Chapter Bonanza (2/10)

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Immortal-Demon City has teleportation portals connecting the Lower City to the Upper City.

But not just anyone can ascend.

Some say the Upper City is merely a residential district, home to all the prominent figures of the cultivation world.

The city lords of Immortal-Demon City, or the proprietor of Haoqi Pavilion—the dominant force in the cultivation world—are among them. Whether demon cultivator or righteous path, anyone with wealth, power, and status could purchase land in the Upper City to build a residence.

Owning property in Immortal-Demon City had become a ‘status symbol’ in itself.

This place belonged to no sect, only to the city lords of Immortal-Demon City.

The city had three rulers, all rumored to be experts above the Nascent Realm. That was why the city maintained such stability. Neither immortals nor demons dared to act recklessly.

Qin Zhou approached the teleportation portal and found a crowd gathered, seemingly watching something.

“This is the Divine Heavenly Stele.”

“This is the engraving of the Lord of All Heavens! Truly breathtaking.”

So the Yuanqing Mountain disciple had spoken the truth—this place truly was a ‘scenic spot’. Tourists swarmed the area.

And the stone monument now surrounded by visitors was none other than the very stone from his village entrance.

The two characters ‘Zhutian’ were carved in regular script across its surface.

So someone had indeed moved the stone from his village entrance here.

“Little Sparrow, did you see that? That’s the Celestial Seal! I actually saw the legendary Celestial Seal!” A voice suddenly rang out from the crowd, one that felt familiar to Qin Zhou.

Qin Zhou looked over and indeed spotted Shen Yun amidst the crowd.

Shen Yun appeared unchanged from before, cradling the little wind sparrow in his arms and holding a beast-taming staff in his hand.

Both man and beast stared intently at the stone tablet before the teleportation portal.

Qin Zhou thought to himself that his chances of encountering this person were remarkably high.

First, he’d gone to the Boundary City for rumors of spirit beast uprisings, and now he was here in the Immortal-Demon City to see the Stone Stele of the Heavens. It had to be said, Shen Yun was quite the free-spirited cultivator.

Having only met a few times, Qin Zhou had no intention of striking up a conversation.

The little bird in Shen Yun’s arms seemed to sense something. The wind sparrow twisted its head and spotted Qin Zhou.

Qin Zhou: “…”

He didn’t want to get his pants’ legs chewed on.

Qin Zhou turned and walked away.

“Cheep!” The little wind sparrow struggled desperately to break free from Shen Yun’s embrace. Cheep cheep cheep! Uncle who gives tasty candy beans!

Shen Yun noticed its movements and caught the little wind sparrow mid-air.

“Little Sparrow, don’t run off!! Isn’t looking at the Celestial Stone Stele enough?”

The little sparrow chirped twice.

When its bird head turned back, Qin Zhou was nowhere to be seen in its dark little pea-shaped eyes.

“Cheep—” The bird’s voice was low.

Shen Yun stroked its head soothingly, “We’ll leave soon, okay? No fuss.”

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Qin Zhou turned back to the temporary inn he’d found.

Accommodations in the Immortal-Demon City weren’t as expensive as in the Boundary City. Plus, the golden silkworm thread didn’t cost Spirit Stones, so he was still quite well-off.

Having examined the stone tablet, Qin Zhou didn’t intend to be idle. Sitting by the window at a small tea table, he pulled out paper and a slender charcoal stick, beginning to sketch.

In the place where Qin Zhou had once lived, five metals were considered essential for betrothal and dowry.

When he was very young, he loved playing with the bracelet on his mother’s wrist. Later, he learned it was the token exchanged when his parents were betrothed.

Sitting in his mother’s lap, Qin Zhou listened as she gently explained what items the Huaguo people prepared for betrothal and dowry.

Back then, Qin Zhou didn’t know he would grow to love boys. He simply listened obediently.

“When our little Zhouzhou gets married someday, these things must be prepared. Etiquette is one aspect, but most importantly, it shows sincerity. It prevents the other party from feeling disrespected.”

