Gou Zai created a blessed land in the immortal abode

"Also, take this jade pendant."

As Kong Shaowen spoke, he took out a dark green jade pendant, about the size of a palm.

Li Chengming took it and saw that there were words on both sides of the jade pendant.

They are "Kong" and "retainer".

This is a token for a retainer of the Kong family.

"With this token, you can not only get a slight discount when purchasing spiritual items at my Kong family shop, but you can also choose a small courtyard on the east side of Moon Lake Island as your residence, so you won't have to live on the lake shore."

This is truly an unexpected delight.

It should be noted that Moon Lake Market is protected by a large array at the Foundation Establishment level.

Not only is it very safe, but the concentration of spiritual energy on the island is also several times that on the lake shore.

However, if one wanted to live in the market, the monthly rent would be at least one and a half yuan, which Li Chengming could never have afforded before.

But unexpectedly, after becoming a retainer of the Kong family, he was able to get a place to live for free.

"That's true, the Kong family was one of the founders of Yuehu Market."

Li Chengming was secretly delighted, then, remembering something, he cupped his hands and said:

"Elder Li, could I exchange my first month's salary for spirit soil?"

"sure."

Although Kong Shaowen was puzzled as to why Li Chengming wanted the spirit soil, he still agreed.

Because he knew in his heart that even if he asked, he wouldn't get an answer, so he simply didn't ask.

"Xiao Lin, go and get some spirit soil."

"Yes, Third Uncle."

The boy who was grinding the Spirit Gathering Grass got up and walked to the backyard.

A moment later, he came out carrying a large box.

When Li Chengming opened it, he found that it was indeed soil imbued with spiritual energy.

"This box weighs about thirty or forty pounds, enough to build an acre of spiritual field," Li Chengming thought to himself.

Then, taking the box, he nodded slightly and said:

"Master Kong, I'll be taking my leave now."

After leaving the shop, Li Chengming did not return to the dilapidated house on the lakeshore.

Since awakening his Immortal Abode, Li Chengming has kept all his precious possessions there, so he went directly to the east side of the market.

…………

Li Chengming walked eastward along the main street paved with bluestone slabs in Yuehufang Market.

Shops lined both sides of the street, their signs—selling elixirs, magical artifacts, talismans, and more—appearing and disappearing amidst the misty spiritual energy.

Monks would occasionally pass by, some hurrying along, others stopping to chat, and occasionally one could catch a glimpse of the various retainer tokens hanging from their waists.

Among them, the Kong, Liu, and Zhao families had the most.

Li Chengming quickly located the Kong family's territory.

A descendant of the Kong family was found.

"Fellow Daoist, I am a newly recruited disciple of the Kong family."

Li Chengming handed over his retainer's token.

The man took it and looked at it, somewhat surprised:

"A dark green token? Why did you come back here instead of going to Emerald Peak?"

Cuiyuan Peak is the sacred mountain of the Confucius family.

There are many spiritual fields on the mountain, and a retainer like Li Chengming should go there.

Although the Kong family descendant had doubts, he did not dwell on them too much. He chanted incantations and made hand gestures, and a ray of spiritual light was injected into the jade tablet.

"Infuse the jade tablet with spiritual power, and the tablet will guide you to your residence."

After Li Chengming took the jade tablet, he infused it with spiritual power. In the next instant, the jade tablet shimmered with a soft glow.

A map appeared out of thin air.

There are also four smaller characters: "Residence for Retainers".

The map is filled with tiny squares, one of which is painted vermilion, marking his residence.

"The corner location suits me just fine."

When Li Chengming saw that his residence was in the lower left corner of the map, he was not dissatisfied but rather delighted.

Following the directions on the jade tablet map, Li Chengming walked through several alleys and quickly found his residence.

This is a detached house with no plaque above the door. There is only a small stone plaque on the left side of the door frame, which reads "Retainer of the Confucius Mansion".

Li Chengming pushed open the door and entered.

The courtyard is not large, about three-tenths of an inch square. A path paved with bluestone slabs winds from the entrance to the main house, with a flower bed on each side.

On the left are several side rooms, while on the right there is an artificial hill, a pond, and a pavilion.

"In the secular world, only aristocratic families could afford to live in such a mansion, right?" Li Chengming exclaimed repeatedly.

He had never lived in such a nice place in either his past or present life.

"Indeed, being born into a good family has its advantages."

Li Chengming sighed sincerely.

I remember all the hardship I went through before!

But now is not the time to enjoy it.

Li Chengming entered the immortal abode.

[Spirit Field: Common Grade]

[Current effect: The growth cycle of the spirit plant has been accelerated by 10%]

[Requirements for creation: 30 catties of spirit soil (completed), 10 catties of wood ash (completed)]

The necessary resources have been prepared; the next step is to build the spirit fields.

Li Chengming silently recited the word "establish" in his mind.

A brand new spiritual field suddenly appeared next to the original spiritual field.

Afterwards, Li Chengming turned over the soil, planted seeds of the Spirit Gathering Grass, and cast the Spirit Rain spell once more.

As his proficiency with the Spirit Rain Technique increased, and after breaking through to the third level of Qi Refining, the Spirit Rain Technique he could cast was enough to cover an acre of land.

This saved a lot of time.

"call."

Li Chengming breathed a sigh of relief and was about to return to his meditation room when he suddenly heard a commotion outside.

"Is anyone home? Fellow Daoist, are you at home?"

"Has someone come to visit?"

Li Chengming frowned slightly and had no choice but to leave the immortal abode first.

Li Chengming's heart stirred slightly. He returned to the courtyard, tidied his clothes, and then walked towards the gate.

Upon opening the door, a young man in his early thirties stood outside, dressed in a fur coat, with rugged features and a kind face. He also wore a Kong family retainer token at his waist.

The difference is that the other party's token is not dark green, but black.

"My name is Zhao Yuan. I live in the next courtyard. I came to pay my respects when I saw that you had moved in."

Zhao Yuan bowed respectfully, with a beaming smile.

Li Chengming returned the greeting and said:

"Li Chengming, I am new here. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Zhao."

Then, Li Chengming welcomed the person into the pavilion.

After their conversation, Zhao Yuan voiced the question that had been lingering in his mind:

"I noticed Fellow Daoist Li is carrying a dark green plaque. Why didn't you go to Cuiyuan Peak, but came here instead?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengming frowned.

He had heard of Cuiyuan Peak before from the descendants of the Kong family.

He asked, puzzled:

"Is there any difference between my token and Fellow Daoist Zhao's?"

"Very different."

Zhao Yuan waved his hand and explained:

"The person holding the dark green jade token either cultivates spiritual plants or grinds powder to refine elixirs in the Kong family."

"As for my black token, although I am also a retainer of the Kong family, my job is mostly to patrol the market, maintain market order, and prevent cultivators from fighting each other."

"I see..." Li Chengming nodded slightly, seemingly lost in thought.

Judging from Zhao Yuan's tone, this dark green token seems to be one level higher than the black token.

That's true; skilled jobs are definitely much more valuable than those that only require physical labor.

"Alright, it's getting late, so I'll take my leave now." Zhao Yuan stood up and cupped his hands in farewell.

He came here with the intention of first making himself known to others.

Before leaving, Zhao Yuan seemed to remember something and suddenly lowered his voice and said:

"Fellow Daoist Li, things haven't been peaceful in the market lately, so please be careful at night."