Qin Lu remained holed up in his home for several full days.

His mind was a tempest of deep anxiety. Several times, he felt the urge to return to the scene of the crime to check for any oversights he might have left behind that night, but in the end, he forcibly restrained himself.

What worried him most was the Green Mountain Sect.

If the Green Mountain Sect decided to step in on Wu Hao’s behalf and conduct a thorough investigation, Qin Lu would be in grave danger of exposure. Once exposed, the consequences would be unthinkable.

The image of the Green Mountain Sect’s ancestor instantly obliterating two cultivators in the Slums that day was still vivid in his mind.

Those people didn’t bother with reason, nor did they care if you were a battle-hardened late-stage Qi Refining cultivator. If they decided to make a move, they could take your head in the span of a few breaths and leave without a second glance.

The gap between the Qi Refining realm and the Foundation Establishment realm was simply too vast!

If Qin Lu, a mere fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator, were targeted by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, there would be no escape. He could only stand there with open hands and wait for death.

However, after waiting several days without any news surfacing, he gradually began to relax.

……

Qin Lu took stock of the spoils from that night.

To be honest, it wasn’t much. The Spirit Stones from the black-clad men added up to only a little over a hundred—quite a pitiful haul. There were a few magical instruments and two pills, but they were all cheap goods.

The most valuable item was likely the disc-shaped magical instrument capable of opening a breath-concealing formation. Qin Lu didn’t plan to sell it; he intended to keep it for his own use. This instrument might come in handy someday.

As for the other magical instruments, they were useless to him. He planned to offload them all at a magical instrument shop once the heat died down.

Over the past few days, the weather had finally warmed up considerably.

Qin Lu estimated the temperature was now around minus ten degrees Celsius. While still cold, it was no longer the frightening, bone-chilling freeze of before. Although winter clothes and padded jackets were still necessary, for cultivators, this weather was no longer a hindrance.

Xiao Ziyun had also recovered enough to get out of bed. He would occasionally run into the courtyard to practice his increasingly refined swordsmanship.

Whoosh!

Xiao Ziyun held a wooden sword, flipping and dancing with it. His young face was the picture of seriousness.

Qin Lu moved a chair to the door of his room and sat down, cradling a cup of warm water. He took small, leisurely sips.

The water was infused with goji berries and red dates.

Ever since Zhang Meng stopped going on duty, the two of them had become increasingly inseparable. Consequently, Qin Lu had begun to pay close attention to the health of his kidneys.

While sipping his health-preserving warm water, he offered guidance on Xiao Ziyun’s sword forms. But as he watched the boy, Qin Lu couldn’t help but sigh. He remembered what Zhang Meng had told him two days ago.

The little one was already four years old, reaching the age for spirit root testing. Soon, they would have to take him to be tested to see if he possessed the potential for cultivation.

Two different answers would lead to two very different paths.

If he possessed spirit roots and had the chance to embark on the path to immortality, Zhang Meng would save every scrap of money to purchase suitable cultivation techniques for Xiao Ziyun, and they would practice as cultivators together.

If he had no spirit roots, Zhang Meng had frankly stated that she would join a merchant caravan leaving the market district. She would take Xiao Ziyun to a mortal dynasty and live a life of luxury there, becoming part of the mortal upper class.

Zhang Meng had already given up on her grand aspirations for the Great Dao. Now, she only cared about Xiao Ziyun’s future.

“Defying heaven’s will…”

“Seeking longevity…”

Qin Lu murmured to himself. He didn’t have a strong opinion regarding Zhang Meng’s idea of leaving the market district.

However, after his experiences during this period, an aspiration for the Great Dao had unknowingly sprouted in his own heart.

If he were to return to the spirit energy-barren mortal world, his cultivation progress would inevitably slow to a crawl; he might very well end his days in frustration and mediocrity.

That was something Qin Lu was unwilling to accept.

Therefore, he now only hoped that Xiao Ziyun would test positive for spirit roots so they could stay together in the market district. That would be the best outcome.

Thinking of this, Qin Lu focused his mind and summoned his attribute panel.

