Early the next morning.

Qin Lu, having woken up on time, finished his simple morning routine and began his first meditation session of the day.

Through practice, he had discovered that spiritual energy in the early morning was the most active, making absorption slightly faster than at other times.

“Hoo—”

After two hours, Qin Lu slowly exhaled, opened his eyes, and ended his meditation.

Not long after, a knocking sound came from the door.

Knock, knock, knock!

“Immortal Master, breakfast is ready,” the maidservant Chu Xiaoyi called softly from the corridor.

“Come in.” Qin Lu was getting used to the feeling of being attended to.

Breakfast was a large bowl of steaming hot meat porridge. As soon as it was brought in, its aroma filled the room.

“Smells quite fragrant. Who made it?” Qin Lu asked with a smile.

Chu Xiaoyi was very reserved and quickly bowed. “Replying to Immortal Master, it was cooked by Feng Xi.”

“I see… Alright, you can go eat too.”

“Yes!”

Chu Xiaoyi let out a sigh of relief as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, turned around quickly, and hurried away.

Seeing her nervous retreat, Qin Lu smiled helplessly. He wasn’t going to eat her; why was she so scared?

When Qin Lu announced the rules yesterday, he had stated that the three servants would eat the same food as him. Whatever he ate, the three of them would eat as well.

Although he had to provide daily meals for three people, Qin Lu wasn’t worried. Spirit rice and demon beast meat were both rich in spiritual energy. With their mortal physiques, they couldn’t eat much at all; usually, just a small handful of rice would fill them up.

This amount of food was completely trivial for Qin Lu.

After quickly finishing the meat porridge and resting for a while, Qin Lu got up and left the residence with Steward Chen.

Today, he planned to show Steward Chen around and introduce him to various shops. After all, Steward Chen would be responsible for purchasing daily supplies in the future.

As soon as they stepped out the door, Qin Lu saw someone vigorously knocking on the gate of the neighboring residence.

“Open up! Open up!”

It was a dark-skinned, thin young man of short stature. His eyes were dazed, his movements weak and limp like mud, and his body swayed unsteadily—clearly drunk.

Soon, the gate opened, and two mortals dressed as servants ran out.

“So slow! Damn it!”

The dark-skinned man kicked one of the mortal servants to the ground.

The fallen servant repeatedly apologized. Then, both servants hastily helped support the dark-skinned man into the residence.

This person must be that Gu Can… Qin Lu thought.

He had inquired about his neighbors with the local manager.

It was said that a pair of siblings lived next door. They had moved in less than half a year ago and were both quite young. Their surname was Gu; one was named Gu Can, and the other Gu Yue.

The older sister, Gu Yue, supposedly had a gentle and introverted personality. She didn’t like to talk much and behaved like a proper young lady from a good family, rarely showing her face in public.

However, her younger brother, Gu Can, was extremely arrogant and domineering. He was addicted to alcohol like his life depended on it. His cultivation had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, and he was notoriously fierce and vicious in the area.

Thinking about the rumors surrounding Gu Can, Qin Lu turned to Steward Chen with a warning.

“This neighbor has a violent temper. In the future, it’s best if you avoid him when you see him. Also, maintain a low profile when you go out to purchase supplies. This isn’t the mortal world; a single careless word could lead to death. Be careful in everything you do. Understand?”

Hearing this, Steward Chen’s face paled slightly. He quickly bowed in acknowledgment. “Thank you for the reminder, Immortal Master. This humble one understands.”

Qin Lu gave a slight nod and started walking. Steward Chen followed closely behind.

After moving here, Qin Lu noticed a significant change: the friendly greetings from neighbors he used to hear were gone. They were replaced by curious, provocative, disdainful, or indifferent gazes.

Although not very friendly, Qin Lu enjoyed the peace and quiet. Ignoring the stares, he walked calmly toward the market with an indifferent expression.

After spending over two hours showing Steward Chen around the market district, Qin Lu introduced him to the shops and stalls he frequented regularly: the firewood vendor, the general store selling daily utensils, the stall selling spirit fruits and vegetables, and his favorite demon beast meat stall.

Qin Lu instructed him that he could purchase daily supplies from these shops in the future. He explained the prices for various goods clearly, warning Steward Chen not to get cheated.

Their final stop brought them to the Wuji Sect’s rice shop.

