Seeing the two approaching, the old man turned and headed toward a small alley at the edge of the platform.

The alley was sandwiched between two three-story wooden buildings. Deep inside, the lighting was dim, a stark contrast to the radiant and colorful Market outside.

Lai Li’an and Su Wan’er followed the old man into the alley, and the three of them came to a stop deep within it.

The old man turned around and took off his bamboo hat, revealing a face covered in wrinkles. His eye sockets were deeply sunken, his cheekbones jutted out prominently, and his entire being looked as if something had hollowed him out from the inside.

“This old man just heard that you two fellow Daoists seem to be a bit tight on funds?”

Su Wan’er’s brows immediately furrowed. She took a half-step forward, shielding Lai Li’an behind her, her voice cold and clear: “So what if we are? What advice do you have, fellow Daoist?”

The old man hastily waved his hands, a smile piling onto his face. “Please do not get worked up, fellow Daoist. I mean no harm. I merely wished to say that I have a business proposition here. As long as you two are willing to help, the compensation is highly negotiable.”

Su Wan’er was just about to refuse. What kind of esteemed figure was her Honored Master? How could he possibly conduct a transaction with such a sneaky street Rogue Cultivator? But Lai Li’an’s voice rang out from behind her.

“Please speak, fellow Daoist.”

Su Wan’er froze for a moment and glanced back at her Honored Master. Lai Li’an still wore that same calm and breezy expression on his face, but she keenly noticed that her Honored Master’s gaze seemed somewhat different.

Her Honored Master naturally had his own reasons. Su Wan’er closed her mouth and stepped back to Lai Li’an’s side.

Seeing that Lai Li’an had responded, a hint of joy flashed in the old man’s eyes. He lowered his voice, “This old man’s surname is Qian, and my given name is Fu. I have a Spiritual Field outside the Western Suburbs of Yunze Market, about five acres, where I grew some low-grade spiritual herbs. Although they aren’t worth much, they are this old man’s life savings. Three months ago, a group of people came to the Western Suburbs, seized my field, and drove me out.”

He paused, a surge of hatred suddenly welling up in his cloudy eyes. “Before that gang left, they even cast a Bone-Corroding Curse on me, saying that if I wanted to live, I shouldn’t report it to the authorities. They said once they harvested this season’s spiritual herbs, if they were in a good mood, they might give me the antidote. But it’s been three months now, and a crop of spiritual herbs should have been harvested long ago. Not only did they not give me the antidote, but they won’t even let me near the field.”

Saying this, he coughed a few times, coughing so hard that he doubled over. By the time he straightened up, a trace of dark red blood was already seeping from the corner of his mouth.

“I truly have no other way out.” Qian Fu sighed. “I came to the Market today hoping to find a kind soul to help me out. I happened to hear you two fellow Daoists discussing Spirit Stones, so I figured that rather than going to the Mission Hall and having a cut taken by middlemen, I might as well ask the two of you directly for help.”

He rolled up his left sleeve. On Qian Fu’s left arm, a pitch-black pattern as dark as ink started from his wrist, meandered up his forearm, and extended all the way to his upper arm.

“When this thing acts up, it feels like ten million ants are drilling into the crevices of my bones. Three months ago, it was still down at my wrist. Once it drills its way to my heart, my old life will be over.”

Su Wan’er’s lips pressed into a thin line; she recalled having had a similar encounter herself once.

The Blood Lotus Sect’s Spirit-Eroding Curse had coiled around her Spiritual Root, eating away at her Cultivation Base bit by bit. She knew that feeling all too well. If it weren’t for her Honored Master, she might currently be nothing more than an empty shell with a drained Spiritual Root.

So her Honored Master had spoken up earlier because he had guessed this was the situation. Her Honored Master was truly kind.

“Fellow Daoist Qian,” Lai Li’an’s tone was flat. “You mean for the two of us to take back the Spiritual Field for you, and as a reward, you will pay us a sum of Spirit Stones?”

Qian Fu nodded hastily. “Exactly, exactly! Although this old man is no wealthy man, I’ve saved up some savings over the years by planting spirit herbs. As long as you two can help me take back the Spiritual Field and drive away that gang—or if that really isn’t possible, at least help me snatch the spirit herbs back so they aren’t ruined—I am willing to offer fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones as a reward!”

Fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones were enough to buy over a dozen portions of Spiritual Ginseng Soup, which didn’t sound bad at all.

Su Wan’er turned her head to look at Lai Li’an. Her eyes were filled with anticipation and her lips were slightly parted, as if she wanted to say something but didn’t dare.

Lai Li’an glanced at her, then glanced at Qian Fu.

A group that could bribe the Law Enforcement Team would presumably not be weak. His true strength right now was estimated to only be at Peak Foundation Establishment. If the other party had Golden Core cultivators, his only usable trump card would be the Immortal-Slaying Truth-Revealing Talisman. That was an item meant for saving his life and could not be used lightly.

