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

That evening, Zhao Demao set up a banquet in the main room.

The dishes were freshly cooked by Old Liu from the canteen, and the wine was Lingmi wine brewed on-site. It had a low alcohol content, was slightly sweet on the palate, but had a strong aftertaste.

Zhao Demao sat in the main seat, and Lu Qingchen was pulled to sit next to him.

Zhou Ming, Liu Wenhua, and Wang Youde sat down in turn, and even Sun Zhiyuan came and sat on the far side, slowly sipping his wine.

After a few drinks, the atmosphere gradually warmed up.

Wang Youde, his face flushed, leaned over and patted Lu Qingchen's shoulder again: "Senior Brother Lu, you've done such a great service this time, the sect must be going to reward you, right?"

"I don't know yet." Lu Qingchen held his wine glass, barely drinking any. "Let's wait for news."

"Definitely!"

Wang Youde's eyes lit up. "I've heard about it. Even Cuiping Manor is talking about you. Elder Zheng came personally to collect the samples. The entire Spirit Plant Hall is in an uproar. This reward will definitely be substantial!"

Zhou Ming turned around with his wine glass, smiling as he added, "Manager Lu has now registered with the Spirit Plant Hall. If there are any good jobs in the future, you'll probably be given priority consideration."

Lu Qingchen smiled and said, "Senior Brother Zhou is joking."

Halfway through the banquet, Zhou Ming quietly sat down next to Lu Qingchen with a wine glass in his hand.

His face was slightly flushed from the alcohol, his cheekbones were slightly red, but his eyes were still relatively clear.

After sitting down, he didn't rush to speak. He first took a sip of wine, then put down his glass and stared at the table in silence for a while.

"Manager Lu."

He spoke, his voice a few decibels lower than usual, "What happened before... was my fault."

Lu Qingchen paused slightly in the hand holding the wine glass.

Zhou Ming didn't look at him, his gaze fixed on the wine glass in front of him, as if speaking to the half-full glass of wine: "When you first came, regarding the land distribution, I deliberately pushed that wasteland at the end of the village to you."

"I know that Old Sun was behind the tenant farmers' affair. I didn't help him, but I didn't stop him either."

He paused, rubbing his fingers along the rim of the glass. "If I had wanted to, I could have helped you back then, but I didn't. I was afraid of offending him."

Inside the main room, Wang Youde was playing a drinking game with Liu Wenhua, making a deafening noise.

Zhao Demao watched with a smile, holding his teacup, occasionally interjecting with a comment.

No one noticed the two people in the corner.

Lu Qingchen remained silent for a moment, then picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

"Senior Brother Zhou, you don't need to take it to heart."

He said in a calm tone, "I haven't suffered any loss either, junior brother. We can just get along well in the future."

Zhou Ming turned to look at him, his eyes filled with surprise and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on.

After a long while, he slowly nodded.

"Manager Lu, what a magnanimous person you are..."

He didn't finish his sentence; he simply picked up his wine glass, raised it to Lu Qingchen, and then downed it in one gulp.

He put down his wine cup and took out a small bag of spirit stones from his sleeve, pushing it in front of Lu Qingchen.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation. I'm sorry for what happened before."

Lu Qingchen glanced at the bag of spirit stones but did not reach for it.

"Senior Brother Zhou, there's no need for spirit stones."

He pushed the spirit stone back, saying, "Junior brother, I didn't lose anything either."

Zhou Ming opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but Lu Qingchen had already picked up his wine glass.

Zhou Ming also raised his glass and took a sip.

There was a few moments of silence between them.

Another burst of laughter erupted from Wang Youde's side, it was unclear whether he had won or lost.

Lu Qingchen put down his wine glass and suddenly spoke up: "Senior Brother Zhou, there's something I've always wanted to ask you."

Zhou Ming looked at him.

"Why has Senior Brother Sun Zhiyuan been targeting me? I've never met him before."

Zhou Ming was silent for a moment, then lowered his voice: "It's because of Zhang Hongyi."

Lu Qingchen's brows twitched slightly.

"Zhang Hongyi is a good friend of Sun Zhiyuan."

Zhou Ming lowered his voice even further, "He also participated in the last overseas selection, but you squeezed him out. Old Sun has always wanted to get rid of you so that Zhang Hongyi could take his place."

The division of land, the tenant farmers' spying, the ambiguous words exchanged on ordinary days... all the fragments were pieced together into a complete picture at this moment.

Lu Qingchen nodded calmly: "Thank you for informing me, Senior Brother Zhou."

Zhou Ming looked at him and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you surprised?"

"I had already guessed a bit of it."

Lu Qingchen put down his wine cup and said in a calm tone, "Junior brother has only been a disciple for a short time and has no grudges with anyone in the manor. The only reason that Senior Brother Sun is going to such lengths is because he is blocking someone's path."

"We weren't sure who it was before, but now that Senior Brother Zhou has confirmed it, we feel much more at ease."

Lu Qingchen picked up his wine glass, took another sip, and remained calm.

Knowing who it is and why it is enough.

As for the others, there's no rush.

Zhou Ming stared at him for a few moments, then shook his head, unsure whether it was admiration or helplessness.

He poured himself another glass of wine and downed it in one gulp.

As the alcohol took effect, the blush on her face deepened, and her eyes began to glaze over.

He suddenly leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Manager Lu, tell me the truth—those disease-resistant rice varieties, were they really not cultivated by you?"

Lu Qingchen glanced at him, shook his head and chuckled, "Senior Brother Zhou, you overestimate me. I've only been a disciple for less than a year, and I only have low-grade five spiritual roots. How could I possibly have that kind of ability?"

"real?"

"Really," Lu Qingchen said, "I was just lucky."

Zhou Ming stared at him for several breaths, as if trying to determine whether he was lying.

Finally, he sighed, whether he believed it or not, and took another swig of wine.

Lu Qingchen held his wine glass, his gaze passing over the rim and landing on the night outside the window not far away.

In about two weeks, it will be time to harvest.

......

After the banquet, Lu Qingchen walked back to the end of the manor alone.

The moonlight illuminated the bluestone path, making it gleam brightly, while the fields on both sides swayed gently in the night breeze, rustling softly.

A few barks came from afar, then silence fell shortly afterward.

Lu Qingchen walked slowly, his mind replaying Zhou Ming's words.

Zhou Ming's visit to apologize was both unexpected and understandable to him.

He had just cured the Soul-Eating Disease and was riding high. The Spirit Plant Palace had already registered him. Anyone with a bit of sense knew that now was not the time to oppose him.

Zhou Ming is a smart man.

But no matter how nicely words are spoken, they are still just words.

Whether he is sincere or not depends on his future actions.

As for Sun Zhiyuan—

Lu Qingchen didn't have any specific ideas in mind yet.

Currently, he is inferior to his opponent in both status and strength.

Make a note of it now, and settle the score when the opportunity arises.

Lu Qingchen quickened his pace and headed towards the end of the village.

The moonlight stretched his shadow long, casting it on the bluestone path, where it swayed back and forth.

However, there has been no news of the rewards from the Spirit Plant Hall.

Lu Qingchen wasn't in a hurry and went to the fields as usual every day.

The spirit rice in the spirit field is growing steadily, with the ears of rice becoming fuller and fuller each day, drooping heavily. It will be ready for harvest in about half a month.