Qin Zhou nodded in agreement.

He kept these words close to his heart. Even after growing up and realizing he preferred boys, he never forgot them.

Jewelry might not be the most fitting gift for a boy.

But Qin Zhou always believed his mother was right. It was about etiquette, sincerity, and a genuine heart.

Thinking of how delighted someone would be upon receiving the gift, Qin Zhou’s pencil moved a bit faster.

Soon, the charcoal sketched a promising prototype on the paper.

First, create the prototype. Once perfected, return to cast the gold.

Just as he finished one design sketch, a knock sounded at the door.

Qin Zhou’s hand paused mid-stroke.

“Master Craftsman, we are from Haoqi Pavilion.”

Qin Zhou frowned. Could there be a problem with the meteorite? Or had Haoqi Pavilion failed to find a connoisseur and now wanted back the eighty coils of golden silkworm thread?

With that thought, he rose to open the door.

The visitor was none other than the shopkeeper he had met briefly before.

Seeing he’d found the right person, the shopkeeper sighed in relief and said respectfully, “Master Cultivator, please forgive our abrupt intrusion. The thing is, our young master saw the items you sold to Haoqi Pavilion and wishes to meet you.”

“Of course, this isn’t to cause you trouble. Our young master simply has a matter he’d like to consult with you about.”

Qin Zhou raised his eyebrows slightly.

So there were connoisseurs within Haoqi Pavilion after all?

“Agreed. Lead the way.”

Qin Zhou followed the group back to Haoqi Pavilion.

This time, however, they didn’t go to the main hall. Instead, the shopkeeper led him to a separate guest room.

Before they even entered, fragments of conversation drifted out.

“Are you certain this is seventh-grade meteorite iron? You’re not pulling my leg, right?”

“I wouldn’t. Whether it is or not, you’ll know once that person arrives… cough.”

Two voices—one sharp, one weak.

“Truly, strange events have been occurring one after another lately.”

“Never mind the secret realm affair—the Righteous Alliance was wiped out clean. The Guiyuan Sect is still scrambling to find allies, hoping to pool their strength against the great demonic tyrant. That entire sect, mind you, seems utterly blinded by greed. It’s like an ant trying to shake a tree—utterly delusional.”

“Then there’s that crimson cloud in the sky. A seventh-tier spirit artifact appears at a major medical cultivation sect. How laughable is that? Yuanqing Mountain produced two seventh-tier artifacts in one breath, while our Haoqi Sect can’t even craft a sixth-tier one.” The spirited voice grew increasingly sighing. “Now, in the lower city of this Immortal-Demon City, a seventh-tier meteorite has surfaced…”

“Calm your mind,” the weaker voice replied, tinged with a faint smile. “Our guest has arrived. No more grumbling.”

Only then did the shopkeeper dare speak from outside the door: “Young Sect Master, the cultivator has arrived.”

“Show him in!”

As the door opened, Qin Zhou followed him inside.

Two young men sat in the hall. One had eyes like fire, his gaze sharp and brilliant. The other leaned weakly against his chair, his complexion sickly pale.

The more spirited one was likely the one who had summoned him.

“Esteemed cultivator, I am Yin Lifeng, Young Master of the Haoqi Sect and proprietor of this Haoqi Pavilion. What is your name, brother?”

Qin Zhou saw him rise and clasp his fists in greeting, returning the gesture. “Qin Zhou.”

After the exchange, Qin Zhou’s gaze settled on the visibly pale youth.

Until Yin Lifeng spoke again.

“Cultivator Qin—no sect or lineage?”

Qin Zhou withdrew his gaze. “I am an independent cultivator.”

Yin Lifeng’s astonishment was almost written across his face. A solitary cultivator at the Golden Core stage? How could he possess seventh-grade meteorite iron?

The weakened young nobleman gave a light cough. Perhaps an elder.

Having known each other for years, Yin Lifeng suddenly understood upon hearing that cough. If he was suppressing his cultivation, then it made sense.

