Reaped a Bountiful Harvest

But since both of his friends had said so, He Song naturally did not argue.

If there were benefits to be had, he would take them first.

As for the favor, he could slowly repay it later.

After all, he had a long life ahead of him.

If he could not repay it anytime soon, he could repay their descendants instead.

With that thought, He Song casually put away the pile of items before him, then cupped his hands toward the two men in thanks.

The two of them each waved a hand, indicating that they did not mind.

Chen Zhou's matter had been settled.

He Song lightly rubbed the Storage Pouch in his hand, and a tremendous weight lifted from his heart.

Good that he was dead.

Good that he was dead.

Only dead people posed no threat to him.

A cultivator like Chen Zhou, whom he had offended and who had begun secretly investigating him—

He Song would never give such a person any opportunity to retaliate against him.

He would not allow an enemy to grow stronger and eventually threaten him.

The moment he sensed a threat, he would eliminate it as swiftly as possible.

If he did not strike, then so be it.

But once he struck, it would be a thunderous blow.

If he could not defeat them himself, that was fine. Asking his friends to act would achieve the same result.

Though asking his friends to act came at a price, once his cultivation rose in the future and he earned Spirit Stones more quickly, such a price would be nothing.

Moreover, Chen Zhou's death had brought him a Storage Pouch and several dozen Spirit Stones.

Though these things would have to be repaid someday, possessing them in advance would allow He Song to strengthen himself sooner.

Several dozen Spirit Stones.

If he used them to purchase spells, He Song felt his strength could improve somewhat.

Perhaps not by much, and he would need time to familiarize himself with the spells, but there would indeed be some improvement.

Only when his own strength was sufficiently great and his enemies comparatively weak would He Song consider secretly taking action himself, strangling threats in the cradle.

As he carefully recalled everything from his meeting with Chen Zhou to the moment Wei Fan had just returned with Chen Zhou's ashes, He Song's mind gradually settled.

He had handled this crisis nearly perfectly.

From offending the other party to seeing him reduced to ashes before his eyes, less than a day had passed.

Having strangled the threat so swiftly, at least in He Song's eyes at that moment, had left almost no flaws whatsoever.

That Chen Zhou—

He probably could not have imagined even in his dreams—

That he had offended someone that very morning.

And it had not even been the sort of offense where they fell out on the spot. He had merely made a few inquiries about the other party.

Yet by evening, he had already died and vanished from the world.

Not only had his corpse been ground to dust.

His ashes had even been placed in a small jar and delivered into He Song's hands.

Perhaps even at the moment of death, he had not known who wanted to kill him.

But Chen Zhou was dead now.

All he needed to do in the future was occasionally keep watch for anyone seeking to avenge him.

With Wei Fan's and his own connections in Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, they would surely learn of it immediately.

There was no need to worry too much.

He Song's brows gradually relaxed.

At his side, Wei Fan and Meng Guan began discussing what each of them had seen and heard over the past three years.

Listening nearby, He Song also gained some understanding of the changes in Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market and the Red Spirit Gold Mine over those three years.

Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

What Wei Fan knew was more or less the same as what He Song knew.

Ever since Chengsan Real Person had returned three years ago, Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market had begun recruiting Rogue Cultivators on a large scale.

Yet because of this, the quality of the newly recruited internal members of the Immortal Market had become uneven.

There were those like He Song, who had been recruited into the Immortal Market at Qi Refining Layer 1.

There were also those like Chen Zhou, who had only been recruited into the Immortal Market at the Qi Refining Middle Stage.

Even more numerous were Rogue Cultivators at Qi Refining Layer 2 to Qi Refining Layer 3, who had likewise been recruited into the Immortal Market.

And these three kinds of cultivators were different from one another.

First.

Cultivators like He Song, who joined the Immortal Market at Qi Refining Layer 1, could generally adapt quickly to life within the Immortal Market. Their cultivation rose steadily, and they did not stir up any trouble.

Three years ago, when the Immortal Market recruited internal cultivators, it had mostly selected such cultivators—those of pure mind who had never experienced life as Rogue Cultivators.

If Immortal Market cultivators were fortunate enough to achieve Foundation Establishment, a large proportion would join the Thick Earth Sect. Naturally, the Thick Earth Sect hoped that their minds would be pure, so that they could better continue cultivating after joining the sect.

Second.

Cultivators like Chen Zhou, who joined the Immortal Market only at the Qi Refining Middle Stage, might have become somewhat more obedient than when they were Rogue Cultivators, but deep in their bones they still retained the temperament of Rogue Cultivators.

Take Chen Zhou as an example. A vicious temperament, bullying the weak, extorting Spirit Stones, committing every evil imaginable—such was the daily life of these Qi Refining Middle Stage cultivators.

The Immortal Market's higher-ups had many complaints about such cultivators, but since they currently needed them to work for the Immortal Market, they turned a blind eye.

Perhaps once these cultivators were no longer needed, those with vicious temperaments would meet the fate of cooked hunting dogs after the cunning hare died.

Third.

Rogue Cultivators whose cultivation lay between Qi Refining Layer 2 and Qi Refining Layer 3.

These Rogue Cultivators had experienced life as Rogue Cultivators and knew just how bitter it was, and how high the death rate could be.

Moreover, because their cultivation was low, they were mostly the cautious and timid sort.

They had little voice within the Immortal Market, but their numbers were quite large.

Yet because they had lived as Rogue Cultivators for a time, few of these cultivators had displayed any unusual behavior even now.

Besides that.

Over the past three years, rumors occasionally surfaced of evil cultivators appearing outside the Immortal Market.

But almost no one paid them any heed.

So long as these evil cultivators did not enter the Immortal Market, no one would concern themselves with them.

After Wei Fan explained the changes in Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market over the past three years and gave Meng Guan a better understanding of the place—

He and He Song both turned their gazes toward Meng Guan.

With both friends looking at him, Meng Guan naturally understood that it was time for him to speak.

Thus, He Song and Wei Fan soon learned some hidden news about the Red Spirit Gold Mine.

According to Meng Guan.

The Red Spirit Gold Mine produced abundant Red Spirit Gold.

After suffering an attack by several Foundation Establishment Real People three years ago, which killed or wounded more than half of the Rogue Cultivators mining there, it had continuously recruited Rogue Cultivators for mining work.

During the three years Meng Guan had served as a minor commander in the Red Spirit Gold Mine, the mine tunnels had been dug deeper and deeper.

Rogue Cultivators often died on the spot after digging up strange objects.

Others received rewards after unearthing precious items of another kind.

But more often than not, the deeper they dug, the more abundant the Red Spirit Gold became.

Fortunately, Meng Guan was a minor commander and did not need to enter the tunnels to mine, naturally avoiding countless dangers.

At this point, Meng Guan could not stop himself from thanking He Song and Wei Fan.

When he had gone to the Red Spirit Gold Mine, only He Song and Wei Fan had tried to dissuade him.

Wei Fan, in particular, had shown him great kindness by informing him of the news in advance.

Had Wei Fan not told him beforehand, he would not have become a minor commander. If he had truly gone mining, he might already have died and vanished from the world by now.

As early as three years ago, he had said that he would properly thank the two of them once he returned.