Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

At 3:45 AM, the sky gradually brightened.

The pale golden morning light pierced through the morning mist and quickly spread throughout the entire immortal city.

In just one year, Yunyu Immortal City underwent a dramatic transformation. The streets were crowded with cultivators, the previously vacant shops on both sides were now all rented out, and even the narrow alleys in the north of the city were filled with cultivators who came to make a living.

At this moment, in the Tongfu Inn, on the second floor by the window, a young man in a green robe sat by the window, looking at the bustling street outside, lost in thought.

The side dishes and rice porridge on the table in front of him remained untouched, seemingly because they didn't suit his taste.

The young man in the green robe was Zhang Li. When he entered the city yesterday afternoon, it was already late. The address left in the communication jade talisman was not the Qingxuan Sect office in the west of the city, but a private residence. At that time, he could not visit Su Qinghe, so he had to find an inn in the city to stay.

It took Zhang Li a full cup of tea's time to gradually come back to his senses.

By this time, it was already bright daylight, and the number of cultivators coming and going on the street was increasing. He guessed that Su Qinghe should be free at this time, so he did not sit for long. He stepped downstairs and followed the bustling main street, heading straight for the address that Su Qinghe had left.

……

Zhang Li strolled to Yuntian Garden. The garden was surrounded by high walls and was located in the most central area of ​​the entire southern residential area of ​​the city. There was an array outside the garden, and a light blue light curtain enveloped the entire courtyard, isolating it from the noise of the outside world.

Two servants in blue robes, both at the third level of Qi Refining, stood on either side of the garden gate, blocking Zhang Li from approaching.

"Yuntian Garden is a private residence. Entry is prohibited without permission. Fellow Daoist, please stop here."

Zhang Li patted his storage bag, from which a jade talisman flew out. He said, "I am Zhang Li, a disciple of the Qingxuan Sect. I have come here at the invitation of Senior Sister Su to report on my duties and hand over the tax collection of the Qin family of Xiaohuan Mountain."

Upon hearing this, the attendant on the left reached out and took the jade talisman, infusing it with a wisp of magic power to examine it. A faint white light immediately appeared on the surface of the jade talisman. The attendant's expression softened slightly, and he returned the jade talisman with both hands, bowing slightly and saying, "So it is Fellow Daoist Zhang. I apologize for my rudeness earlier. Miss had instructed that if Fellow Daoist Zhang came, she would directly lead you inside. Please follow me."

The attendant raised his hand and lightly waved a spell at the light screen. The pale blue protective array parted to create a narrow doorway, allowing one person to pass through. The servant leading the way turned to the side and gestured for him to follow the bluestone path into the depths of the courtyard.

The spiritual energy inside the courtyard is far richer than outside the city. Various flowers and plants are planted along the way, and the stream meanders around the pavilions. It is quiet and elegant, completely free of the hustle and bustle of the streets and alleys of the fairy city.

Zhang Li followed along, secretly thinking to himself: "This servant calls Su Qinghe 'Miss,' could she be the daughter of that Foundation Establishment elder? No wonder she can afford such a villa in the core area of ​​the south of the city; ordinary family members simply don't have that kind of wealth."

No wonder they opted for a private residence instead of an official office; with elders and senior figures backing them up, they naturally didn't need to follow the proper rules.

Zhang Li was lost in thought, but showed no sign of it on his face. He quietly followed the servants through the corridor and towards the viewing pavilion in the center overlooking the water.

A figure dressed in a light green dress sat gracefully in the pavilion, her black hair tied up. It was Su Qinghe, who had invited him here by means of a talisman.

Hearing footsteps, she looked up and her gaze fell indifferently on Zhang Li.

The servants stopped at the foot of the stone steps outside the pavilion, bowed and took their leave, leaving Zhang Li alone to slowly walk into the pavilion.

On the stone table in the pavilion sat a pot of celestial tea, its aroma rising like spiritual mist. Su Qinghe wore a light green dress and had a faint smile on her face.

"Junior Brother Zhang, you must be tired from your journey." She spoke softly, gesturing to the stone bench opposite her, "Sit down."

"Greetings, Senior Sister Su."

After bowing respectfully, Zhang Li sat down as instructed and took out a storage bag from his sleeve. Inside was the tax he had received from the Qin family, but he had taken out the extra portion and put it into his own storage bag.

The extra money was originally left to him by the Qin family, so he naturally wouldn't refuse it.

