At night, having completed his daily cultivation, Wang Chen couldn't fall asleep.
He climbed onto the roof to gaze at the stars.
The nightlife in the world of immortal cultivation could actually be quite thrilling.
Fifty miles away in Cloud Mountain City, there were plenty of tea houses, taverns, courtesan houses, and gambling dens, with the night market staying open late into the night.
It was a pity that the current Wang Chen couldn't afford such extravagances.
Lying on the roof tiles with his hands pillowing his head, a bright yet unfamiliar starscape filled his view.
It made him involuntarily reminisce about his past.
Or perhaps his former life.
Wang Chen had graduated from a well-known domestic university specializing in science and technology and was then recruited by a large state-owned enterprise.
He worked there for two years.
Because he really couldn't adapt to the company's rigid system and the backstabbing among the departments,
he chose to resign.
After traveling far and wide, Wang Chen returned home and became a shut-in.
He made videos on technology, games, food, craft, and the like as a social media influencer.
And he actually garnered millions of followers across the internet.
He made a comfortable living from advertising revenue.
In other people's eyes, Wang Chen was enthusiastic, cheerful, had a decent appearance, and high emotional intelligence.
He had a bright future.
But then...
As sleep was about to overtake him, Wang Chen was still worrying about the fifteen years of mortgage payments he had yet to make.
...
"Doggie!"
The howling from outside the courtyard gate jolted Wang Chen awake from his dreams.
Dammit!
Wang Chen reluctantly got up and jumped off the roof.
"Doggie" was the original owner of the body's nickname.
His father, Wang Shaoyuan, came from the mortal realm.
So did his wife.
Shortly after little Wang Chen was born, his mother passed away from a terminal illness.
So Wang Shaoyuan followed the custom of the mortals and gave his son a humble nickname,
hoping that he would grow up safely.
Doggie, even eating dung can survive.
Also because of Wang Shaoyuan's friendship,
including Old Sun in their neighborhood, everyone knew this nickname of his.
Nobody really called him by his full name.
"I'm coming, I'm coming."
When Wang Chen opened the courtyard door, he was shocked!
In just a day, Old Sun seemed to have aged over a decade, his hair all white and his expression haggard.
He looked like someone who had been thoroughly drained!
"Old Sun, are you okay?"
Wang Chen was filled with righteous indignation; "Those female cultivators from the Hehuan Sect have gone too far!"
The most sensational gossip in Cloud Mountain City recently was undoubtedly about a group of female cultivators from the Hehuan Sect working at the Numerous Fragrances Pavilion,
stealing all the business from established courtesan houses like Spring Moon Tower and Lanxiang Institute.
The female practitioners of the Hehuan Sect were all delicately beautiful and highly skilled in dual cultivation.
They were well-known throughout the immortal cultivation world as "juice extractors."
With their arrival,
it was not only Spring Moon Tower and Lanxiang Institute that saw fewer patrons— even gamblers from the Ruyi Gambling House were reduced significantly.
And Old Sun, a large-scale farmer with no children and who neither refined artifacts nor practiced alchemy,
had long since abandoned cultivation.
The few spirit stones he had scrimped and saved were almost entirely spent in the courtesan houses of Cloud Mountain City.
How could Old Sun, who lived in the present, resist the temptation to visit the Numerous Fragrances Pavilion for a feast for the eyes?
Thus, Wang Chen's conjecture was both reasonable and irrefutable!
"Hehuan Sect female cultivators?"
Old Sun was initially confused, then came to a realization.
The old man grew embarrassed and angry: "Doggie, you've turned bad too, eh? I came to ask if you found any Earth Rhinoceros Beetles in your spirit fields yesterday?"
"I did,"
said Wang Chen, not daring to joke any further about such serious matters: "I killed ten, planning to look for more in the morning."
He asked again, "Old Sun, didn't you hire Zhang Ada to exterminate the pests, and he cleaned them all up?"
"Cleaned up what!"
Old Sun's face was full of bad luck: "The problem has gotten worse!"
Zhang Ada was a well-known exterminator in the vicinity, rumored to have mastered the Geng Metal Finger technique.
That's why Old Sun had called him to deal with the Earth Rhinoceros Beetles.
At first, everything went smoothly.
