Auntie Smile

"I didn't say anything."

Chen Qingfeng waved his hand, then said, "These are your forty-seven Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Put them away carefully."

With a flip of his hand, a pile of Low-Grade Spirit Stones appeared in his palm.

"Many thanks, Manager Chen."

Zhou Changwang hurriedly cupped his hands in salute, then carefully accepted the Spirit Stones and placed them in a small cloth pouch.

He did not dare use his Storage Bag in front of others.

It would only invite unwanted covetous eyes.

"Changwang, you really have grown up."

Watching Chen Qingfeng leave, Zhou Qiankun could not help but speak.

He had listened to the entire exchange between Zhou Changwang and Manager Chen and watched him deftly offer up the Spirit Stones. He could only feel that his son had grown up and truly no longer needed him to worry so much.

"Yes, I should have grown up long ago."

Zhou Changwang sighed at those words.

Didn't a young man grow up the moment he learned to be worldly and smooth?

And after being battered by society, he had long since become as slick as a ball.

The harvest had finally come to a satisfactory end.

Although selling everything to the Spirit Plant Hall had been somewhat of a loss, some matters could not be judged solely by immediate gains and losses.

Like just now—if he had not shown goodwill one after another, the other party would not have deliberately added that final remark.

"Has it been unsettled around the outskirts of the market lately?"

Zhou Changwang frowned.

Every day, he stayed in his own spirit field. Once home, he never stepped beyond the front gate, so he truly knew little about the surrounding situation.

"Recently, something has indeed been off around here.

There are many more mysterious people. Two households alone have moved in near our home. One moved into the rooms where Fang Yu and his wife used to live. One household appears to be two brothers, but they do not look alike. I greeted them once, but they were neither warm nor cold, and their accents were strange too. They should have moved here from elsewhere. The other household looks like a married couple, but no matter how I look at them, they do not seem like husband and wife..."

Zhou Qiankun's expression also turned grave.

Phoenix-Cry Cove Market had existed for several hundred years. People had always come and gone, but only in scattered dribs and drabs, gradually gathering over time.

A sudden influx like this, with so many settling on the outskirts of the market, was exceedingly rare.

"No matter what, there is no harm in being careful.

For the time being, try not to go out."

Zhou Changwang said this, then greeted the nearby spirit farmers and hurried home.

Along the way, he deliberately scrutinized his surroundings.

Sure enough, he discovered many unfamiliar figures. Some even dressed in noticeably different styles.

With more people around, the outskirts of the market had actually become livelier. He even saw people setting up stalls by the roadside, selling household goods.

He did not know whether they were bold because their skills were exceptional, or whether they simply had a sharp eye.

At least, he would not dare do such a thing.

After returning home, he deliberately glanced toward where Qian Xiaoyue lived.

Among everyone he knew, if anyone was most sensitive to the atmosphere around them, it was undoubtedly her.

Especially since she had mastered the marvelous Listening Art and often cast it to listen to the movements around her. With two households of mysterious origin moving nearby, she could not possibly have ignored it.

Unfortunately, her front door was tightly shut. Clearly, she had not returned yet.

"Still, her habit of listening at walls is something I truly have to guard against.

It seems I need to find an opportunity to learn the Soundproofing Art.

That spell is cheap anyway. Almost everyone at the Rogue Cultivator Market knows it."

Zhou Changwang muttered inwardly and committed it to memory.

He had far too many secrets and naturally did not want anyone peering into them.

At noon, after eating Spirit Rice, Zhou Changwang sat off to the side, somewhat lost and at a loss.

Normally, he spent nearly the entire day in the spirit field. While tending it, he would also practice his spells.

Now that all the Spirit Rice in the field had been harvested, he truly did not know what to do for the moment.

"I still need to cultivate.

Danger is clearly brewing on the outskirts of the market. Sitting still and waiting for death definitely will not do.

I must increase my means of staying alive.

Right, I also need to move.

Move into the inner city of the market.

Rent in the inner city is expensive. Even the most ordinary houses cost seven or eight Low-Grade Spirit Stones a month, while the expensive ones cost dozens or even hundreds.

But it is safe.

Safety is priceless."

Zhou Changwang's sense of crisis soared.

He hurried into his room.

First, he looked at the three Spirit Seeds.

They were all growing quite well, though the Spirit Fragments inside were being consumed rather quickly.

By his estimate, the Spirit Stone powder inside would be completely used up in another five or six days at most.

That Spirit Stone powder was all money.

Then, with a casual gesture, he cast the Growth Technique.

The three Spirit Seeds immediately shot up by a visible amount, and as time passed, they continued growing slowly.

However, the Spirit Stone powder inside was consumed much faster as well.

What had originally been enough for five or six days would now last only four or five.

"These Spirit Seeds should still be transplanted into a proper spirit field. If this keeps up, I cannot afford to raise them."

Zhou Changwang's mouth twitched, and he could not bear to look any longer.

Then he began practicing his spells over and over again.

Geng Metal Finger, Fireball Art.

When his spiritual power was exhausted, he relied on the Five Elements Formula to circulate automatically and slowly restore the spiritual power in his body. Meanwhile, he took out the three Basic Talisman Compendiums to read and study. Occasionally, he would take out the jade slip containing the Talisman-Making Notes and compare them line by line until he grew familiar with them.

Once he felt he was ready.

He took out talisman paper, a talisman brush, and spirit talisman blood ink again, beginning his talisman-making practice.

Once, twice, three times...

Attempt after attempt, failure after failure.

Fortunately, his mindset was excellent. He constantly summarized his experiences, and after every mistake, he immediately considered where he had fallen short.

Comparing his work against the records in the Talisman-Making Notes, he improved at a rapid pace.

A spirit talisman slowly took shape beneath his brush.

"Miss Qian is back."

Just then, Zhou Changwang heard his father's voice coming from the courtyard.

His attention wavered slightly. The brush tip shook, and his spiritual power immediately fell into disarray.

Poof!

The talisman paper ignited without wind and turned directly into ashes.

"Failed again.

But today was much better than yesterday.

Yesterday, I failed one after another after drawing at most two rune structures.

Today, I drew two more and reached the fourth one. I even have some idea of how to draw the fifth rune structure."

Zhou Changwang sighed softly, but did not think this failure had happened because his father had spoken.

Because he knew very well that even without his father making a sound, he would have failed before completing the fourth rune structure.

Drawing talismans had never been a simple matter.

He then put away the talisman brush and the rest of the items one by one before leaving the room.

He planned to ask Qian Xiaoyue about the unfamiliar cultivators who had appeared recently. After what had happened last time, the two had gained a measure of friendship.

He believed that if she knew anything, she should not hide it from him.

By then, Qian Xiaoyue had evidently already entered her house.

He walked directly across the way and knocked on the door.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, what is it?"

When she saw Zhou Changwang, Qian Xiaoyue first warily glanced around, then asked.

"How about we go inside to talk?"

Zhou Changwang smiled awkwardly, only then realizing that showing up at her door so directly seemed somewhat inappropriate.

Especially when he vaguely caught sight of his father standing in the doorway, wearing that auntie-like smile.