Time slipped away quietly. The curtain of night withdrew as the morning sun slowly emerged from the horizon, its gentle light illuminating the entire land.

Qin Lu, who had unwittingly pulled an all-nighter, only now realized that it was already dawn.

Over the course of the night, he had successfully raised his cultivation level value to eighty-seven. He had even managed to refine five [Water Qi Shields].

His efficiency was truly maxed out.

“Huu—”

Qin Lu let out a long exhale, shook his arms, loosened his sore shoulders, his face a picture of exhaustion.

Once a person gets older, their bodily functions start to decline. If they still don’t know moderation like they did in their youth, if they can’t control their own desires, then big problems are easy to come by.

For a middle-aged cultivator like him, already thirty-five, just a single night of indulgence left him with aches and pains all over his back and waist. He simply couldn’t compare to the young lads anymore.

Qin Lu supported his liver and slowly stood up. He walked lightly to the kitchen, intending to fetch some water to wash his face and refresh himself, only to find the water bucket completely empty.

Once a man is down on his luck, misfortunes always come one after another.

“Damn it!”

Qin Lu cursed under his breath, then resignedly picked up the bucket and walked out the door.

He was going to fetch water.

The place to fetch water was called Little Tuo River.

It was a river flowing from west to east, elegant and clear. It ran through almost the entire territory of Wuji Market, nurturing the many cultivators who lived and settled there.

The nearest section of Little Tuo River to Qin Lu’s home was less than two hundred meters away. Carrying the bucket, Qin Lu walked out of his door and headed in that familiar direction.

In the early morning, many people in The Slums were already up. Some squatted by their doors washing up, chatting and exchanging news.

Others, like Qin Lu, were carrying large water buckets and heading towards the river.

Clearly, everyone needed to fetch water.

“Well, well! If it isn’t Big Mouth Qin! What’s got you up so early today?”

A man’s greeting came from the side.

Qin Lu turned his head. His memory of this person wasn’t clear. Hearing the greeting now, he could only offer an awkward smile.

“Yeah, yeah, went to bed early, got up early…”

“Got up early, my foot!”

Someone immediately cut in, laughing, “Look at that kidney-deficient face of his! He clearly didn’t sleep a wink last night. Probably just got back from the gambling den~”

Pah! You’re the one who’s kidney-deficient! My liver just hurts!

Qin Lu cursed inwardly, but on his face was an embarrassed smile as he openly admitted with a laugh:

“Don’t mind me, everyone. My fondness for gambling before was just my youthful ignorance. I’ve quit gambling now.”

“Hahaha! You quit gambling?!”

“Then I’ll quit rice!”

“I’ll quit women!”

“Hah, you can quit women, but your woman can’t quit you~”

Qin Lu’s words drew teasing laughter from several people. They clearly didn’t believe his claim of quitting gambling.

Qin Lu chuckled, offering no further explanation. He slightly quickened his pace and walked briskly to the riverside.

Little Tuo River was only about ten meters wide, its flow extremely calm, the transparent water revealing the riverbed.

On the bank, a few middle-aged female cultivators were beating laundry with wooden clubs, bursts of cheerful laughter coming from them now and then, the atmosphere quite harmonious.

Qin Lu had no impression of these women either. Abandoning any thought of greeting them, he quickly walked to the river’s edge and tossed his large bucket into the water.

“Splash!”

With a strong pull, he lifted a full bucket of water.

If this were in his previous life, he definitely couldn’t have done it. But this cultivator’s body of his now allowed him to easily lift this nearly hundred-liter load.

After adjusting his grip on the bucket slightly, Qin Lu was about to head home when…

“Hey! Big Mouth Qin, I remember you don’t have a dao companion yet, right?”

“Huh?!”

The sudden question almost made Qin Lu spill his water.

The speaker was an elderly female cultivator around fifty years old, wearing exaggerated makeup that looked somewhat comical.

“Not… not for now,” Qin Lu hurriedly replied.

