“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I really didn’t mean to blow your roof off!”

A young girl in a purple Daoist robe stood amidst the debris, bowing repeatedly. Her skin was fair, but her face was smudged with soot and dust, and her hair was a bird’s nest of disarray. She looked utterly wretched, her voice choked with unshed tears.

Standing opposite her was the disheveled, middle-aged homeowner—Wang Ba.

He looked at the girl. Her features were ordinary, yet she brimmed with a vibrant, youthful energy. More terrifyingly, her eyes held a crystal-clear innocence that had not yet been stained by the world.

A Sect disciple, Wang Ba noted with a sinking heart. Definitely can’t afford to offend her.

He forced a stiff smile onto his face.

“It’s fine, really. That roof was rotting anyway. You actually did me a favor; I was planning to tear it down and rebuild it. Don’t take it to heart.”

“R-really?” The purple-robed girl looked up, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“Really! Truer than true!” Wang Ba nodded vigorously.

Whether she was simply naive or just a bit dim, the girl didn’t catch the desperate politeness in Wang Ba’s tone. Her face instantly brightened into a relieved smile.

“That’s good then!” She beamed. “Uncle, my name is Ye Lingyu. What’s yours?”

Wang Ba’s mouth twitched.

Uncle? Am I already that old?

“…Wang Ba.”

Ye Lingyu’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. “Wang… Ba? As in… Eight?”

She stared at him, unable to believe someone would name their child ‘Tortoise’ or ‘Bastard’.

“No,” Wang Ba corrected patiently, used to this reaction. “Not ‘Ba’ as in Eight. ‘Ba’ as in the Drought Demon.”

“Ah! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I misheard…” Ye Lingyu’s face flushed a deep crimson, and she waved her hands frantically to explain.

“It’s not your fault. Blame my father for the bad naming sense,” Wang Ba said, his smile straining. He could feel the Yin Spirit power in his abode draining away just by standing near her. “Uh, was there anything else?”

This time, Ye Lingyu caught the hint. Her face turned even redder.

“N-no, nothing else. I’ll be going now!”

She clutched her sword and turned to leave, hesitating at the gate of the villa. Suddenly, she spun back around.

“Regardless, destroying your roof was my fault. Please take this as a token of my apology!”

She shoved a slip of yellow paper into Wang Ba’s hand. Then, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders, she skipped down the mountain path.

Wang Ba watched as she formed a clumsy hand seal. The sword in her grip leaped into the air, spun erratically, and landed at her feet. She stepped onto it, wobbling dangerously, before the blade lifted her into the air and drifted off into the distance…

Only for the figure to pitch forward and plummet headfirst toward the treeline a few hundred meters away.

“What a clumsy little girl.”

Wang Ba watched her stumble back into the air and disappear. Despite the headache she had caused, he couldn’t help but find it slightly amusing.

I didn’t think such naive—no, foolish—people still existed in a place as cutthroat as the Sect.

Unfortunately, the Sect was a giant dye vat. Such innocence would soon be crushed, ground into dust, and replaced by the arrogance and cold pragmatism typical of cultivators.

Then again… I wouldn’t mind being a cold, arrogant cultivator myself.

The yellow paper Ye Lingyu had gifted him seemed extraordinary.

Even to the naked eye, the Spiritual Qi trapped within the fibers was dense and vibrant. Unfortunately, aside from a few passive types, most talismans required Spiritual Power to activate. This one was clearly no exception.

Wang Ba considered taking it to a talisman shop in the market to get it appraised, but the risk of drawing attention to himself was too high. He decided to stow it away for now.

Over the next few days, the majority of his sixty Spirit Poultry ended up in his stomach. He was practically sick of the taste of chicken.

Deciding he needed a change of palate—and fresh information—Wang Ba headed down to the market to buy Spirit Rice.

The market was bustling as always, but when he arrived at Lu’s Grain Depot, he froze.

The signboard had changed.

Inside, the familiar face of Shopkeeper Lu was gone. In his place sat an old man with a thin, wispy goatee.

Seeing Wang Ba’s shabby Laborer Disciple robes, the new shopkeeper didn’t even bother to look up from his ledger.

