Chapter 22: Trouble
He Song's gesture, though seemingly reckless, was actually the best response he could offer to Meng Guan.
If the roles were reversed, He Song wouldn't have thought of this approach either until that moment.
Reflecting on this, Wei Fan's gaze toward He Song softened with admiration.
Here was someone who genuinely considered his friend's well-being.
No wonder they'd been close friends for five years!
On the other side, Meng Guan was momentarily stunned by He Song's words.
He had expected He Song to try persuading him once again and had already prepared a rebuttal in his mind.
Yet, to his surprise, not only did He Song refrain from further persuasion, but he also offered to help resolve any lingering concerns.
This...
Casting a glance at Wei Fan, who remained silent by his side, and then at He Song's earnest expression, Meng Guan felt a warmth rise in his chest.
Though his aptitude was poor, he had managed to find himself two exceptional friends.
After a brief moment of thought, Meng Guan shook his head.
"I grew up in the Vast Earth Academy and have no relatives. In this Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, apart from you two, I have no partner either, so there's nothing to trouble yourself over."
"However, if I ever achieve great success, I will never forget the two of you!"
With that, Meng Guan stood, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply to the pair.
Seeing this, He Song and Wei Fan quickly rose to their feet as well, returning the gesture respectfully.
After sitting back down, the three exchanged idle conversation. While their words were casual, each harbored their own thoughts.
Meng Guan envisioned his future.
After today, he would resign from his position as the manager of the Immortal Market's Spirit Herb Pavilion.
He would head to the Crimson Spirit Gold Mine to earn spirit stones through mining. Once he'd saved enough, he planned to visit Azure Cliff Immortal City to purchase a Breakthrough Pill.
With the skills and savings he'd accumulated over the years, he was confident in his chances.
Once he advanced to the Seventh Level of the Qi Refinement and entered the late stage of the Qi Refinement Realm, he believed he would become a notable figure in the Crimson Spirit Gold Mine.
This, in turn, would greatly improve his survival prospects.
At that point, while achieving Foundation Establishment might still be far off, even as a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, he could leave the mine and lead a decent life, even without the protection of an Immortal Market's status.
Such was his plan. As long as he could break through to the late stage of Qi Refinement, his future would be wide open.
Meanwhile, Wei Fan harbored a sliver of worry amid their conversation.
Meng Guan was a Five-element root cultivator, his aptitude poor, and his cultivation stuck at the Sixth Level of the Qi Refinement Realm for a long time. Wei Fan could understand why he would take such a risky gamble to change his fate.
But Wei Fan himself had only slightly better aptitude, with Four-element roots. His path to Foundation Establishment would also be fraught with difficulty.
If, in his fifties, he too faced a risky opportunity to alter his destiny, would he take it or not?
It was a troubling thought.
Meng Guan was forced to take this gamble now.
What would Wei Fan do when his time came?
Unaware of the thoughts running through the other two's minds, He Song's thoughts were relatively simple.
Meng Guan had made up his mind, and no amount of persuasion would change that.
He Song had tried to help ease Meng Guan's worries, but since Meng Guan had no family to care for, there were no lingering concerns to address.
Having done everything he could, He Song felt there was nothing more to be done.
Even though he knew the Crimson Spirit Gold Mine was a deathtrap, Meng Guan was determined to leap into it.
If he couldn't stop him, then so be it.
All He Song could do was hope that fortune favored Meng Guan, allowing him to turn misfortune into blessings.
With Meng Guan's cultivation at the sixth level of Qi Refinement, He Song believed there was still a glimmer of hope for his friend.
After an engaging chat, the three went their separate ways.
Walking down the bustling streets filled with people, He Song sighed lightly.
His steps briefly paused, but he soon continued toward his home.
The day's events had given He Song much to process.
He needed to carefully organize his thoughts at home and see if there were any connections between the information he had gathered.
At the same time, he also needed to evaluate the safety of the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.
If the situation worsened, no matter how reluctant he was, He Song would have to leave and seek a safer haven.
With these concerns occupying his mind, He Song quickly reached his home.
He brewed himself a fine pot of tea and sat at the only table in the room.
Five years had passed, yet He Song's home looked exactly the same.
No new furniture had been added, and nothing significant had been removed.
Everything seemed frozen in time, just as it had been five years ago.
Aside from his cultivation advancing from the First Level of Qi Refinement to the Third Level, little else had changed.
"Meng Guan will soon resign from his position as the manager of the Spirit Herb Pavilion. That role has little to do with me. Even though the annual salary is high, my cultivation is too low to vie for it."
Knowing about Meng Guan's departure in advance didn't hold much value for He Song.
On the contrary, Meng Guan's absence would leave He Song without any familiar faces in the Spirit Herb Pavilion.
However, with Wei Fan, a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, as a reliable ally, He Song wasn't too worried about anyone causing him trouble at the Pavilion.
In the end, Meng Guan's departure was neither an advantage nor a significant disadvantage for He Song.
That was all there was to it.
Even so, He Song couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Their gatherings as a trio at Spirit Builder Pavilion would now likely turn into meetings between just two people.
A companion of five years was leaving, and whether they would ever meet again remained uncertain.
This realization left He Song with a sudden, hollow sense of loss.
But he quickly shook it off.
"Things like this will happen often in the future. I'll just have to get used to it," He Song thought, a glimmer of resolve flickering in his eyes.
As someone pursuing longevity, he was bound to face countless separations like this over the years.
At first, it would always feel a bit melancholic.
But with enough experience, he would learn to take it in stride.
With that in mind, He Song began organizing the various pieces of information he had learned, trying to piece together whether Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market remained a suitable place to stay.
This was a routine he performed every month.
While it might seem excessive, it had helped him avoid trouble more than once.
"The Crimson Spirit Gold Mine seems like trouble. Even the Vast Earth Sect wants to dig it out quickly to avoid potential complications. I'd better keep an eye on it. If things start looking bad, I'll make a quick exit."
After reviewing all the information, He Song came to his conclusion.
For now, the area around Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market seemed relatively calm.
Apart from the Crimson Spirit Gold Mine, there hadn't been any major incidents or violent events recently.
Still, He Song decided to keep a close watch on the mine's developments.
If anything unusual happened, he would be ready to leave at a moment's notice.
With his preparations in place, He Song contemplated briefly before closing his eyes to meditate.
Time passed.
Before he knew it, night turned to dawn.
The next morning.
Still immersed in meditation, He Song was suddenly startled awake by a paper crane flying rapidly through his window.
The crane hovered in front of him, its wings flapping as faint ripples of spiritual energy emanated from its body.
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