Following the map drawn by the Plum Blossom Elder, we arrived at the nearest village.

  The very first thing we did after arriving was pay a visit to the Foundation Establishment cultivator stationed in the village.

  After offering greetings along with a small amount of spirit stones, he welcomed us very generously.

  Next, we went to see the Village Head.

  No matter that we were officials from the Spiritual Agriculture Pavilion, we could not ignore the Village Head of a village.

  After asking him to gather the villagers, we once again handed over some spirit stones.

  It was a depressing world—no matter where you went, things wouldn’t move unless you greased some palms.

  Still, the people here did their jobs properly once they were paid.

  It hadn’t been long before the villagers summoned by the Village Head had all gathered.

  There were spiritual farmers belonging to the Spiritual Agriculture Pavilion, independent farmers, and even people who rented others’ spiritual fields to farm.

  All sorts of people were present.

  The only thing they had in common was that they all cultivated spiritual fields.

  Because they had been called suddenly in the middle of work, most of them looked dissatisfied.

  But the moment Jiang Aoye began speaking with his smooth, flowing words, the atmosphere changed completely.

  “Everyone gathered here, life must be tough farming in a new place, right? This blasted Qingliu City—water is scarce, people are scarce, everything is scarce. Farming in such a miserable place must be exhausting! That’s why Qingliu City has prepared something for you!”

  The moment Jiang Aoye finished speaking, we began demonstrating the formation plate as planned.

  Even home shopping channels sold better when there were tasting samples, didn’t they?

  If you fumbled or looked awkward during something like this, selling the product would be hopeless.

  That was why it had already been decided that I would perform the demonstration while the seniors assisted beside me.

  I placed my hand on the formation plate and sent mana along the circuit.

  With a faint vibration, the formation plate began to respond.

  As mana flowed in, Senior Yang Dongwu turned the needle at the center of the formation plate to set the numbers.

  Following our practiced movements, Jiang Aoye added an explanation.

  “See? Simple, right? Think deploying it would be difficult? Not at all. These cultivators here will deploy it in advance before handing it to you. All you need to do is adjust the usage settings yourself.”

  A formation plate was like a computer without an operating system installed.

  Anyone unfamiliar with formations would inevitably panic while using it.

  That was why we were essentially providing an operating system installation service.

  Now all they had to do was insert a spirit stone.

  Senior Ling Xuan, who had been standing awkwardly nearby, immediately took out a spirit stone and inserted it into the formation plate.

  “Just insert a spirit stone like this and you’re done! Now watch. From now on, once every five minutes, water will be sprayed over an area of one zhang.”

  The formation plate soon emitted a golden glow and began spinning slowly.

  As people stared at it with curiosity, Jiang Aoye threw out a line meant to ignite their desire to buy.

  “All this time, how hard was it to gather and store water using Water Nurturing Art? Well, no more suffering! Happiness begins now! With the time you save, you can chat with your family, cultivate, and enjoy life, wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

  Soon, the formation plate began spraying water across a radius of about three meters.

  The streams of water reflected sunlight and created a brilliant rainbow.

  The sprayed water spread like mist, soaking the entire designated area.

  Seeing this, the spiritual farmers approached as if enchanted.

  The unfamiliar fear people usually had toward new technology vanished completely.

  Imitating home shopping really had been the right choice.

  “Oh my, what is that?”

  “My heavens… with that, we wouldn’t even need to water the fields ourselves?”

  The reactions were enthusiastic.

  Seeing this, Jiang Aoye spoke again.

  “Everyone, take a look. One formation plate can irrigate up to five majigi of spiritual fields. The amount of water can also be adjusted. On sunny days, more water. On foggy days, less. With just this one formation plate, your worries about water are gone!”

  As if supporting his words, the water spraying from the formation plate stopped.

  “It really shuts off by itself? Then it’ll start spraying again later?”

  Realizing the crowd was completely convinced, Jiang Aoye delivered the final blow.

  “This opportunity doesn’t come every day! The Flowing Residue Formation Plate personally developed and distributed by Qingliu City—only 500 spirit stones! You can pay with five mid-grade spirit stones or 500 low-grade ones!”

  His eloquence reminded me of a top-tier home shopping host.

  Where on earth had such a hidden expert appeared from?

  Our Plum Blossom Elder truly knew how to handle things.

  “If you don’t have spirit stones, goods are also acceptable! If you don’t have goods, you can even use a person as collateral! And if you don’t even have people, installment payments are possible—just three low-grade spirit stones per month!”

  …Something in the middle sounded a little strange.

  But the formation plates still sold smoothly.

