May I seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, and live a long and prosperous life.

In recent years, Li Heng has worked hard to learn the alchemy techniques taught by Zhao Bingwen, and he also often studies various basic alchemy books.

Therefore, he quickly became proficient and began to refine these basic pills with ease, greatly improving the success rate and reducing the number of waste pills, which earned him Zhao Bingwen's praise.

Zhao Bingwen then imparted some of his alchemy insights and experience to Li Heng.

Li Heng also humbly learned, and as a result, his alchemy skills steadily improved.

Zhao Bingwen clearly regards Li Heng as his successor. Although he has not yet formally accepted Li Heng as his disciple, it is only a matter of time.

Zhao Bingwen is nearly a hundred years old this year, and his lifespan is running out. It's time for him to train a disciple to pass on his alchemy skills.

It just so happens that Li Heng became his alchemy assistant twice, and he was very satisfied with Li Heng's work. This is fate!

After becoming an alchemist, his treatment was also in accordance with the standards for alchemists, and his income increased significantly, which made many servants envious, thinking that Li Heng had risen to the top in one step.

However, although Li Heng became an alchemist at the Hundred Herbs Pavilion and was no longer required to deal with waste pills, he would still leave behind the useful waste pills under the guise of inspection when the alchemy servants collected them for disposal.

Given Li Heng's current status as an alchemist at Baicao Pavilion, those alchemy servants dared not have any objections. In fact, they secretly praised Li Heng for being very approachable and down-to-earth. It's no wonder that he, who used to be an alchemy servant, still personally takes part in these dirty jobs.

From then on, all the alchemy workers at Baicao Pavilion took Li Heng as their role model, hoping to become the next alchemist.

Three days later, a beam of black light descended in front of Li Heng's cave.

This man was Yan Bao, who had come to collect protection money.

"Is Li Heng here? The protection fee has increased a bit this year; it's sixty spirit stones now!"

Upon hearing Yan Bao's voice, Li Heng immediately threw sixty spirit stones out of the cave.

Yan Bao caught the sixty spirit stones and chuckled:

"Li Heng, I've collected protection money from over a thousand rogue cultivators, and you're the most generous of them all. If all rogue cultivators were like you, I wouldn't have to resort to violence. Hehe, those poor rogue cultivators can't pay their protection money, so I might as well kill them! Li Heng, remember to protect yourself. I want to see you next year."

After saying that, Yan Bao went to Meng Ji's cave.

"Is the cave owner here? The two-year free period is over, and it's time to collect protection fees this year—sixty spirit stones in total!"

Meng Ji hurriedly ran out of the cave, bowed and scraped to Yan Bao, and rubbed his hands together, saying:

"My lord, why has the protection fee increased by ten spirit stones, making it sixty spirit stones per year? To be honest, this is really a lot of pressure for us low-level rogue cultivators."

Yan Bao frowned and scolded:

"Why are you talking so much nonsense? Just one word: pay or not. If you don't pay, you'll bear the consequences. Hmph, don't you even know which rogue cultivator in the outer area of ​​Chixia Mountain dares to refuse to pay protection money?"

Those poor bastards who couldn't pay their protection money either ended up as slaves in our gang to pay off their debts, or they're already dead and overgrown with weeds. You'd better think it over!

"Look at Li Heng, how straightforward he is! He didn't even haggle, he just threw out sixty spirit stones. He immediately showed his generosity. And look at you, all you do is bow and scrape and complain about being poor. Is that really meaningful?"

"This protection fee wasn't set by me alone. I'm only responsible for collecting it; everything else is none of my business. If you want to reason with me, don't talk to me. Go find our Black Fiend Gang leader. But do you even have the guts?"

After weighing the pros and cons, Meng Ji reluctantly took out sixty spirit stones from his pocket and handed them to Yan Bao.

"Hehe, that's right. If you cooperated earlier, there wouldn't be so much trouble. It would be better for you and me, and everyone would be in harmony. As long as you cooperate with my work, I don't want any fighting or killing."

Besides, you can earn spirit stones if you don't have any. There are never a shortage of opportunities in the outer layer of Crimson Cloud Mountain. Although the wilderness is dangerous, there are also many opportunities, and secret realms often appear. As long as you are lucky, it is very possible to rise to the top in one step.

I've said everything I could to you, whether you listen or not is up to you. I'm leaving, Meng kid. Remember, it's better to live a wretched life than to die a glorious death. I hope I see you again next year so I can collect protection money, unlike Su Changsheng!

After saying that, Yan Bao once again transformed into a streak of black light and disappeared in front of Mengji Cave.

Actually, you can't blame Meng Ji for being stingy. He was genuinely short of money. In the past two years, the environment in the outer area of ​​Chixia Mountain has not been good. There are many spirit stones, but very few easy jobs. Most jobs are low-spirit-stone and tiring.

Even so, a large number of independent cultivators were still eager to do it. Meng Ji did not have any special skills, such as alchemy, talisman making, or weapon crafting, so he could only do some low-value jobs, which were basically menial and tiring work. In addition, he also had to maintain the most basic cultivation, so he did not accumulate many spirit stones.

He originally thought that by bowing and scraping to Yan Bao, he could get Yan Bao to make an exception for him.

Unexpectedly, Yan Bao was unyielding and directly exposed his little scheme, making him lose face.

But when you're under someone's roof, how can you not bow your head?

Does he really have the guts to confront the leader of the Black Fiend Gang? The leader of the Black Fiend Gang is an invincible figure at the sixth level of Qi Refining, whose power is known throughout the outer region of Crimson Cloud Mountain. It is said that if he stomps his foot within the gang, the entire outer region of Crimson Cloud Mountain will tremble!

……

A month later, a major event occurred in the outer area of ​​Chixia Mountain.

In the outer region, a rogue cultivator accidentally entered a mysterious secret realm and successfully emerged. Inside, he obtained many rare and precious treasures, instantly becoming rich overnight.

In no time, this secret realm attracted many independent cultivators.

However, this secret realm has a threshold restriction, prohibiting cultivators above the fifth level of Qi Refining from entering, which makes many cultivators at the sixth level of Qi Refining sigh with regret.

However, this threshold restriction is extremely beneficial to those low-level independent cultivators at or below the fourth level of Qi Refining.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that could allow them to turn their lives around and become rich!

Therefore, within a few days, all the low-level independent cultivators in the outer area of ​​Chixia Mountain knew the news.

When Meng Ji heard the news, he was so excited that he danced with joy. He was currently having a headache over spirit stones, but he never expected that a mysterious secret realm that only low-level rogue cultivators like them could enter would suddenly appear.

Moreover, some cultivators brought out many rare and precious treasures from inside, becoming rich overnight, which made him even more eager to explore the secret realm.

However, for safety's sake, he decided to invite his neighbor Li Heng to explore the secret realm together.

After all, having a companion when you're out and about naturally brings more safety.

Meng Ji immediately went to Li Heng's cave and called out, "Fellow Daoist Li, are you there? Would you please come out and see me?"

Li Heng was cultivating in his cave when he heard Meng Ji requesting an audience outside. He got up and went out, looking at the excited Meng Ji, and asked in surprise, "Fellow Daoist Meng, what makes you so happy? Is there some good news on your mind?"