The fairies I raised were all enchantresses.

031 On Good Fortune

Luo Fanchen's expression remained calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Instead of immediately dismissing Ah Niu, he reached out and put his hand on the boy's shoulder, probing his true essence to sense him.

Before a moment had passed, he shook his head and got up, not lingering any longer and without any blame.

With five spiritual roots, the boy's aptitude was comparable to his, no wonder he chose to refine his body. In comparison, body refinement has slightly lower requirements for the purity of spiritual roots. He can temper the five elements of spiritual power with his own blood and qi, but the efficiency is still much weaker than that of a high-grade spiritual root.

In addition, body tempering is an extreme test of a cultivator's willpower, and one can easily get injured if one is not careful.

The demand for body-refining techniques, healing pills, and spiritual food is enormous. Often, only the direct descendants of major sects and clans, due to their inferior spiritual roots, embark on this path. Only major clans can afford to support body-refining cultivators.

For independent cultivators who lack resources, body tempering is often a last resort, essentially squeezing out their potential in advance, leaving them with hidden injuries all over their bodies.

Ah Niu was no exception. He appeared tall and strong with vigorous blood and energy, but in reality, his meridians and acupoints were covered with old injuries, and his blood and energy were disordered and difficult to gather. He was strong on the outside but weak on the inside. He had reached the third level of body tempering, which was his limit.

"Uncle Ling... I'll do anything, please..."

Ah Niu followed closely behind, his square face flushed red.

He was driven mad by helplessness and cowardice, and he couldn't think of any other way.

Old Wang has become increasingly demanding lately. Every time he sees Sister Xiao Cui, she has new injuries and looks haggard, which makes his heart ache. But he is just a servant, only at the first level of body tempering, what can he do?

He was afraid that Sister Xiao Cui would be sold by Old Man Wang, so he wanted to become stronger.

In his mind, among all the shantytown residents, only Lord Ling had a powerful background and was not afraid of the Qinghe Sect. Old Man Wang was also only wary of Lord Ling.

"You are incompetent and, to me, are nothing but a burden."

"I... can be diligent."

Ah Niu looked embarrassed. He was about to speak when Luo Fanchen stopped, turned around, and sneered, "Can diligence make up for lack of talent?"

"You can fool others, but don't fool yourself."

Luo Fanchen was blunt. He himself was deeply restricted by the Five Elemental Roots, and without Mo Xue, he would have had difficulty establishing his foundation in this lifetime.

Where would he find the time to teach another person with five spiritual roots? Apart from Mo Xue and Qiu Yun, he had no intention of accepting anyone else.

"I..."

"As a servant, what decisions can you make? Even if I take you in, will Granny Zhang agree?"

Luo Fanchen shook his head and walked away, leaving behind only the words: "You can't even afford your own ransom, so what makes you think you can become my disciple?"

Ah Niu paused slightly, then silently lowered his head, his fists clenched tightly but unable to relax.

Luo Fanchen looked back and saw that A Niu hadn't followed. He breathed a slight sigh of relief. The young man was alright, and he didn't want to resort to more forceful methods.

He first went to a repair stall, intending to buy a few fragments of the Breath Concealing Pill for later use.

Lower-level cultivators cannot afford earth fire or alchemy furnaces, so most low-grade pills, apart from those that directly affect cultivation such as Qi Refining Pills and Meridian Opening Pills, are made by fusing true essence with medicinal powder and then solidifying and combining them.

The advantage is that if stored properly, cutting it into several pieces will not result in a significant loss of medicinal properties.

The downside is that without the tempering process in the furnace, the elixir contains many impurities, the medicinal properties of the herbs are greatly reduced, and it is more difficult to refine, so it cannot be used directly for breathing exercises.

The finished products at the independent cultivators' stalls were of varying quality. Luo Fanchen wandered around for a long time but only saw a few fragments of inferior Concealing Breath Pills.

The medicine's effects have dissipated by seventy or eighty percent; it's just dregs, yet they dare to ask for three spirit dusts per piece.

"One spirit dust, fellow Daoist. How about two?"

Luo Fanchen ignored the shouts of the squinty-eyed rogue cultivator, turned around and left. The Concealing Breath Pill would increase the risk of exposure if its efficacy was less than half, and if the efficacy was less than 50%, it was no different from garbage.

This matter concerns his life; he's not foolish enough to be stingy with spirit stones in a place like this.

After much back and forth, he could only reluctantly head towards Jubaoge, a place that, despite its high prices, at least offered guaranteed quality.

Things that can save your life should never be neglected.

At the same time, at Jubaoge.

Xiao Cui hung her head and timidly served Yun Mo. Her ears were still a little red and swollen, but most of them were old wounds.

In recent days, the number of times Old Man Wang has abused and vented his anger has decreased significantly. Each time he is slapped a few times, he becomes dizzy and exhausted and leaves. Of course, he does not give up the abuse. Although the frequency has decreased, the blows have become much heavier.

A short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one. She was already quite satisfied with the current situation, only wishing that Old Man Wang would soon be worn down by wine and women, and die from a host of illnesses.

"Has Lord Ling been troubled by anything lately?"

Yunmo sipped her spiritual tea. Since receiving Lord Ling, she had been granted special permission by the Pavilion Master not to receive any other guests.

Her current task is to maintain her relationship with Lord Ling with all her might.

"Troublesome things..."

Xiao Cui pouted and shook her head, saying, "This servant is of lowly status, and Lord Ling has not yet spoken to me, so it is difficult to find any information."

She spoke cautiously, knowing that even if she knew information about Ling Wudao, she would never reveal it to Yun Mo.

She didn't know what Fairy Yunmo was thinking, but she knew that this level of competition was not something a lowly maid like her could get involved in. Offending either side would likely result in her death.

