“Big Brother Qin, how is Cao Mo’s mother doing?”

In the courtyard, Zhang Meng asked while pouring water.

“After taking a pill worth over a hundred Spirit Stones, no matter how severe the injury, she should recover. From the looks of it, she should be fine now.”

Qin Lu raised his cup, took a sip of water, and said with a smile.

“Over a hundred! That’s so expensive!”

Zhang Meng’s face showed shock; this was no small amount.

Qin Lu nodded slightly, then took out the money pouch from his robe and poured all the Spirit Stones inside onto the table.

“After buying the pill, only these few Spirit Stones are left.”

Zhang Meng looked at the scattered seven Spirit Stones, her expression hesitant and puzzled.

“Big Brother Qin, you and Cao Mo’s mother were complete strangers, right? Why did you spend so many Spirit Stones to help her?”

Zhang Meng found it a bit hard to understand Qin Lu’s actions.

In the Slums, everyone had a mindset of looking out only for themselves, each sweeping the snow from their own doorstep.

No one was so generous to strangers; letting others die without helping was the norm.

Someone like Qin Lu spending so many Spirit Stones to help was the first time Zhang Meng had ever seen it, even the first time she had ever heard of it.

“Ah! That kid Cao Mo just happens to suit my temperament. Besides, you help in an emergency, not with chronic poverty. In a life-or-death situation like this, if you can help, you just do!”

“This…” Zhang Meng paused briefly, wanting to say more but holding back.

Seeing Zhang Meng’s expression, Qin Lu’s thoughts shifted. After a pause, he said,

“Are you worried that with just these few Spirit Stones, we won’t be able to manage in the coming days, that life will become difficult?”

“Yes…”

Zhang Meng nodded gently, admitting it.

Seven or eight Spirit Stones, exchanged for normal food, might only last the three of them five or six days.

If there was no other income of Spirit Stones, even with the food in the kitchen, they would starve in at most ten days.

“Hahaha!” Qin Lu laughed heartily, waved his hand, and smiled reassuringly.

“This amount of Spirit Stones isn’t enough, but don’t you worry. During this time, I’ll focus on crafting talismans to sell. Don’t worry, we definitely won’t have a problem with food.”

“Mhm, mhm.”

Zhang Meng nodded again, but the worry on her face did not diminish in the slightest.

“Alright, don’t worry. Leave everything to me. You should rest early.” Qin Lu stood up with a smile.

“Alright.”

After a simple farewell, the two returned to their respective rooms.

Qin Lu sat at the redwood table, shaking his head with a wry smile.

He knew what Zhang Meng was worried about. After this period of interaction, he had gained a good understanding of Zhang Meng’s character.

Zhang Meng had a strong will, was very hardworking and enduring, possessed an unyielding tenacity, and cared most about her precious son.

Perhaps because she had gone hungry before, she was very sensitive about Spirit Stones and extremely frugal in daily life.

From what Qin Lu knew, the ten Spirit Stones she gave that day were indeed her entire savings.

This also made Qin Lu understand why she had been so proactive that day, asking to move in together.

After all, ten Spirit Stones couldn’t last very long.

During this time, Zhang Meng had been very tactful and proactive. Not only did she take charge of cooking, but she also personally handled the daily household chores.

This gave Qin Lu more time to practice spells and craft talismans.

Their small life was quite content.

However, as time passed, Qin Lu found that the desire he once felt for Zhang Meng had faded.

In daily interactions, he had always been courteous and respectful, never crossing any lines.

“Enough, enough. No more thinking about this. Crafting talismans is the most important thing.”

Qin Lu shook his head, pushing the distracting thoughts from his mind. He looked up at the only two talisman papers left on the table.

“Only two left? Looks like I’ll need to buy some tomorrow…”

Crafting talismans was delicate work. Beyond the various preparatory steps, the hardest part was drawing those extremely complex lines and characters.

While drawing, not a single stroke could be wrong. It tested a cultivator’s concentration and control over spiritual energy to the extreme, consuming much time and mental energy.

But for Qin Lu, these were no longer problems.

