Living a peaceful life in the world of cultivation

A man, a dog, and five pheasants moved into the new courtyard.

The courtyard, enclosed by gray stone walls, is twice the size of the original small courtyard. Upon opening the gate, one can see the well-maintained, dark-colored spiritual soil, rich in spiritual energy. Among the spiritual soil, there are some paths that have been carved out. Following the paths, one can see the gushing spiritual spring. This spiritual spring is square, about half a zhang in length and width, and is filled with spiritual energy, giving it a rather celestial air.

Further inside, there is a quiet room and a bedroom.

The room was simply furnished, yet fully equipped.

besides......

Lu Ping stroked a wooden token in his hand, on which was painted a tall bamboo with cloud patterns.

This courtyard, close to the inner city, had been set up with a simple warning array by the Yunzhu Li family.

If any cultivator wishes to visit Lü Ping, they must obtain Lü Ping's permission through a transmission talisman; if a cultivator trespasses, the warning array will be activated, the energy will be recorded, and the information will be reported to the Yunzhu Li family, after which a cultivator from the Yunzhu Li family will take action.

"At least we have some privacy."

Guided by the wooden token, the courtyard gate closed. Lü Ping put the exquisite wooden token into his storage bag and then went to the next room.

Today, because he was hosting a housewarming banquet to entertain fellow Daoists, Zhao Dashan did not choose to close the courtyard gate, and instead used a wooden token to temporarily disable the warning array.

Unlike Lü Ping's courtyard, Zhao Dashan's family's courtyard also included a pavilion.

The pavilion is spacious and has tables and chairs inside. On the stone table, there are wine, fruits, and delicious dishes, which are full of spiritual energy.

Although it was a private banquet, it was still quite grand.

Zhao Dashan paced back and forth, appearing quite nervous for some reason.

"Brother Dashan, why are you behaving like this?"

Lu Ping was slightly puzzled. Zhao Dashan was always calm and composed, and even when he went into the mountains to hunt demons, he had never seen him so agitated.

"Hey, what else could it be?"

"I invited Zhang Liexiu, who has been with me on these mountain trips over the years, some of my fellow workers at Xiangyun Tower, Master Qian from across the street, and Manager Zhang from Xiangyun Tower."

"I just don't know if Master Qian and Steward Zhang will come..."

Upon hearing this, Lü Ping couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. This Brother Dashan was no problem hunting demons in the mountains, but when he returned to the market and faced all sorts of cultivators, he seemed a bit awkward.

Zhao Dashan suddenly thought of something and asked Lü Ping.

"By the way, Ping, who did you invite?"

"No one but Manager Lu of Lingcaotang."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dashan's legs went weak.

Manager Lu of Lingcaotang is a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator and a highly respected alchemist in the market!

Zhao Dashan glanced at Lü Ping. He had heard before that Lü Ping and Manager Lu had a good relationship and frequent interactions, but he didn't expect it to have come to this.

Just then, the guests arrived.

"Young Master Lu, I'm not late, am I?"

Manager Lu stroked his beard, carrying the wrapped gifts in his hand, and walked with a steady gait.

As for why I only brought one gift...

It was agreed beforehand that the two families would hold their housewarming banquets together, but there was no need to invite any cultivators or incur additional expenses.

"It's not late, you're the first one." Lü Ping smiled and led Manager Lu into the pavilion.

Zhao Dashan smelled the smoky, fiery scent of medicinal pills on Manager Lu and glanced at Lü Ping with considerable surprise.

He never expected that his own brother would actually invite Manager Lu from Lingcaotang.

Their early arrival clearly demonstrates Manager Lu's high regard for Lü Ping.

Then, recalling the preferential treatment he received from Li Ren a few days ago and witnessing the gray-robed elder of the Li family recruiting Lü Ping.

Zhao Dashan discovered that his younger brother Ping had become extraordinary.

After Manager Lu took his seat, the people who arrived were beyond Zhao Dashan's expectations.

