On Being Blessed with Good Fortune (Please Keep Reading and Vote)

Luo Fanchen's face remained calm, betraying neither joy nor anger.

He did not dismiss A Niu at once. Instead, he placed a hand on the young man's shoulder and sent in his True Essence to examine him.

In less than a breath, he shook his head and rose. He did not linger, but neither did he blame A Niu.

A Five-Element Spirit Root. The young man's aptitude was on par with his own. No wonder he had chosen Body Refining. Compared with other paths, Body Refining demanded slightly less purity from one's Spirit Root. A cultivator could use his own blood and vital energy to temper the spiritual energy of the Five Phases, but the efficiency was still far below that of a Superior-Grade Spiritual Root.

Moreover, Body Refining sorely tested a cultivator's willpower. The slightest misstep could cause injury.

It demanded vast quantities of Body Refining techniques, healing pills, and food rich in vital energy. Usually, only direct descendants of great sects and clans with poor Spirit Roots took this path. Only great clans could afford to support a Body Refining cultivator.

Rogue Cultivators lacked resources. For them, Body Refining was usually a last resort, one that wrung out their potential early and left hidden injuries throughout their bodies.

A Niu was no exception. He looked tall and sturdy, brimming with vital energy, but his meridians and acupoints were riddled with old injuries. His blood and vital energy were too disordered to gather. He was strong on the outside but hollow within; the third level of Body Tempering was his limit.

"Uncle Ling, I can do anything. Please."

A Niu hurried after him, his square face flushed scarlet.

Helplessness and fear were driving him mad. He truly could not think of another way.

Old Wang had grown ever more brazen lately. Every time A Niu saw Sister Xiao Cui, she bore fresh injuries, her face so haggard it made his heart twist like a knife. But he was only a servant at the first level of Body Tempering. What could he do?

He was afraid Old Wang would sell Sister Xiao Cui. He wanted to grow stronger.

As far as he knew, only Lord Ling had powerful backing in all of Shantytown and did not fear the Clear River Sect. Old Wang was wary of no one else.

"Your aptitude is poor. To me, you would only be dead weight."

"I can work hard."

A Niu looked mortified. He was about to speak again when Luo Fanchen stopped, turned, and gave a derisive laugh. "You think diligence can make up for a lack of talent?"

"You might fool others with that, but don't fool yourself."

Luo Fanchen did not mince words. He himself had suffered under the shackles of a Five-Element Spirit Root. Without Mo Xue, he would have struggled to reach Foundation Establishment in this lifetime.

How could he spare the energy to teach another person with a Five-Element Spirit Root? Apart from Mo Xue and Qiu Yun, he had no intention of taking anyone else in.

"I..."

"You're a servant. What can you decide for yourself? Even if I took you in, would Granny Zhang agree?"

Luo Fanchen shook his head and walked away, leaving him with one last question. "You can't even afford to buy your freedom. What gives you the right to ask me to be your master?"

A Niu froze, then silently lowered his head. His fists clenched before loosening helplessly.

Luo Fanchen glanced back. Seeing that A Niu had not followed, he breathed a little easier. The young man was decent enough, and he did not want to resort to harsher measures.

He first went to the Rogue Cultivators' stalls, hoping to buy a few fragments of Breath Concealment Pills to keep in reserve.

Cultivators at the bottom could not afford earthfire or pill furnaces. Thus, apart from low-grade pills that directly aided cultivation, such as Qi Refining pills and Meridian-Opening Pills, most were made by using True Essence to bind medicinal powders into solid masses.

The advantage was that, if properly stored, they could be cut into several portions without losing much of their potency.

The disadvantage was that, without tempering by furnace fire, the pills contained many impurities. Much of the herbs' original potency was lost, and the pills were harder to refine. They could not be used directly while drawing in and exhaling spiritual energy.

The finished goods at the Rogue Cultivators' stalls varied wildly. After looking around for a long time, Luo Fanchen found only a few inferior Breath Concealment Pill fragments.

