The days flowed by as calmly as water, half a month slipping away quietly.

During this period, Qin Lu lived quite comfortably.

All miscellaneous chores were handled by the servants. He enjoyed a life of being waited on, playing the part of a so-called wealthy landlord. Life was sweet.

After reaching the seventh level of Qi Refining, he began researching new talismans and techniques.

Regarding talismans, after reaching a verbal agreement with Manager Yan of the Sky Book Pavilion, Qin Lu started drawing the Golden Light Talisman.

This was the best defensive talisman at the Qi Refining stage and also the most difficult to craft.

Even though Qin Lu was already extremely familiar with talisman crafting, it still took him a full two days to successfully produce his first Golden Light Talisman. The losses incurred in terms of crafting costs went without saying.

Progress with talismans was fairly smooth, but the path of spells did not quite meet Qin Lu’s expectations.

Some time ago, he had picked up a copy of “Simple Spell Cultivation Methods: Volume One” at the market. He brought it home joyfully and began studying it.

But only after reading the book did he realize that the practice methods for late-stage Qi Refining spells were quite complex.

In the early and middle stages, casting all spells was very simple; just a slight movement could release them. The finger flick for the Finger Flick Technique, the snap for the Ignition Technique, opening the palm for the Illumination Technique, and so on.

But when it came to late-stage spells, the casting procedures became cumbersome.

Not only did they require preparing various external materials for coordination, but casting also required time and specific hand seals and gestures—very tedious indeed.

Some offensive spells were even less convenient or useful than Qin Lu’s sword techniques, making them hardly worth learning.

However, among the many spells, there were some that caught Qin Lu’s attention.

Two of them he immediately added to his must-learn list as soon as he saw them.

These two spells were: the Disguise Technique and the Object Control Technique.

The first one, as the name suggests, could alter facial features and appearance, providing immense help in concealing one’s identity.

However, casting this technique required preparing quite a few disguise materials and also took time to wait for effects—rather troublesome. So for now, Qin Lu was just grinding its proficiency level and hadn’t started practical application yet.

The second skill was the Object Control Technique, a minor spell that could move objects without any tools. Like telekinesis.

Initially, this technique could only control light objects from a distance, like brushes or talisman paper. But now, after upgrading it, the weight of movable items had greatly increased; even stones could be easily controlled and lifted into the air.

This move made Qin Lu seem a bit more like an immortal.

In the courtyard of the quadrangle compound.

Qin Lu was brandishing his Green Rainbow Sword. The fierce sword energy carried by its tip erupted with full force, causing continuous sizzling sounds in the air. The overall airflow in the courtyard was agitated.

After a moment, he stopped, covered in sweat.

“Immortal Master, wipe your sweat.” Feng Xi quickly stepped forward with a towel.

Qin Lu took the towel and wiped his face roughly. Then he accepted the offered tea and drank it all in one gulp.

The tea, containing faint spiritual energy, flowed down his throat. The cool, refreshing sensation made Qin Lu heave a sigh of relief.

Just as he sat down, Chu Xiaoyi came running over in a fluster.

“Master! There’s a fight outside!”

“What’s going on?” Qin Lu set down his teacup.

“It’s Immortal Gu next door fighting with several other immortals on the street!”

“Oh? I’ll go take a look!” Hearing this, Qin Lu immediately stood up and walked toward the gate.

The two maidservants followed closely behind.

There had been loud commotion outside the courtyard earlier. Qin Lu had been practicing his sword at the time and told Chu Xiaoyi to go see what was happening. He hadn’t expected it to turn into an actual fight.

The three quickly reached the gate. The fight on the street wasn’t far from them—only a few dozen meters away.

They saw a dark-skinned, lean man fighting one against three. Both sides were exchanging blows with fists and feet; all four were brawling fiercely right on the main street.

The dark-skinned lean man was none other than Gu Can from next door.

This fight attracted quite a few cultivators who came out to watch. Seeing that neither side was using magical instruments yet, everyone’s expressions weren’t too serious; they smiled while analyzing the situation on the field.

“That Immortal Gu is so powerful! He’s not at a disadvantage at all…”

“He is powerful indeed, but he’s also very fierce. Xiaoyi, you’d better not get close to him!”

“It’s fine! I wouldn’t go out anyway!”

