It was the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Qin Lu and Xiao Ziyun set off firecrackers in the courtyard. The sharp, echoing pops celebrated the joy and liveliness of the season, bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new.

Later, Zhang Meng took Xiao Ziyun to pay respects to an ancestor known as Venerable Faxu, performing the rites with deep reverence.

She invited Qin Lu to join the worship, but he politely declined, feeling no particular connection to the figure.

Once the ritual concluded, Qin Lu took a [Body Protection Shield] talisman and some New Year gifts. Leading Zhang Meng and her son, he knocked on the courtyard door of Lu Xian’s residence.

Over time, the two families had grown much closer.

As the saying goes, “A distant relative is not as helpful as a close neighbor, and a close neighbor is better than one across the lane.”

In this unpredictable market where trust was scarce, a neighbor you truly knew was far more reliable than many blood relatives.

This was especially true for Qin Lu and Lu Xian. After fighting side by side once, their bond had deepened significantly.

Seeing Qin Lu arrive with gifts, Lu Xian broke into a wide smile instantly.

“Aiya, Brother Qin! You shouldn’t have brought so many things just for a New Year visit! Come in, come in!”

“Happy New Year, Old Lu. Just a small token of appreciation,” Qin Lu replied cheerfully.

Lu Xian ushered Qin Lu and the others into the courtyard to sit.

“Oh! Sister Zhang is here too!”

At that moment, a beautiful young woman emerged from the house, greeting Zhang Meng with a bright smile. This was Lu Xian’s wife—Qian Li.

“Happy New Year, Sister-in-law!” Zhang Meng smiled back.

Qian Li brought over a plate of washed spirit fruits and quickly sat down beside them, warmly urging, “Everyone, have some fruit! These are five-year-old White God Fruits—they taste absolutely divine. Try one!”

“Alright, alright!”

After exchanging New Year greetings, they chatted about various interesting stories and news from the market. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.

A short while later, Lu Anchen stumbled out of his room, looking half-asleep.

His face wore a drowsy expression, and he said nothing. He simply walked over, sat down beside the group, picked up a spirit fruit, and began eating it silently.

“Aiya! How dare you come out without brushing your teeth?!””You’re getting lazier and lazier by the day!”

His behavior immediately drew scoldings from both Lu Xian and Qian Li.

Yet their words seemed to have no effect on Lu Anchen whatsoever. He maintained a faint smile and continued eating his fruit in his own leisurely way.

Seeing this, an awkward look appeared on Lu Xian’s face. Turning to his guest, he said, “Our boy is still young and ignorant. Please don’t take offense, Brother Qin!”

Qin Lu waved his hand with a laugh, dismissing it casually. “Hahaha, I understand perfectly. Boys his age are all like that.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Anchen suddenly looked up at Zhang Meng and spoke.

“I heard you don’t work at Yueman Tower anymore?”

“Uh… yes. Is something wrong?”

Zhang Meng looked puzzled, not expecting the conversation to turn to her.

“Oh, nothing important. I just told a buddy of mine to keep an eye out for you. Not sure if he listened, though,” Lu Anchen said casually.

“Keep an eye out for me?” Zhang Meng was stunned for a moment before realization dawned. “So that’s why I never had to work night shifts before? Because someone was looking out for me?”

“No night shifts?” Lu Anchen spat out a fruit seed casually and shrugged. “Don’t know. Maybe.”

“So that’s what happened! Then I really must thank you!” Zhang Meng smiled and quickly expressed her gratitude.

“Just a trivial matter!” Lu Anchen waved his hand dismissively.

Witnessing this exchange, Qin Lu couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Young Lu, what do you usually do? How do you even know people from Yueman Tower?”

At this question, both Lu Xian and his wife looked somewhat uncomfortable. Lu Xian shook his head repeatedly.

“Hai! What can this boy possibly accomplish? He just fools around all day, doing nothing useful! I can’t even bear to talk about him!”

“Uh… really?” Qin Lu sounded skeptical.

Lu Anchen spread his hands with an indifferent expression. “Yep. I just fool around.”

“Alright then.”

Seeing that they were unwilling to elaborate, Qin Lu didn’t press further and promptly changed the subject.

……

Before long, the New Year visit came to an end, and Qin Lu and the other three returned to their own courtyard.

Just as Qin Lu was pondering what Lu Anchen actually did for a living, Cao Mo and his family unexpectedly arrived to pay a visit.

“Quick, come in! Sit down! Xiao Meng, hurry and brew some tea!”

Qin Lu hurriedly invited the three Cao family members to sit by the fire.

After they settled in, they exchanged New Year greetings, then sipped tea, ate fruit, warmed themselves by the fire, and chatted casually.

After a while, Cao Yunxi pulled a pouch from his pocket and handed it to Qin Lu.

“Brother Qin, here are fifty Spirit Stones. I’ll pay you this now, and I’ll settle the remaining thirty later. Is that alright?”

“Of course! No rush at all, Brother Cao. Pay me whenever it’s convenient for you.”

Qin Lu took the pouch readily.

Nowadays, a few dozen Spirit Stones were nothing to him.

“Brother Qin is truly a magnanimous man!” Cao Mo complimented in a scholarly tone.

“Haha, you always know how to flatter me!” Qin Lu laughed.

Putting away the Spirit Stones, a question suddenly popped into Qin Lu’s mind, and he asked,

“Brother Cao, from what I’ve seen, your income is more than enough to move into the proper market district. Why do you still live in the slums?”

Cao Yunxi smiled faintly and replied, “Mainly because we’re used to living there. Besides, it’s more convenient for us to go in and out of Eastern Ridge. Moving into the market district would actually feel restrictive.”

“I see…” Qin Lu nodded slightly, then chuckled, “The slums aren’t so bad, at least the rent is cheaper.”

“Hah! Don’t even mention it!” Qi Xiaofeng suddenly interjected, sounding furious,

“That fortune-teller Liu came to collect rent recently and demanded three months’ payment upfront! We’ve lived in the slums for years, and we’ve never heard of paying three months in advance! I bet that swindler Liu is pocketing the extra money himself!”

“What?” Qin Lu looked surprised. “Wait, that’s not right. The steward Zhao who collects my rent also made me pay three months in advance!”

“Oh? You too, Brother Qin?” Qi Xiaofeng frowned.

“Yes!” At this, Qin Lu remembered something else and added,

“Come to think of it, when steward Zhao came to collect rent the other day, he looked really uneasy, like he was hiding something…”

Cao Yunxi stroked his chin thoughtfully and said slowly,

“Actually, I’ve heard some rumors about the Wuji Sect recently… Not sure if they’re true or not…”

“But for them to suddenly raise the rent like this at a time like this… Something must be going on…”

“Rumors about the Wuji Sect?” Qin Lu asked curiously. “What kind of rumors?”

“It’s about Sun Jing.”

“Sun Jing?!”

Qin Lu’s expression instantly turned grave.

After spending so much time in the market district, that name had become Grandmaster to him!

Sun Jing was the Foundation Establishment cultivator stationed here by the Wuji Sect—the absolute authority, the “local emperor” of Wuji Market!

“What rumors about him?”

Cao Yunxi glanced around cautiously, then leaned forward and whispered,

“Word is, he hasn’t been seen in a long time. Some people are saying that he’s already… dead!!”