【Name: Qin Lu】

【Lifespan: 36/117 years】

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 5: 14/100】

【Cultivation Techniques:】

「Mystic Sun Mantra」(Master): 213/3000

【Skills:】

Spells:

「Ignition Technique」(Master): 35/3000

「Finger Flick Technique」(Master): 50/3000

「Illumination Technique」(Proficient): 584/600

「Cutting Technique」(Proficient): 586/600

「Soft Wind Technique」(Proficient): 62/600

「Spirit Shield Technique」(Novice): 41/100

「Heavenly Eye Technique」(Novice): 25/100

Talisman Crafting:

「Water Qi Shield」(Master): 2/3000

「Cleansing Talisman」(Novice): 48/100

「Body Protection Shield」(Novice): 75/100

「Swift Step Talisman」(Novice): 2/100

Sword Arts:

「Gray Shadow Sword Art」(Proficient): 60/600

【Talent: None】

Two new spells had appeared on the panel.

These were what he had learned from Simple Spell Cultivation Methods: Middle Volume.

The middle volume recorded quite a few spells, but most were offensive techniques similar to the 【Water Arrow Technique】, 【Wind Strike Technique】, and 【Freezing Technique】.

Qin Lu felt his Master-level 「Finger Flick Technique」 was already powerful enough, so he didn’t bother studying more attack spells. Instead, he chose the 「Spirit Shield Technique」, which served a defensive function.

With this technique, one simply had to extend a palm and channel spiritual energy to manifest a shield in front of them to block attacks.

However, at its current Novice level, the shield was very small—only slightly larger than a palm—and practically useless.

But Qin Lu wasn’t anxious. He knew that as its proficiency increased, the shield’s effectiveness and size would improve. So, he practiced the 「Spirit Shield Technique」 from time to time, aiming to raise it to the “Proficient” level first.

The other spell was called the 「Heavenly Eye Technique」. According to the manual’s introduction, it was a detection spell capable of seeing through a cultivator’s specific cultivation level.

Upon reading this skill description, Qin Lu didn’t hesitate and immediately began studying it.

In the market district, what he feared most was encountering cultivators who pretended to be weak only to reveal overwhelming strength later—letting others bully them freely before rising up dramatically to slap faces left and right while shocking everyone with their hidden power.

In Qin Lu’s view, this was rather foolish behavior, but dangerous to bystanders.

By learning the 「Heavenly Eye Technique」, he could identify such pretentious individuals early and avoid getting close to them entirely.

As for talismans, after much consideration, Qin Lu ultimately chose the 「Swift Step Talisman」, which could increase movement speed.

After all, running fast increased one’s chances of living long.

Constantly learning attack spells and offensive talismans inevitably fostered a combative mindset, which might one day lead to dying miserably on some street corner.

Looking at his attribute panel, a satisfied smile appeared on Qin Lu’s face. This level of strength far surpassed that of an ordinary fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator.

Just as he was secretly feeling pleased with himself, Zhang Meng suddenly walked out of her room.

She was dressed warmly, with a thick scarf wrapped around her neck—clearly prepared to go out.

“Are you going out?” Qin Lu asked curiously.

“Yes!” Zhang Meng smiled slightly. Her gaze fell on Xiao Ziyun, and a warm, maternal expression softened her face. “Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, isn’t it? I’m going out to buy some New Year goods.”

“New Year?!”

Qin Lu’s eyes widened. He put down his water cup and asked, somewhat bewildered, “Do we celebrate New Year too?”

Zhang Meng gave Qin Lu a strange look. “What kind of question is that? Of course we bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new! Alright, I’m heading out now!”

Seeing this, Qin Lu quickly sat up. “Did you bring Spirit Stones? Do you need to take your 「Storage Bag」?”

“No need! It’s not much stuff; I can carry it back myself. I’ve got Spirit Stones with me too!” Zhang Meng waved her hand dismissively.

“Then be careful out there… Oh, right! Did you take that dark red dagger I gave you?”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry! It’s right here in my robe!”

Zhang Meng responded with a reassuring smile, opening the courtyard gate and walking out slowly.

Watching Zhang Meng leave, Qin Lu leaned back in his chair. He looked up at the azure sky, a reminiscent expression washing over his face.

“Unknowingly, it’s already been four months since I came here… It’s almost New Year already…”