The second cultivator to arrive at the banquet was actually Master Qian.

Master Qian was dressed in a bright yellow Taoist robe, which gave him an air of wealth. His hands were long and strong, covered with calluses.

It's not difficult for cultivators to remove calluses from their hands; it's just a matter of whether they want to or not.

Zhao Dashan welcomed Qian Fushi into the pavilion.

Upon entering the pavilion, Master Qian first greeted Manager Lu, followed by Lü Ping, Zhao Xiaofan, and Xu Cui.

This money talisman master naturally had his own ulterior motives.

Qian Kai had originally planned to arrive later and was tidying up in the courtyard when he sensed the arrival of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator who had even entered Zhao Dashan's courtyard.

Immediately, Master Qian went out and saw that Manager Lu had already taken his seat, so he quickly followed.

He intended to put on airs, but he never expected to do so in front of Manager Lu, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator and a highly respected alchemist.

Qian Kai glanced at Lü Ping casually, thinking to himself that he still couldn't underestimate the rogue cultivators in the market.

The reason he decided to attend the housewarming banquet was because Qian Kai had taken a liking to Zhao Xiaofan and wanted to take him as his apprentice.

Now, it's because of this banquet that there's a chance to make connections with powerful cultivators in the market.

Lu Ping possessed a powerful spiritual sense and naturally perceived Qian Fushi's scrutiny, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

Manager Lu, who was resting with his eyes closed and listening to the flowing spring, suddenly opened his eyes.

The person who came in was Manager Zhang from Xiangyun Tower.

Standing at the door, Zhao Dashan quickly led Steward Zhang into the pavilion.

This Manager Zhang is not only Zhao Dashan's former boss, but also Zhao Dashan's current boss.

Long before he decided not to participate in the second phase of land reclamation, Zhao Dashan went to Xiangyun Tower to find Manager Zhang and see if he could return to Xiangyun Tower to do some simple work.

Because Zhao Dashan was clean-cut, hardworking, and provided a lot of fresh snow toads for Xiangyunlou during his first time clearing land, Manager Zhang took Zhao Dashan into Xiangyunlou and appointed him as a foreman.

Manager Zhang and Manager Lu were old acquaintances.

Manager Lu could have predicted that Steward Zhang would be invited; however, Steward Zhang did not expect that Manager Lu would attend the banquet.

Seeing Lü Ping, whom he vaguely remembered, Zhang Yunlai roughly understood. He hadn't expected that the spirit plant master who went to Xiangyun Tower the other day to purchase the flesh and blood of demonic beasts to cultivate spirit plants could actually get Manager Lu to help him.

Finally, it was Zhang Liexiu who arrived late.

Zhang Lie was in a hurry and intended to give a gift and leave. However, upon seeing the cultivators at the table, whose cultivation was profound and whose status in the market was highly respected, he thought it would be good to become acquainted with them.

As for the workers at Xiangyunlou, they did not come, perhaps because their supervisor was present.

Just as Zhao Dashan took out the wooden token, intending to close the courtyard gate remotely, Manager Lu made a move.

"what?"

"Young friend Zhao, wait a moment."

Among those present, Manager Lu had the highest cultivation level and a greater range of spiritual perception than the others.

The reason Manager Lu interrupted was because he sensed a familiar cultivator approaching the banquet.

"Young Master Lü, young friend Zhao, have you hosted any other banquets for others?"

Both Lü Ping and Zhao Dashan shook their heads.

To prevent the banquet from being disturbed, the two of them had even discussed the invited cultivators beforehand, fearing that the powerful cultivators they invited might have conflicts in private, turning what was supposed to be a joyous occasion into a dull and lifeless affair.

But now, according to Manager Lu, there are still cultivators arriving?

Who is this visitor?

Was it well-intentioned or malicious?

Although they didn't know what the visitor's intentions were, Lü Ping and Zhao Dashan still went out to greet them.

Upon seeing the newcomer at the courtyard gate, Lü Ping was quite surprised.

Unexpectedly, the person who came was...