They had lost seventy or eighty percent of their potency. The vendor dared to ask three Spirit Dust apiece for something no better than medicinal dregs.

"One pill, fellow Daoist! How about two Spirit Dust?"

Luo Fanchen ignored the narrow-eyed Rogue Cultivator's call and turned away. Even a five-percent loss in a Breath Concealment Pill's effectiveness raised the risk of exposure. If its potency fell below half, it was little different from rubbish.

His life might depend on it. He was not foolish enough to save Spirit Stones here.

After wandering around, he could only grit his teeth and head for the Treasure Pavilion. Its prices were steep, but at least the quality was dependable.

He could not afford to be careless with something that might save his life.

At the same time, inside the Treasure Pavilion.

Xiao Cui stood beside Yun Mo with her head bowed, attending to her timidly. Her ears were still somewhat swollen, though most of the injuries were old.

Lately, Old Wang had abused her less often. After slapping her a few times, he would grow dizzy and leave, too weak to continue. Of course, he had not given up tormenting her. He did it less frequently, but struck much harder.

A sharp pain was better than a lingering one. She was already quite satisfied with things as they stood. She only hoped Old Wang would ruin his health with drink and women soon, then die riddled with illness.

"Has anything been troubling Lord Ling lately?"

Yun Mo sipped her spiritual tea. Since receiving Lord Ling, she had been granted special permission by the pavilion master to stop attending to other visitors.

Her task now was to devote herself to maintaining her relationship with Lord Ling.

"Troubling him..."

Xiao Cui pursed her lips and shook her head. "I'm only a lowly servant. Lord Ling has never spoken to me, so it's hard for me to learn anything."

She spoke cautiously. Even if she knew something about Ling Wudao, she could not have revealed it to Yun Mo.

She did not know what Fairy Yunmo had in mind, but she knew a little maid like her could not get involved in a contest at this level. Offend either side, and she would likely die without even a place to bury her bones.

"Mm. You did the right thing. Don't try to watch that lord or gather information on him."

Yun Mo nodded slightly, troubled. For days she had racked her brains for a way to approach Lord Ling, yet she was afraid of offending him.

"Ah... With that lord's abilities, if he wanted you to pass on a message, he would tell you. There's no need to force it."

Yun Mo sighed. She had found out exactly where Lord Ling lived and, if she wished, could even have learned his daily routine.

Of course, she did not have the nerve. All she could do was wait quietly for him to seek her out.

"A Golden Roar Bear was hunted near the market today. They're dividing up the spirit meat now. Go get a tenth of a tael of its offal later to replenish your blood and vital energy."

After speaking, Yun Mo glanced at Xiao Cui's swollen ears and bruised arms. She thought nothing of it.

Cultivators at the bottom harbored plenty of resentment and naturally needed a way to vent. The servants in their hands were no different from pigs or dogs; it was common for them to be abused to death.

Xiao Cui was depleted of blood and vital energy, with many hidden injuries inside her body. Yun Mo would still have use for her later. She could not let the girl be abused to death.

The Golden Roar Bear was a Peak First-Tier Demon Beast, equivalent to a cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining. Its meat was sweet and rich in vital energy.

Its gallbladder, pelt, claws, and other rare parts alone were worth thirty Spirit Stones. A tenth of a tael of offal would amount to half a month's wages for the girl.

"Thank you, Fairy Yunmo!"

Xiao Cui had smelled the meat throughout the pavilion long ago. She had never expected a delicacy like that to be bestowed on a servant like her.

Though called a bear, the beast stood only half as tall as a person. The pavilion master had hunted it personally, and someone had traveled a thousand miles to bring it back.

The pavilion master would keep the rare parts. The rest would reward the stewards and elders, each of whom would receive a small piece.

"Go on, then..."

Yun Mo waved Xiao Cui away without much interest, propping her chin on her delicate hand as boredom settled over her.