“Please sit, Cultivator Qin.” Yin Lifeng personally fetched a chair before pressing impatiently, “We invited you here with no ill intent. We simply wish to ask—do you know what this object is?” He held up the thumb-sized meteorite.

Qin Zhou replied calmly, “Seventh-grade material. Celestial meteorite.”

“Correct, seventh-tier material—celestial meteorite iron.” Yin Lifeng toyed with it, then sighed. “This item is worth far more than a mere forty thousand spirit stones or eighty coils of golden silkworm thread. Since you know its value, speak plainly—why did you trade it to Haoqi Pavilion? What are your intentions?”

It wasn’t surprising that Yin Lifeng suspected a hidden agenda.

If Qin Zhou knew the value of a seventh-tier material, he couldn’t possibly have traded it for just eighty coils of golden silkworm thread. He could have demanded an astronomical price. Yet, he had chosen to exchange it for only eighty coils.

“I didn’t have enough money, but I wanted the golden silkworm thread,” Qin Zhou stated plainly.

Yin Lifeng:?

No ulterior motive?

“So you’re saying, in your eyes, this golden silkworm thread… is worth more than this piece of celestial meteorite?” Yin Lifeng gripped the meteorite in his hand, his eyes filled with disbelief, as if asking, Do you even know what you’re saying?

This is a seventh-tier celestial meteorite versus some common golden silkworm thread, you know?

“At this moment, indeed.” Qin Zhou nodded.

“…” Yin Lifeng turned to his companion. He really said that!

The frail youth gave a helpless smile. “Our seniors’ perspective differs from ours. We focus solely on value, but he doesn’t care about its worth… ahem.”

Slowly, he pushed himself up from the chair. “Lu Zhanyu, Young City Lord of the Immortal-Demon City. May I inquire about your true name, sir?”

Qin Zhou had already found the youth familiar. Now that he’d stated his name, Qin Zhou recalled exactly who he was.

Lu Zhanyu.

That frail child with no cultivation talent.

To be precise, he was the child of Twelve and Eighteen.

He was also the ‘result’ of Qin Zhou’s first-generation Fertility Pill.

Initially, Qin Zhou’s research into the Fertility Pill aimed to promote procreation and cultivate superior offspring through intermarriage among villagers.

After successfully refining the Fertility Pill, Qin Zhou proposed conducting trials.

At that time, Lu Er and Lu Qi had yet to declare their intentions, while Shier and Shiba were widely recognized as a couple. Even during Qin Zhou’s time playing the game, he had witnessed them becoming Dao companions.

Thus, after the Fertility Pill emerged, the two voluntarily became Qin Zhou’s ‘test subjects’.

Qin Zhou, believing it was merely the AI character’s excellence, didn’t think much of it and administered the Fertility Pill to Eighteen.

Zhanyu became the village’s first newborn child.

Regrettably, the child not only failed to inherit Shier and Shiba’s innate talents but showed no aptitude for cultivation whatsoever. Furthermore, due to his frail constitution from infancy, he couldn’t take the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

Qin Zhou once blamed the Fertility Pill, feeling deeply apologetic toward Shiba and his husband.

But the child proved remarkable.

Heaven closed one door, yet opened a window in his mind.

Though unable to cultivate, the boy possessed extraordinary intelligence—memory like a photographic camera, cunning bordering on the supernatural.

Thus, Qin Zhou named him Zhanyu.

Observe him closely, and you’ll discover this child is a treasure trove of brilliance.

Unexpectedly, Zhanyu, unable to cultivate, has lived well into the present.

…In his roster, the character art for young Zhanyu still depicted him as a boy. Were it not for that face strikingly similar to Shiba’s, he might not have recognized him.

This game system was still frozen at the year he saved his progress.

He had thought that by handing over the celestial meteorite to Haoqi Pavilion, it might eventually draw Lu San out of seclusion to meet him.

Little did he expect that instead of encountering Lu San, he would first meet this little fellow.