Chapter 35: Fortune Turns—One Box Changes Fate!

“After leveling up to tier three, is it really this hard to farm?” Zhou Qing frowned.

Or perhaps it only spawns in high-pressure, multi-person environments corresponding to the Jin Dan realm?

Looking around at the majority of disciples who were only at Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment, Zhou Qing made a guess.

“Little Four!”

Soon, Yan Xiao came over, his face beaming with excitement.

“Sold it?” Zhou Qing asked.

Yan Xiao shook his head: “The offer was too low. I’m planning to find a wealthy landowner and squeeze out a big profit.”

“Who?” Zhou Qing asked curiously.

Yan Xiao grinned slyly: “Old Mo—he can at least give us this much.”

Zhou Qing ignored Yan Xiao’s “six” gesture and hurriedly asked: “Did Master’s spiritual soul get injured?”

Yan Xiao nodded slightly: “It’s an old wound from years ago, but nothing serious. Don’t worry.”

Watching Yan Xiao, who kept dreaming of wealth, Zhou Qing understood: making money was trivial—what his third brother truly wanted was to bring this Ink Soul Jade back to their Master. Though he acted carefree on the surface, his heart was more meticulous than anyone else’s.

“Fine, sell it to Master!” Zhou Qing smiled.

The next day!

Zhou Qing returned to the chicken coop and searched again, scanning the surrounding area.

After all, the old hen had poor eyesight—maybe she laid it somewhere else—but after a full search, he found nothing.

Zhou Qing wasn’t in a hurry; he fed her another crushed spirit stone, and just then, Yan Xiao’s shout came from outside as usual.

As he opened the courtyard gate, he held up a storage bag and grinned.

“Six thousand spirit stones in hand. As we agreed, four-six split—here’s your share,” Yan Xiao said.

Zhou Qing waved his hand: “We’re brothers—why split it so finely? Fifty-fifty is fine!”

“I love how straightforward you are, Little Four. Alright then—tonight, Jade Feast Hall, my treat!” Yan Xiao licked his lips.

Zhou Qing’s eyes instantly lit up.

“You said it!”

“A gentleman’s word is binding—let’s go down the mountain!”

Zhou Qing immediately went on guard: “Going to gamble again?”

“No, no! We’ve got money now—let’s check out other stalls for something useful, maybe get lucky!” Yan Xiao hurriedly said.

Zhou Qing quietly exhaled—he’d feared his brother would get addicted.

Then the two descended the mountain together.

…………

Shen Yue Peak!

Li Hanshan and He Han arrived at Lu Yaoyao’s residence and called out several times, but received no reply.

After exchanging glances, they quickly entered.

Pushing open the door, they saw their little sister sitting dazed beside the courtyard’s stone table, holding a painting, staring blankly.

The two exchanged puzzled looks and crept closer gently.

They saw a middle-aged man in slightly disheveled robes, his face weathered as if beaten by decades of desert winds, etched with hardship.

His sunken eyes held no light; behind him hung a broken sword, its blade shattered yet still radiating a faint echo of its former sharpness.

In his hand, he tightly held a little girl, five or six years old, dressed in simple but clean clothes, her eyes filled with terror and unease—as if something unseen pursued them relentlessly.

The strange painting made both frown, utterly baffled.

“Little sister?” Li Hanshan couldn’t help but whisper.

Lu Yaoyao jumped in fright; upon seeing her two senior brothers, she hastily tucked away the painting.

“W-what’s wrong?” Lu Yaoyao’s eyes were red, her voice panicked.

He Han hesitated: “We agreed today to buy you a magic robe downstairs. Your big brother and I called out for ages outside—we thought something happened, so we came in. Are you alright?”

Lu Yaoyao flushed with embarrassment: “I—I forgot about it. Sorry, Senior Brothers.”

Li Hanshan said: “No problem, no problem. Just now, that painting—”

“Oh, nothing. I had a dream last night and couldn’t help sketching it. Wait a moment—I’ll go freshen up.”

After speaking, Lu Yaoyao wiped her eyes and hurried into the room.

Soon after, she emerged wearing a new outfit—back to the little sister they knew—and the three descended the mountain together.

…………

Zhou Qing and Yan Xiao wandered casually, while Yan Xiao kept glancing toward a certain direction.

Zhou Qing turned his head and saw Second Uncle smiling broadly, waving a cloth bundle in his hand, radiating temptation.

Zhou Qing quickly pulled him aside: “That old man’s deliberately baiting you. Don’t forget—you still lost over seven hundred spirit stones.”

Yan Xiao tore his gaze away, his expression serious: “I, Yan Xiao, never break my word—I said no gambling, and I won’t. Don’t worry. Let’s go check out that side.”

“Today’s returning customers get half price! Original price one thousand spirit stones for a chance at five thousand—now only five hundred!”

A faint voice drifted into Yan Xiao’s ears, causing his steps to halt abruptly.

Five hundred to five thousand—tenfold!

But soon, his eyes hardened with resolve, and he kept walking forward.

“One of today’s mystery boxes contains a top-grade fire spirit stone!”

When the seductive voice came again, Yan Xiao’s eyes flashed with desire, then twisted in conflict—he turned to glance at Second Uncle’s stall.

A top-grade spirit stone? That’s worth a hundred high-grade ones, ten thousand mid-grade ones, a full million low-grade ones.

That’s insane!

“Let’s go!”

Seeing Yan Xiao’s longing gaze, Zhou Qing quickly turned his head back.

“There’s a top-grade spirit stone!” Yan Xiao’s throat was dry.

Zhou Qing glanced at Second Uncle’s stall, then said: “He’s lying—if he had a top-grade spirit stone, would he be hawking it here?”

Yan Xiao froze, then snapped back to sense.

Right—I almost fell for it!

That damn old man, utterly deceitful.

Watching the two walk farther away, Second Uncle scratched his head and smiled, then glanced at the other disciples around him, all glaring with hostility.

Yesterday, these people had spent a fortune and opened nothing. Now they were watching, hoping someone else would buy—and lose everything—so they’d feel better.

“New stock today! Fortune turns with a box—change your fate! Want to try?” Second Uncle grinned.

Everyone snorted in unison.

By evening, Zhou Qing barely scraped up one negligible point, and using [Daily Appraisal], bought the old hen some rare spirit rice—according to the appraisal, it would greatly help her egg production.

“Zhou Senior Brother!” Just as Zhou Qing and Yan Xiao prepared to return, they ran into Lu Yaoyao and her two senior brothers.

Before Zhou Qing could dodge, Lu Yaoyao rushed forward and began apologizing.

She’d been selfish, shouldn’t have meddled—especially in others’ private lives. She knew she was wrong, and would never do it again, and so on.

Seeing her so pitiful, could Zhou Qing really hold a grudge?

After all, a true man doesn’t fight a woman.

(End of Chapter)