A Message from Father

"Thus, I began deliberately keeping my distance from them.

And I learned a new spell."

Qian Xiaoyue continued.

"A new spell? What spell?"

Zhou Changwang asked in astonishment.

"The Listening Art.

It is a special type of spell that lets one listen to the movements around them."

Qian Xiaoyue explained before continuing, "With this spell, I could often overhear their conversations.

Only then did I learn that before every attack, they would make thorough preparations, gathering all sorts of information about their target in advance. Only after confirming that the target had no sect elders or powerful relatives and friends would they truly make their move.

Half a year ago, because I had deliberately kept my distance from them and grown much colder and more unfamiliar, I overheard Zhao Xifeng listing me as one of their assassination targets."

Hearing this, Zhou Changwang immediately glanced at Qian Xiaoyue.

He also understood that the Listening Art was by no means simply meant for eavesdropping.

Cultivators faced countless dangers when traveling outside. With a spell like the Listening Art, one could hear disturbances in advance and discover many hidden threats. Its usefulness was immense.

Without pausing, Qian Xiaoyue continued, "Perhaps they had discussed the matter before, but for some reason, they gave up on it.

The moment I heard that information, I panicked.

Fortunately, my luck was not bad at the time. Since I had always maintained some dealings with the Six Directions Pavilion, I was on fairly good terms with a female cultivator working there. From her, I learned that an alchemist in the Six Directions Pavilion was looking to recruit a 'fan attendant.' I went to every possible length to take the job, while telling outsiders that Alchemist Hong Bo had taken a liking to me and made me his alchemy apprentice.

Because of that, Zhao Xifeng and the others crossed me off their hunting list."

"So that was it."

Zhou Changwang could not help admiring Qian Xiaoyue somewhat.

The instant she sensed robber cultivators around her, she had thought to learn the Listening Art to gather information. The moment she heard that they had targeted her, she had immediately thought of finding herself a "backer."

She could be called timid, yet brimming with the will to survive.

Still, ordinary people truly found it difficult to do what she had done.

As for a "fan attendant," he knew what that was as well. It was someone who, while an alchemist refined pills, assisted in controlling the heat by continuously feeding in spiritual power and wielding a fan-shaped artifact to intensify the furnace flames... It counted as hard labor, and its status was far below that of an alchemy apprentice.

Of course, even a mere fan attendant was far better off than a rogue cultivator spirit farmer like him.

After all, no matter how one looked at it, a fan attendant was someone at an alchemist's side. Perhaps they might receive a reward and obtain one or two spirit pills.

Even without spirit pill rewards, they could purchase spirit pills at low prices, or even at cost. Those benefits alone were enough to make many low-level rogue cultivators flock to it like ducks.

"So I had actually already been listed as one of their targets too?"

Zhou Changwang swiftly came back to himself and hurriedly asked.

Qian Xiaoyue nodded, then immediately shook her head. "I did not know before.

But from their conversations, I learned that your father held a very high position in the 'martial world' they spoke of. His strength should have ranked among the very best of the Innate Realm martial artists they mentioned.

So with him guarding you, the two of them did not dare act against you lightly."

"Then why this time..."

Upon hearing that, Zhou Changwang hurriedly asked.

"Because your father has not appeared for more than twenty days.

And they learned that Zhao Heng, the cultivator leading the rogue cultivator team your father had followed, had already returned."

Qian Xiaoyue looked at Zhou Changwang with sympathy as she spoke.

"Returned?

When?"

Zhou Changwang immediately asked with some agitation.

"A few days ago, less than ten days."

Qian Xiaoyue replied.

"A few days ago? Less than ten days?"

Zhou Changwang froze. Would that not have been when he had first transmigrated? Or perhaps even several days before his transmigration?

"That is right.

They even waited several more days because of it.

Only after confirming that your father had truly not returned did they finally list you as a target."

Qian Xiaoyue said calmly.

"So the reason you came to my door that day was not out of concern, but because you suspected they had already attacked me?"

Zhou Changwang could not help asking in return.

"You could say that."

Qian Xiaoyue nodded. With a trace of consolation in her voice, she said, "When I saw that you were fine that day, I was still relieved.

But last night, when I heard them confirm that they would act today, I ultimately could not bear it and quietly followed them out.

Your spells did surprise me, though."

Although she had secretly followed them at the time, she had not actually dared to intervene lightly.

If Zhou Changwang had been unable to defeat them and had been easily killed, she would probably have acted as though nothing had happened and returned to her room without coming out.

It was only because Zhou Changwang had persisted in resisting, and because his spellcasting strength had earned her approval—making her certain that he might be able to kill the two of them—that she did not hesitate to lend a hand at the critical moment.

"I still have to thank you, Fellow Daoist Qian."

Zhou Changwang responded, but his mood remained terrible.

He had not expected the rogue cultivator team his father had followed to have returned long ago, while his father had not... Though he did not wish to believe it, under ordinary circumstances, his father's fate was indeed difficult to predict.

"You are welcome.

Is there anything else you want to ask?"

Qian Xiaoyue waved her hand and asked.

Zhou Changwang shook his head, then stood, intending to leave.

However, Qian Xiaoyue spoke up at that moment. "Do not be in such a hurry to leave.

After night falls, when there are not many people around, I will search their rooms.

The two of them had been robber cultivators for so long that they must have hidden away some things. They should be worth a few Spirit Stones.

But they were killed by you, after all, so half of what is inside belongs to you.

Of course, if you do not want it, I will not force you. You can simply go back."

"Then I will stay with Fellow Daoist Qian a little longer."

Zhou Changwang's heart stirred. He hurriedly sat back down and said this.

He had truly been scared by poverty.

Although he had earned a small sum of Spirit Stones from pest removal over the past two days, compared to the costs of cultivation, it was merely a drop in the bucket.

After all, the Spirit Stone expenditure required for a cultivator's training was simply too great.

Eating Spirit Rice every day and making one's home on spiritual land were only everyday necessities—the most basic guarantee for a rogue cultivator to maintain progress in cultivation.

In truth, many rogue cultivators could not even manage that much.

For example, he had always eaten ordinary mortal rice before, while the place he lived was merely on the outskirts of the market, beyond the range of a First-Rank Spiritual Vein, where spiritual energy was extremely limited.

That was why his cultivation progress had always been very slow.

What truly allowed cultivators to improve rapidly were spiritual veins of First Rank or above, medicinal meals, demon beast flesh and blood, all kinds of spirit pills, spirit talismans that aided cultivation, incense for spells, and even spiritual plants, spiritual materials, and heavenly treasures with all manner of functions... Not to mention that when a cultivator traveled outside, they needed the power to protect themselves, meaning they also had to acquire artifacts and cultivate powerful spells...

Once each expense was tallied, they became impossible to count.

Therefore, cultivators could never have too many Spirit Stones.