The three talismans did not take long to sell. In less than two hours, they were all sold one after another.

Qin Lu packed up his stall simply and got up to leave.

He then went to a general store in the market, spent a catty of gold to buy some cooking seasonings like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, and only then headed home.

He walked back quickly the whole way. But as he reached a corner just before his home, he was suddenly startled, his whole body jolting, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.

In that instant, Qin Lu’s heart raced. He jerked his body backward, hiding at the street corner to conceal his presence.

“How could there be someone?!”

He saw a blue-robed cultivator with a middle-aged appearance standing quietly with his hands clasped behind his back right in front of his door.

“Did Fang Hu send someone for revenge?”

Qin Lu, nervous and on edge, cautiously peeked out to look at the blue-robed middle-aged cultivator.

But when he clearly saw the man’s face, he was suddenly taken aback.

He found this person somewhat familiar.

“Huh… it’s him!”

After a brief moment of recollection, Qin Lu retrieved information about this person from his memory.

This man was named Liu Xiangshi, an outer disciple of the Wuji Sect and one of the stewards specifically responsible for managing the Slums area. The original owner had had contact with him before.

Once clear about this person’s identity, Qin Lu immediately relaxed his posture. He stepped out from the street corner and walked forward at a leisurely pace.

Since it was the Wuji Sect looking for him, there was no need to hide anymore. On the Wuji Sect’s turf, if they wanted to cause trouble, hiding would be useless anyway.

It was better to face them openly and directly.

“Steward Liu! Were you looking for me?”

As he drew near, Qin Lu raised a hand in greeting.

Hearing the voice, Liu Xiangshi, with his hands still behind his back, turned slightly to look at Qin Lu’s figure. His expression held a hint of impatience, but he did not speak immediately.

Only when Qin Lu reached his side did he speak indifferently:

“My visit today, you should presumably understand why, right?”

Hearing this, Qin Lu’s face froze for a moment. His mind began to race, trying to guess the meaning behind Liu Xiangshi’s words.

But before he could figure it out, a childish voice sounded beside him.

“Dummy! Steward Liu is here to collect your rent!”

As soon as the words fell, a chubby kid immediately ran out from the neighboring house, a big smile on his face as he rushed to Qin Lu’s side, winking and making faces.

Ignoring Cao Mo’s cheeky grin, Qin Lu turned to look at Liu Xiangshi, putting on an expression of sudden realization.

“Ah! I almost forgot! Yes, yes, the rent for this month should be due. I wonder… Steward Liu, how many Spirit Stones is it specifically this month?”

Liu Xiangshi said flatly:

“Six.”

“Right away!”

Qin Lu immediately took out six Spirit Stones from his robe and respectfully handed them to Liu Xiangshi.

Although the environment in the Slums was poor, living there was not free.

Instead, one had to pay Spirit Stones to the Wuji Sect every month, euphemistically called a management fee and a security fee.

For a crude house like Qin Lu’s, located on the fringes of the Slums, even if he had built it with his own hands, he still had to pay a monthly rent of six Spirit Stones.

It seemed overbearing, but this arrangement was actually a mutually agreed-upon result.

Because in the cultivation world, all cultivators needed to absorb spiritual energy for their cultivation. The density of spiritual energy indirectly determined the speed of cultivation.

And spiritual energy in the world was not evenly distributed. Some places had little, while others had much.

Places with abundant spiritual energy were called spirit lands.

Every spirit land was a coveted prize pursued by major powers and a place of longing for cultivators to practice.

And Wuji Market was precisely a high-quality spirit land with dense spiritual energy.

The exchange of goods, guaranteed safety, bustling entertainment, accelerated cultivation—these numerous reasons drew many loose cultivators to gather here, putting down roots to survive.

……

Liu Xiangshi took the Spirit Stones. With a light wave of his hand, the stones disappeared from his palm.

Qin Lu’s eyes lit up. He knew this miraculous technique of making objects vanish into thin air was caused by the valuable Storage Bag.

Having stored the Spirit Stones, Liu Xiangshi didn’t waste words. He simply turned to leave.

At that moment, Qin Lu’s eyes shifted, and he hurriedly called out:

“Wait! Steward Liu, wait!”

“What else is it?” Liu Xiangshi turned his head.

“Steward Liu, it’s like this. I want to move. I want to live inside the market proper.”

“Oh?”

Liu Xiangshi looked Qin Lu up and down, a trace of surprise in his eyes. “Have you come into some money recently, kid?”

“Heh heh!”

Qin Lu rubbed his hands together, showing a smiling face. “Recently found a bit of small change…”

In truth, what money did he have? Right now, he only had eight Spirit Stones on him.

But there was no choice. The Slums were simply too dangerous. Especially after the fight with Fang Hu, he really didn’t dare to stay here long.

Liu Xiangshi nodded slightly and said slowly:

“Moving is naturally possible. However, the market proper is already full. If you want to move in, you’ll just have to wait slowly.”

“Ah! I have to wait for that too?” Qin Lu looked astonished.

“Of course. The houses in the market are clean, tidy, and well-planned. They’ve been full for a long time. If you want to move in, you need to pay a two-Spirit-Stone deposit first. When there’s a vacant house, I’ll notify you.”

“Yes, yes…”

Qin Lu hurriedly took out two Spirit Stones and handed them over. He paused, then asked:

“Dare I ask, Steward Liu, roughly how long will the wait be?”

Liu Xiangshi gave a light laugh. “That depends on whether anyone violates the rules recently. If someone gets expelled from the market, then it’ll be your turn.”

“What about a specific timeframe?” Qin Lu asked, unwilling to give up.

“Hmm… as short as half a month, as long as two months. Just wait patiently.”

Having said that, Liu Xiangshi turned and left.

Watching Liu Xiangshi’s retreating back, Qin Lu sighed. He hadn’t expected the right to live in the market to be so hard to obtain.

It seems that no matter what world you’re in, getting a local household registration in a big city isn’t easy…

“Hey! Big Mouth Qin! Why do you want to move away?”

Cao Mo suddenly asked from the side.

Qin Lu withdrew his gaze and looked at the chubby kid beside him, answering nonchalantly:

“What else? I’ve earned some money!”

“Earned money? I see your home is still as poor as a church mouse. And looking at your shabby appearance, you’d drool at the sight of demon beast meat. You don’t look like you’ve struck it rich at all!”

Qin Lu’s old face flushed red. He quickly waved his hand. “Go on, go on, what does a little brat like you know!”

“Hmph! I’m telling you, my dad recently noticed the meat decreasing and is starting to get suspicious. If you don’t take me to the pleasure house soon, I’ll say it was you who tricked me into bringing it for you to eat, and then my dad will come beat you to death!” Cao Mo threatened in a low voice.

Qin Lu felt a black line form in his mind. He had just thought about teaching this fat kid a lesson, but the moment he remembered the fierce appearance of Cao Mo’s father, he immediately stopped his hand.

After thinking for a moment, he said:

“Alright, alright, so much nonsense. On the day I move, I’ll take you for a visit!”

“Great! You have to keep your word!” Cao Mo laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Qin Lu nodded repeatedly in a perfunctory manner, then stepped forward to open his door.

“Hey, I’m coming in to sit for a bit.”

Cao Mo hurriedly stepped forward.

“No time!”

Qin Lu, quick as lightning, stretched out a hand to block Cao Mo. His figure directly entered the room, and he slammed the door shut with a bang.

“Open the door! Damn big mouth!”

Cao Mo stood at the doorway, powerless and furious.

==========