Ambush

After settling everything, Zhou Changwang had spent a total of 137 Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Seeing the sincere smile that maid Xiao Wei had only now revealed, Zhou Changwang handed over the Spirit Stones with an agonized expression.

"Extravagant. Too extravagant.

"With this round of spending, how long would it take to earn it back just by planting spirit fields?"

Zhou Changwang howled inwardly. He felt that farming as he had before was absolutely not the way forward.

After toiling for a whole year, he had only earned a few dozen Low-Grade Spirit Stones—and had nearly suffered a disastrous loss because of fluctuations in Spirit Rice prices... He absolutely could not keep doing that.

Even if he did not abandon the profession of spirit farmer, he had to grow some high-value crops.

After leaving the Six Directions Pavilion, Zhou Changwang had no intention of returning home. He walked a little farther and arrived at the marketplace's Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

Though it was called the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, it handled an enormous range of matters, including the rental and sale of houses.

Zhou Changwang entered and quickly found a steward. He had heard that the man's surname was Bai, so he immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Steward Bai, I am Zhou Changwang. I would like to rent a house within the marketplace. Might there be a suitable residence available?"

"The inner city or the outskirts of the marketplace? How large an area?"

Steward Bai looked middle-aged, with a pale, beardless face. He merely asked the question flatly.

"The inner city.

"I would like a house that comes with a spirit field. A more remote location would be fine."

Zhou Changwang answered at once.

"There are houses with spirit fields, but those in the western district have all been rented out. Only two remain in the southern district.

"But you know as well that the southern district is close to the spirit vein, so the rent is relatively expensive.

"One has five mu of spirit fields, all of them top-grade First Rank, and it also comes with a Spirit Gathering Formation. It was formerly the residence of Spiritual Plant Master Lu, but he joined the Clear Spring Sect some time ago and became an inner sect disciple. With high-quality spirit fields within the Clear Spring Sect itself, he no longer cared for this place.

"This house requires a minimum lease of three years, at 450 Low-Grade Spirit Stones per year.

"The other has seven mu of spirit fields and likewise has a Spirit Gathering Formation. It originally belonged to a high-level cultivator surnamed Li. His lease expired three months ago, but he never came to renew it, and he has not been seen since, so it has been listed again.

"Since that high-level cultivator still has spirit herbs planted inside, and some of them have not yet reached maturity, we cannot simply remove them. If you rent the place, they can naturally count as your property as well.

"The rent is somewhat higher: also a minimum three-year lease, at 620 Low-Grade Spirit Stones per year."

Steward Bai did not care about Zhou Changwang's cultivation level and simply introduced the properties directly.

Zhou Changwang's expression stiffened. Somewhat awkwardly, he asked, "Is there anything cheaper? A place without spirit fields would be fine too."

Four hundred and fifty, six hundred and twenty—his entire fortune was only around that much. Spend it all on renting a house? He had not gone mad.

"There are naturally places without spirit fields, but a lot of people have entered the marketplace lately, and the cheap ones have basically all been rented out. There are still a few left..."

Zhou Changwang slowly walked out of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, his heart sinking slightly.

He had thought that he could now be considered modestly well-off, but he had not expected rent in the inner city to be so expensive.

Even ordinary residences rented for more than ten or twenty Low-Grade Spirit Stones a month. Those with cultivation rooms cost even more, over thirty a month. If they happened to sit atop a spirit vein node, the rent could even reach a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones...

This was insanity!

He remembered the terror of being ruled by a mortgage.

And this place was even crazier.

This was only renting, not buying.

But expensive things had their reasons for being expensive.

Because within the inner city, there was one resource that the outskirts could never truly enjoy.

Spirit qi.

The inner city sat atop a spirit vein, giving it a concentration of spirit qi far beyond that of the outskirts. Cultivating anywhere here was comparable to twice the effect in the outskirts; at a spirit vein node, it could reach three times the effect.

For those with cultivation goals, those who wanted to advance to the middle stage, the high stage, or even Foundation Establishment, the temptation was simply too great.

It was impossible to give up.

"No wonder someone could not resist stirring up trouble the moment something happened to the Bai Lineage's ancestor.

"The annual rent collected from this one marketplace must be an enormous sum.

"And that is without counting all kinds of businesses, resources..."

Even Zhou Changwang's heartbeat quickened.

Of course, he was merely a low-level Rogue Cultivator. He could only think about such things.

"I heard long ago that Zhou Changwang killed an Ironclad Boar and sold it for over a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Then his spirit fields had just been harvested, putting several dozen more Low-Grade Spirit Stones into his pocket. His fortune must be considerable.

"Sure enough, he just came out of the Six Directions Pavilion and went into the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall..."

In a dark corner, a pale-faced young man stared gloomily at Zhou Changwang, who had just emerged from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. He muttered resentfully, "I wonder how many Spirit Stones he spent in the Six Directions Pavilion and the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall?

"Those should have been mine."

The young man ground his teeth and followed behind Zhou Changqing from a distance.

Within the inner city, he did not dare make a move.

Not only were there many high-level cultivators here, but law enforcement patrols also roamed the area.

He too was merely a low-level Rogue Cultivator, so naturally he did not dare act recklessly.

"I heard that Zhou Changwang is exceptionally skilled at eliminating pests, and his mastery of the Geng Metal Finger is not low. Since he was also able to get rid of that Ironclad Boar, he must have one or two trump cards up his sleeve. I have to be careful... It seems I will have to bleed a little."

The young man muttered as he watched Zhou Changwang leave the marketplace gates and enter the outskirts. He hurriedly followed, while also drawing something from his robes.

A spirit talisman.

An Earth Spike Talisman.

Although the Earth Spike Talisman was a low-level talisman, its maker was a renowned figure among Rogue Cultivators. The talismans he drew possessed sixty percent of the power of a normal spell.

Zhou Changwang had always been a cautious man.

When a fortune-teller had told him that he faced the danger of a car accident, he had not believed it, yet he had still tried his best to walk along the stone steps by the roadside... Now that he was in the peril-filled world of cultivation, he was naturally even more cautious.

He might have looked relaxed on the surface.

But this was the outskirts of the marketplace.

All kinds of people mixed together here, and robber cultivators were everywhere.

Moreover, many mysterious cultivators from all over had arrived in recent days. He feared that he might be watched and become someone else's target.

Thus, one hand remained hidden inside his sleeve, tightly gripping a spirit talisman.

Suddenly, Zhou Changwang felt a violent surge of earth-element spiritual power beneath his feet.

"A robber cultivator?"

His heart lurched. Without a second thought, he activated the spirit talisman clenched in his hand.

In an instant, a defensive barrier appeared before him. It was the Golden Light Shield Talisman he had just purchased from the Six Directions Pavilion.

This Golden Light Shield Talisman had been made by a renowned talisman master of the Six Directions Pavilion. Though only a low-level spirit talisman, it was one of the finest among them; once activated, it could attain seventy percent of the power of the original spell.

At the same time, sharp earthen arrows like hanging thorns rapidly burst from the ground and slammed directly into the Golden Light Shield.

Buzzz! Buzzz! Buzzz!

The Golden Light Shield shook violently and swiftly dimmed, yet it continued to protect Zhou Changwang within until the earth spikes vanished.