Chapter Twenty: News of Father

“So, I began to deliberately keep my distance from them, and moreover, I learned a new spell,” Qian Xiaoyue continued.

“A new spell? What kind of spell?” Zhou Changwang asked in astonishment.

“The Listening Technique. It’s a special kind of spell that allows me to hear what’s happening around me,” Qian Xiaoyue explained briefly before going on, “With this spell, I could often overhear their conversations. Only then did I realize that before they acted, they always made preparations, gathering information about their target, ensuring there were no elders from the sect or powerful friends and family nearby, before they would make their move. Half a year ago, because I deliberately kept my distance from them and became somewhat cold and estranged, I overheard Wang Xifeng listing me as one of their assassination targets.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Changwang glanced at Qian Xiaoyue. He now understood—the Listening Technique was far more than eavesdropping on gossip. For cultivators traveling outside, dangers lurked everywhere; if one mastered the Listening Technique, they could detect sounds in advance and uncover potential threats, which was extremely useful.

Qian Xiaoyue did not pause, continuing, “Perhaps they had already discussed this before, but for some reason, they gave up. When I heard the news, I was immediately anxious. Fortunately, luck was on my side at the time. Because I had ongoing cooperation with the Six Directions Pavilion, I was on friendly terms with a female cultivator working there. Through her, I learned that one of the alchemists in the Pavilion was about to recruit a ‘Fan Bearer.’ So I did everything I could to secure the position, outwardly claiming that Master Hongbo had chosen me as his alchemy apprentice. That’s how Zhao Xifeng and the others removed me from their hunting list.”

“I see,” Zhou Changwang couldn’t help but admire Qian Xiaoyue. Sensing the presence of robbers nearby, she immediately thought to learn the Listening Technique to gather intelligence. When she overheard they’d targeted her, she sought a protector right away. Timid as she was, her survival instincts were strong—something most people couldn’t achieve.

As for the ‘Fan Bearer,’ he knew it was the person who assisted the alchemist in controlling the heat by fanning the flames, continuously channeling spiritual energy and waving the magic fan to increase the furnace’s firepower—a laborious job, ranked below the alchemy apprentice.

Still, even being a Fan Bearer was much better than his own life as a wandering spirit farmer. After all, a Fan Bearer was considered to be part of the alchemist’s entourage and might receive rewards, even a few spirit pills. Even if not rewarded with pills, they could purchase them at low or fair prices, benefits that drew many low-level cultivators like moths to a flame.

“So, I was already on their target list as well?” Zhou Changwang snapped back to reality and hastily asked.

She nodded, then shook her head, saying, “Earlier, I didn’t know. But from their conversations, I learned that your father was highly esteemed in their so-called ‘martial world,’ and his strength was among the top ‘innate’ martial artists. With him guarding you, they didn’t dare make a move.”

“Then why this time…?” Zhou Changwang pressed.

“Because your father hasn’t appeared for more than twenty days. They found out that the leader of the wandering cultivator team your father followed, Zhao Heng, already returned,” Qian Xiaoyue said sympathetically.

“Returned? When?” Zhou Changwang asked, agitated.

“A few days ago, less than ten days,” Qian Xiaoyue replied.

“A few days ago? Less than ten days?” Zhou Changwang was stunned. That was around when he first crossed over, perhaps even a few days before.

“That’s right. Because of this, they waited a few days longer. Only after confirming your father hadn’t returned did they officially target you,” Qian Xiaoyue said calmly.

“So, that day you came to my door wasn’t out of concern, but because you suspected they’d already acted against me?” Zhou Changwang couldn’t help but ask.

“You could say so.” Qian Xiaoyue nodded, a hint of comfort in her voice. “Seeing you unharmed that day, I felt relieved. But until last night, when I overheard them planning to act today, I couldn’t bear it and quietly followed. Your spell, though, surprised me.”

Although she followed secretly, she hadn’t dared to intervene rashly. If Zhou Changwang had been swiftly defeated and killed, she would have acted as if nothing had happened and returned to her room without a word. It was Zhou Changwang’s determined resistance and his spell’s impressive power, which convinced her he could kill the two, that prompted her to act decisively at the crucial moment.

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist Qian,” Zhou Changwang replied, though his mood remained bleak. He hadn’t realized the wandering cultivator team his father followed had returned, but his father had not… Though he didn’t want to believe it, his father’s fate was now uncertain.

“No need for thanks. Do you have any other questions?” Qian Xiaoyue waved her hand and asked.

Zhou Changwang shook his head and stood up, intending to leave. But Qian Xiaoyue spoke again, “Don’t rush off just yet. Later tonight, when there are fewer people, I’ll search their room. Those two have been robbers for a long time; surely they’ve stashed away some valuables worth spirit stones. Since you were the one who killed them, half of what I find belongs to you. Of course, if you don’t want it, I won’t force you—you can just go back.”

“I’ll stay a bit longer then, Fellow Daoist Qian,” Zhou Changwang said, his heart stirred as he sat back down.

He was terrified of poverty. Though he’d earned a few spirit stones from pest control these past two days, it was a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of cultivation. Cultivators needed vast amounts of spirit stones for their training. Every day, eating spiritual grain and living on spiritual land was merely the baseline—a wandering cultivator’s basic assurance for survival and advancement. Many couldn’t even manage that.

For instance, he’d been eating ordinary rice and living on the market’s outskirts, outside the range of first-grade spiritual veins, where the spiritual energy was scarce. As a result, his cultivation progress had always been slow.

True advancement required first-grade spiritual veins or better, medicinal cuisine, demon beast flesh, all kinds of spirit pills, talismans, incense, assorted spiritual plants and materials, treasures of heaven and earth… Not to mention, a cultivator needed self-defense, so magical tools and powerful spells were essential.

Add it all up, and the expense was incalculable. So, for cultivators, there could never be too many spirit stones.