The day of the harvest brought joy to some and sorrow to others.

Han Yu, having ostensibly broken through to the first level of Qi Refining and displayed a respectable talent for spellcasting, found himself treated strictly according to the rules by Steward Wang. He walked away with fifty-one catties of Green Grain Spirit Rice—an unexpected and welcome windfall.

In stark contrast, the Old Daoist fared much worse. Everyone knew he was old, devoid of potential, and safe to offend. Steward Wang and Wei Kunyi bullied him openly to his face, and he seemed powerless to resist.

As night fell, Han Yu absorbed the medicinal power of today’s Mystic Heart Fruit.

After sensing the changes in his body, he felt a twinge of puzzlement. It was the same Mystic Heart Fruit as always, yet the medicinal efficacy seemed weaker than when he first began consuming it.

Was it an illusion?

Or did consuming the same type of spirit fruit repeatedly lead to diminishing returns? If that were the case, he would need to search for other spirit fruits in the near future.

Han Yu realized he still lacked common knowledge regarding the path of cultivation. Yet, he couldn’t simply go around asking other Laborer Disciples. Ask too many questions, and people would realize you possessed spirit items. Greed was a dangerous thing to provoke.

After finishing his cultivation, he continued to circulate the Blood Refining Art, using his essence blood to repair the damage caused to his body by the Spirit Root Refining Art.

After completing a full cycle, the blood talisman in his Tanzhong acupoint trembled slightly as he withdrew his energy.

Outside, he heard Wei Kunyi knocking on the Old Daoist’s door again.

“Junior Brother Li, are you back? I’ve brought the Green Grain Spirit Rice you wanted to borrow…”

Han Yu’s expression darkened, and he sighed inwardly.

The Old Daoist practiced the Blood Refining Art and had thrown in his lot with the Demon Blood Sect contacts at the Green Grain Market. For him, Blood Food was paramount; spirit rice, while useful, was secondary.

Even so, seeing the old man bullied like this weighed on Han Yu’s heart.

If the Old Daoist hadn’t already achieved success in his cultivation—stepping onto the path of the Demon Blood Sect and severing ties with Han Yu—Han Yu might have felt compelled to intervene. But now, the Old Daoist had the strength to fend for himself.

The stone door creaked open. Wei Kunyi walked in, giggling smugly. A moment later, the door shut.

Han Yu paid it no further mind. He finished his cultivation, waited for the large and small crows to arrive, smoothed their iron feathers affectionately, and then prepared to rest once they departed.

Lying on his stone bed, Han Yu felt a nagging sense that something was wrong, though he couldn’t immediately pinpoint what.

A while later, he sat up abruptly.

Something is wrong!

Why hasn’t Wei Kunyi come out of the Old Daoist’s stone hut?

There hadn’t been a single sound since she entered. Didn’t that mean—

Han Yu’s heart began to pound against his ribs.

Since his youth, the Old Daoist had been a man of the Jianghu, living by the code of gratitude and vengeance. The “Three Friends of Quanlin” were famous martial heroes in the Nanli Kingdom.

If he lacked strength, he might have swallowed his pride. But now, he possessed power. The Demon Blood Sect’s entry-level offensive spell, the Blood Droplet, was far more lethal than the petty tricks of the Wanchun Valley Laborer Disciples.

Wei Kunyi, ignorant of the danger, had gone to his door at night to humiliate him. The Old Daoist likely couldn’t stomach that insult.

This matter could not be concealed. As long as the Old Daoist wasn’t a fool, he wouldn’t stay in the Wanchun Valley Spirit Field Department waiting for the inevitable investigation. If this drew the attention of a Deacon or higher, it would be a death sentence.

Han Yu had to plan his countermeasures immediately. The Old Daoist had demonic cultivator allies at the market and could simply flee. Han Yu, however, had no intention of joining him in the demonic path.

In the dead of night, the Old Daoist’s stone hut remained terrifyingly silent.

