8: You missed a great opportunity!

Xu Qi'an carefully counted the low-grade Rice Rats left by Lu Anhe; there were twenty in total.

These twenty Rice Rats are probably worth about one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones, but in reality, they would sell for a bit less, perhaps around ninety Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

There are about twenty to thirty Spiritual Farmer households in the shantytown. Xu Qi'an's spiritual field is considered relatively large, yielding at most five Low-Grade Spirit Stones per season.

"The quality of spiritual rice has generally declined this year, resulting in significantly fewer ling stones sold compared to previous years. My spiritual field will yield at most four ling stones."

"Calculating it this way, Lu Anhe is still quite decent. Even if she has to compensate the Spiritual Farmers with ling stones, it won't be much. If she's lucky, there will even be a surplus."

Just as Xu Qi'an was thinking this, several Cultivators in green attire flew out from the bamboo forest.

There were four of them, and their green clothing was uniform.

Xu Qi'an's eyes fixed on them, and he immediately knew who had arrived.

"The Enforcement Team!"

"They came so fast!"

"This time, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave safely!"

They appeared basically within a few breaths after Lu Anhe left.

This made Xu Qi'an suspect that the Enforcement Team had already been lying in wait in the shadows.

They just hadn't come out immediately because Lu Anhe was there.

Leading them was a middle-aged man with proper features, his aura thick and having reached the Qi Refining Ninth Level!

The middle-aged man merely glanced at Xu Qi'an before leading the others to examine the traces of the fight on the ground.

"It's the mark of Miss's Qingzhu Sword!"

An Enforcement Team member carefully examined the sword marks on the ground and exclaimed in surprise.

The middle-aged man nodded faintly, then turned to look at Xu Qi'an, who was standing to the side.

Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Xu Qi'an forced a smile onto his face and explained.

"Lords, this junior witnessed it personally. It was Miss Lu Anhe, the daughter of the Qingzhu Market Master, who fought against the culprit behind this spiritual rice disaster, the Rat King of the Qi Refining Late Stage!"

"Miss Lu Anhe's sword cultivation is profound. With just one move, she struck down that Rat King, and she has now safely departed."

"Miss Lu Anhe just instructed me to stay here, intending for me to inform you Lords to clean up the battlefield!"

"Oh?" Lu Qubing took a deep look at Xu Qi'an, then took a step forward and arrived in front of him.

"What is your name?"

"Xu Qi'an, a Spiritual Farmer from the shantytown..."

Lu Qubing didn't mock Xu Qi'an's identity and nodded.

This action slightly surprised Xu Qi'an.

He had often heard that the Enforcement Team consisted of fierce and evil people who bullied the weak, and they never showed a good attitude towards low-level Cultivators, especially Spiritual Farmers like him.

"I wonder what this person is up to."

Lu Qubing looked at Xu Qi'an's somewhat puzzled expression and smiled.

"Alright, don't compare us with other Enforcement Teams. We are a team specifically belonging to Miss!"

"Since Miss entrusted such an important matter to you to convey, it shows that Miss has some regard for you."

"I just don't know what's so extraordinary about your Qi Refining Third Level cultivation..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qi'an's heart immediately understood.

"So, this Enforcement Team is also divided into factions?"

"However, although this Lu Anhe seems a bit spoiled on the surface, she's quite kind at heart."

Xu Qi'an cupped his hands, then scratched his head and explained.

"Miss Lu Anhe likes to eat roasted Rice Rats. I roasted one for Miss, and Miss liked it very much. She even asked me to be her personal chef!"

"What!!!"

"And then!!!"

Not only Lu Qubing, but the three people behind him also jumped up in astonishment, their faces full of surprise.

The cultivation of these three was also not low; they were all at the Qi Refining Seventh Level!

Xu Qi'an didn't expect the three to be so shocked, so he smiled awkwardly and said, "I was too shocked at the time and hadn't reacted yet when Miss Lu Anhe left."

"After Miss Lu Anhe left, she left a message, saying that if I have difficulties in the future, remember to find her!"

Xu Qi'an thought for a moment and added a little embellishment.

"I hope Lord Lu Anhe is generous, a Lord with great magnanimity!"

"Oh dear..." The other two showed expressions of regret, while Lu Qubing smiled helplessly.

"Brother Xu, originally you could have become one of us. What a pity..."

"There are only three personal chefs, and there's even a chance to meet Lord Lu Guangtian!"

"If you gain Miss Lu Anhe's favor, and Miss says a few good words about you in front of Lord, even if you can't reach the Foundation Establishment Stage in this life, you will definitely be a big figure in the Qingzhu Market!"

"You know, although I, Lu Qubing, am Lord's adopted son, I hardly get to see Lord Lu Guangtian!"

"What a pity... What a pity!!!"

"Ah?" Xu Qi'an's face showed a look of shock, along with a feeling of regret for not having seized the Opportunity.

He almost wanted to roar up to the sky and cry bitterly.

Lu Qubing patted Xu Qi'an's shoulder and consoled him.

"Brother Xu, you don't have to be so pessimistic. Since you have a connection with Miss, there will be opportunities in the future."

Xu Qi'an forced out a few tears, cupped his hands, and said gratefully, "Thank you, Brother Lu!!!"

Lu Qubing nodded, then asked Xu Qi'an about what had happened here.

Xu Qi'an gave a rough explanation, focusing on the less important parts, but he didn't hide the fact that he had accidentally killed the Rat King's son.

Afterward, Xu Qi'an took out all the low-grade Rice Rats that Lu Anhe had left behind.

He also stated that he would compensate the Spiritual Farmers for their losses.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qubing shook his head, "Brother Xu, you can't be so kind!"

"Whether we can reach the Foundation Establishment Stage in our lifetime is another matter, but the higher your cultivation, the less you will be looked down upon by others!"

"This Rice Rat disaster was originally caused by a natural calamity, not something you did intentionally. How can the responsibility be placed on your head!"

"Listen to your brother's advice, leave this matter to me. You keep four Rice Rats, give me the rest, and I'll settle it for you!"

Xu Qi'an felt quite in agreement with these words, not because he was selfish, but because the situation demanded it.

Moreover, no matter what, his own interests came first.

If he stubbornly insisted on compensating the other Spiritual Farmers, he wouldn't necessarily gain their gratitude. Instead, he would definitely be branded as the culprit of the Rice Rat disaster.

As the saying goes, a measure of rice brings kindness, a peck brings enmity.

If the ling stones compensated were too little, they might even break into Xu Qi'an's house and drown him with their spittle.

Never underestimate the wickedness of human nature!

Especially in a world of cultivation!

Furthermore, disagreeing with Lu Qubing's idea now would not only be ungrateful but also create animosity with him and cause him to lose a "friend" for nothing, which was completely worthless.

And they were already calling each other brothers!

"Agreeing with Lu Qubing's idea is the best. If I encounter petty people like Li Dey in the future, bringing up Lu Qubing will probably scare them shitless!"

Xu Qi'an immediately pretended to be excited, bowed, and said respectfully, "Then I will follow Brother Lu's instructions. This junior will definitely obey Brother Lu's command!"

Lu Qubing nodded with satisfaction, then took the remaining sixteen Rice Rats and left swaggeringly.

Xu Qi'an finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the three of them leave.

Being tossed back and forth three times like this had truly made his heart fluctuate greatly.

"Now, this matter is finally settled!"

However, he glanced at the spiritual rice remaining in the spiritual field, his eyes flickering, and he drew the sickle from behind him before leaping into it.