  The fifty Flowing Residue Formation Plates we had brought were sold out in the blink of an eye.

  A complete sell-out!

  Most of them were installment payments, though.

  Well, collecting the monthly spirit stones was Qingliu City’s responsibility.

  All we needed were the contracts.

  The seniors and I were busy channeling mana into the formation plates to deploy them before handing them over.

  Meanwhile, Jiang Aoye stood beside us, constantly answering the flood of questions.

  “Yes, yes. The timing? It can be adjusted anywhere from five-minute intervals to twelve-hour intervals. Just use the dial to adjust it.”

  “The water output has three levels. The lowest is like drizzle, the middle like refreshing spring rain, and the highest like a heavy shower.”

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  “You’re asking who created something this good? Why, the formation masters of Qingliu City of course! Yes, yes, truly genius, aren’t they?”

  His speaking skills flowed like a clear stream.

  My identity remained hidden, but what did that matter?

  I had already received payment, and my reputation was quietly building up.

  Wasn’t it said that the best way to make money was without drawing attention?

  Since we were promised thirty percent of the sales revenue, this was a huge success.

  After selling all the formation plates, Jiang Aoye approached us with a bright smile.

  The seniors and I were exhausted, holding spirit stones to recharge.

  “You’ve worked hard, honored cultivators. If we had brought more formation plates, they would have all sold as well. Perhaps next time we should bring a larger supply?”

  I agreed completely.

  If we explained the situation to the Section Head, he would surely give us plenty more formation plates.

  Of course, the formation masters of the Formation Path Pavilion would fall into overtime hell…

  But this was all for the product—no, for Qingliu City.

  ***

  We left the village with cheerful expressions.

  The Village Head’s attitude was completely different from when we first arrived.

  He looked like he might even grab our pant legs and beg us to return.

  If the first village was this profitable, the others would surely be rewarding too.

  After walking for a while, we reached the spot I had been eyeing earlier.

  After subtly checking our surroundings, I spoke.

  There was something I wanted to handle along the way.

  Going somewhere this far alone still felt burdensome.

  So if I dealt with it while we were already out here, it would be safer and leave no loose ends.

  “Seniors… Jiang Aoye. I have a favor to ask.”

  Senior Ling Xuan, who had been walking while staring at the ground, looked up.

  “Hm? What is it, Junior Xuanyuan? Just say it. Thanks to you, things have gone so smoothly—of course we’ll help.”

  Senior Yang Dongwu nodded as if it were obvious.

  Seeing them agree before even hearing what the favor was made me realize again how admirable their character was.

  I could never do something like that.

  Still, kindness should be accepted gratefully.

  Jiang Aoye also seemed to have no objections.

  Well, he was an employee, after all.

  “It’s nothing much… Could you wait here for a moment? There’s a grave nearby of someone I had a connection with. I’d like to collect the remains.”

  For some reason, Senior Yang Dongwu’s face filled with sympathy.

  Well… it didn’t matter if they misunderstood.

  Senior Ling Xuan also grabbed my hand, his eyes slightly moist.

  “…You must have had a hard time, Junior Xuanyuan. Go ahead. We’ll wait here.”

  Jiang Aoye also looked at me with a sentimental gaze.

  …What were they imagining?

  Did they think I buried my first love here or something?

  Shaking my head slightly, I stepped into the grass.

  Peach, released from the Spirit Beast Bag, circled in the air before pointing its antennae at a certain spot.

  Using the aura contained in the Direct Command Token, it had located the bodies of the victims from the Xue clan.

  I immediately headed there.

  Peach, guiding me, gently landed on the flat ground beneath a large tree.

  This must be the place.

  The Earth Escape Art I had practiced countless times began to show its usefulness again.

  I hadn’t dug very far when white bones suddenly appeared.

  Ha… that startled me a little.

  Still, this was a huge improvement.

  In the past, I would have been terrified.

  I had already killed people and sealed ghosts.

  Compared to that, a dead skeleton was nothing.

  Recalling Baixuan’s story, I carefully gathered the remains of the Xue clan members one by one.

  As I collected the bodies, my heart grew heavy.

  The sight of them dying while holding each other pierced my chest.

  I remembered Ginger trembling in my arms, and my parents who sacrificed their lives to protect us.

  Sigh…

  Why must good people suffer because of evil ones?

  I made a promise to myself again.

  Even though I had somehow fallen into this world, I must not lose my humanity.

  As long as my own safety was ensured, I would do what I could.

  It wasn’t difficult, and it didn’t harm me.

  And someday, I would return to my original world where my parents and Ginger were.

  Because I used various techniques to collect the remains, it took only about fifteen minutes.

