Four days remained.

  There was far too much to do.

  I had to go to Ryusim Pavilion to buy basic materials for alchemy, create the sprinkler formation, and work in between. It would be nice if I had about three bodies.

  There was no other way. I just had to work hard.

  I would think about formations while working.

  It might look like I was slacking off, but strictly speaking, it wasn’t slacking.

  If I succeeded in creating the formation, wouldn’t it be a huge help to the tenant farmers?

  There was even less to say about the spirit herb fields.

  So this was part of my job duties. Yes, absolutely.

  I quickly finished washing my face and changed clothes.

  No matter how busy I was, I couldn’t neglect gathering information.

  I headed straight to Huami Inn.

  “Oh? You look brighter today. Things going well at the Spiritual Agriculture Pavilion?”

  The Plum Blossom Elder asked as he looked at me.

  “Well, something like that. But, Elder. I have something I’m curious about.”

  “Ask anything. If it’s something I know, I’ll answer.”

  “Do you happen to know about the Qinglu Exchange Gathering?”

  The Plum Blossom Elder immediately showed interest.

  “The Qinglu Exchange Gathering? Did you perhaps see it in the Cultivation White Records?”

  “How did you know?”

  I was grateful he came up with the reason on his own. No need to make excuses.

  “That’s obvious. Come to think of it, it should be held this year.”

  “I thought it was a very secretive gathering, but it doesn’t seem entirely so?”

  “It’s secretive. Very secretive. But its existence itself isn’t a secret. Hoo. I wish I could be invited there just once in my lifetime.”

  Regret flickered across the old man’s face.

  “I heard that only cultivators at Core Formation or above can participate. Is that true?”

  “That’s what the rumors say. A gathering formed by human cultivators, demonic cultivators, and monster cultivators at Core Formation or above. They say all the prominent figures of the Qingxiu True Realm belong to it.”

  “Is it really possible for those three groups to interact? I thought they were always fighting.”

  I poured tea into the Plum Blossom Elder’s cup as I asked. This wasn’t information found in the Cultivation White Records. It was good I asked.

  “It has a long history. It’s been operating for over ten thousand years, but the identities of its members have never been revealed. That’s how tight the security is. A bizarre place. They say it was founded by a Spirit Severing cultivator who successfully ascended long ago.”

  “It has such a long history? Is it impossible to even guess who belongs to it?”

  “It’s a gathering passed down since time immemorial. They say invitations usually pass from master to disciple, through family lineage, or through a sect’s direct line. They must all be outstanding figures. But that’s just speculation. The invitations themselves are so mystical that it’s impossible to discern the other party’s identity.”

  Oh ho. That meant there was no way for others to know my realm, nor any risk of my identity being exposed. Just in case, I asked again.

  “Then, people inside the gathering don’t know who each other are?”

  “How could they, unless they revealed themselves and interacted openly? The invitations were made by a Spirit Severing cultivator at the peak level. If someone could see through that, they would have ascended long ago.”

  That made sense. I felt even more at ease. After wetting his throat with tea, the Plum Blossom Elder added.

  “With demonic cultivators and monster cultivators mixed in, who would accept an invitation if secrecy weren’t guaranteed?”

  “That really is fascinating. What do the invitations look like?”

  “Only those who’ve received one would know. I’m dying of curiosity myself. I’ve lived over a hundred years as an information broker, but that’s one thing I could never uncover.”

  At this point, I had heard everything the Plum Blossom Elder knew.

  Since it was about time to head to work, I stood up. I didn’t forget to leave one spirit stone on the table.

  No matter how close we were, it wouldn’t be right to keep taking information without giving anything in return.

  There had to be give and take to maintain a relationship.

  “I see. Sigh, it’s their own world, so there’s nothing we can do. Then I’ll be off to work now.”

  “Alright. Thanks again today. See you next time.”

  With a much lighter heart, I hurried to work. This was why information mattered.

  It was a place crawling with monsters at Core Formation and above, so I had to conduct myself carefully.

  I would probably have to act a bit too.

  That, I was confident in.

  I could just imitate those tyrannical millionaires or politicians I’d seen on television before.

  ***

  Work was a bit slow today.

  No troublesome complainants appeared, and managing the spirit herb fields was easy.

  It would be nice if every day were this relaxed.

  Maybe because my mind was at ease, my progress on formation design went very smoothly.

  Was it because I was thinking about other things while working? …That might be it.

  Just as I was about to finish up and leave, the Section Head I’d seen at the interview before summoned everyone.

  What was going on? Don’t tell me… overtime?