"Yes, you did the right thing. Don't try to spy on or gather information about that person."

Yunmo nodded slightly, feeling troubled. She had been racking her brains for the past few days trying to figure out a way to contact Lord Ling, but she was afraid of offending him.

"Sigh... If an adult wants you to convey something, they will do so naturally. There's no need to force it."

Yunmo sighed softly. She had found out the exact location where Lord Ling lived, and if she wanted, she could even find out his daily routine.

Of course, she didn't have the guts to do that, so she could only wait for the adults to come looking for her.

"We hunted a Golden Roaring Bear in the market today, and they're currently dividing up its flesh. Take a coin's worth of offal later to replenish your energy."

After Yunmo finished speaking, he glanced at Xiaocui's swollen ears and bruised arms, and was not surprised at all.

Lower-level cultivators harbor deep resentment and naturally need to vent their pressure. Their servants are no different from pigs and dogs, and it is common for them to be abused to death.

Xiao Cui is depleted of qi and blood, and has many hidden injuries. She will still be useful in the future, so we can't let her be abused to death.

The Golden Roaring Bear is a top-tier first-order demonic beast, equivalent to a cultivator at the peak of Qi cultivation, with delicious meat and abundant Qi and blood.

Aside from the rare bear bile, fur, and claws, it's worth thirty spirit stones. One coin of offal is enough to cover half a month's wages for the little girl.

"Thank you, fairy!"

Xiao Cui had already smelled the aroma of meat inside the pavilion, never expecting that such delicacies would be bestowed upon her, a mere servant.

This demon, called a bear, was only half a person's height. It was hunted down by the Pavilion Master himself and transported back by a special person who traveled thousands of miles.

Aside from the rare parts used by the Pavilion Master himself, the remainder is used to reward the stewards and elders, with each person receiving a small piece.

"Go, go..."

Yunmo waved Xiaocui away with little interest, resting her chin on her hand, looking utterly bored.

Sigh... When will she be able to see Lord Ling again? Her good fortune for the rest of her life depends on that man.

Xiao Cui's pretty face was excited, and her steps were lighter as she went downstairs.

A top-tier first-order demon beast should be able to help Ah Niu, right? He always experiences bone pain after practicing his skills because he lacks qi and blood.

As she passed the second floor, she watched with great curiosity as people cut up bear meat and casually threw the offal into the tank. Even so, many late-stage Qi Refining cultivators still came with VIP tokens from the Treasure Pavilion to buy bear meat.

Most of them returned empty-handed, but a small number of inner disciples of the Qinghe Sect were able to buy a small piece for a hefty sum.

The available wastewater was quickly snapped up, and among the servants, only she, following Yunmo's decree, was allocated a small piece of wastewater.

"You're lucky, girl."

The deacon in charge of distributing the water was a middle-aged woman. She glanced at Xiao Cui's swollen cheeks for a moment and then gave her a little more water.

Xiao Cui was overjoyed. As she was leaving, she happened to run into Luo Fanchen, who was standing in line with a stiff expression, outside the crowded attic.

Only Foundation Establishment cultivators can kill a top-tier first-order demonic beast, making it a grand event in Feiyunfang. The first floor was already packed with rogue cultivators who had come after hearing the news. Luo Fanchen was constantly surrounded by noise and was dizzy from queuing.

"I am a VIP guest of your Jubao Pavilion, and I am the jade pendant!"

"Who here isn't on the jade tablet?"

Luo Fanchen felt a headache coming on. The maids serving downstairs were also busy and dizzy, ignoring the jade token in his hand and barely managing to maintain order.

Gold, purple, blue, white, red—Luo Fanchen only had a white jade token in his hand. He couldn't even get ahead of those who cut in line. After waiting for half a day, he was almost squeezed out of the Treasure Pavilion. It wasn't until Xiao Cui quickly stepped forward that she timidly said...

"Is that Master Ling?"

"Xiao Cui?"

Luo Fanchen pondered for a long time before finally recalling the girl's name.

"It's me. You wish to join the cabinet? Please follow me!"

"May I?"

Luo Fanchen was slightly taken aback. The girl in front of him was just a servant and didn't seem to have the right to cut in line at will.

The maid responsible for maintaining order was also dissatisfied and was about to reprimand her when Xiao Cui spoke up urgently.

"Fairy Yunmo instructed that if you come, I will immediately introduce you to her. This little fairy... please do not neglect our honored guest."

"Yunmo? Please, sir!"

The maid's pretty face went blank for a moment, then her eyes lit up with joy. She immediately pushed through the crowd and led him into the pavilion through the back door.

"We are very busy today. This is a passage reserved for the stewards of the pavilion. We apologize for the inconvenience, sir."

The maid smiled radiantly. She had originally intended to intercept Luo Fanchen, but with Xiao Cui by her side, constantly mentioning Fairy Yunmo, and considering that it was the Pavilion Master's personal order, she could only let Xiao Cui take him away.

"What good fortune, Yunmo... he's finally made it through."

The maid watched the two leave, sighing repeatedly, her jealousy so intense she was tearing at her hair.

"Sigh... I really want to see Lord Ling..."

Inside the second-floor attic, the glass lamps flickered. Yunmo's pretty face was bitter. Without offending the other party, there was really no reason to meet again.

In their time of distress, there was a knock at the door. Without waiting for a response, Xiao Cui led Luo Fanchen through the door.

Yunmo was in a bad mood and was about to lose his temper and scold the girl for not following the rules when he turned around and saw Luo Fanchen being led into the room by Xiao Cui.

"Lord Ling?"

Yunmo's pretty face visibly brightened, and she quickly got up, asked Xiaocui to prepare tea, and invited Luo Fanchen to take the main seat to rest.

She met her already? Is she dreaming?