After binding with a genius, I became an immortal by exploiting loopholes.

What's inside? Treasure? A trap? Or something else? He didn't know.

But he knew that the unknown entity that had been draining his spiritual energy must be inside.

If he doesn't figure out what that is, he'll never be able to cultivate his spiritual field properly.

But he hasn't prepared anything yet.

An oil lamp, a dulled wood-chopping knife, no medicine for wounds, no antidote, not even a rope.

If there's any danger inside, with his current cultivation level, going in would be suicide.

And it was almost dawn.

Once inside, it's unclear how long it will take.

If we stay inside for too long and don't get back before dawn, it will cause trouble again.

Lu Qingchen gritted his teeth, memorized the location of the stone wall, and turned to walk out of the valley.

Go back first, make preparations, and then come back.

......

When we returned to Aoki Village, it was already dawn.

Lu Qingchen changed into clean clothes, stuffed the torn one under the bed, and pretended that nothing had happened.

In the morning, he went to work in the fields as usual, watering, weeding, and loosening the soil, and there was no sign of anything unusual on his face.

After lunch, he went to find Zhao Demao.

"Master, I would like to request a day's leave to return to the sect."

Zhao Demao was drinking tea in the main room when he heard him say this. He paused for a moment, then glanced at him.

"You've only been here for less than a month, and you're already going back?"

"I have some personal matters to attend to," Lu Qingchen said. "I'll be back in a day."

Zhao Demao remained silent for a moment, then nodded and said nothing more.

But Lu Qingchen noticed that when he put down his teacup, his brows furrowed slightly.

Zhao Demao was somewhat displeased.

This young man was recommended by Elder Sun, who originally had high hopes for him. However, he had only been here for less than a month when he asked for leave to return to his sect.

Those who can't stand the boredom and hardship probably won't stay long.

Like the previous plant growers, he couldn't grow the plants and left on his own.

He waved his hand: "Go ahead."

Lu Qingchen cupped his hands in greeting and withdrew.

The news spread very quickly.

In less than half an hour, Sun Zhiyuan found out.

He was squatting by the field drinking tea when Zhou Ming walked over, smiling and lowering his voice to say, "Have you heard? That new guy asked for leave to go back to his sect."

Sun Zhiyuan held his teacup, and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

"You can't even stay for a month?" He took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Young people are restless, that's normal."

Do you think he might not come back?

"It's best if he doesn't come back." Sun Zhiyuan put down his teacup. "If he doesn't leave, how will Zhang Hongyi have a chance to come?"

The two exchanged a glance, smiled knowingly, and said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Lu Qingchen had already left Qingmu Village, crossed the slope, and arrived at the place where the spirit carriage was parked.

After waiting for almost half an hour, a spirit horse carriage finally arrived to take them back to the sect.

The driver was the same old disciple. He glanced at him, said nothing, and let him get in the carriage.

The carriage was empty except for him; the wheels creaked and groaned as they rolled over the mountain road.

......

Lu Qingchen did not tell anyone about his return to the sect.

Instead of going to the Lingzhi Hall, he went directly to the small market at the foot of Mingfa Peak.

The market is a trading place spontaneously formed by disciples of the sect. It is not a big place, with dozens of stalls lined up on both sides of the mountain road, selling all kinds of things - talismans, pills, low-level magic tools, spiritual materials and medicines. The prices are cheaper than those in the sect's shops, but the authenticity and quality depend entirely on one's eyesight.

Lu Qingchen had been here before during his time in the Immortal Seed Sect. That time, he came to buy Marrow Essence Pills. He had three spirit stones in his pocket, and it took him a long time to finally decide to spend them.

Now, my mindset is completely different.

This time, he brought all his belongings—the thirty spirit stones Liu Quan had paid, the twenty or so he had saved from selling spirit rice, and minus the four spirit stones he had lent to Li Si and Wang Ming, totaling more than forty low-grade spirit stones.

For an outer disciple, this is a huge sum of money!

But this trip will probably cost quite a bit.

He didn't rush to buy. He first walked around and looked at several stalls selling talismans and pills. After getting a general idea of ​​what to buy, he finally made his move.

For lighting talismans, he bought five "Bright Light Talismans," which were much brighter than oil lamps, illuminating an area of ​​several feet in radius, and lasting for a long time.

But one Bright Light Talisman costs eighty spirit pearls, and five talismans cost a total of four spirit stones!

He bought a bottle of "Hemostatic Powder" and a bottle of "Bone-Regenerating Ointment" for healing, both of which were the most basic, and spent three spirit stones.

He bought a bottle of "Detoxification Pill" for two spirit stones, which can cure most snake and insect venoms.

For self-defense, he bought two "Diamond Talismans," which can form a spiritual energy shield on the surface of the body to resist attacks from low-level demonic beasts for half an hour.

This is the most expensive item; one sheet costs four spirit stones, and two sheets cost eight!

There were also some miscellaneous items—ropes, fire tumblers, water pouches, and dry rations—which cost less than one spirit stone.

He didn't buy too much from one stall; he bought talismans from one stall, elixirs from another, and protective items from yet another.

Buy them separately, so they don't attract attention.

After going around once, eighteen spirit stones were spent.

Lu Qingchen carefully put the things away, feeling a pang of heartache.

He had saved up for several months, accumulating a total of more than forty spirit stones, and now almost half of them were gone.

But he did not hesitate.

Those items are essential for exploring caves in the mountains; they can save your life if there's any real danger inside.

Life is worth far more than spirit stones.

After buying his things, he didn't linger and immediately returned to Qingmu Village.

When Zhao Demao saw that he had returned the next day, his expression softened slightly. He nodded but didn't say anything.

When Sun Zhiyuan heard that he had returned, he pursed his lips and didn't say anything.

......

After returning, Lu Qingchen continued to go to the fields every day as usual, while secretly preparing to go into the mountains again.

However, before that, other people arrived in the village.

That afternoon, Lu Qingchen was loosening the soil around the spiritual herbs in the field.

The village is remote, and apart from tenant farmers and Li Laosi who occasionally pass by, few people come here on weekdays.

He squatted on the edge of the field, loosening the soil row by row, thinking about going into the mountains in two days, his hands moving slowly and deliberately.

Footsteps sounded behind me.

He turned around and saw two people walking towards him along the ridge of the field.

One male and one female.

The woman wore a moon-white long dress with a light blue ribbon tied around her waist. Her black hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and her face was aloof and cold—it was Su Qingxue.

Beside her was a male cultivator in his late twenties, dressed in a dark blue robe of a spirit patrolman, with a token hanging at his waist. He had a fair complexion and a hint of arrogance between his brows.

The two walked and looked at the sacred fields on both sides of the road.

Su Qingxue's gaze lingered on the spirit rice for a while, occasionally squatting down to examine the leaves.

The male cultivator, on the other hand, mostly stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze casually sweeping across the room, as if he were strolling through his own courtyard.

Lu Qingchen straightened up and glanced at the two of them.

Just as he was about to bend down and continue loosening the soil, Su Qingxue's gaze swept over his spiritual field, and she suddenly stopped.

Her gaze fell on Lu Qingchen's spiritual field—the seedlings were sparse, the leaves were yellow, and the stems were thin and weak, looking malnourished.

Compared to the thriving spiritual fields in the village, it's like heaven and earth.