Han Yu paced his room, turning the situation over in his mind until he settled on a course of action. If it truly came to a Foundation Establishment cultivator personally searching him for signs of the Blood Refining Art—a worst-case scenario—he would have to use the most extreme method to survive.

He would destroy the blood talisman in his Tanzhong acupoint, crippling his Blood Refining Art, and then forcibly circulate the Spirit Root Refining Art several times to integrate the excess essence blood into his body.

Of course, that was a last resort.

As long as the inspection wasn’t too rigorous, his Breath Concealment Technique should suffice. An Outer Disciple shouldn’t be able to detect anything amiss—after all, Han Yu’s version of the Blood Refining Art had never shown any external abnormalities, unlike the Old Daoist’s.

Early the next morning, Han Yu acted as if nothing had happened. He rose and began pulling the thin stalks of the Green Grain Spirit Rice.

The essence of the plant was concentrated entirely in the rice ears; the stalks were useless, serving only as fertilizer when buried back into the soil.

The Old Daoist’s stone hut remained silent.

After clearing about half an acre, Steward Wang arrived, hands clasped behind his back, belly leading the way as he strolled leisurely.

After a casual greeting, Steward Wang asked, “Junior Brother Han, have you seen Wei Kunyi today?”

Han Yu shook his head slightly. “I haven’t.”

Where did that bitch go? She promised to come last night but never showed up.

Steward Wang found it strange and walked toward Wei Kunyi’s residence.

Just as he reached the door, he saw four male Laborer Disciples standing outside, chatting. Steward Wang immediately felt a surge of displeasure, suspecting these men were also her secret lovers.

He barked at them, “What are you doing? Instead of cultivating or tending the fields, you’re gathering here? What is this?”

The Laborer Disciples were terrified of him. Two immediately bowed and apologized in low voices, preparing to scurry away.

One with a bit more courage whispered, “Senior Sister Wei told us to come this morning to act as guards. She wanted to go to the market to buy and sell some things.”

“But for some reason, even though we agreed on the Hour of the Dragon, we can’t get her to open the door.”

Hmm?

Hearing this, Steward Wang wondered if Wei Kunyi had found some Laborer Disciple lover yesterday and had been frolicking until now, forgetting to serve even him.

Anger flared in his chest. He stepped forward and kicked the door open. His narrowed eyes swept the room coldly, but then he froze.

The room was empty.

Steward Wang frowned. He stepped inside and rummaged around. Under the bed, he found an iron box faintly radiating spiritual energy—likely her stash of Spirit Stones.

He turned back to the disciple who had spoken.

“Wei Kunyi made it clear to you? To go to the market at the Hour of the Dragon?”

“Yes, Steward Wang. She was very clear.”

“Has she ever done this before?” Steward Wang pressed.

“Never. Senior Sister Wei is a very meticulous person. She has always been punctual for appointments.”

Steward Wang’s face went cold. He ground his teeth.

Damn it. Something has happened again.

She left her Spirit Stones. She didn’t serve him last night. She missed her appointment today.

Wei Kunyi was likely dead.

It hadn’t been long since the last incident, and now another problem had arisen in the Spirit Field Department!

When Deacon Lu found out, he definitely wouldn’t let Wang off easily!

No, I can’t report directly to Deacon Lu. I need to figure this out myself first!

“Assemble all Laborer Disciples of the Spirit Field Department!”

“Call Junior Brother Ji and Junior Brother Hua as well!”

At Steward Wang’s command, the entire Spirit Field Department erupted into noise. Han Yu stood with Sun Kang and Liu Lan, merging with the crowd of other Laborer Disciples.

Steward Wang began the roll call.

“Li Quan, Lu Yun, Wei Kunyi, and four others are absent. All other Laborer Disciples are present!” The Outer Disciple surnamed Hua reported, then asked, “Senior Brother Wang, what is going on?”

Steward Wang’s voice was ice-cold. “Wei Kunyi may have been killed. Search the residences of Li Quan, Lu Yun, and the others for any clues. If nothing is found, search every disciple’s residence and every inch of the spirit fields!”

“I want to see her person if she’s alive, or her corpse if she’s dead!”