But after killing three Earth Rhinoceros Beetles, the remaining ones hiding in the spirit fields became cunning.
As soon as Zhang Ada got close, they'd immediately burrow into the ground and disappear without a trace.
Zhang Ada repeatedly came up empty-handed and could only walk away in frustration.
As soon as Zhang Ada left, Old Sun's spirit fields suffered; many stalks of Spiritual Rice were gnawed beyond recognition.
The vendetta of the Earth Rhinoceros Beetles was really strong.
Old Sun was so worried that he didn't sleep all night, worrying until his hair turned white.
"I'm planning to go to the city again to find someone to help."
He sighed mournfully, "This year's harvest is in jeopardy. If I can't pay the rent for the fields, Doggie, you'll have to help me!"
So that's what this was all about!
Wang Chen inwardly sneered: If you'd visited the courtesan house a few times less, the spirit stones you saved would be enough to pay the field rent!
According to the rules of the Outer Sect's Spirit Planting Hall of the Cloud Sun faction, any shortfall in the field rent can be made up with spirit stones at market prices.
If it had been the original owner, he probably would have just naively agreed.
But Wang Chen, a transmigrator, how could he possibly indulge the other party's bad habits!
He just smiled and didn't say whether he agreed or not.
Then, he took out what appeared to be the BOSS Earth Rhinoceros from his Storage Bag, "Old Sun, I killed this big fellow yesterday. Do you think we can sell it for some Fragmented Spirit Stones?"
"This big?"
Old Sun's eyes suddenly widened bigger than copper bells, staring intently at the Earth Rhinoceros in Wang Chen's hand.
"This Earth Rhinoceros has turned into a monster!"
He said in disbelief, "Doggie, you actually killed a Monsterized Earth Rhino?"
In the immortal cultivation world, demons are not just a generic term but are used to describe four different states of life.
The first of these is the demon.
It refers to non-human creatures that are nourished by spiritual energy and, in turn, evolve transcendent powers.
Such as pigs, dogs, cows, sheep, jackals, wolves, tigers, leopards, as well as flowers, grass, and trees, etc.
Insects are included too!
A Monsterized Earth Rhinoceros is much more formidable than a regular one.
Old Sun had tended spirit fields for most of his life and had only seen a few Monsterized Earth Rhinoceros Beetles.
He noticed that the Monsterized Earth Rhinoceros had a hole in its head.
His eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets, "Doggie, your Geng Metal Finger technique is powerful!"
Old Sun might be greedy and lustful, but having eaten Spirit Rice for decades, he was undoubtedly experienced.
Wang Chen's skill with the Geng Metal Finger had clearly improved tremendously, which made sense as to how he could kill the Monsterized Earth Rhino.
Wang Chen chuckled, "I just got lucky with a breakthrough."
"Lad, you've finally caught on." Old Sun was both envious and jealous, his eyes turning craftily, "Doggie, if you're so capable, then help your uncle out and clear out the Earth Rhinoceros Beetles from my spirit fields."
He squeezed out a begging look in his eyes eagerly.
"No time."
Wang Chen shook his head like a rattle drum, "Old Sun, your thirty mu of spirit fields are quite the task, and I still need to take care of my own fields."
This old coot was very cunning, actually trying to get him to work for free.
Dream on!
Old Sun's eyes twitched, and with great pain, he opened his palm, "Five pieces, I'll give you five Low Spirit stones."
In fact, the remuneration he had offered Zhang Ada to clear out the Earth Rhinoceros Beetles was fifteen Low Spirit stones.
That's equivalent to fifty Fragmented Spirit Stones per mu.
Since Zhang Ada hadn't completed the task, he naturally had no face to take the reward.
In Old Sun's view, even if Wang Chen had grown in skill, his appearance fee couldn't compare to that of Zhang Ada.
Five Low Spirit stones were quite generous.
But Wang Chen's response almost made him spew blood, "One Low Spirit stone per mu, and I'll do it!"
One Low Spirit stone per mu, thirty Low Spirit stones for thirty mu!
Old Sun really wanted to bash his head against the doorframe of Wang Chen's house right then.
He just couldn't understand where the original, honest, and easy-to-bully Doggie had gone.
This sudden transformation was just too fierce!
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First release, seeking votes.