The Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace was no longer as bustling as it had been a month ago. Its gates were desolate, with only a few Cultivators passing by in twos and threes, looking thoroughly dejected.
The Wei Family made no effort to manage it. For one, they had no interest in doing so; for another, they currently had more important matters to attend to.
After safely dropping off his client at Celestial Gate Mountain, Fang Qingyuan heard a Wei Family Cultivator loudly recruiting Loose Cultivators at the docks:
"The Wei Family is recruiting Loose Cultivators! Thirty Spirit Stones a month for Early-stage Qi Cultivation, sixty for mid-stage, and one hundred for late-stage! Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators will receive even more generous compensation! Any interested fellow daoists, please step forward now!"
Upon hearing these terms, a number of down-on-their-luck Loose Cultivators crowded around and began to ask if they could join.
The Wei Family Cultivator accepted all comers, taking every one of them under his command.
Fang Qingyuan's brow furrowed slightly as he watched. For the past few days, the Wei Family had been frantically recruiting passing Loose Cultivators. The compensation they offered was so good it rivaled his own as a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect.
Offering thirty Spirit Stones for Loose Cultivators at Early-stage Qi Refining completely disrupted the market.
Normally, a Loose Cultivator at Early-stage Qi Refining would be doing well to earn five Spirit Stones a month. This was a sixfold increase, so it was no wonder everyone was so eager.
However, for the Wei Family to offer such a price, their ambitions were likely much greater. He feared these Loose Cultivators might have the good fortune to earn the Spirit Stones, but not the lifespan to spend them.
However, Fang Qingyuan felt no need to warn these Loose Cultivators. He just watched coldly. Everyone has their own destiny, and it all comes down to their own choices.
Returning to his home in the villa, Fang Qingyuan settled his humpback skate and then went out to find Lao He.
He disliked being in debt, whether it was money or Spirit Stones. As soon as he received payment for the goods, his first order of business was to deliver Lao He's share.
Lao He lived in a Loose Cultivator's shanty near the villa, which looked very crude.
Normally, a Cultivator wouldn't live in such a dilapidated hovel, but in reality, people like Lao He had no other choice.
The Cultivation World was no peaceful, prosperous era. One could encounter Tribulation Cultivators, demonic beasts, Demon Cultivators, and more; a single run-in could prove fatal.
One could certainly build a luxurious mansion elsewhere, but there would be no guarantee of safety. Although they could only build shanties here, it was right at the foot of Tianshan Villa and thus very secure.
Sacrificing a bit of comfort for safety was an acceptable trade-off. Besides, Cultivators tended to have a detached disposition and weren't overly concerned with such worldly things.
Tianshan Villa turned a blind eye to these shanties, but if you tried to start any large-scale construction, you were just asking for trouble.
When he arrived at Lao He's shanty, Fang Qingyuan raised his hand to knock. But just as he lifted his fingers, the door opened on its own, and a small head poked out.
"Who are you looking for, sir?"
The child was about ten years old with delicate features; at first glance, Fang Qingyuan thought he was a girl.
"What is He Jisong to you?"
"He's my father. He just stepped out."
Fang Qingyuan offered a warm smile. "I have some business with your father. Would it be alright if I came in and waited?"
The child thought for a moment, gave Fang Qingyuan a smile, and then slammed the door shut in his face.
"My dad said not to let strangers in the house. You can wait outside for a bit."
Fang Qingyuan's expression froze for a second before his smile returned. 'If I have to wait, I'll wait,' he thought.
...
"You little brat! Get over here and kneel! Kowtow to your Uncle Fang and apologize!"
Inside the shanty, Fang Qingyuan sat in the seat of honor, sipping tea and listening as Lao He—that is, He Jisong—disciplined his child.
Seeing the aggrieved look on the boy's face as he prepared to kneel, Fang Qingyuan lifted a hand lightly, and the child found he could not bend his knees.
