A soft light shimmered from his sleeve, and a few small sparrows fluttered out, their wings beating cheerfully in the air.
Each little bird darted about, full of life and energy, pecking at the locusts that filled the sky.
Gradually, the swarm that had darkened the heavens began to scatter, their wings torn apart by the sparrows' sharp beaks.
The nearby farmers could only stare in disbelief—some even forgot to close their mouths in sheer amazement.
Driven into a corner, the locusts grew desperate and aggressive. They buzzed loudly, trying to fight back against the sparrows.
But before they could retaliate, a barrage of water bullets shot out from Lin Chen's direction, striking the locusts with pinpoint precision.
Swish!
Swish!
Time and again, any attack aimed at the sparrows was intercepted midair. Since the projectiles were made of pure water, Lin Chen had no fear of harming his birds—every movement was deliberate, almost choreographed.
Slowly but surely, the Rank 1 locusts were wiped out by the flock until only heaps of broken carcasses remained on the ground.
When the operation was over, Lin Chen gathered the scattered locusts and guided the sparrows back into the small cage hidden in his sleeve.
He then turned toward the farmer he had just helped and asked,
"Well? How is it? Everything all right now?"
The farmer, still dazed, nodded repeatedly, his face glowing with excitement.
"Yes! Not just all right—this is perfect!" he said with conviction.
After calming down a little, however, a hint of hesitation crossed the man's face.
Lin Chen noticed and tilted his head curiously.
"What's wrong, fellow Daoist?"
"Well, uh... fellow Daoist," the farmer began nervously, "if I wanted to hire you to deal with pests... how much would it cost? Is it expensive?"
Lin Chen blinked, momentarily speechless. He hadn't expected his actions to be mistaken for a business pitch.
The other farmers, hearing the question, immediately fell silent, ears pricked in curiosity.
In their eyes, Lin Chen must have been showing off on purpose—no one would do such a thing without a motive. Surely, he was seeking profit.
Yet Lin Chen himself was lost in thought.
To him, this had merely been a small experiment to test the results of his training—not a way to earn money.
He pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up.
"I suppose... that could work," he murmured.
Then he looked back at the farmers and said something none of them expected.
"I'll help you get rid of the locusts—free of charge."
"Eh—"
"You're joking, right, fellow Daoist?"
"Come now, don't tease us…"
Everyone stared at him in disbelief, their expressions shifting from shock to suspicion.
After all, no one trusted sudden kindness. Experience had taught them that people who appeared generous out of nowhere often had ulterior motives—schemes to deceive, humiliate, or exploit.
Seeing their wary faces, Lin Chen quickly explained.
"Of course, not entirely without payment. I only ask to take the locusts and weeds with me—they can serve as feed for my pets.
If you still feel that's too little, you can always throw in some crops or a few spirit stones. After all, no one ever complains about having too much money, right?"
Hearing that, the farmers finally relaxed and broke into smiles.
To them, weeds and pests were nothing but nuisances anyway. If this young man was willing to remove them and even take them away, it was a blessing in disguise.
The tense mood gradually softened. They began discussing the details of their cooperation in a friendly tone.
Once an agreement was reached, both sides parted ways, satisfied.
"Looks like my days are about to get interesting," Lin Chen thought, smiling to himself.
As he walked home, he noticed a large group of people heading out of the city.
"Huh? Why are they leaving town this late? Aren't they afraid of running into monsters or evil spirits?" he muttered, puzzled.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he soon learned the reason.
Apparently, the rumored alchemist's inheritance cave had finally been discovered. Its entrance had become visible, drawing cultivators from far and wide—day and night alike.
Lin Chen nodded thoughtfully, but soon brushed it aside.
He had steady work and income now; there was no need to gamble his life for the sake of fortune.
...
A few days later, on the outskirts of the city, a young man stood gracefully amid the farmlands, commanding a flock of sparrows to clear weeds and pests.
His movements were precise and natural—like a spirit descending from the heavens.
