15: Visiting the Kong family branch

The next day, in the backyard.

Facing the warm winter sun, Lu Xian swung his hoe and dug a small pit in the [Spirit Field].

He took the soul settling tea tree root he had obtained yesterday from his Storage Pouch; it was only a short segment, yet under the sunlight, it seemed to pulse with a faint vitality.

He placed the root into the pit and covered it with fine soil.

Whether it would survive was still unknown.

The effect of the Level 1 [Spirit Field] did not seem to guarantee the survival of spirit plants 100%.

Even with +1 year of plant age added daily, spirit plants could still encounter mishaps during their growth.

Some spirit plants required specific environments to be set up, which was why spirit planters were so rare.

Thinking about how the Level 2 [Spirit Field] would allow him to plant three spirit plants simultaneously, Lu Xian felt a sense of anticipation.

After planting the tea root and feeding the Spirit Bird in the Chicken Coop, he returned to the Cultivation Chamber.

Cultivate, he must only focus on Cultivation.

With strength by his side, the speed of earning Spirit Stones would greatly increase, and selling multiple items at once would not easily arouse suspicion.

There were nearly 80 spirit eggs left from his previous stock, and with the Chicken Coop still producing over ten a day, Lu Xian was having trouble eating them all.

Inside the room, he devoured one after another.

"This won't do; I can refine at most four in an hour. Any more would be a waste of Spiritual Qi."

Lu Xian exhaled a breath of stale air.

Breaking through to the Middle Stage of Qi Refining was no easy task, especially since he was practicing Five Spirit Simultaneous Cultivation.

Fortunately, the strength of each Spiritual Root was the same, balancing the difficulty of the Breakthrough; he just needed to steadily and methodically inhale and refine, slowly honing his progress over time.

The days passed peacefully.

In the blink of an eye, five days passed.

During this time, whenever Lu Xian was tired from Qi Refining, he would do Body Refining, and when tired from that, he would practice the Xuanpin Qi Concealment Art.

This breath-concealment technique had finally entered the fold, reaching a level of proficiency.

Now, Cultivators one small Realm above him could no longer easily see through his cultivation fluctuations.

"Thump... thump... thump..." A familiar knocking rhythm echoed.

Lu Xian got up and opened the courtyard gate, "Old Zhao, you've come at just the right time; you've caught dinner."

For the past two months, Zhao Shouren had come over to bum a meal almost every week.

Of course, it wasn't a free meal; occasionally, he would offer Lu Xian guidance on his cultivation doubts, helping him avoid unnecessary detours.

The reason Lu Xian didn't refuse was mainly because Zhao Shouren never asked about other matters.

The two were more like teacher and friend.

"Little Xianzi, your Five Spirit Simultaneous Cultivation is progressing far too slowly. Let me tell you, it's best to specialize in one lineage first, then use it to drive the remaining four. While your Foundation might be slightly less stable, your speed would be two or three times what it is now..."

At the dinner table, Zhao Shouren offered his sound advice.

Lu Xian pondered this, but he had his own plans.

He didn't mind being slow, but he could not afford to slack on his Foundation.

"Many thanks for your guidance, Old Zhao; this Junior will consider it carefully. However, I have another question..."

The two chatted idly.

Lu Xian had killed a Jade Marrow Chicken today and prepared it using a salt-baked method; the fresh aroma overflowed, earning endless praise from Zhao Shouren.

"I didn't expect you brat to have such good cooking skills; in terms of taste alone, it's almost catching up to those restaurants. How come I haven't seen you show off before?"

Zhao Shouren picked his teeth.

"I was busy the last two months and didn't get around to buying ingredients, but I went into the city recently to stock up."

Lu Xian laughed.

"Alright, next time..." Zhao Shouren hadn't finished his farewell words.

"Bang—!"

The sound of wooden boards shattering echoed into the room.

Lu Xian cursed inwardly, "Damn, I have to fix the door again."

I wonder which idiot it is.

Why do some people always like to kick the door when they enter? Isn't knocking politely better?

Zhao Shouren sat as steady as a mountain and spoke slowly, "Little Xianzi, have you offended anyone when you went out recently? Or have you been targeted?"

Lu Xian shook his head; he didn't know either.

He suddenly remembered the Storage Pouch he sold at the black market last time; it was clearly not a normal price.

Now it seemed that the two stall owners were fishing for marks!

"You... let this old man clean them up for you today; those two outside are probably a bit too much for you to handle."

Zhao Shouren strolled slowly out of the main hall.

Lu Xian followed closely behind.

In the courtyard stood two black-robed Cultivators, the very same stall owners he had seen at the black market!

"We've been staking this out for days, and there really is no one else, just two ants? Hand over all your belongings immediately, and we might spare your lives!"

One of the underlings shouted.

Lu Xian, however, was not the least bit panicked.

The show was about to begin.

The big brother cleared his throat, also preparing to shout.

But he saw the unremarkable old man at the entrance of the main hall wave his hand, and a crimson thread shot out instantly like a venomous snake!

He was terrified and hurriedly urged his magical power to protect his body!

However, the thread was not aimed at him.

"Pfft!"

Looking to the side, his underling's eyes instantly lost their luster, and he crashed to the ground!