"Lao He, there's no need for this," Fang Qingyuan said. "He was only obeying you. There's no reason to punish him."
"That may be so, but I feel terrible for making Fellow Daoist Fang wait outside for an hour. You put in a good word for me and spared me a beating back then. How can I face you after this?"
With a faint smile, Fang Qingyuan took out forty Spirit Stones and spread them over the table, addressing He Jisong.
"It was a trivial matter; don't give it another thought. This is the remaining payment for the three hundred fruits. Please, take it."
He Jisong's face lit up at the sight of the Spirit Stones, but then he clenched his jaw and said:
"Fellow Daoist Fang, please take these Spirit Stones back. I want to ask a favor of you. My son's aptitude is decent. His Earth Spirit Root is just shy of being Middle-grade. I was hoping..."
Fang Qingyuan set down his teacup and gestured for Lao He to stop. The smile faded from his face as he addressed He Jisong.
"There's no need to say the rest, Lao He. I know what you're asking, but I can't do it. Forget the fact that I'm just an Outer Disciple; even if I were to become a Core Disciple, this matter can't be settled without a word from the Villa Head."
Hearing Fang Qingyuan's words, Lao He was first stunned, then his face filled with bitterness. Of his son's Five Elements Spirit Root, his Earth Spirit Root showed the best aptitude, yet it was still just shy of reaching the Middle-grade.
This tiny gap was what determined that his child could not become a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect's Tianshan Villa. Without some special opportunity, he was fated to be a Loose Cultivator for his entire life.
If he were lucky, he might become a Guest Minister or marry into some Cultivator Clan. If he were unlucky, he would simply waste his life away.
In his youth, He Jisong had been full of vigor, reaching the Third-Layer Qi Cultivation in his twenties. But when he tried to break through to the Qi Refining Fourth Level, he got stuck for nearly twenty years, and to this day, he still saw no hope of a breakthrough.
Ten years ago, he had slowly begun to accept his fate. He married a mortal woman, intending to start a family. But when his wife was pregnant and about to give birth, Lao He sensed an opportunity for a breakthrough and insisted on leaving to seek it out.
In the end, he never found his opportunity, and his wife died in childbirth, leaving him only with their son. Crushed by the blow, Lao He fell into a depression from which he never recovered.
Now, his only hope rested on his son. With the triennial entrance test about to begin, Lao He had run into Fang Qingyuan, a disciple from Beast Taming Mountain, and wanted to try pulling some strings.
Unfortunately, he was shut down before he could even finish speaking.
Seeing Lao He's expression, Fang Qingyuan sighed inwardly. 'It's not that I don't want to help, but that I can't. I'm just an Outer Disciple. What could I possibly do about something as important as the entrance selection?'
The child seemed to sense his father's despair and said through his tears,
"Father, I don't want to join the Beast Taming Sect! I want to stay with you forever!"
'Such filial piety is commendable. But when you grow up, I wonder if you will come to resent your father for his powerlessness?'
With that passing thought, Fang Qingyuan rose to his feet and said,
"That's all for today. Keep the Spirit Stones. Have another three hundred Red Lotus Fruits ready for me in half a month."
He Jisong quickly stood up to see him off, saying to Fang Qingyuan,
"I was presumptuous. Please don't take it to heart, Fellow Daoist Fang. As for the fruits, you can rest assured. I will do my utmost to have them ready."
Fang Qingyuan nodded. As he was about to leave, he turned his head to look at the teary-eyed boy and asked,
"What's your name?"
The boy wiped his tears, a stubborn look on his face, and shouted,
"My name is He Yu! A gentleman is like jade, warm and lustrous! A gentleman is like water, benefiting all things and cleansing impurity...!"
Listening to He Yu's recitation, Fang Qingyuan laughed heartily and turned to leave. A Magic Sword flew out from his storage bag and landed at his feet. He leaped into the air and soared away.
Long after he had flown away, He Yu was still muttering the words under his breath.