Had it not been for the faint human aura surrounding him, one might have mistaken him for a druid at one with nature.
He continued working until the sun hung high and the air turned hot.
"Phew, finally done..." he said with satisfaction.
"Fellow Daoist, come have some tea!"
"Try some biscuits, fellow Daoist!"
Several ragged farmers approached eagerly, offering him refreshments and smiles.
Lin Chen accepted politely. "Thank you, fellow Daoists. Is everything almost done?"
"Yes, yes! You're getting faster and faster!"
"With your talent, you'll surely be accepted into a great sect at the Ascension Conference!"
Lin Chen smiled modestly and replied with humility. After a bit of friendly chatter, the farmers went back to work.
Once alone, Lin Chen whispered softly, "Panel, open."
Instantly, streams of information appeared before his eyes.
Name: Lin Chen
Age: 18
Realm: Second-stage Qi Refinement (First-stage Qi Refinement)
Talent: Item Enhancement
Items:
Chicken Bowl — Level 10 (Max), Jade Turtle Pendant — Level 10 (Max), Woodcutter's Axe — Level 10 (Max)
Staring at the status window, Lin Chen felt both satisfaction and frustration.
Nearly three months had passed since his arrival in this world, and his progress was evident—but his illness still hadn't healed, even after the jade turtle pendant reached level ten. As a result, his cultivation remained stuck at the first stage.
According to his calculations, only by upgrading the pendant further could he truly heal and restore his strength. Unfortunately, once an item reached level ten, it couldn't be enhanced again unless its owner first broke through to a higher realm—only then would new upgrade slots unlock.
The problem was, he needed enhanced items to break through...
But to enhance items, he first had to break through.
A perfect vicious cycle.
Lin Chen sighed heavily.
After much thought, the only solution was to seek external help—be it a pill, a talisman, or a formation capable of healing his body.
But all of those were rare... and expensive.
"Should I go to that alchemist's inheritance cave everyone's talking about?" he wondered. The thought was tempting—it might be his only shortcut out of this bottleneck.
But he quickly shook his head. With his current strength, venturing outside the city would be suicide.
"I can't risk my life for that. I'll have to find a safer way to get a pill or talisman," he muttered.
"Hah... looks like I won't make it into a sect at this rate," he said with a weary smile.
With only a week left before the Ascension Conference, Lin Chen felt utterly powerless.
He sat down to rest briefly, then returned to work with renewed resolve.
As he focused on his task, a sudden commotion drew his attention.
A group of uniformed men was approaching. Clearly, they weren't ordinary townsfolk.
Their presence stirred the entire farmland, and even Lin Chen paused his work.
Recognizing their attire, he frowned slightly.
"Have the city guards finally come to deal with me?"
Sure enough, they marched straight toward him.
"Hey, stop right there! You're Lin Chen, right?" one of them barked.
Lin Chen met their eyes and nodded politely.
"Yes, fellow Daoist. How may I help you?"
"We've heard you've been offering... pest control services lately?"
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, unsure where this was going.
"Yes, fellow Daoist. Is there a problem?"
"Oh, no problem with pest control itself. But if you're running a service within city limits, you're required to pay a tax."
At that, Lin Chen froze, a bitter taste rising in his mouth.
"So that's what this is about... they're using city law to get back at me," he thought grimly.
He knew better than to resist—it would only lead to heavier fines, or worse, expulsion from the city.
Forcing a faint smile, he asked,
"I see. I wasn't aware of that rule. How much do I owe?"
"Relax, it's manageable. For someone like you, just one spirit stone per month. Cheap, right? Otherwise, you'll be classified as an illegal worker—the penalties are much harsher."
The moment he heard the amount, Lin Chen felt his spirit drain away. Still, he handed over The spirit stones.
"Good. Make sure to pay on your own next month—we wouldn't want to waste time chasing you over something this small."
Lin Chen lowered his head silently. The loss of those stones felt like a punch to the gut.