“So, do you want a woman or not? If you do, Auntie Li will introduce you to one, to warm your bed for you!”

The elderly female cultivator blinked her small eyes and giggled.

“Eh? Auntie Li, why would you want to introduce a woman to him? This Big Mouth isn’t exactly a family-minded man~”

“Right, what future does a gambler have? Auntie, don’t ruin the girls from our side!”

“Exactly! I’ve heard that once a person gets hooked on gambling, it’s for life! You can quit women easier than you can quit gambling…”

The women who had been washing clothes immediately chimed in with teasing remarks, all criticizing Qin Lu’s unreliability.

“Nonsense! That’s nonsense!”

Hearing this, Qin Lu immediately retorted, raising his voice to emphasize, “You’ve got it all wrong, sisters! I, Qin Lu, am not that bad. I’ve quit gambling now! And besides, I think women are the hardest thing to quit…”

“You quit gambling?”

His words drew skeptical looks from the group of female cultivators. They glanced at each other, their eyes full of distrust.

Except for one person.

Auntie Li.

She gave Qin Lu a sidelong glance and said cheerfully:

“What Big Mouth says might be true, everyone. Lately, Big Mouth has been going to the market to set up his stall right on time, every day. It’s been a good half-month since he’s been to the gambling den. That’s why I said I’d introduce a woman to him~”

Hearing this, Qin Lu felt a wave of relief. He immediately gave a thumbs-up and praised:

“Auntie Li, your powers of observation are truly impressive!”

“Hehe, so do you want a woman or not?”

Qin Lu’s heart stirred slightly. He was indeed a bit tempted. After all, he was too lonely by himself. Sleeping alone every night, the bed felt unbearably cold.

And usually, when he encountered any problems, there was no one to discuss them with. He’d just end up thinking in circles by himself. If this continued, problems were bound to arise sooner or later. If he had someone by his side, perhaps things would be easily resolved.

Just as Qin Lu was about to open his mouth and agree, he couldn’t help but think of the matter of his attribute panel.

Such a bizarre thing naturally couldn’t be known by too many people. It was his greatest trump card. If someone was by his side all day, it would be easy to slip up.

Weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Qin Lu pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said seriously:

“I want one! Can you help me find one, Auntie?”

“Done! That’s all I needed to hear!”

Auntie Li agreed readily.

Finally, amidst the playful laughter of the group of women, Qin Lu carried the large water bucket and walked home with light, brisk steps.

A thirty-five-year-old man needs to release some pressure appropriately. Otherwise, he’ll get pent up and break.

Back home, he set down the water bucket and dropped in a prepared [Water Purifying Pill], making the water even clearer and more transparent.

After a simple wash-up.

Feeling it was still early, not yet time to set up his stall, Qin Lu, filled with anticipation for his future life, began cultivating once more.

“Should I go buy a pillow later?”

“She can’t be too old, right? But we’re all cultivators, she probably won’t be too ugly…”

“In this world, do you need a bride price to get a wife? I don’t have a flying artifact or residential rights in the market…”

“My specialty is talisman refining. Would that attract girls?”

Amidst this flurry of random thoughts, Qin Lu entered a meditative state.

…

On the other side of The Slums, Fang Hu, with white cloth wrapped around his chest, knocked on the door of one of the houses.

After a moment, the door opened, revealing a middle-aged man with inverted triangular eyes.

He glanced at Fang Hu’s chest and asked in surprise:

“Ah Hu, what’s all this about?”

Fang Hu said with a sob in his voice:

“Big Brother, I was beaten by someone else! You have to help me get revenge!”

A flash of ruthlessness passed through the triangular-eyed man’s eyes. He said in a low voice:

“Who dares to be so bold as to bully my brother?”

“Hmph! It was a gambling dog! Named Qin Lu!”

“Qin Lu…”

The inverted triangular-eyed man murmured the name, then opened the door wider. “Come in, let’s talk inside!”

“Alright!”

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