  That absolutely could not happen.

  I moved closer to Senior Dongwu and asked quietly.

  “What do you think it is?”

  “I’m not sure either. They gathered everyone like this before too, when an official request came down from the sect for a large quantity of spirit herbs.”

  Senior Dongwu, a fellow wage thief like me, replied with a dark expression.

  Damn it! I was screwed. Of all times, during such a busy period!

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  But what the Section Head said was completely unexpected.

  “Ahem. Everyone knows that this year marks the Qinglu Exchange Gathering, which comes once every hundred years. Accordingly, all operations in Qingliu City will be suspended for seven days. This is to prevent confusion, so everyone finish your work and go home.”

  What kind of windfall was this?

  I barely suppressed the urge to cheer.

  Everyone was pleased, but the tactless Senior Ling Xuan raised his hand.

  “Um, I’m in the middle of some work. Is it really okay to stop so suddenly?”

  A question befitting a workaholic from Department Seven of the Spiritual Agriculture Pavilion.

  The Section Head slightly furrowed his brow, then replied gently.

  “Hmm, was that Ling Xuan? There’s no other choice. Those are the instructions from above. The sect won’t complain. Everyone should rest easy.”

  Senior Dongwu silently winked and patted my shoulder.

  As expected, those who walked the same path of wage thievery reacted differently.

  I winked back, expressing silent joy.

  As for the backlog of work, the me from seven days later could handle it.

  I was hurrying to leave in high spirits when the Section Head called out to me.

  “Xuanyuan, was it? Come here for a moment.”

  What was it? I felt uneasy.

  Senior Dongwu pushed me forward as if it were nothing.

  “There are only two reasons the Section Head calls someone. Either you caused a big incident, or you did good work. You’ve never caused trouble, so it must be the latter. You’re lucky today. Go on.”

  Was that really true? I recalled everything I’d done so far.

  There was definitely nothing I could be nitpicked for.

  If anything, I had improved quality through better cultivation methods.

  I headed straight to the office.

  As expected, he greeted me with a warm face.

  “Mm, you’re here? Sit down. This is a newly arrived spirit tea. Have a cup.”

  If he was offering spirit tea, it definitely wasn’t bad news.

  I drank it with a relaxed heart. It was fragrant, and my spiritual power recovered a little.

  “About the Huayong Grass sent to the sect this time. I heard it was handled very well. You used some new method, didn’t you? When they made Ju’an Pills with that Huayong Grass, the effects were even better.”

  The face of that ill-mannered fellow who’d tried to steal my secret came to mind.

  Could it be… was the Section Head in league with him?

  Even if that were the case, I had no intention of handing over my method for free. At the very least, my monthly stipend would need to increase, or I’d need some spirit stones.

  “I didn’t use any special method. I explained the general approach to the inner disciple who took the herbs that day. If you’re asking me to say more than that…”

  When I showed displeasure, the Section Head’s brow relaxed.

  Why? Why did he look pleased?

  “Don’t worry. Just because someone wants it doesn’t mean you have to hand over your personal know-how. I don’t do things like that.”

  That was reassuring, but… then why had he called me?

  The Section Head soon explained.

  “After the holiday, there may be some movement from the Pill Pavilion. If that happens, come find me. No matter what it is, I’ll block it.”

  I see. That was it. My heart eased a little.

  Yes. This was what a proper superior looked like.

  That said… that crafty bastard.

  I gave him the crucial clue of sunlight, yet instead of experimenting on his own, he tried to target my methods again?

  No matter how much of an inner disciple he was, there was such a thing as professional ethics. I’d watch his next move and then decide what to do.

  The world of “Fresh Immortal” was never easy.

  Some sprouts needed to be cut early.

  After finishing the spirit tea and offering my thanks, I left the office. The Section Head seemed to have an even better impression of me now.

  Hmm… did he think I was upright and principled? Well, good was good.

  ***

  I headed to Ryusim Pavilion.

  After buying the items Baixuan had asked for, I needed to dive straight into formation research. The cultivator I’d seen before while buying purified jade tokens was busy entertaining someone else.

  If possible, it was more comfortable to deal with someone familiar.

  As I hesitated, a female cultivator approached.

  She looked familiar.

  Ah, she was the one who’d interviewed with me before.

  This counted as an acquaintance too, so maybe she’d shave a few coins off the price.

  “Welcome, Daoist Xuanyuan. We met at the interview before, didn’t we? What brings you here?”

  I returned the greeting with a more relaxed heart.