Wang Ba didn’t mind the snub. He walked in, picked out ten catties of Spirit Rice, and slapped a Spirit Stone onto the counter.

The goateed old man’s attitude transformed instantly. A fawning smile plastered itself onto his face.

“Esteemed guest! Our shop has just opened; please, look after our business!”

“You’re too kind,” Wang Ba nodded, smiling. He leaned against the counter, keeping his tone casual. “By the way, Shopkeeper, I recall this place used to be called ‘Lu’s Grain Depot’, right?”

The old man stroked his goatee, not bothering to hide the truth.

“Indeed. This shop was originally owned by the clan of the Outer Sect’s top disciple, Lu Yuansheng. But some time ago… Lu Yuansheng perished. The assets were auctioned off.”

“What?!” Wang Ba’s eyes widened in genuine shock. “Lu Yuan… Immortal Lu is dead?!”

He had been on good terms with the previous Shopkeeper Lu. Through their chats, he knew exactly how formidable Lu Yuansheng was.

The man had been a prodigy. Entering the Sect at eighteen, he reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining in a decade. He fought countless battles, crushed his peers, and at sixty years old, with a cultivation at the tenth layer of Qi Refining, he claimed the top spot among the Outer Sect’s Ten Great Disciples.

He had held that title with an iron grip for ten years.

Rumor had it he had already glimpsed the secrets of Foundation Establishment. A few more years, a Foundation Establishment Pill, and he would have ascended to the Inner Sect, becoming a true elite with immense authority.

Wang Ba still remembered the pride in the old shopkeeper’s voice when he spoke of his clan’s genius.

And now? That towering figure had collapsed halfway up the mountain.

With him, the Lu family’s fortunes had likely crumbled into dust.

“Do you know how Immortal Lu died?” Wang Ba asked quietly, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the weather.

“Rumor has it he was ambushed by villains while out purchasing cultivation resources. The details are unclear,” the old man replied patiently.

“And the Lu family? Do you know where they went?”

“I’m not sure. I heard they moved to the East Mountain area, but then there was more trouble… It’s hard to say.” The old man shook his head, feigning a deep attempt at recollection.

“Thank you.” Wang Ba cupped his hands respectfully.

He paused, then shifted gears. “By the way, Shopkeeper, do you have any Rare Fowl for sale?”

“Rare Fowl?” The goateed man hesitated, a troubled look crossing his face. “We do, but…”

“Speak freely. Price isn’t an issue if the goods are right. The more, the better!” Wang Ba puffed out his chest, acting the part of a flush buyer.

Hearing this, the old man gritted his teeth. “Esteemed guest, why not follow this old man inside for a look?”

Wang Ba’s heart leaped. Finally!

He followed the old man to a coop in the backyard. The setup was familiar, unchanged from Shopkeeper Lu’s time. But Wang Ba had no time for nostalgia. His gaze locked onto the birds in the cages.

His expression twisted.

“These… are sick chickens!?”

Wang Ba recoiled, taking several steps back as if the coop were on fire.

“Guest, don’t panic! This Avian Plague doesn’t spread to humans!” the old man reassured frantically.

Wang Ba’s face remained grim, his voice dripping with accusation.

“I raise chickens for a living! Do you think I’m blind?”

“Ah, this…” The old man froze, realized his mistake, and began bowing. “This old man is muddle-headed! Truly muddle-headed!”

Wang Ba snorted, his face dark with anger. He flicked his sleeves and turned to storm out.

“Trying to sell me plagued stock… outrageous!”

Internally, however, Wang Ba was calculating furiously.

The plague might not infect humans directly, but a carrier could easily spread it to a healthy flock. Buying these birds was a massive risk.

However, he had the Lifespan system. He could force their evolution, potentially curing them or breeding resistance.

The risk of exposure was high… but he wanted those chickens.

But he couldn’t let the shopkeeper know that.

He stomped toward the exit, counting the steps in his head. One… two… three…

“Esteemed guest, please stay! Please stay!”

The goateed old man chased after him, his voice desperate.

“We can work this out! Our shop will definitely satisfy you!”