Chapter Thirty-One: Rockery and Flowing Water

There is no fourth option.

With so many benefits laid out before him, anyone would know which choice to make. After five years of acquaintance, Wei Fan had come to know He Song quite well, and naturally, He Song understood Wei Fan just as deeply. This mutual understanding was precisely why one could extend the invitation and the other could readily agree.

Wei Fan, aware of He Song’s circumstances, was eager to give him a helping hand. As for He Song, knowing Wei Fan’s character, saw no harm in living together. Such trust did not arise overnight; without five years of companionship, such an arrangement would have been unthinkable.

Given He Song’s caution, had any other late-stage Qi Refining cultivator extended such an offer, his first thought would have been that the other intended to rob or kill him. The idea of accepting the invitation wouldn’t even have crossed his mind. But with Wei Fan, after much consideration, He Song finally agreed.

“In that case, my friend, please go and pack your things. I shall await you here, and when you are ready, we will return home together.” Seeing He Song accept, Wei Fan’s face lit up with delight, and he urged him on without a second thought.

For someone like Wei Fan, whose cultivation had reached the late stage of Qi Refining and who only needed to slowly accumulate spiritual power to reach completion, it was the monotony of daily life that was most difficult to endure. Now that He Song had agreed to move in, did it not mean that his life would become far less dull than before?

He could look forward to drinking tea and chatting with a friend, talking about everything under the sun, and even strolling together in their leisure time. Such a life, even just imagining it, seemed far more enjoyable than his current existence.

This was also why, at their very first meeting, Wei Fan had been forthright about his fondness for making friends. Before reaching the late stage of Qi Refining, his main focus had been on breaking through the bottleneck. But after attaining that goal and feeling the tedium of solitary cultivation day after day, he had grown fond of companionship.

Without a few friends, the drudgery of life could even crush a person’s spirit.

Yet—

Just as Wei Fan, face aglow with happiness, urged him on, He Song’s gaze took on a sudden hint of wariness.

In the five years he had known Wei Fan, the man had never shown the slightest interest in women. Yet now, the moment He Song agreed to live with him, Wei Fan became so elated.

Could it be...

A moment’s hesitation passed, but He Song finally brushed aside his troubling suspicion. After all, he himself had never shown much interest in women during these five years either—perhaps he was simply overthinking things.

With that thought, the wariness in his eyes quickly faded. He cupped his hands in farewell and departed.

Leaving the Spirit Construction Pavilion, He Song first returned home to pack up all his belongings. He considered bidding farewell to Lin Cong, his neighbor, but after a moment’s thought, decided against it. He was only taking shelter at Wei Fan’s home for a while; though his room would be vacated, with Wei Fan as a steward of the Pavilion, his place would be held for him.

After all, the rental houses in Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market were not always fully occupied. Reserving a room for He Song was a mere trifle for Wei Fan. Once the danger passed, He Song planned to return and continue living there. Rather than say goodbye now, it would be better to send Lin Cong a message later, after he’d settled in at Wei Fan’s place, explaining everything via transmission technique. That way, Lin Cong would also be on his guard and not be caught unaware if any rogue cultivators struck.

Having made up his mind, He Song decided to give the rent he would save during his time in hiding to Wei Fan as a token of gratitude. Wei Fan was already doing him a great favor by offering protection; if He Song didn’t at least contribute some rent, even he would feel uncomfortable. Though it wasn’t a great sum, it was a gesture of goodwill—he could hardly live under Wei Fan’s roof with a clear conscience otherwise.

With this in mind, He Song soon returned to the Spirit Construction Pavilion with his belongings in tow.

Upon seeing He Song ready to move in, Wei Fan promptly led him to his own residence.

Compared to the lodgings of a Qi Refining novice like He Song, the quarters of a late-stage cultivator were far superior. Wei Fan’s home was a small courtyard, featuring a rock garden and flowing water, and a two-story house.

Inside were a master bedroom, two secondary bedrooms, and a servant’s room—a total of four rooms suitable for living. There was also a reception hall, two meditation chambers, a study, a kitchen, and a practice room.

So many rooms left He Song feeling overwhelmed by the extravagance. What’s more, the spiritual energy here was far denser than at his previous abode, promising much faster cultivation.

To think, his old place—at ten spirit stones a month—had only a single room and a meditation chamber, nothing else. And yet, that had cost him ten spirit stones in monthly rent.

But now?

Seeing the size and spiritual density of Wei Fan’s courtyard, He Song could not even guess how much the rent would be.

“Wei, how much is the monthly rent for this courtyard?” Unable to figure it out, he simply asked. With a friend like Wei Fan, there was never cause for embarrassment.

“The going rate is fifty spirit stones a month, or five hundred for a year. But I don’t need to pay rent here. Once you reach late-stage Qi Refining, the Immortal Market provides every internal cultivator with a courtyard like this, free of charge,” Wei Fan answered without hesitation, sharing a piece of news He Song had never known before.

For Wei Fan, now at late-stage Qi Refining, this was common knowledge. But for He Song, it was surprising.

After all, Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market was no charity. That much was clear from his own monthly rent of ten spirit stones. For a Qi Refining novice, after paying one hundred and twenty spirit stones a year, only twenty or thirty were left for personal use—a life of drudgery indeed.

Yet, upon reaching late-stage Qi Refining, one was granted a courtyard gratis? He Song found this hard to fathom. Did they truly see the lowest-level cultivators as nothing more than laborers?

“Don’t be so surprised; these are simply the rules. Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators reside here all year, and their presence makes the Market more secure, so naturally, they’re given better treatment.

“As for those in the early stage... being allowed into the Market at all is already a fortune. It’s far safer than being outside, and here, a cultivator can safely pass through their most vulnerable years.

“Rogue cultivators can’t even enter the Market. Every year, countless such folk die beyond its walls. Compared to them, those inside are truly lucky.

“Moreover, once you reach mid-stage Qi Refining, your treatment here will improve as well. You’ll see for yourself in time—so don’t be too surprised.”

As he led He Song around to get familiar with the place, Wei Fan explained more about the inner workings of the Immortal Market.