Qin Lu had informed Cao Mo of his move, so the visit came as no surprise.

He instructed Steward Chen to answer the door and welcome the guests.

Watching Steward Chen’s efficient, retreating figure, Qin Lu couldn’t help but smile faintly. The sensation of having someone to direct was indeed quite pleasant.

Ever since he first inspected this courtyard, he realized just how vast it was. It boasted over ten rooms and even three separate lavatories. Living here alone would have felt rather lonely and desolate.

Moreover, he wanted to dedicate more time to cultivation. Spending money to buy a few servants to handle the daily chores was a logical investment.

After all, even the Grandmaster Liu Huangshu, who fought battles his entire life, eventually learned to enjoy some comforts. Having struggled desperately for over half a year, Qin Lu felt it was time to relax a little.

Steward Chen soon ushered the guests inside.

To Qin Lu’s surprise, it wasn’t just the chubby Cao Mo who had arrived, but his entire family of three.

Seeing this, Qin Lu quickly stood up, exchanged pleasantries, and led them into the main reception hall.

Once everyone was seated on either side of the hall, the maid, Feng Xi, silently approached to serve spirit tea.

“Big Brother, your courtyard is huge! When I knocked on the door just now, I was a nervous wreck, afraid I had the wrong place!” Cao Mo exclaimed excitedly.

“Heh, it’s alright…” Qin Lu replied with a relaxed smile. “Your family’s new courtyard isn’t bad either. I think the location is quite good.”

The Cao family had moved from The Slums into the market district and now lived near the western wall. Qin Lu had visited them once before.

“Ah!” Cao Yunxi waved his hand with a boisterous laugh. “How can our little kennel compare to Brother Qin’s mansion? This place is so grand; the rent must not be cheap, right?”

Qin Lu nodded gently. “It is quite expensive—one hundred Spirit Stones per month.”

“That’s outrageously expensive.”

Cao Yunxi clicked his tongue in amazement, his face full of emotion. But suddenly, his expression froze. He stared at Qin Lu, hesitation flickering in his eyes before he asked:

“Brother Qin, you… have reached the seventh level of Qi Refining?”

“Brother Cao has a good eye. Yes, I just advanced yesterday,” Qin Lu admitted with a calm smile.

Cao Yunxi and Qi Xiaofeng exchanged glances, both seeing absolute disbelief on the other’s face.

Was this for real?

Could someone really advance from the second level of Qi Refining to the seventh level in just half a year?

Wasn’t this the kind of nonsense found only in storybooks and novels? How could it be happening right in front of them?

“H-how was this achieved?” Cao Yunxi stammered, astonishment leaking into his voice.

“Just a small opportunity,” Qin Lu brushed it off casually.

Seeing that Qin Lu didn’t wish to elaborate, Cao Yunxi and his wife didn’t press further. They tactfully changed the subject, though the shock remained.

After chatting for a while, Qi Xiaofeng reached into her robes and pulled out a heavy money pouch.

“Oh right, Brother Qin. We came this time specifically to return the Spirit Stones. Thank you so much for your help last time.”

“Sister-in-law, you’re too kind! We’re neighbors; we should help each other out. It was just a small matter; no need for thanks.”

“How can we not thank you? In this world, there really aren’t many good people like Brother Qin anymore!” Qi Xiaofeng insisted, handing over the pouch.

Qin Lu smiled and accepted it. But the moment the weight settled in his palm, he noticed the difference.

He tossed it lightly in his hand and frowned. “Sister-in-law, did you put in too many Spirit Stones? This feels much heavier than the debt.”

Cao Yunxi interjected with a laugh. “Not too many. Besides the thirty Spirit Stones we owe you, there are twenty extra. First, to thank you for your generosity back then, and second… as A’Da’s gratitude gift for his teacher.”

“Gratitude gift for his teacher?”

Qin Lu was momentarily stunned. Then, he looked at Cao Mo’s proud expression and immediately understood. “Cao Mo succeeded in drawing talismans?”

“Hehe! That’s right!”