  The number of bodies recovered was seventeen.

  Exactly the number Baixuan had told me.

  My sleeves were covered in dirt.

  My face probably looked the same.

  After cleaning my face and clothes, I placed Peach back into the Spirit Beast Bag and returned to the group.

  The seniors and Jiang Aoye greeted me warmly.

  “You must have waited a long time. I’m sorry for making you wait.”

  “Don’t say that. If it weren’t for you, Junior Xuanyuan, we wouldn’t have finished today’s work so quickly.”

  Senior Yang Dongwu agreed.

  “That’s right. Thank you. Did everything go well?”

  “Yes. Thanks to you, it was completed safely.”

  Senior Ling Xuan patted my shoulder.

  “Good. Since we were already outside, it was best to take care of it. It’s not easy to leave the city.”

  Even in this brutal cultivation world, warmth still existed.

  For some reason, my chest felt tight.

  ***

  While chatting along the way, we quickened our pace using footwork techniques.

  Fortunately, we managed to reach the city before it became completely dark.

  “I’ll take my leave here. I need to visit my family.”

  “Very well. Let’s meet tomorrow at the same time in front of the south city gate.”

  Jiang Aoye smiled while putting the spirit stones Senior Ling Xuan gave him into his sack.

  Since he had earned quite a lot, he would probably have much to discuss with the Plum Blossom Elder.

  After sending him off, Senior Yang Dongwu stopped me.

  “Let’s report to the Section Head tomorrow. For now, how about we go eat dinner?”

  Since I already had something planned, I politely declined.

  “I’m sorry, Seniors. I still need to finish the matter I handled earlier.”

  Senior Yang Dongwu immediately apologized.

  “Ah, I’m so thoughtless. Sorry about that, Junior Xuanyuan. Hurry and go finish your work.”

  Senior Ling Xuan also sent me off without hesitation.

  “I’ll hold onto today’s earnings for now. If you need spirit stones, just tell me and I’ll give you some first.”

  Senior Ling Xuan was truly generous.

  From my observations, Senior Yang Dongwu seemed to come from a well-connected family, while Senior Ling Xuan’s family seemed incredibly wealthy.

  “It’s alright. I’ll tell you if I need any. Please go rest.”

  Leaving the seniors behind, I wandered near the city walls.

  I was finally about to attempt something I had long been planning.

  After checking the surroundings, I dug into the spot near the city wall where I had previously taken out the Formation Stone.

  I also didn’t forget to turn the Formation Stone into a rock and seal the hole above my head.

  The stone had gone untouched for three thousand years, so it would surely be fine this time as well.

  I placed the jade slip—transformed into stone—above me and settled beneath the city wall.

  Half inside the city, half outside.

  This guaranteed safety while allowing me to absorb the energy from outside.

  Sitting cross-legged, I quietly searched for the energy.

  My target was the battle aura left in the earth after the fight between the Spirit Severing cultivators.

  That aura was said to make one’s blood boil and qi surge just from seeing it.

  But for some reason, it had never affected me at all.

  I began sensing the battle aura throughout my body.

  An ordinary Qi Refinement cultivator would have already vomited blood by now.

  But as expected, nothing happened.

  A slight excitement stirred in my heart.

  Could it be… some kind of legendary constitution?

  At that moment, the merciless system notification sounded.

  […Battle aura is energy mixed with high-density destructive intent. You were unaffected only because of the User Protection Law of the Subspace.]

  Ah, right.

  Sorry for misunderstanding.

  Did you really have to ruin the mood like that?

  And besides, even if it contains destructive intent, one could gain enlightenment from it—so why block it completely?

  Another system notification sounded.

  [Using the jade slip made from ancient formation stone as a medium, the harmful intent of the battle aura can be separated, activating only the pure energy.

  Executing this will deduct 10,000 points.

  If you refuse, the protection measure can be removed so you may gain enlightenment through direct exposure.]

  No, I’m not saying you should cancel it.

  Why are you always so extreme?

  Wait a moment.

  I fell into thought.

  Ten thousand points meant ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones.

  I still had spirit stones left, and I was already thinking of ways to earn more.

  Besides, at my current level, there was no way I could gain enlightenment from the battle aura of Spirit Severing cultivators.

  Wouldn’t it be better to convert it into mana and absorb it?

  After that, I could compress it using the Nine Transformations Spirit Root Scripture and increase the cultivation technique’s stage.

  I could experience battle aura later when my cultivation was higher.

  Still…

  User Protection Law of the Subspace, huh.

  If I used this well…

  I might be able to obtain the fortuitous opportunities I had always dreamed of—effortlessly.