The two young maidservants leaned against the side of the courtyard gate, discussing excitedly in hushed tones.

Qin Lu watched quietly instead, observing Gu Can’s three opponents.

All three looked somewhat familiar to Qin Lu; they seemed to be disciples from the Sunset Valley sect—usually idle good-for-nothing young masters who did nothing all day anyway.

“This Gu Can has quite some nerve to dare brawl with sect disciples here,” Qin Lu thought to himself.

Soon enough, the fist-and-foot fight came to an end.

A winner had been decided.

Only one dark-skinned lean man with flushed cheeks remained standing in the field—Gu Can. Lying haphazardly around him were three sect disciples groaning in pain.

“Hmph! Out of respect for Senior Wei’s face, I won’t cripple you this time! If you dare provoke me again, I’ll definitely take your worthless lives!” Gu Can stood amidst them, leaving behind harsh words filled with anger.

After saying that, he turned around directly. When he reached his own doorstep, he noticed the gazes from Qin Lu’s trio.

He actually turned his head back towards them, raising an eyebrow mischievously before finally entering his own courtyard.

That action left Qin Lu somewhat speechless.

Seeing no more excitement left to watch, just as Qin Lu thought about turning away, unexpectedly Steward Chen appeared walking over from afar.

In his hands, he carried quite a few items. Today happened to be the day for procurement runs.

“Steward Chen is back. You two go help carry some things.” With good eyesight, Qin Lu immediately reminded both girls.

“Ah! It really is! Steward Chen bought things back!”

“Xiaoyi! Let’s hurry!”

Both maidservants exclaimed happily before rushing out the door towards Steward Chen, helping him carry everything back to the residence. After spending time together, the relationships among the three had grown considerably closer.

After putting away various supplies properly, Steward Chen came before Qin Lu to report the procurement situation.

“What? You mean the Wuji Sect’s spirit rice price increased again?” Qin Lu asked, surprised.

“Yes,” Steward Chen bowed respectfully. “The spirit rice price has already risen to one Spirit Stone per jin. The price is too high, so today I did not buy any.”

“How could the price become so outrageous…”

Qin Lu rubbed his chin with his right hand, frowning slightly.

Given the current rates, the cost was indeed exorbitant, especially considering his own consumption habits. Due to intensive sword practice, his appetite had increased, requiring a minimum of six bowls per meal—roughly three jin daily. That alone would cost ninety Spirit Stones monthly just for rice. Add other beast meat and spiritual vegetables, and food expenses would easily exceed a hundred Spirit Stones monthly, surpassing even the rent payments.

It was clearly unreasonable.

“Regarding the price matter, I will personally check later today. You worked hard; go rest first,” Qin Lu said after a moment’s thought.

“Yes!”

After taking a simple bath and changing clothes, Qin Lu grabbed his sword and went out alone, heading straight towards the spirit rice shop.

Upon seeing the characters on the price sign, he knew Steward Chen spoke the truth. Indeed, the spirit rice price had truly risen to one Spirit Stone per jin.

Outside the shop, several cultivators holding rice bags were cursing loudly.

“How could the price rise so high! Does Wuji Market not want Loose Cultivators to live anymore?!”

“Damnable thing! I’ve lived in the market for decades and never seen such expensive spirit rice before!”

“Where is the Wuji Sect manager?! Come out and give an explanation quickly!”

“So expensive… trying to starve an old man, ah…”

Various noisy sounds kept ringing in the field, but these voices didn’t affect the Wuji Sect disciple selling rice in the slightest. He still maintained an indifferent posture, crossing his arms and watching coldly.

“Go check other places…”

Thinking this, Qin Lu decided to walk towards other rice shops. Spending half an hour visiting all the markets, he finally reached a conclusion:

All Wuji Market rice shops were raising prices!

Not only the Wuji Sect’s stores but even shops belonging to other forces were raising prices too!

“Something is wrong… definitely something wrong…”

Today’s anomaly made no sense; there was an impending storm brewing in the air. He decided he needed to find someone with inside information to ask about the situation. Among his limited friends, the most well-connected regarding rumors and gossip was definitely the widely socializing Lu Xian!

Going to ask him was definitely the right choice. Qin Lu turned and walked in the direction of the western city wall area where Lu Xian lived.