"Senior sister, this is the Qin family's tax revenue from last year: 800 catties of Golden Cloud Spirit Rice and 40 catties of Black Gold Honey. Please take a look."

After Su Qinghe picked up the storage bag and infused it with her magic power, she glanced at it briefly, nodded in satisfaction, and her smile deepened, but it was noticeably different from before.

"Junior Brother Zhang is truly honest and simple. The amount of spirit rice and black honey is exactly the same, unlike the other disciples in the sect who are not satisfied with just one portion and want to have both."

Zhang Li was speechless upon hearing this. He thought he had already lowered his standards enough, but he never expected that Su Qinghe would be seen as exceptionally simple and honest.

It seems I can be bolder in the future.

"Sigh! I still suffer from being educated; I must learn from this experience next time."

Su Qinghe, naturally unaware of Zhang Li's thoughts, continued, "Being naturally simple and honest isn't necessarily a good thing in the cultivation world. The Wujinmi Sect is keeping a close eye on things, so we can't keep too much. Let's keep three jin for now, and give you half a jin, Junior Brother."

This Golden Cloud Spirit Rice isn't anything rare, I don't need it, Junior Brother, would you like some?

"Yes, of course I want it."

Zhang Li pondered this, but he couldn't quite grasp the sect's bottom line. He could only tentatively say, "Senior Sister is so considerate, Junior Brother is extremely grateful. Junior Brother will take twenty catties."

"Twenty jin?"

Hearing this, Zhang Li thought he was asking for too much and was about to change his mind, but Su Qinghe's next words opened his eyes.

"Only twenty catties?" Su Qinghe chuckled and shook her head, her tone very casual, not taking this little bit of spirit rice seriously at all. "No need to be so formal, I'll just leave you fifty catties."

Zhang Li froze for a moment, his mind suddenly in turmoil.

Just how greedy were some of the disciples in the sect? Su Qinghe felt she wasn't greedy enough, so she even took the initiative to add more.

I never imagined that Zhang Li would one day become a person of high moral character.

Su Qinghe waved her hand casually, and her storage bag flashed with spiritual light. She took out a bag of Golden Cloud Spirit Rice and half a catty of Black Gold Honey, and pushed it to Zhang Li.

Little did she know that Zhang Li was not a kind-hearted person at all; he had a very narrow mind and only accepted what others gave him willingly, and he would not take what others did not give him.

Zhang Li looked at the fifty catties of Golden Cloud Spirit Rice on the table. Since he had already left Su Qinghe with an impression of being kind-hearted, he might as well deepen it further. He carefully said, "Senior Sister, isn't this a bit too much? Won't the sect investigate?"

Su Qinghe said calmly, "Don't worry, the sect won't interfere. Don't you trust me?"

"I believe you, of course I believe you." Zhang Li nodded vigorously, and put the bag of Golden Cloud Spirit Rice and Black Gold Honey on the table into his storage bag. "Then thank you for your kindness, Junior Brother. It would be impolite of me to refuse."

Killing two birds with one stone, and gaining fifty catties of Golden Cloud Spirit Rice and five catties of Black Gold Honey for free, this trip to Yunyu Immortal City was not a wasted trip.

After the tax collection was completed, the next step was the most important part: the performance review.

However, since the two already knew each other and had some relationship, Su Qinghe didn't make things difficult for him. She simply asked him about the situation at Crescent Lake Spirit Site and asked for a copy of the daily management records of the Spirit Site before ending the interview.

"By the way, there's a small trading meeting being held here in three days. If you're interested, junior brother, you're welcome to attend."

"A trading meeting?" Zhang Li was slightly taken aback, looking up at Su Qinghe with a hint of curiosity. "Senior Sister, may I ask who participated in this meeting?"

"They are all Qi Refining stage disciples stationed in Yunyu Immortal City by their respective sects," Su Qinghe explained.

"Junior brother will definitely come!"

After understanding the situation, Zhang Li immediately agreed and then took his leave.

It was already noon when Zhang Li left Yuntian Garden. He had no interest in strolling around and went straight to the sect office in the west of the city. With his jade token, he received a full batch of spirit fertilizer, the spirit grain needed to feed the Azure Spirit Carp, as well as his salary and New Year's gifts for the whole year. After collecting everything, he returned directly to the inn.

The spiritual fertilizer and spiritual grains stored in Crescent Lake Spiritual Field can last for a while, and the situation in the spiritual field is relatively stable. He won't be gone for a few more days, so I don't think anything will go wrong.