Chapter 31: Rock Garden and Flowing Stream
With so many advantages laid out, anyone in He Song's position would know what choice to make.
Moreover, after five years of interaction, Wei Fan had a deep understanding of He Song, and naturally, He Song also had the same understanding of Wei Fan.
This mutual trust was precisely why one could extend the invitation, and the other could agree.
Wei Fan knew about He Song's situation and wanted to lend a hand.
He Song, in turn, trusted Wei Fan's character and found no issue with living together.
Without this foundation of five years of familiarity, such a proposition would have been unimaginable.
With He Song's cautious nature, if another late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator had extended the same invitation, his first instinct would have been to suspect a plot to rob or harm him.
Agreeing outright would have been out of the question.
But because it was Wei Fan—someone he had known for so long—He Song only agreed after careful deliberation.
"In that case, Daoist He, why don't you go pack your things first? I'll wait here, and we can head home together afterward," Wei Fan said cheerfully when He Song accepted, immediately urging him without a second thought.
For someone like Wei Fan, whose cultivation had already reached late-stage Qi Refinement and who only needed to accumulate spiritual energy to progress to Peak, the monotony and dullness of daily life were his greatest challenges.
Now, with He Song agreeing to move in with him, did this mean his days wouldn't be as boring as they were now?
Sipping tea, chatting with a friend, discussing the world, and perhaps even going on casual outings together during their free time...
Just thinking about such a life made Wei Fan feel it would be far more enjoyable than his current routine.
This was also why, when he first met He Song, Wei Fan had openly admitted his love for making friends.
Before breaking through to late-stage Qi Refinement, his primary focus had been on overcoming bottlenecks.
But after successfully advancing and experiencing the tedium of solitary cultivation, he found himself drawn to companionship and friendship.
A dull and monotonous life, devoid of friends, could eventually crush a person's spirit.
However, just as Wei Fan's cheerful voice urged him on, He Song's gaze subtly shifted, a hint of wariness creeping into his eyes.
This Wei Fan... hadn't shown the slightest interest in women in the five years they had known each other.
Yet now, the moment He Song agreed to move in, Wei Fan suddenly seemed so excited.
Could it be...
A fleeting hesitation crossed He Song's mind, but he quickly dismissed the troubling thought.
After all, he himself hadn't shown much interest in women over the past five years either.
Perhaps he was simply overthinking it.
With this thought, the wariness in He Song's eyes faded as he clasped his hands in farewell and took his leave.
Leaving the Spirit Builder Pavilion, He Song returned home and began packing up his belongings.
He considered saying goodbye to Lin Cong, his neighbor, but after some thought, he decided against it.
After all, he was merely going to Wei Fan's home to avoid trouble. While he would terminate the lease on his current room, with Wei Fan's position as an official at the Spirit Builder Pavilion, it was likely his room would still be reserved for him.
After all, rental houses in Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market weren't always fully occupied every month.
Keeping a room vacant for He Song was no big deal for Wei Fan.
Once things settled down, He Song planned to move back and resume living here.
Instead of explaining everything to Lin Cong now, He Song decided it would be better to settle down at Wei Fan's place first and later use a Transmission Technique to inform Lin Cong of the situation.
That way, Lin Cong would be on alert and wouldn't be caught completely off guard if the evil cultivators did attack.
Having made this decision, He Song also thought about giving Wei Fan the rent money he saved during his stay.
Wei Fan was already doing him a great favor by offering him refuge. If He Song didn't contribute anything, even a token rent, he would feel uncomfortable about the arrangement.
Although the rent he could afford was modest, it was still a gesture of appreciation. He couldn't just live at Wei Fan's place without contributing anything.
With this thought in mind, He Song quickly packed his belongings and returned to the Spirit Builder Pavilion.
Wei Fan, seeing He Song with his luggage, wasted no time in leading him to his residence.
The place Wei Fan lived in, as a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, was vastly superior to where He Song, an early-stage cultivator, had been staying.
Wei Fan's home was a courtyard residence.
The yard featured a rock garden with flowing water, and the house itself was a two-story structure.
Inside, there was a master bedroom, two guest bedrooms, and a servant's quarters—four rooms in total that could be used for living.
In addition to these, the house included a reception hall, two meditation chambers, a study, a kitchen, and a practice room.
Faced with so many rooms and the lush environment, He Song was overwhelmed. The luxurious accommodations and the noticeably denser spiritual energy here made him feel both envious and amazed.
To put it in perspective:
The single room He Song had been renting for ten spirit stones per month included just a basic living space and a single meditation chamber. Nothing more.
And even that cost him ten spirit stones every month.
But now?
Looking at the scale and quality of Wei Fan's courtyard, along with the rich spiritual energy in the area, He Song couldn't even begin to guess how much the rent would be for such a place.
"Brother Wei, how much does it cost to rent a place like this per month?" He Song finally asked, unwilling to speculate any further. He never felt shy about asking questions when it came to friends.
"The market rate is fifty spirit stones per month or five hundred for a year. But I don't have to pay rent. Once a cultivator reaches late-stage Qi Refinement and is registered in the Immortal Market, they're provided a courtyard like this for free," Wei Fan replied without hesitation, sharing a piece of information He Song hadn't known before.
For Wei Fan, this was common knowledge.
But for He Song, the revelation came as a bit of a surprise.
After all, Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market wasn't exactly a charitable organization.
He Song had seen this firsthand, with his ten-spirit-stone monthly rent.
For a low-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, after paying the annual rent of 120 spirit stones, only 20 or 30 spirit stones were left for discretionary use.
It felt like the market treated low-stage cultivators as little more than laborers.
Yet for late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, the market would not only exempt rent but also provide luxurious accommodations.
The disparity baffled He Song.
Was the market essentially saying that low-stage cultivators weren't worth treating like real people?
"Don't be too surprised," Wei Fan explained as he guided He Song around the residence.
"These are just the market's rules. Late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators staying here make the Immortal Market safer, so they naturally deserve better treatment."
"For low-stage cultivators, being admitted into the market is already a huge privilege. At the very least, it's far safer than being outside. In the Immortal Market, you can safely get through the most vulnerable stages of cultivation."
"Wandering cultivators who can't enter the market die in droves every year. Compared to them, being here is already a stroke of good fortune."
"Also, once you reach mid-stage Qi Refinement, your treatment within the market will improve. You'll understand when you get there. So don't be too shocked."
As Wei Fan continued introducing He Song to his new surroundings, he also shared more insights about the Immortal Market's inner workings.
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