Cao Mo pulled a yellow talisman from his chest pocket and presented it to Qin Lu like a trophy. “Big Brother, look! This is the [Water Qi Shield] I successfully drew two days ago. What do you think?”

Qin Lu took the talisman, a genuine smile spreading across his face.

During this period, Cao Mo had often come to him seeking advice on talisman-drawing techniques and insights. Naturally, Qin Lu had answered every question.

He hadn’t expected that under such guidance, Cao Mo would actually succeed.

“Not bad at all! Although the strokes look a bit immature, it can definitely be sold!” After examining the talisman carefully, Qin Lu gave an honest evaluation.

“Great! Then I can start earning money from now on!” Cao Mo pumped his fist in the air, ecstatic.

Hearing this, Cao Yunxi and Qi Xiaofeng finally showed expressions of deep relief.

Their son had finally grown up…

The couple had no special skills. Although they possessed late-stage Qi Refining cultivation, they usually had to go to East Head Ridge to risk their lives hunting demon beasts to earn Spirit Stones.

But hunting demon beasts was extremely dangerous. Every trip required expensive preparations—talismans and healing pills.

Sometimes, the cost of killing a single demon beast far exceeded the gains.

If they were unlucky enough to suffer a serious injury, they’d have to spend a fortune on healing pills. As a result, over the long term, they hadn’t managed to save many Spirit Stones at all.

Even their recent move into the market district was only possible because they had hunted a more dangerous [Giant Ape Beast] and had some leftover money to change residences.

Seeing Cao Mo master a trade meant that they, as husband and wife, wouldn’t have to struggle so desperately anymore.

And this life-changing shift was entirely due to Qin Lu’s selfless guidance.

Their gazes toward Qin Lu couldn’t help but carry heavy traces of admiration and gratitude.

With this happy interlude involving Cao Mo, the atmosphere in the hall warmed up considerably. The group continued drinking tea and chatting casually.

For this visit, Cao Mo’s family had also brought quite a bit of beast meat.

Upon inquiry, Qin Lu learned it was meat from a First-Grade High-Level demon beast called the [Giant Ape Beast].

“A First-Grade High-Level demon beast… that would be equivalent to late-stage Qi Refining cultivation… Tsk tsk. How much does this meat sell for?” Qin Lu asked curiously.

Qi Xiaofeng replied, “We sell it at our stall for one Spirit Stone per four jin.”

Qin Lu wasn’t very familiar with the profits from beast meat. Hearing this, he pressed on.

“That price seems reasonable. About how heavy is one demon beast?”

“The [Giant Ape Beast] has a huge body; its weight might reach ten thousand jin.”

Qin Lu’s eyes lit up. “Ten thousand jin? Then killing one demon beast would make you rich?!”

“Haha! Brother Qin is overthinking it,” Cao Yunxi laughed, shaking his head. “Although that beast is heavy, after removing bones, blood, fur, internal organs, and the like, the edible portions are very few.”

“Generally, how much is there?”

“Hmm… if one’s knife skills are excellent, perhaps they can extract over two hundred jin.”

“Over two hundred jin would be over fifty Spirit Stones; that’s still pretty good. I just didn’t expect that a ten-thousand-jin demon beast would have so little edible meat.”

“It’s all like that. Basically, the larger the demon beast’s size, the coarser its meat becomes. For beasts like the [Giant Ape Beast], the meat quality varies by body part. Some parts are barely edible, and only several hundred jin from head to toe are actually consumable.”

“I see…” Qin Lu paused, suddenly remembering something. “Oh right, I recall there don’t seem to be any dedicated shops selling beast meat in the market district, do there?”

Hearing this, Cao Yunxi and his wife were both taken aback. They replied somewhat awkwardly:

“We’ve never heard of any sect opening a beast meat shop. After all, they’d have to hunt demon beasts constantly, and preserving beast meat is troublesome. Moreover, this kind of butcher’s business doesn’t sound very respectable…”

“Hahaha, that seems true…” Qin Lu laughed, skipping over the topic, though the thought lingered.

In the end, both host and guests enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Cao Mo’s family eventually bid farewell and departed.