"Ah, it's not enough to have great rewards; you need to have a life to claim them. If only my husband had skills like Fellow Daoist Xu."
Lv Liu gazed at Xu Ping, her eyes seemingly shimmering with spring water, revealing a touch of tenderness.
Xu Ping forced a somewhat awkward smile: "Daoist Zhao's mana is powerful; he earns way more Spirit Stones than I do."
"But that involves risks. I just want to live a peaceful life," Lv Liu said with a worried expression, her brow showing a hint of timidity, like a lovable white rabbit.
"Hehe!" Xu Ping had no words to retort, so he could only smile awkwardly.
Old Man Lu watched the two with a somewhat meaningful glance.
...
Leaving Lv Liu's house, on the way to the next household.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao is at the fifth level of Qi Cultivation, Xu, you should be careful," Old Man Lu implied meaningfully.
"I'm not doing anything, why should I be careful?" Xu Ping was utterly speechless.
"That's not for certain. With Fellow Daoist Lv's charming demeanor, can you restrain yourself?" Old Man Lu teased.
"Women only slow down my cultivation speed!" Xu Ping said with a blank expression.
"Hehe!" Old Man Lu looked unconvinced.
Such a beautiful woman showing interest in you, with the added allure of being married, 99% of men can't control themselves.
....
....
The sun slanted westward.
Elder Yan walked out of his house and, with familiarity, arrived at a secluded place.
The surrounding scenery was desolate, with only a few scattered households and sparse spirit fields, appearing bleak and lifeless.
Elder Yan wrapped his clothes tighter and walked to the front of a courtyard, where a few leftover bones were thrown about, emitting a pungent smell.
"Is Fellow Daoist Ding at home?"
Elder Yan lightly knocked on the courtyard gate.
After a moment, there was some movement inside, and soon the house's door was opened by a bald man with a full beard.
His gaze was as sharp as a knife, piercing straight over, chilling to the bone.
"I wondered who it was, turns out it's Fellow Daoist Yan. What brings you here?" The man grinned grimly, an ominous aura instantly spreading.
Elder Yan remained composed, smiling in response: "Why not invite me in for a sit?"
"Hahaha, the visit of Fellow Daoist Yan brings glory to my humble abode, how could I not invite you in?" The man laughed heartily, inviting Elder Yan inside.
His home was extremely simple, without even a cup for water, evidently not planning on staying long.
Elder Yan seated himself before a gray-white table, his eyes scanning the man's simple dwelling, and asked, "Where's your brother?"
"Off having fun."
"Tell me, what do you need? Fellow Daoist Yan doesn't visit without purpose."
"Fellow Daoist Ding, you speak straightforwardly, so I won't beat around the bush." Elder Yan smiled slightly, his tone suddenly turning icy, "It's nothing major, just need you brothers to help me kill someone."
The man was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Fellow Daoist Yan, you jest. We brothers are good people, we wouldn't dare kill."
Upon hearing this, Elder Yan remained unfazed, continuing to speak to himself: "A Qi Cultivation third-level spirit farmer, with no backing or background. His value should be quite decent now."
The man's eyebrows raised, leaning back on the chair, arms crossed in front of his chest: "What, did this spirit farmer offend Fellow Daoist Yan?"
"I just need him to disappear, no need to ask more," Elder Yan replied calmly.
A sinister smile crept up the man's lips: "Alright, I can help you, but you have to tell me, how many Spirit Stones are you willing to pay?"
"Fifteen Spirit Stones, and everything on him belongs to you." Elder Yan's tone remained steady.
"Haha, fifteen Spirit Stones? You think my brothers and I are what, beggars?" Ding Meng laughed, the sound echoing in the empty room, particularly grating.
Elder Yan furrowed his brow slightly, pondered for a moment, then continued: "I can add some conditions. If you can finish within three days, I'll give you another ten Spirit Stones."
The man's eyes became sharp, seemingly weighing the conditions offered by Elder Yan, calculating the benefits in his mind.
Ultimately, he nodded: "Since we're friends, my brother and I will take a loss this time!"
"Deal." Elder Yan smiled slightly, quietly breathing a sigh of relief.
If you want to cut off my livelihood, don't blame me for being merciless!
"Here is his portrait and a down payment of ten Spirit Stones; I'll pay the rest after the job is done!" Elder Yan handed Xu Ping's portrait and ten Spirit Stones to the man.
This portrait, whoever drew it, was astonishingly lifelike.
"Don't mess it up!" Elder Yan cautioned emphatically.
"Don't worry, we brothers are professionals!" The man put the Spirit Stones into his storage pouch, carefully examining the portrait.
After the agreement was made, Elder Yan didn't linger and turned to leave.
Nightfall.
Elder Yan walked several steps in the dark, suddenly stopping and looking back at that simple courtyard gate, a sinister smile tugging at his lips:
"With such a high cost, you're dying in the right way."
...
...
Two days later, in the morning.
At Elder Yan's house.
"What's this, you want to return the deposit too?" Elder Yan looked extremely displeased, glaring at the middle-aged man in front of him.
That's already the fourth one in the past two days.
"Elder Yan, I...my wife is sick and needs Spirit Stones for treatment, so I really don't have any to spare for watering the spirit fields." The middle-aged man stammered, providing an excuse.
"Humph, sick?" Elder Yan snorted coldly.
Yesterday, he saw the middle-aged man's wife vigorously arguing with someone.
And now she's suddenly sick?
However, Elder Yan didn't expose him, instead silently keeping a note of it.
The ones returning the deposit these past few days, mocking him behind his back, are all noted in his mind.
Once that brat dies, I'll deal with you all properly!
But it's been two days, why haven't the Ding brothers made a move yet?
Elder Yan felt anxious and irritated; he really wished he could flay Xu Ping's skin and tear out his bones.
...
...
As the sunset slowly descended, golden rays of light scattered on the tranquil phoenix trees, draping Dongwu Market in a warm golden veil.
Having completed another day of work, Xu Ping walked wearily along the road.
But thinking about the Spirit Stones he earned during this period, he felt all his fatigue vanish.
Including today's two Spirit Stones, his savings totaled ten Spirit Stones.
Although it wasn't enough to rent a house in the market center,
To Xu Ping, this was a huge sum!
At least it could allow him to live comfortably for a year.
He couldn't help but ponder how he'd shop in the market, improving his current life.
"First, buy at least a few more sets of clothes. This set is almost worn out, and then get a few more pounds of Demon Beast Flesh. I wonder if the market sells condiments..."
As Xu Ping passed through a grove of phoenix trees, two figures suddenly appeared in his view: one tall, one short.
One at the fifth level of Qi Cultivation, the other at the fourth.
Sensing the undisguised Spiritual Power and malice from the other party, Xu Ping's heart tightened, and he warily shouted, "Who are you?"
He didn't recognize them at all, but his intuition told him they were not here with good intentions.
"The ones who want your life!"
The short Qi Cultivation fourth-level cultivator, around thirty years old, with a black spot on his face, sneered as he held a few talismans, flanking Xu Ping to cut off his retreat.