Chapter 41: Chen Zhou

For others who wanted him to handle such matters, it would undoubtedly require spending spirit stones to grease the wheels.

This was one of the ways he, as the manager of the Spirit Herb Pavilion, could skim some benefits.

But if it was for a friend, even if He Song hadn't asked, Zhao Lin would have taken care of it without a second thought.

Between people.

There are differences.

Closeness and distance matter.

Social etiquette and relationships.

Zhao Lin had always been quite adept in these areas.

Now, seeing He Song express his gratitude, Zhao Lin naturally didn't make a big deal out of it.

After confirming the location of his newly added spirit fields, He Song stayed a bit longer in the Spirit Herb Pavilion.

It wasn't until someone came to handle business that He Song finally took his leave.

As the manager of the Spirit Herb Pavilion, Zhao Lin had responsibilities to attend to during his shift, and it wouldn't be appropriate to keep disturbing him.

Leaving the Spirit Herb Pavilion.

After a brief moment of hesitation, He Song soon returned to the location of his spirit fields.

Previously, He Song had only cast the Rain Spell over his original five acres of spirit fields, unaware that he had already been granted two additional acres.

But now that he knew, He Song naturally wouldn't let those two acres go to waste.

Fortunately, the two acres were already planted with spirit rice, so He Song didn't need to reclaim the land. He only needed to come daily to cast the Rain Spell.

Arriving at the spirit fields.

He Song quickly located the two new acres after a quick glance, relying on his memory.

Then, with a hand seal, he cast the Rain Spell. A cloud of spiritual rain, large enough to cover the two acres, formed above the new fields.

Pitter-patter~

As the Rain Spell took effect, a fine drizzle began to fall from the sky, absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy and carrying it down into the spirit fields below.

The spirit rice, nourished by the spiritual energy, grew lush and vibrant, a sight that brought joy to the heart.

However, just as He Song was casting the Rain Spell to irrigate his newly acquired fields.

A figure suddenly approached from a distance, walking straight toward He Song.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist. I am Chen Zhou. May I ask if you are the new owner of these two acres of spirit fields?" Chen Zhou was slender, dressed in a green robe that made him appear somewhat frail.

He Song had noticed Chen Zhou approaching from afar.

Although the man looked thin and weak, it was clear he was coming directly for He Song.

Now, hearing Chen Zhou's words, a thought flashed through He Song's mind.

A glint of spiritual light appeared in He Song's eyes as he quickly assessed the situation.

This person was at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, the same as He Song.

Being at the same level, and with the Earth Protection Talismans Zhao Lin had given him, He Song wasn't overly concerned about Chen Zhou suddenly attacking.

Feeling relatively safe, He Song relaxed slightly.

However, his vigilance didn't diminish in the slightest.

In fact, hidden within his sleeve, He Song's fingers were already gripping an Earth Protection Talisman.

If anything seemed amiss, He Song could activate the talisman instantly to protect himself.

"Yes, I am He Song. I recently broke through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining and was granted these two acres of spirit fields. Do you have business with me, fellow Daoist?" He Song acknowledged Chen Zhou's question openly.

As he spoke, He Song felt that the name "Chen Zhou" sounded somewhat familiar.

It was as if he had seen it somewhere before.

After a moment of thought, He Song's gaze toward Chen Zhou suddenly turned to one of surprise.

He remembered.

Earlier.

At the Spirit Herb Pavilion, when Zhao Lin and He Song were looking at the map together, He Song had seen the name "Chen Zhou" marked on it.

At the time, He Song had remarked on how many people, after breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining, were given new spirit fields in separate locations, forcing them to travel between two places daily and cast the Rain Spell twice. It was quite troublesome.

Now, the very person whose name he had noticed so casually had appeared before him so quickly.

If He Song remembered correctly.

The reason he had noticed Chen Zhou's name in the first place was because Chen Zhou's spirit fields were adjacent to his own.

In other words, the two acres He Song had just received were likely taken from Chen Zhou by Zhao Lin and reassigned to He Song.

Meanwhile, Chen Zhou's newly acquired two acres had been relocated elsewhere.

In short, Chen Zhou was the only one who had suffered in this entire affair.

This...

At this realization, He Song felt a wave of awkwardness and didn't know what to say. He simply stood there, silently casting the Rain Spell, waiting to see what Chen Zhou would say next.

No wonder Chen Zhou had walked straight toward him as soon as he saw him.

No wonder Chen Zhou seemed to have been waiting here all along.

No wonder Chen Zhou had immediately asked if He Song was the new owner of these two acres.

This was a case of someone coming to confront him after having their spirit fields taken away.

For a moment, He Song's emotions were a tangled mess.

Who would have thought.

He had become the "villain" in someone else's eyes.

"Fellow Daoist He, these two acres of spirit fields originally belonged to me. I humbly ask if it would be possible to exchange them. I have two acres elsewhere." Chen Zhou clasped his hands in a polite gesture as he spoke, then pulled out ten spirit stones from his pocket.

The ten gleaming spirit stones sparkled brightly under the sunlight.

He Song's gaze was almost immediately drawn to the stones.

However, as Chen Zhou extended the ten spirit stones toward He Song and finished speaking, He Song's expression quickly turned serious.

Keeping his hands in the spell-casting position, He Song shifted his body slightly to the side.

Ten spirit stones weren't insignificant.

They could rent a room in the immortal marketplace for a month.

But for a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator like He Song, ten spirit stones were pitifully few.

He Song could earn ninety spirit stones in a year just from managing his spirit fields.

Moreover, if he agreed to the exchange, He Song would have to travel between two locations daily and cast the Rain Spell twice.

The time spent managing the spirit fields would increase significantly.

As a result, the time He Song could devote to cultivation would inevitably decrease.

Exchanging so much time for ten spirit stones didn't seem worth it to He Song.

Besides, the allocation of these spirit fields was a favor He Song had received from Zhao Lin.

Was Zhao Lin's effort only worth ten spirit stones?

If Zhao Lin found out that He Song had exchanged the fields for a mere ten spirit stones, what would he think?

Now.

Chen Zhou was offering just ten spirit stones in exchange for these two acres.

To put it bluntly, Chen Zhou was seriously underestimating the value of a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator like He Song, as well as the cost of Zhao Lin's favor.

"There's no need for the spirit stones. If you wish to exchange, go speak with the manager of the Spirit Herb Pavilion. If he agrees, I'll agree." He Song's expression turned cold as he directly refused.

After a pause, He Song added a warning.

"I should mention, the manager of the Spirit Herb Pavilion is a close friend of mine. When you go to see him, keep that in mind."

(End of Chapter)