Run!

Only this one word remained in the big brother's mind.

The old man was no Mortal; all the intelligence they had gathered from the surroundings was fake!

If he could kill a Fifth Layer of Qi Refining underling in one blow, killing him, a Sixth Layer, would be as easy as taking something out of a bag!

The big brother had just turned around when he felt a chill in his lower body.

Looking down, he saw his legs had been pierced and entangled by several extending red threads, firmly pinning him in place!

He couldn't move an inch.

"How dare you! I am a disciple of the Kong Family! Stop immediately! Otherwise, when the Old Ancestor is enraged, you will all die without a burial place!"

He roared, outwardly fierce but inwardly cowardly, while his Divine Sense hurriedly probed for the quasi-immortal jade token in his Storage Pouch.

He hadn't had time to send a message.

A red thread followed like a shadow, instantly shattering his jade token!

Zhao Shouren said uninterestingly, "Just a branch of the Kong Family, what does it matter if one dies? Would those high-and-mighty Foundation Establishment 'Old Ancestors' stand up for you branch disciples who are as numerous as ox hair?"

Before his words fell, and before the Bandit Cultivator claiming to be a Kong Family disciple could speak again.

The red thread suddenly tightened!

"Screech—!"

The harsh sound of flesh separating rang out, and the Kong Family disciple was instantly cut into pieces!

A heavy scent of blood instantly permeated the air.

Lu Xian stood to the side; he had wanted to say "wait," but he didn't expect Old Man Zhao to be so decisive in killing, which actually matched his own style.

"Are you trying to ask about the Cultivation Technique Legacy of those Families?"

Lu Xian: "Yes, Old Zhao, you often say that Loose Cultivators have it hard and the Primordial Art is inferior. Even if it's just a Cultivation Technique from a Foundation Establishment Family, surely it would be better than that, right?"

Zhao Shouren shook his head, "Don't even think about it; if there were such loopholes, we Loose Cultivators wouldn't be so passive."

"Those Cultivation Techniques above the Profound Rank are all processed with special secret methods and can only be passed down through a quasi-immortal jade token. Furthermore, after practicing them, a memory Restriction is formed, and one can only contemplate and recall them on their own."

"Once a thought of spreading them orally or in writing arises, the relevant memories will automatically be erased."

"This was also pushed by that guy Qingming back in the day; from a certain perspective, he could be considered a... genius."

"Spells don't have such Restrictions and are occasionally circulated."

There was no respect for the Immortal Emperor in Zhao Shouren's words.

"Go clean up the spoils of war; this old man is a bit short on cash lately and happens to need some Spirit Stones to spend." He waved his hand.

Lu Xian first searched the underling's corpse and found a Talisman and a Medicinal Pill.

They were a Spirit Travel Talisman and a Dragon-Tiger Joyous Union Pill.

There was also a quaintly shaped compass.

Talismans were common, but that Medicinal Pill was a rare item; taking one would strengthen the body and virility, and it was rumored that the Dragon-Tiger Qi could allow for seven returns in one night.

Lu Xian didn't need it for now, but he kept it anyway.

The big brother's wealth was much more substantial.

At his waist was a Medium Grade Storage Pouch, containing over sixty Spirit Stones, three Talismans, two Medicinal Pills, and a cone-shaped First-Grade Medium Grade Magical Artifact.

There were even some strange clothes for men and women.

What is this?

Lu Xian found a small booklet on which was clearly written "Minor Cloud and Rain Art"!

One of the upgrade conditions for the Level 2 [Spirit Field].

Could my Luck really be this good? Lu Xian scratched his head.

After finishing the sorting, Lu Xian explained his findings to Zhao Shouren.

After all, he was the one who killed them, and Lu Xian hadn't contributed a single bit of effort.

Zhao Shouren took the compass and looked at it, "A Low Grade tracking Magical Artifact. Did you get something from their hands before?"

Lu Xian briefly explained the matter of finding the leaked Storage Pouch.

"No wonder, you haven't entered the Middle Stage yet, so it's normal that you couldn't detect the Divine Sense mark."

Zhao Shouren laughed, "Since that's the case, take the Spirit Stones, Talismans, Medicinal Pills, and that little Spell; the other items would be hard for you to offload, so consider it my service fee."

"Alright!"

Lu Xian was slightly excited; watching a show for free and getting benefits, why not?

Upon receiving the items, he discovered that the Dragon-Tiger Joyous Union Pill was missing.

He looked up at Zhao Shouren.

"Ahem... don't look at this old man. You are young, just focus on your cultivation; you don't need that pill yet."

Zhao Shouren looked left and right.

"Alright, I've eaten a few meals at your place, didn't expect to run into this kind of thing. I'll take care of the corpses in the yard for you..."

Lu Xian cupped his hands, "Take care, Old Zhao."

...

The night was deep and quiet.

Lu Xian reviewed the events of the day, feeling solemn in his heart.

Last time he went to the city, because he only had a superficial understanding of the wonders of Divine Sense, he almost caused a disaster.

This time, he made up his mind.

He would not leave the house until he broke through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining!

By the way, it was also time to upgrade that [bedroom] by one level.