Standing several dozen meters away, Qin Lu quietly introduced it.

“If you’re buying spirit rice normally, come here. You can buy about thirty jin at once. The usual price here is one Spirit Stone for four…”

Just as he was about to mention the specific price, his voice abruptly stopped.

The sign, which usually read “One Spirit Stone for Four Jin,” had been replaced with “One Spirit Stone for Two Jin.”

The price doubled?!

Seeing this, Qin Lu quickly approached the entrance of the rice shop.

“Fellow Daoist, what is the current price for premium spirit rice?”

The Wuji Sect’s menial disciple selling rice pointed at the sign impatiently.

“Can’t you read? One Spirit Stone per two jin!”

“Why has the price suddenly increased so much? Wasn’t it four jin normally?”

“No particular reason. The manager sets whatever price he wants. Take it or leave it!” The disciple looked completely indifferent.

“Hmm…” After pondering briefly, Qin Lu took out twenty-five Spirit Stones from his pocket.

“Then give me fifty jin.”

Without saying anything further, the menial disciple took the Spirit Stones and skillfully bagged the rice.

Soon after receiving the spirit rice, Qin Lu turned and left.

“This spirit rice has recently increased in price for some unknown reason, but it probably won’t stay high for long. It should drop eventually,” Qin Lu explained to Steward Chen.

“Yes. Then when this humble one comes to buy rice in the future, what price range is acceptable to Immortal Master?” asked Steward Chen.

“Well…” After thinking for a moment, Qin Lu replied, “The minimum acceptable would be one Spirit Stone per three jin. If it’s higher than that, don’t buy.”

“Yes!”

After purchasing some daily supplies, they headed back home together.

While walking, however, Qin Lu unexpectedly saw a familiar face.

Chen Wen!

“Well, well, if it isn’t Big Mouth! What a coincidence running into you here today!”

Chen Wen waved a greeting using the arm missing a hand.

“It is indeed a coincidence…” Qin Lu replied, somewhat surprised.

Given how chaotic the market district had been previously, and the fact that Chen Wen had joined a gang, Qin Lu thought he might have died in the gang warfare long ago. He never expected to see him alive and well now.

And… he seemed quite spirited, too.

Once closer, Chen Wen began asking about Qin Lu’s recent situation. Not wanting to engage deeply in conversation, Qin Lu casually brushed him off with a few replies.

Just when he was about to take his leave, Chen Wen suddenly brought up a topic that caught his interest.

“Hey, remember Jishan Store, the gambling den we used to frequent?”

Hearing this, Qin Lu’s heart skipped a beat, though his face remained calm.

“Of course I remember. What about it?”

“Their original manager suddenly died. Heard the news?”

“Heard some rumors but not details. How did he die?” Qin Lu asked curiously.

“Killed by thieves breaking into his house. Both husband and wife were murdered. Heard Smiling Tiger’s head was smashed apart, too. Pitiful, really~”

“That… truly brutal…” Qin Lu remarked feelingly.

“Hah! Good riddance anyway. He always had a fake smile plastered on his face. Never liked the look of him either! The new manager of Jishan Store is truly a kind-faced person, though!”

“There’s a new manager already?”

“Yes. The place is bustling now. They added several new gambling games, too. Made quite a bit of money myself recently—won over fifty Spirit Stones just today alone!” Chen Wen boasted proudly.

Hearing this, Qin Lu paused. “Weren’t you the biggest womanizer before? How come you’re addicted to gambling now?”

“Hah! Women get boring after a while. Really, nothing beyond a few positions anyway—too monotonous. Gambling money is way more exciting!”

“Sigh… hopeless case…” Qin Lu shook his head helplessly.

“Hehe! Gambling is the real path to wealth!” Chen Wen declared with a proud expression, then paused. “By the way, weren’t you the biggest gambler before yourself? How about coming to play a couple of rounds with me today?”

“Forget it. I don’t have time.”

Qin Lu refused directly and strode forward to leave, but after a couple of steps, he suddenly stopped and turned back around.

“How about I give you a couple of pieces of advice instead?”

“What advice?” Chen Wen looked puzzled.

“Out of ten gamblers, nine lose everything. You’re better off being a pig than losing your entire family fortune!”

With that, Qin Lu turned and strode away, leaving Chen Wen standing alone, confused and deep in thought.