Because two days ago, his crafting proficiency for the [Water Qi Shield] talisman had risen to the “Proficient” level.

After the upgrade, the quality of the talismans improved significantly once more, and the amount of spiritual energy and time consumed were both greatly reduced.

Most importantly, he had developed muscle memory for crafting the talisman!

Now, when he drew the [Water Qi Shield], he could even do it perfectly with his eyes closed. It was quite miraculous.

He no longer had to worry about making mistakes.

After a moment of thought, Qin Lu pulled out one talisman paper, placed it in the center of the table, picked up the talisman-crafting brush, his expression resolute.

“Alright then! Time to craft!”

…

At the same time, continuous laughter and chatter emanated from Joyous Lane in Wuji Market, the atmosphere lively and boisterous.

But in a room on the third floor of Jishan Store, it was somewhat quiet.

“You’re saying you found Qin Big Mouth?”

The hook-nosed man sitting in the middle was writing something, his tone casual.

He Liang, standing straight, replied with a serious expression, “Yes. Tonight, on my way back to the market from the Slums, I happened to see him on the road.”

“Hmm. And after you saw him? Did you finish him off?”

“No. Later, a Wuji Sect cultivator appeared…”

Hearing this, the hook-nosed man frowned, put down his brush, and asked softly,

“You’re saying he found the Wuji Sect as a backer?”

“No, no! That cultivator was just on patrol, passing by. He wasn’t specifically there to help Qin Big Mouth.”

“Oh. Then after the patrol cultivator left, you could have killed him, right? Did you make a move?”

He Liang stammered, “I… I didn’t dare to make a move.”

“Didn’t dare?” The hook-nosed man looked at He Liang with confusion and asked,

“You’re a sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator. Why wouldn’t you dare to attack someone at the second layer of Qi Refining?”

“No. From the looks of it, he should be at the third layer of Qi Refining now.”

“Hmph!” The hook-nosed man snorted coldly, looking at He Liang with dissatisfaction. “Second layer, third layer, aren’t they both in the early stage of Qi Refining? What difference could it make?”

“No, no, it’s not about cultivation realm. It’s that I felt that kid…” He Liang paused, hesitating before saying, “He was a bit strange. That’s why I didn’t make a move.”

“What kind of strange?”

“Before, I heard Fang Hu say this kid knows a few strange spells, so I kept my guard up, planning to kill him directly when he was off guard…”

“But I didn’t expect his vigilance to be so high. He suddenly used a strange move that produced a bright white light, making it impossible for me to see anything…”

He Liang said slowly, still feeling a lingering fear.

It was worth noting that he had lost his vision for several breaths at that time. If Qin Lu had attacked him then, he likely would have been in grave danger.

“White light?” The hook-nosed man frowned tightly. “What kind of white light?”

“It was just a strong flash of light. I don’t know what it was…” He Liang paused, suddenly remembering something, and continued,

“Oh, right. It was also because of the white light that the patrol team was attracted. And later, that kid lied, telling the Wuji Sect cultivator it was some [Flash Talisman]. I saw it extremely clearly; it absolutely could not have been a talisman.”

“So there’s such a thing. It seems this kid really has some secrets on him…” The hook-nosed man leaned back in his chair and asked in a low voice,

“What happened after that?”

“Later, he said he was willing to repay the debt. Within fifteen days, he would personally deliver the over one hundred Spirit Stones he owes us.”

The hook-nosed man thought for a moment and asked, “Did you find out the exact location of his home?”

“Clear! That kid even moved into the market to live!” A fierce glint flashed in He Liang’s eyes as he said viciously, “Manager, should I gather a few brothers and go deal with him tonight…”

“Hmph! No rush.” The hook-nosed man sat up slightly straighter. “That sum of Spirit Stones is not to be wasted. Let’s wait for him to repay the money first, then we’ll make our move!”

“Yes! Then what should we do?”

The hook-nosed man pondered for a moment, then slowly said,

“When he comes to deliver it that day, you do this…”

In the room, the two began to discuss the specific implementation plan.

==========