  “I need a cauldron and furnace for alchemy, spirit charcoal, cutting shears, a scale, a sieve, and medicine bottles. Do you also have pine pollen and grain powder? The cauldron and furnace don’t need to be expensive, just the basics.”

  Momentarily flustered by the nonstop list, the female cultivator soon smiled brightly.

  “Of course we do. Please wait a moment.”

  I looked around the shop while waiting for her to return.

  Last time, I’d been in a hurry after buying things, but it was clearly larger and had more variety than Xianqi Pavilion.

  “Here are the items you requested. I chose the most basic cauldron and furnace as well. However… even basic ones are somewhat expensive.”

  Ha. Spirit stones were disappearing in chunks.

  Still, considering it as the cost of having a personal alchemist, it was bearable.

  I nodded as if it were nothing.

  “That’s fine. How much is everything?”

  The female cultivator’s eyes lit up. She wasn’t thinking she’d caught a sucker, was she?

  “The total comes to 300 spirit stones. Since you’re an official of Qingliu City, you get a ten percent discount. So 270 spirit stones.”

  That was actually cheaper than the standard price. Still, I tried some light bargaining.

  “I was thinking of paying with two mid-grade spirit stones. Could I get a bit more of a discount?”

  Hearing “mid-grade spirit stones,” the female cultivator took a sharp breath.

  Mid-grade spirit stones were rarer and absorbed faster than low-grade ones. Offering some discount wouldn’t be a loss.

  “In that case, I can do two mid-grade spirit stones and thirty low-grade spirit stones.”

  Hmm. That was acceptable.

  I had to spend the money anyway, and it was better to get a bit more discount than to hold onto it.

  I readily accepted the deal.

  After paying and putting the purchased items into my storage pouch, I was about to leave when the female cultivator spoke.

  “Daoist Xuanyuan. I heard it’s very difficult to be assigned to the Spiritual Agriculture Pavilion. Are you having a hard time?”

  Why ask that? Was she trying to commiserate as a fellow recruit?

  “It’s not particularly difficult. I’ll be going now.”

  As I turned to leave, she spoke again.

  “Then Daoist Xuanyuan must truly be talented.”

  Why did she keep talking? This was annoying.

  I glanced sideways and saw her blinking exaggeratedly.

  It was extremely uncomfortable. Did she have an eye infection or something?

  Catching an illness before the Exchange Gathering would be disastrous.

  I’d never even caught a cold since becoming a cultivator, but still, you never knew.

  “Well, I suppose so. Then I’ll take my leave.”

  I hurried away.

  I could hear her calling out from behind.

  I pretended not to hear and quickened my pace.

  Seriously, this was why dealing with shopkeepers was so troublesome.

  ***

  The day of the Exchange Gathering arrived.

  After leaving my house, I headed into an empty alley.

  After checking the surroundings, Baizi approached and obediently climbed onto my body.

  It meant there was no probing presence whatsoever.

  With a pounding heart, I infused spiritual power into the invitation engraved on my hand.

  A cold sensation spread over my body, and I felt my presence grow faint.

  So this was the concealment art created by a Spirit Severing cultivator?

  A mask now covered my face.

  This hid both identity and aura, I suppose.

  Baizi looked at me in puzzlement.

  Yes, yes. It looks strange, doesn’t it? But measures like this are what keep us safe.

  I conveyed my meaning through our mental link.

  There was no need to speak loudly when concealed anyway.

  Lives were decided by such trivial details.

  After a few days of training, Baizi wasn’t making any squeaking noises now.

  I put the little fellow into the Spirit Beast Platform and secured it well.

  If anything happened, I planned to hide in the subspace and release it intermittently for scouting.

  Since it could become perfectly transparent, brief outings would be fine.

  After taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the alley.

  I headed toward Okheon Pavilion of Qingliu City, where the Exchange Gathering was held.

  From here on, I had to display the dignity of a Core Formation cultivator.

  Upon arriving at Okheon Pavilion, a neatly dressed maid greeted me with a smile.

  Surprisingly, she was a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

  “Welcome, and greetings to the Qinglu Exchange Gathering. I am Lianhua, assigned to guide you. Shall you follow me this way?”

  Her posture was impeccably respectful.

  She must have taken me for a senior at Core Formation or above.

  In a place filled with high-level cultivators, appearing timid would be stranger.

  I needed to show dignity.

  I recalled an argument over plastic bags back when I worked at a convenience store.

  Bracing my abdomen, I spoke.

  “Hmph. Of course I’ll follow. Would I go alone?”

  Sorry, Miss Cultivator. I have to act a bit.