The nearby farmers looked sympathetic but helpless. Their own finances were tight, the harvest hadn't come yet, and they could barely feed themselves—let alone help him.
And just when Lin Chen thought the day couldn't get any worse, another group approached.
He immediately tensed.
"What now?" he muttered under his breath.
When they came closer, he recognized their faces—familiar, yet battered and bloodied.
"Hey, Lin Chen! How've you been?"
"You're still doing all right, huh?"
The atmosphere felt almost nostalgic, but Lin Chen's expression remained cold.
"What is it? Not happy to see us?"
"Come now, we treated you like our own nephew once."
"Don't you remember when you—"
"Enough!" Lin Chen snapped. "Just tell me what you want."
The middle-aged men exchanged uneasy glances. His tone was far colder than they remembered. After a pause, one of them finally spoke.
"Lin Chen, this is embarrassing, but... we're desperate. Could you help us?"
"Please, Lin Chen—we're in bad shape."
"We just came back from the alchemist's inheritance cave. Got ambushed, lost everything. Could you lend us some money?"
The mention of the cave piqued Lin Chen's interest for a moment—but it vanished just as quickly.
"No. I'm not lending you a single coin."
The four men froze, their faces hardening.
"Lin Chen, have you no heart?"
"You'd let your uncles die from their wounds?"
"If your father knew you were like this, he'd be ashamed!"
The surrounding farmers began whispering among themselves. Lin Chen clenched his jaw.
"Enough! Don't you dare mention my father with those filthy mouths!"
Wang De, the fattest of them, looked ready to retort, but Lin Chen cut him off.
"What? You're going to call me ungrateful? Or say I've forgotten my manners?"
"Before you accuse me, ask yourselves—who's the shameless one here?"
"My father entrusted me to your care, but after he died, you stole everything he left behind!"
Zhao Xin, the one known to be the most honest among them, looked startled.
"Lin Chen, that's not—"
"Oh? Am I lying then? Should we ask Boss Chen what happened to my father's deposit?"
The four men stiffened instantly, their faces twisting in shame and anger. They hadn't expected him to bring up that scandal—especially not in public.
Wang De took a step forward, fuming, but the nearby farmers quickly closed ranks.
This time, they weren't afraid. Their opponents weren't city guards—just petty cultivators. And they knew Lin Chen was in the right.
Seeing no advantage, the four finally retreated, their expressions sour.
Before leaving, Wang De pulled a few items from his storage pouch and tossed them at Lin Chen's feet.
"Take one of these, Lin Chen. Let's call it even."
Everyone glanced down—but disappointment spread across their faces. The items were worthless trinkets, not even low-grade artifacts among them.
Still, Lin Chen reached down and picked one without hesitation.
The men stared, confused—then burst out laughing when they saw what he'd chosen: a painting of a woman in white.
"Well then, debt settled! Hahaha! Be careful out there, Lin Chen—trouble's brewing everywhere."
"Heh, if you're that lonely, just visit a brothel instead of playing with a painting! Hahaha!"
Their laughter rang out, mocking and cruel. Lin Chen remained silent, unfazed.
As they disappeared into the distance, he called out quietly,
"Where's Uncle Cheng Hao?"
They froze for a moment but pretended not to hear, walking away faster.
Lin Chen's gaze narrowed, thoughtful.
A few farmers came over, one of them—a gray-haired elder—patted his shoulder gently.
"Son, don't stir things up with people like them... they're no good."
Lin Chen nodded politely in thanks, then worked a bit longer before heading home.
As he walked, a strange unease gnawed at him—a mix of dread and intuition.
He couldn't tell whether it came from the day's events... or something else entirely.
When the city walls finally came into view, the hairs on his neck suddenly stood on end.
He turned instinctively.
There, standing in the deepening twilight, a pair of sharp eyes watched him from afar.
Lin Chen's heart stopped.
It was a woman he recognized—beautiful, but covered in blood, her hands stained red.
He froze, his throat dry.
"The... Moon Lotus Fairy?" he whispered in disbelief.