Chapter Sixty-Two: The Cultivation Chamber

The ways of the world are often laced with such coincidences.

Zhou Changwang was feeling quite pleased with himself, planning to bid farewell to Qian Xiaoyue. Unexpectedly, she too was carrying bundles and bags, apparently preparing to move out as well.

“This is my friend, Lu Weier. Weier has been living in a small courtyard near the Six Directions Pavilion in the inner city, sharing it with three others. She had suggested before that I move to the inner city. Unfortunately, her place was always full, and renting elsewhere was simply too expensive, so I never made the move. This time, two rooms in her shared courtyard opened up at once, so I decided to move in with her. The rent isn’t all that high either, just five low-grade spirit stones a month.”

As Qian Xiaoyue spoke, she glanced at Zhou Changwang and said, “There’s still one room left in the four-person courtyard. Would you like to move in too, Zhou?”

She knew Zhou Changwang had a little money now and could easily afford the rent in the inner city.

Beside them, Lu Weier tugged at Qian Xiaoyue's sleeve and whispered, “Sister Hua said her friend will be moving in too.”

Though her voice was low, everyone present was a cultivator, and could hear perfectly well. An awkward look instantly flashed across Qian Xiaoyue’s face. She was just moving in herself; if she wanted to recommend someone else, she’d also have to consider the other tenants’ opinions.

“No need. I was just about to tell you—I’ve also found a place in the inner city and plan to move there.” Zhou Changwang smiled.

“Is that so? Congratulations, then,” Lu Weier replied before Qian Xiaoyue could say anything. Though she offered her congratulations, she clearly didn’t believe him, thinking he was just trying to save face. She quickly grabbed Qian Xiaoyue’s hand and said, “Xiaoyue, let’s hurry. The Six Directions Pavilion is reopening today, and your alchemy room is restarting the pill furnaces. We have to get your room in order and head over to work, or we’ll be punished for being late…”

“Oh, alright…” Qian Xiaoyue nodded, then hastily turned to Zhou Changwang and said, “I’m off, then. I’ll be living at Courtyard 78 on Sanshui Street, just behind the Six Directions Pavilion. Or you can come find me at the Pavilion—Weier is usually there, so just let her know if you need anything, and she’ll tell me…”

Watching the two of them disappear, Zhou Changwang couldn’t help but touch his nose.

He hadn’t lied at all.

Why did they act as if they were afraid a poor relative would come knocking at their door?

And now he remembered Lu Weier—wasn’t she the “Little Wei” who had served him at the Six Directions Pavilion last time? Perhaps because she had to deal with so many people every day, and some time had passed, she didn’t recognize him at all.

Of course, he didn’t mind in the least.

He then turned and entered the utility room of the courtyard, pulled out a handcart, and loaded his belongings onto it. Mostly it was pots, pans, and miscellaneous items, but most important of all were the three spiritual seedlings. To avoid unnecessary trouble, he’d covered them carefully with black cloth.

“Hey, Xiao Zhou, are you moving out?” a voice suddenly called from behind as Zhou Changwang was hauling his cart out of the courtyard.

His heart skipped a beat—he recognized the voice as that of the senior cultivator who lived next door to Qian Xiaoyue. He quickly turned and forced a smile. “Yes, it’s too dangerous living around here. I thought the inner city would be safer, so I’m moving there.”

He kept worrying to himself, how did this man know his surname? Was he planning to make him a target?

Thankfully, he was moving out immediately. Without the protective array at night, it would be too risky to stay. He knew well that, though the chaos of the Night of Disorder had passed, quite a few cultivators had died in their rooms over the past two nights.

“The inner city isn’t necessarily safe, either. My brother had bad luck—he followed some people out of curiosity into the inner city and never came back…” the senior cultivator sighed, then smiled. “Need a hand? I like making friends. We’ve been neighbors, after all, and I happen to have some free time. I could help you settle in and get to know the area. How about it?”

“No, that’s quite alright. I can manage myself, no trouble at all, senior.” Zhou Changwang’s heart raced. He waved his hands and, rather flustered, hurried off with his cart.

“Am I really that frightening?”

“I honestly just wanted to make a friend…”

“Or have they found something out?”

The senior cultivator stood there, a hint of confusion on his face.

…

Only when he’d entered the inner city, surrounded by the bustling crowd and certain of his safety, did Zhou Changwang finally breathe a long sigh of relief.

Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.

He even wanted to “get to know my place”?

Zhou Changwang shook his head furiously. There was no way he could agree to that. He didn’t want to be marked by someone like that.

“I definitely won’t go back anytime soon. In fact, I won’t even visit the outskirts of the market. I’ll just stay home for a year or two and lay low,” Zhou Changwang thought, still uneasy.

Only when he finally arrived at his own spirit field courtyard on South Street, locked the door, installed twelve low-grade spirit stones, and used his control token to activate the protective formation did he truly relax.

With this array, no one could enter his house without his permission. As for breaking in by force? Unless another night of chaos erupted, no one would dare cause trouble inside the marketplace. The patrolling market guards were not to be taken lightly.

…

After moving into the spirit field courtyard, the first thing Zhou Changwang did was go to the backyard, pick a corner, weed and loosen the soil, and then plant the three spiritual seedlings one by one.

After transplanting them, he saw that they looked noticeably wilted, so he quickly cast the Spirit Rain, Growth Acceleration, and Revitalize Withered Wood spells in succession. With that, the three seedlings immediately regained their vitality.

“As expected of a top-grade first-tier spirit field. The spiritual energy is abundant enough that, even planted close together, it’s more than enough for these three seedlings to thrive,” Zhou Changwang thought, a smile spreading across his face.

Ever since he learned that these seedlings were the legendary Thunder Spirit Rice, he’d been even more attentive. Just last night he’d used the Growth Acceleration spell several times, burning through an extra spirit stone.

Unfortunately, the Thunder Spirit Rice trees only seemed to grow taller without flowering or bearing rice, which left him quite vexed. By rights, after so many spells, if they were ordinary spiritual grain, he’d have harvested a crop by now.

Afterward, Zhou Changwang returned to his house and checked each room in turn: the master bedroom, the spare bedroom, the alchemy room, the talisman room, the cultivation chamber… When he entered his cultivation chamber, his eyes suddenly lit up.