Chapter Twelve: Double the Joy

"Isn't that Qian Xiaoyue, the alchemy apprentice who lives next door? Why is she setting up a stall here? And she's selling... talisman papers?"

Zhou Changwang was hurrying home—after all, he still had his spiritual fields to tend to—but when his eyes swept past a certain stall, his steps faltered. There, he saw a somewhat delicate-looking female cultivator quietly running her stall.

This female cultivator was none other than his next-door neighbor, Qian Xiaoyue, the alchemy apprentice.

What surprised him, however, was that she wasn't selling anything related to alchemy, but rather talisman papers—an item utterly unrelated to her trade, yet an essential material for crafting talismans: spirit-hide paper.

Stacks of spirit-hide paper lay neatly arranged, carefully cut to the standard size for talismans. Their yellowish hue was matched by a smooth and fine surface. Although not of the highest grade, they were certainly of decent quality.

"I never expected my neighbor to be so skilled at making spirit-hide paper," Zhou Changwang mused, but he did not approach her to disturb her. Soon, he left the market for itinerant cultivators.

...

Skill: Spirit Rain Art (Mastery 189/200)

"Without realizing it, my Spirit Rain Art is almost ready to advance," he thought, a smile appearing on his face after casting the Spirit Rain spell nine times in succession. It wasn't just the imminent advancement that pleased him; more importantly, he could clearly feel that after using the spell nine times, he no longer suffered from that familiar sense of spiritual depletion.

Clearly, he still had strength left to spare.

This proved that his cultivation had indeed improved.

"However, at the second level of Qi Refinement (31/100), I still have quite a way to go before I can break through to the third level," Zhou Changwang sighed. He found a quiet spot and began to meditate to restore his energy.

After circulating his energy three cycles, his spiritual power was mostly replenished, and he awoke from his meditation.

"Changwang, Changwang!"

He had just awakened when, in the distance, he saw Old Xu hurrying toward him. Behind Old Xu followed another man.

"What is it?" Zhou Changwang patted the dust from his clothes and stood up, his gaze lingering with some surprise on the man behind.

Xu Zhong.

Although both he and Xu Zhong were from the Spirit Herb Hall, they apprenticed under different spirit cultivators and did not have much interaction.

"Changwang, didn't I ask you to help me with pest removal yesterday? Well, someone heard about it. I figured it wasn't a big deal, so I mentioned your help. I don't know how, but word reached Xu Zhong, who, as you know, is worried sick about his spiritual fields."

"So he asked me to see if you could help him with pest control as well," Old Xu explained, a hint of embarrassment on his face.

Behind him, Xu Zhong, though dressed in fine clothes, looked rumpled and deeply troubled. At Old Xu's words, he pulled himself together, cupped his hands, and said, "I heard that Friend Zhou is exceptionally talented, having mastered the Geng Metal Finger technique to a high degree, and that you are quite adept at pest removal. That's why I earnestly asked Old Xu to bring me here—to ask you for your help."

"I can't help with that," Zhou Changwang quickly waved his hand. Xu Zhong's fields were infamous among the spirit farmers in the area—a forbidden zone where none dared even approach.

The spirit insects there were simply too many.

Some even speculated that a King Insect had emerged; otherwise, such a swarm would never have gathered. A King Insect was not like common spirit insects—it was larger, faster, and far more destructive. Zhou Changwang, still only at the second level of Qi Refinement and with limited means, could not possibly handle it.

"I know it's a lot to ask," Xu Zhong quickly replied. "But those several acres are my entire livelihood. A reduced harvest I could accept, but if there's nothing at all, I'm finished. Those five acres are half-rented, half-leased from the Spirit Herb Hall, with the agreement that I'll make up any shortfall after the harvest. If I can't pay, they'll demand compensation. If I can't afford it, I'll become an indentured farmer."

Xu Zhong's voice grew pleading. "Friend Zhou, for the sake of our shared origins in the Spirit Herb Hall, please help me."

"Friend Xu, you're really putting me on the spot. I'm only at the second level of Qi Refinement. How could I possibly help you? Even if I exhaust all my spiritual power, how many spirit insects could I actually destroy? You'd be better off hiring someone from the Spirit Herb Hall. They're expensive, yes, but their cultivation is deep, their power abundant, and their pest control methods far superior. A few days' hire should resolve your crisis," Zhou Changwang tried to decline.

"It's useless," Xu Zhong said, shaking his head. "I've already tried. The pest remover killed just over a dozen insects before claiming his spiritual power was depleted and refusing to continue unless I provided him with spirit-replenishing pills. Otherwise, I'd have to pay another three low-grade spirit stones per session. A bottle of those pills costs thirty low-grade spirit stones, with ten pills per bottle—three stones for one pill. How could I afford that?"

"And even if I spent thirty stones, I doubt the spirit insects in my fields would be fully eradicated," Xu Zhong added helplessly.

He was young and could not stomach such brazen price gouging, so he had long since given up on hiring the Spirit Herb Hall's pest removers. Though this may have been an isolated case, as long as he had a choice, he would not allow himself to be taken advantage of.

Instead, he had gone the next day to ask the Zhao brothers—Zhao Jie and Zhao Qiang—who cultivated nearby plots of spiritual fields, both at mid-stage Qi Refinement or higher, with exceptional spirit farming skills. If they had agreed, his troubles would have been over.

Unfortunately, the brothers were solitary types, always busy in their own fields, and ignored his pleas no matter how he begged. With no other options, he had to abandon that hope.

"Friend Zhou, I won't haggle over how many spirit stones to give you, nor insist you finish the pest removal in a set time. We'll go by the number of insects destroyed—one low-grade spirit stone for every ten spirit insects, paid each time you reach a multiple of ten. Moreover, the corpses of the spirit insects will be yours to keep. How about it?" Xu Zhong quickly offered.

"Changwang, for the sake of neighboring fields, you should help him," Old Xu urged as well.

"Well... very well," Zhou Changwang hesitated for a moment but ultimately agreed.

Indeed, the offer was generous—one low-grade spirit stone for every ten spirit insects, and given the pest infestation in Xu Zhong's fields, if he cleared them all, he could earn at least ten stones—a significant sum for him.

And with the addition of the spirit insect corpses, the profit would be doubled.

Of course, the most important consideration was that Xu Zhong's fields were right next to his own. If Xu Zhong's crops were devoured, his own fields would likely be the next to suffer. Rather than wait and worry, why not take the initiative—especially since he would earn spirit stones in the process? There was every reason to do it.