Chapter 42: The Three-Nothing Cultivator

As soon as the words left his mouth, He Song had already begun to walk away.

Although maintaining the Rain Spell while moving was somewhat difficult, He Song carefully manipulated the spell to distance himself from Chen Zhou, not wanting to see the man any longer.

Faced with such a clueless cultivator, He Song remained cautious, but within the immortal marketplace, he had no reason to fear.

Chen Zhou was merely a fourth-layer Qi Refining spirit farmer.

His cultivation level was the same as He Song's.

Even if Chen Zhou tried to ambush him, as long as He Song remained vigilant, there was little Chen Zhou could do to him.

Moreover, Chen Zhou didn't seem to have any significant connections or backing.

Otherwise, Zhao Lin wouldn't have been able to so easily transfer two acres of spirit fields to He Song's name.

Additionally, the fact that Chen Zhou had come to He Song to negotiate an exchange instead of confronting Zhao Lin directly suggested that Chen Zhou was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong.

No background.

No threat.

No courage.

Faced with such a cultivator, He Song couldn't think of any reason to be afraid of him.

Though He Song thought this way, he quickly decided to visit the Spirit Herb Pavilion again later and ask Zhao Lin to investigate Chen Zhou's background.

If there was nothing to find, that would be fine.

But if Chen Zhou had any hidden cards, He Song might have to take action to eliminate this potential problem.

"You—"

Beside him, upon hearing He Song's words, Chen Zhou's face turned red with anger. He pointed at He Song, wanting to say something, but after a few stammers, he ultimately remained silent.

Stomping his foot, Chen Zhou lingered for a moment, but seeing that He Song was now fully focused on casting the Rain Spell and ignoring him, he could only leave in frustration.

He Song's cold refusal.

And his close friendship with the manager of the Spirit Herb Pavilion.

Left Chen Zhou fuming but too intimidated to press the matter further.

The manager of the Spirit Herb Pavilion was a figure of real authority, a world apart from a lowly spirit farmer like Chen Zhou.

He simply couldn't afford to provoke such a person.

The manager of the Spirit Herb Pavilion was beyond his reach.

And He Song, as the manager's close friend, was equally untouchable.

Thus, Chen Zhou had no choice but to leave.

However, as he walked away.

He Song faintly heard some muttered complaints.

Words like "tyrannical," "wicked," "oppressive," and "bullying" reached his ears.

He Song paid no mind to these remarks, but his eyes followed Chen Zhou, quietly noting the direction in which he left.

Soon.

He Song finished irrigating the two newly acquired acres of spirit fields.

Instead of heading straight to the Spirit Herb Pavilion, He Song leisurely followed the path Chen Zhou had taken.

Unfortunately, after walking quite a distance, He Song couldn't determine where Chen Zhou lived.

Reluctantly, He Song returned home.

But once back, he picked up a piece of paper.

"Brother Zhao, today while irrigating my spirit fields, I encountered a man named Chen Zhou, a fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator."

"He offered me ten spirit stones, claiming that the two acres of spirit fields originally belonged to him and wanted to exchange them with me. I refused, and he left in frustration."

"I hope you can help me investigate this person's background. With my low cultivation, I fear retaliation."

"If there's anything unusual, please let me know."

"He Song."

Spirit Herb Pavilion.

Zhao Lin soon received the paper crane message from He Song.

After carefully reading the contents, Zhao Lin frowned and destroyed the paper.

A wave of irritation rose within him.

He couldn't help but curse under his breath.

"After going through the trouble of helping a friend, this Chen Zhou has to come and cause trouble."

He had helped his friend with a favor, only to leave a loose end. Now, He Song was asking him to investigate Chen Zhou's background to prevent any retaliation.

This.

This was a slap in the face.

He had worked hard to help his friend, only to leave the aftermath unresolved.

He had even assured He Song that everything was fine.

Thinking back to his earlier words, Zhao Lin now felt deeply embarrassed.

How could he face his friend after this?

With these thoughts, Zhao Lin's expression grew increasingly stern.

He quickly pulled out a thick book and began flipping through its pages.

After a long while.

Zhao Lin finally looked up, his expression tightening.

"Chen Zhou, fourth-layer Qi Refining, a rogue cultivator, age thirty-one."

"Recruited into the immortal marketplace three years ago as a spirit farmer, where he has remained until now."

Three years ago.

A flicker of recollection passed through Zhao Lin's eyes, and his gaze grew obscure.

Three years ago—what had happened then?

Three years ago, it was when True Person Bear Mountain had left the immortal marketplace, and shortly after, the Bamboo Mountain Immortal Marketplace had been attacked by demonic cultivators!

After that, the Spirit Herb Pavilion had relaxed its recruitment standards for spirit farmers.

Many spirit farmers had died during that calamity, leaving numerous spirit fields unattended. The higher-ups of the immortal marketplace had urgently sought to recruit more spirit farmers to fill the gaps.

It was during that time that Zhao Lin, in his capacity, had recruited one rogue cultivator after another.

This Chen Zhou must have been one of those recruited at the time.

Zhao Lin's eyes narrowed with caution.

A rogue cultivator.

A rogue cultivator who had managed to reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining before joining the immortal marketplace.

This Chen Zhou must have had something special about him!

Surviving the most vulnerable early stages of Qi Refining as a rogue cultivator, where mortality rates were extremely high, and successfully breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

The difficulty of such a feat was immense, yet Chen Zhou had done it.

This suggested that Chen Zhou was not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

With this in mind, Zhao Lin quickly wrote a message on a piece of paper.

"Chen Zhou, fourth-layer Qi Refining, a rogue cultivator, age thirty-one."

"Recruited into the immortal marketplace three years ago as a spirit farmer, where he has remained until now."

"I could only find this much information, but based on my speculation, Chen Zhou's ability to break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining as a rogue cultivator suggests he's not as simple as he seems."

"Please be cautious, fellow Daoist. This matter arose because of me, and I deeply apologize. If there's anything you need, I am at your disposal."

"I hope you won't hold this against me."

"Zhao Lin."

Soon.

He Song, who was already cultivating at home, received Zhao Lin's paper crane message.

As his eyes scanned the words on the paper, He Song's brow furrowed.

Chen Zhou had joined the Spirit Herb Pavilion three years ago as a spirit farmer.

But before joining, Chen Zhou had already been a fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator.

This meant that Zhao Lin's speculation wasn't unfounded. In fact, it might be close to the truth.

But... the Chen Zhou He Song had encountered earlier.

No background.

No threat.

No courage.

How could the Chen Zhou he had seen be explained?

If He Song remembered correctly.

Chen Zhou had been timid in front of him, not even daring to utter a single harsh word as he left.

Only muttering complaints like "tyrannical" and "bullying" under his breath once he was far enough away.

(End of Chapter)