator

After the words fell.

He Song had already moved off to one side.

Although it was somewhat difficult to maintain the Spirit Rain Technique while moving, in order to avoid seeing Chen Zhou again, He Song carefully controlled the Spirit Rain Technique and left Chen Zhou's side.

When faced with a cultivator who could not tell right from wrong, He Song was cautious, but within this Immortal Market, he had no reason to fear him.

Chen Zhou was merely a Spirit Plant Farmer at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

His cultivation was on par with his own.

Even if he launched a sneak attack, so long as He Song remained on guard, he would be unable to do anything to him.

At the same time, Chen Zhou did not seem to have any connections or backing.

Otherwise, Zhao Lin could not have so easily transferred two mu of Spirit Fields into He Song's name.

Moreover, when his own Spirit Fields had suddenly been taken away, instead of going to Zhao Lin to make trouble, he had come to He Song seeking an exchange. That proved he was someone who bullied the weak while fearing the strong.

First, no background.

Second, no threat.

Third, no courage.

Faced with a cultivator like this, He Song could not think of any reason to fear him.

Though he thought so, He Song soon decided that he would make another trip to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion later and have Zhao Lin investigate this man's background.

If there was nothing, then all was well.

But if he truly had something hidden, He Song might have no choice but to ask someone to act and dispose of this trouble.

"You—"

At the side, upon hearing He Song's words, Chen Zhou's face immediately flushed red. He pointed at He Song, wanting to say something, but after his lips trembled a few times, he ultimately said nothing.

He stomped his foot. Seeing He Song concentrate on casting the Spirit Rain Technique and no longer pay him any heed, Chen Zhou lingered for a moment before finally leaving in resentment.

He Song's icy refusal.

And his friend, who served as a manager at the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.

Though Chen Zhou was furious, he did not dare continue pestering him.

A manager of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion was an influential figure with real authority. Compared to a tiny Spirit Plant Farmer like him, they were as far apart as heaven and earth.

He simply could not afford to offend him.

He could not afford to offend a manager of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.

Likewise, he could not afford to offend He Song, the friend of a Spirit Medicine Pavilion manager.

Thus, he could only leave.

However, after he had gone some distance away.

He Song faintly heard muttered words.

Things like "running wild and tyrannical," "committing every kind of evil," "preying on the common folk," and "borrowing a tiger's might to frighten others."

He Song did not care about any of that. His gaze merely followed the other man as he silently noted the direction Chen Zhou had taken.

Very soon.

He Song thoroughly watered the two mu of Spirit Fields newly transferred into his name.

Rather than continuing on to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, He Song followed the direction Chen Zhou had left in, strolling along at an unhurried pace.

Unfortunately, even after walking a long way, He Song still did not discover where Chen Zhou lived.

With no other choice, He Song could only return home.

Yet after returning home, He Song took out a sheet of paper.

"Brother Zhao, while watering the Spirit Fields today, I encountered a man named Chen Zhou, whose cultivation is at the fourth level of Qi Refining."

"This man produced ten Spirit Stones and stated that the two mu of Spirit Fields previously belonged to him. He wished to exchange Spirit Fields with me, but I refused, and he then left in resentment."

"I hope Brother Zhao can help investigate this man's background. My cultivation is shallow, and I fear retaliation."

"If there is anything unusual, I hope Brother Zhao will inform me."

"He Song."

At the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.

Zhao Lin soon received the Sound Transmission Paper Crane sent by He Song.

After holding the paper in his hands and carefully reading it through, Zhao Lin frowned and destroyed it.

An unnamed fury rose within him.

He could not help but curse under his breath.

"I finally went to the trouble of helping a friend with something, and this Chen Zhou just had to make trouble for me."

He had helped settle the matter, yet left behind a loose end. Now He Song had sent him a Sound Transmission Paper Crane, asking him to investigate the man's background to guard against retaliation.

This.

Was this not a slap to his own face?

He had finally helped his friend with something. The matter itself had been handled, yet the loose ends afterward had not been cleaned up.

And he had even kept saying there was nothing to worry about.

Thinking of what he had said when He Song came to see him, Zhao Lin felt incomparably embarrassed.

How was he supposed to hold his head up before his friend in the future?

At that thought, Zhao Lin's gaze gradually turned unfriendly.

Immediately afterward, he took a thick book from the side and rapidly flipped through it.

After a long while.

Zhao Lin finally raised his head, his heart tightening slightly.

"Chen Zhou, fourth level of Qi Refining, born a Rogue Cultivator, thirty-one years old."

"Three years ago, he was recruited into the Immortal Market and became a Spirit Plant Farmer, remaining so until today."

He had found it.

Chen Zhou had been recruited into the Immortal Market three years ago.

Three years ago.

A trace of recollection flashed through Zhao Lin's eyes, and his gaze soon became dark and inscrutable.

What had happened three years ago?

Three years ago was when Chengsan Real Person left the Immortal Market, followed closely by the attack on Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market by evil cultivators!

After that, the Spirit Medicine Pavilion loosened its recruitment standards for Spirit Plant Farmers.

Because many of the Immortal Market's Spirit Plant Farmers had died in that calamity, leaving Spirit Fields untended, the higher-ups urgently wanted to recruit more Spirit Plant Farmers to fill the vacancies.

And it was at that time that Zhao Lin, who bore such responsibilities, recruited one Rogue Cultivator after another.

This Chen Zhou had likely been recruited by him at that time as well.

A trace of caution flashed through Zhao Lin's eyes.

Rogue Cultivator.

Born a Rogue Cultivator.

To have reached the Qi Refining Middle Stage before joining the Immortal Market.

This Chen Zhou certainly had something extraordinary about him!

To survive the most vulnerable early stage of Qi Refining within the Rogue Cultivator community, where mortality was exceedingly high, and successfully break through into the Qi Refining Middle Stage.

The difficulty of this could be called immense, yet Chen Zhou had still managed to break through.

From this, one could imagine that Chen Zhou was certainly not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

At that thought, a sheet of paper swiftly appeared in Zhao Lin's hand.

"Chen Zhou, fourth level of Qi Refining, born a Rogue Cultivator, thirty-one years old."

"Three years ago, he was recruited into the Immortal Market and became a Spirit Plant Farmer, remaining so until today."

"This is all the information I was able to find. However, based on my speculation, for Chen Zhou to successfully break through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage as a Rogue Cultivator, he should not be as simple as he appears on the surface."

"Fellow Daoist, please be careful. This matter began because of me, and I truly owe you an apology. Should you have any need of me, I shall not refuse."

"I hope Fellow Daoist will not blame me."

"Zhao Lin."

Very soon.

He Song, who was already cultivating at home, received Zhao Lin's Sound Transmission Paper Crane.

His gaze swept across the words on the paper, and his brows gradually furrowed.

He had joined the Spirit Medicine Pavilion three years ago and become a Spirit Plant Farmer.

Yet before joining the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, this Chen Zhou had already been a cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining.

In other words, Zhao Lin's speculation was not without basis. On the contrary, Zhao Lin's speculation might be very close to the truth.

But... the Chen Zhou he had faced earlier.

First, no background.

Second, no threat.

Third, no courage.

How was he to explain the Chen Zhou he had seen?

If He Song remembered correctly.

Chen Zhou had been terribly timid before him, not even daring to utter a harsh word when leaving.

He only dared mutter things like "running wild and tyrannical" and "borrowing a tiger's might to frighten others" after he had gone far away.