Chapter Forty: A Private Feast

The relationship between He Song and Zhao Lin began to shift from this point onward.

It started with deep emotions upon their first meeting, blossomed into mutual familiarity, and finally grew into a bond so strong that they felt as if they had met too late in life.

Over these three years, He Song’s connection with Zhao Lin grew ever closer, their interactions became frequent, and nowadays, the two could rightfully be called friends. Though He Song had not yet introduced Zhao Lin into the small circle he shared with Wei Fan and the others, he was already preparing to do so.

Zhao Lin was acquainted with Meng Guan, and now counted He Song as a close friend as well. Integrating him into the group was something He Song needed to consider.

Today—

After casting the Spirit Rain Technique on his managed spiritual fields for half an hour, He Song made his way toward the Herb Pavilion. Now that his cultivation had stabilized, it was time to claim two more acres of spiritual farmland. His annual earnings would soon surpass what he had made in the early stages of Qi Refinement.

Soon, He Song’s figure appeared at the Herb Pavilion.

Inside, Zhao Lin was on duty today. As He Song entered, Zhao Lin, who had been idly reading miscellaneous books, immediately stood up.

“Congratulations, my friend, on breaking through to the middle stage of Qi Refinement! Your cultivation has soared, and the Foundation Establishment is now within reach!” Zhao Lin’s eyes flashed with spiritual light, and he spoke his congratulations without hesitation.

Though Zhao Lin himself was at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, as friends, it was only natural to celebrate He Song’s breakthrough.

A few spirit talismans quickly appeared in Zhao Lin’s hand.

“Here, these are some Earth Fortification Talismans I drew myself. They’re not worth much, but consider them a token of congratulations,” he said, handing the talismans to He Song, his eyes briefly glowing with joy.

His friend’s breakthrough meant that Zhao Lin’s own foundation in the Immortal Market had become more secure. Should trouble arise in the future, this connection would certainly help him—just as befriending Meng Guan earlier had led to his lucrative management position at the Herb Pavilion.

Thus, Zhao Lin saw much advantage in exchanging favors with close friends.

“Thank you, Brother Zhao. I was just in need of these lifesaving talismans. You are truly generous,” He Song replied, taking the talismans without hesitation.

Earth Fortification Talismans were invaluable in times of danger; even if He Song didn’t lack them, he would certainly accept more. Especially since Zhao Lin was a Talisman Maker, the cost for these was merely the price of materials.

He had not forgotten the disaster three years prior, and was determined to continually strengthen his ability to survive in this harsh cultivation world. Nearly all the spirit stones he’d earned in the past three years had been spent on inscribing formation patterns, with only a scant few left. Now, with new income, the more the better.

As for the debt of gratitude... so be it. Since it was a friend’s favor, he would find the right moment to repay it.

Now that he had successfully broken through to the middle stage of Qi Refinement, He Song was no longer the same as before. He could now save up ninety spirit stones in a year; a few talismans were hardly a significant debt.

“You must be here today for the two acres of spiritual farmland, right?” Zhao Lin asked, satisfaction flickering in his eyes when He Song accepted his gift so directly.

Clearly, he appreciated He Song’s straightforwardness.

He Song was about to nod, but Zhao Lin smiled and shook his head, continuing, “You’re actually a bit late. When you told me you were going into seclusion to break through, I had already assigned those two acres to your name. Their location is right here.”

Taking a roundabout route, Zhao Lin grabbed a map from the side and pointed out the new plots.

On the map of spiritual fields outside the Immortal Market, each plot was labeled with a name.

He Song was surprised, but his gaze quickly found his own name.

Where the name “He Song” was written, there were two adjacent areas—one large, one small. The connection was marked by a black line, showing that the smaller area had been added later.

Scanning the surroundings, He Song noticed that many people had their names in two places.

For example, someone named Chen Zhou had two distinct plots marked under his name.

He Song hadn’t yet asked about this, but Zhao Lin’s finger had already pointed to his name on the map.

“Look, this large plot is your original five acres. The newly added smaller area is your new two acres. Having them side by side saves you from running around each day, casting the Spirit Rain Technique twice.”

As Zhao Lin explained, He Song was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood.

Few cultivators like himself were fortunate enough to have their new farmland adjacent to their original plots. Most mid-stage Qi Refinement spiritual farmers had their new fields located elsewhere, like the Chen Zhou he had just noticed, whose name appeared in two separate places.

Those cultivators had to run to two locations daily, casting the Spirit Rain Technique twice for half an hour each, and traveling a long distance in between.

Naturally, this meant more time spent each day.

But for He Song, he only needed to cast the Spirit Rain Technique once in his own farmland, simply covering a slightly larger area, with no need to run around. The whole process still took only half an hour.

Compared to others, cultivators like He Song with two adjoining plots were far more comfortable than those who had to travel and work twice each day.

“Thank you, my friend!” Seeing Zhao Lin’s obvious favoritism, He Song felt a warmth in his heart, and his respect for Zhao Lin grew.

Zhao Lin had not only assigned the new two acres to him in advance, allowing He Song to collect his annual stipend sooner, but had also managed to merge the plots, so He Song could earn more without spending extra time.

In this way, Zhao Lin had done everything he could for He Song, to the utmost.

Whether it was the early assignment of the farmland, or forcibly combining the two plots, both gave He Song a new perspective on Zhao Lin and the cultivation world.

So this was how power could be wielded in the world of cultivation.

So Zhao Lin was truly someone one could rely on—when it mattered, he could create opportunities for his friends.

“No need to thank me. There’s no need for such formality between us. It’s a small matter. As long as I’m here in the Herb Pavilion, anything I can do, I’ll make sure it’s done beautifully for you.”

Zhao Lin waved his hand dismissively, not giving it a second thought.

It was nothing, really.