Ah... When would I see Lord Ling again? My good fortune for the rest of my life rested on him.

Xiao Cui's pretty face lit up with excitement, and her steps were lighter as she went downstairs.

Could a Peak First-Tier Demon Beast help A Niu? His bones always ached after he practiced because he lacked blood and vital energy.

As she passed the second floor, she watched with curiosity while the others cut up the bear meat. The offal had been tossed casually into a vat. Even so, many Late Qi Refining cultivators had come with Treasure Pavilion VIP passes to ask for bear meat.

Most left disappointed. A few inner disciples of the Clear River Sect managed to buy a small piece for a hefty sum.

The offal available for sale was quickly snapped up as well. Among the servants, only Xiao Cui carried Yun Mo's instructions and received a small portion.

"Lucky girl, aren't you?"

The steward in charge of distributing the offal was a middle-aged woman. Her gaze lingered on Xiao Cui's swollen cheek before she gave her a little extra.

Clutching it like a treasure, Xiao Cui left. Just outside the packed pavilion, she happened upon Luo Fanchen, who was waiting in line with a stiff expression.

Only a true Foundation Establishment cultivator could kill a Peak First-Tier Demon Beast. In Flying Cloud Market, it was a major event. The first floor was already packed tight with Rogue Cultivators who had rushed over at the news. The noise around Luo Fanchen never ceased, and the line had left him dizzy.

"I'm a VIP of the Treasure Pavilion! I have a Jade Token!"

"Who here doesn't have a Jade Token or better?"

Luo Fanchen's head ached. The maids serving downstairs were so busy they could barely keep their bearings. They ignored the Jade Token in his hand and struggled to maintain order.

Gold, purple, blue, white, and red—his was only a white Jade Token. Waiting in line was slower than cutting in, and after half a day he was nearly squeezed out of the Treasure Pavilion. Then Xiao Cui hurried up to him and asked timidly,

"Master Ling?"

"Xiao Cui?"

Luo Fanchen thought for a moment before he recalled the young woman's name.

"It's me. Do you want to go inside? Please follow me!"

"Can you do that?"

Luo Fanchen paused. The young woman before him was only a servant. She did not seem to have the authority to bring anyone past the line.

The maid maintaining order also looked displeased and was about to scold her, but Xiao Cui hastily said,

"Fairy Yunmo instructed me to bring him to her at once if he came. Please don't neglect this honored guest."

"Yun Mo? My lord, please come this way!"

The maid stared for a moment, then delight flashed in her eyes. She immediately cleared a path through the crowd and personally led him into the pavilion through the back door.

"We're terribly busy today. This passage is reserved for the pavilion's stewards, so I'm afraid it's beneath you, my lord."

The maid smiled brightly. She had wanted to take Luo Fanchen to Yun Mo herself, but Xiao Cui stayed at his side and kept mentioning Fairy Yunmo. Recalling that the pavilion master had personally issued the order, she could only let Xiao Cui lead him away.

"What luck. Yun Mo's wretched good fortune has finally brought her out on top."

The maid watched the two leave, sighing again and again, so jealous she could have torn out her hair.

"Ah... I want to see Lord Ling so badly..."

Inside a second-floor room, a Glazed Glass Lamp flickered. Yun Mo wore a bitter expression. She could think of no reason to see him again without imposing on him.

Just as she was at her wits' end, there was a knock at the door. Without waiting for an answer, Xiao Cui pushed it open and led Luo Fanchen inside.

Already in a poor mood, Yun Mo was about to scold the girl for forgetting her manners. Then she turned and saw Luo Fanchen entering the room behind Xiao Cui.

"Lord Ling?"

Yun Mo's face visibly brightened. She rose at once, told Xiao Cui to prepare tea, and invited Luo Fanchen to rest in the seat of honor.

I got to see him just like that? I'm not dreaming, am I?

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