Was it worth taking this risk for fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones?

His brain was calculating rapidly. Su Wan’er was looking at him, and Qian Fu was also looking at him.

Qian Fu swallowed nervously. He knew that this gray-robed man had at least a Golden Core Cultivation Base, and that girl was also at Peak Foundation Establishment. They were the most capable people he had met in the past three months who could possibly help him.

“Sixty!” Qian Fu gritted his teeth and voluntarily raised the price. “My entire fortune, sixty Low-Grade Spirit Stones! I truly don’t have any more!”

Su Wan’er finally couldn’t hold back anymore. She turned around to face Lai Li’an directly, her lips moving slightly.

Lai Li’an knew what she was going to say. What she wanted to say had to be the exact same kind of thing as when she had begged him to take her in at the ruined temple.

“Senior, he’s so pitiful. Let’s help him. I don’t even need a reward.”

He raised his hand, gesturing for her to hold her tongue.

Su Wan’er swallowed the words that had reached her lips, but she continued to stare straight at Lai Li’an, her eyes filled with entreaty.

Looking into those eyes of hers, Lai Li’an sighed in his heart.

He withdrew his gaze and looked at Qian Fu.

“Fellow Daoist Qian, where exactly is your Spiritual Field in the Western Suburbs? What is the background of those people who occupied the field? What is their Cultivation Base? How many of them are there?”

A sudden burst of light erupted in Qian Fu’s eyes. There was hope!

“Answering Senior! This old man’s Spiritual Field is at Sunset Slope in the Western Suburbs. Going out from the west gate of the Market, it takes about the time it takes an incense stick to burn via Sword-Flight. The group that occupied the field consists of four people in total. The leader is a Rogue Cultivator at Peak Foundation Establishment, surnamed Hong, and the other three all have a Late Foundation Establishment Cultivation Base. They forcibly occupied several Spiritual Fields near Sunset Slope, not just this old man’s. But some of the other field owners were scared off by them, and others simply sold their fields to them for cheap. Only this old man… only this old man’s old bones still cannot bear to part with that field.”

As he spoke, his voice dropped again, looking like he was about to shed tears.

After hearing this, Lai Li’an quickly did the math in his head. One Peak Foundation Establishment and three Late Foundation Establishment, this deal was doable.

60 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and there was even a chance he wouldn’t need to lift a finger himself; Su Wan’er could handle it. This deal could be done.

“Fellow Daoist Qian,” Lai Li’an said calmly, “we can help you out.”

Qian Fu’s eyes instantly turned red. His knees bent and he was about to kneel down, but Su Wan’er quickly supported him.

“Thank you, Senior! Thank you, fellow Daoist! I… I truly don’t know how to repay you…”

“No need.” Lai Li’an waved his hand. “60 Spirit Stones, paid in full after the deed is done.”

“Definitely! Definitely!”

Qian Fu nodded repeatedly, wiping the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. He fished a crumpled piece of paper out from his robes. On it, the terrain of Sunset Slope and the location of the Spiritual Field were drawn crookedly, though the annotations were actually quite detailed.

Lai Li’an accepted the map, glanced over it, and tucked it into his robes.

“This evening, wait for us at the west gate of the Market.”

Expressing his endless gratitude, Qian Fu departed. His back disappeared at the end of the alley, leaving the alley quiet once again.

Su Wan’er stood in place, her fingers twisting her skirt. She spoke softly, “Honored Master, are we really going to take his money?”

Lai Li’an glanced at her.

Of course, he couldn’t speak his true thoughts aloud, so he could only bluff his way through.

“Wan’er, do you know what a person cares about most when they have exhausted all they have and are driven to a dead end?”

Su Wan’er raised her head, staring blankly at her Honored Master. She instantly recalled her former self, hunted, her Spiritual Root destroyed, and left with absolutely nothing.

Before she could answer, Lai Li’an continued, “It is the last shred of dignity left in a desperate situation. Uncompensated charity would only crush his final bit of decency. However, an equivalent exchange allows him to straighten his back and accept this assistance without having to bow his head and beg for pity.”

“This Venerable accepts his Spirit Stones not out of greed for this meager reward, but to protect his remaining dignity. In the future, when encountering such matters, you must never again mention helping for free.”

Su Wan’er froze in place. It took her a long moment to snap back to reality. She gave Lai Li’an a firm nod, her eyes filled with the clarity of sudden enlightenment.

So her Honored Master had already considered this layer of meaning, which was ten million times gentler than her momentary soft-heartedness.

She gazed at her Honored Master’s calm and composed profile. Reverence surged within her heart, making her feel that the person before her possessed an endless depth of clarity and gentleness.

It turned out her Honored Master wasn’t cold and aloof, but had simply hidden away all his kindness.