Chapter 45: The Rogue's Ways
After a long while.
In Wei Fan's small courtyard.
He Song had been waiting in Wei Fan's home for an entire hour before finally seeing Wei Fan return from afar.
Welcoming Wei Fan into the courtyard, He Song poured him a cup of tea and sat by his side, waiting for Wei Fan to speak.
Taking the tea specially poured for him, Wei Fan drank it in one gulp. Only then did his furrowed brows relax. After exhaling deeply, he finally spoke.
"Phew. Fellow Daoist, you can inform your friend working in the Spirit Herb Pavilion to remove Chen Zhou from his position as a Spirit Planter," Wei Fan said, a flash of anger in his eyes. He then continued.
"That Chen Zhou is not as mild-mannered as you've seen. Relying on his mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivation, he often bullies and extorts spirit stones from those in the early stage of Qi Refinement. Since he hasn't caused any fatalities, the Enforcement Squad can't deal with him."
"The people in the Spirit Herb Pavilion must be blind to have recruited such a person as a Spirit Planter. I don't know what the person who brought him into the Immortal Market was thinking. Such rogue-like behavior is utterly disgraceful."
"In addition, while I was investigating, I discovered Chen Zhou secretly inquiring about you. Judging by his demeanor, he likely harbors ill intent. I didn't probe further and returned immediately."
"Let's proceed as you suggest—strip him of his position as a Spirit Planter and force him to leave the Immortal Market. When the time comes, I will personally handle him."
Putting down the teacup, Wei Fan's face darkened.
Although his words sounded light, during his investigation, he found that Chen Zhou had brought all the corrupt practices of wandering cultivators into the Immortal Market, turning the area around his residence into a chaotic mess.
Wandering cultivators, being unsupervised in the outside world, naturally develop unruly personalities.
Killing for treasures, blackmailing, and bullying the weak—these actions come as second nature to them.
Among wandering cultivators, such behavior is common. Unless someone is inherently kind-hearted, these actions are not seen as anything unusual.
However, kind-hearted wandering cultivators often don't survive long in such circles unless they are exceptionally lucky.
And Chen Zhou?
Originally a wandering cultivator, he joined the Spirit Herb Pavilion with his mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivation and became a Spirit Planter.
If he had abided by the Immortal Market's rules and lived honestly after joining, it wouldn't have been an issue.
But he didn't.
Instead, he brought all the rogue tricks he had learned into the Immortal Market.
Exploiting loopholes in the Immortal Market's laws, he bullied and extorted others, turning the once peaceful atmosphere of the Immortal Market into chaos.
Witnessing all this, Wei Fan, who had lived in the Immortal Market since childhood, was furious.
Wandering cultivators' corrupt practices might be tolerable outside the Immortal Market, where Wei Fan could pretend not to see them.
But Chen Zhou had brought all of it into the Immortal Market, tainting what Wei Fan considered his "pure land."
Wei Fan's anger was thus understandable.
He had grown up in the Vast Earth Courtyard and was trained as an outer disciple of the Vast Earth Sect.
Later, due to his low cultivation, he was reassigned to Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market as a steward of the Spirit Builder Pavilion.
Wei Fan had always lived in relatively stable environments, and his knowledge of wandering cultivators mainly came from books.
Even so, he had always looked down on wandering cultivators.
However, it wasn't until today, when he encountered Chen Zhou's actions firsthand, that he truly understood wandering cultivators.
"Alright, I'll inform him immediately," He Song replied after listening to Wei Fan's account, feeling a mix of relief and lingering fear.
Thank goodness.
Thank goodness for his caution.
If he hadn't been careful, Chen Zhou might have come knocking in the middle of the night, leaving him utterly clueless.
It was fortunate that he had asked Zhao Lin to investigate Chen Zhou's background and, sensing something was wrong, promptly sought out Wei Fan.
Had any of these steps gone awry, Chen Zhou might have marked him as a target, leaving him with no peace.
Simultaneously, He Song made a mental note to himself:
From now on, never judge someone solely by appearances.
No matter how courteous and gentlemanly someone seems, always investigate their background thoroughly.
Especially those he had previously offended—he must find out everything about them.
Like this time with Chen Zhou.
In front of He Song, Chen Zhou had appeared utterly submissive.
Yet, who would have thought that when dealing with other cultivators of lower cultivation, he would bully the weak, extort spirit stones, and commit countless misdeeds?
It was only because He Song himself was in the mid-stage of Qi Refinement and had Zhao Lin from the Spirit Herb Pavilion as his support that Chen Zhou didn't turn hostile on the spot.
If He Song had been weaker, or if Zhao Lin wasn't in a managerial role within the Spirit Herb Pavilion, the situation at the time would have been vastly different.
What's more, despite not falling out entirely at that moment, Chen Zhou had secretly begun to inquire about He Song afterward.
Chen Zhou's intentions were, naturally, all too clear.
Exhaling deeply, He Song flicked his fingers, and a blank sheet of paper materialized in his hand.
"Brother Zhao, this Chen Zhou is of a foul temperament. He bullies the weak, extorts spirit stones, and engages in all manner of misdeeds. His sins are immense, and I have already confirmed the truth of these claims with a trusted friend.
I had intended to deal with him directly, but the Immortal Market prohibits infighting, and we must adhere to its rules.
Thus, I can only ask you to remove his name from the list of Spirit Planters and force him to leave the Immortal Market. Afterward, further action can be taken.
This matter is critical and concerns my personal safety. I hope you will support me.
He Song."
With spiritual energy flowing freely from his fingers, He Song quickly inscribed these lines onto the paper.
Just as he was about to fold the paper into a crane and send it out using a Transmission Technique, Wei Fan, standing nearby, shook his head, signaling him to wait.
"Allow me to add something," Wei Fan said, channeling spiritual energy through his fingertips. He left a name and a trace of his aura on the paper.
"Wei Fan."
Seeing this, He Song nodded without objection.
It was a good gesture.
With Wei Fan's late-stage Qi Refinement aura on the message, Zhao Lin would instantly understand upon receiving the paper crane that He Song had already enlisted a powerful cultivator to deal with Chen Zhou.
As He Song's friend, Zhao Lin would likely see removing Chen Zhou's name from the list of Spirit Planters as a simple favor, especially knowing that He Song was well-prepared.
This way, Zhao Lin wouldn't have to worry about any trouble Chen Zhou might cause in the future.
With a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator targeting a fourth-level Qi Refinement wandering cultivator like Chen Zhou, his death was all but guaranteed.
The reason Wei Fan added his name and aura was straightforward.
He wasn't entirely sure of the relationship between He Song and Zhao Lin, but leaving his name and aura would increase the chances of Zhao Lin's cooperation.
That was all.
Once the transmission paper crane was released, He Song and Wei Fan waited for a moment.
Not long after, a paper crane came speeding back from the distance.
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