Chapter 44: **Chapter 44: Reckless Audacity**
After listening for a while and finally piecing together the whole story, Wei Fan's expression gradually turned peculiar.
He pointed at He Song in front of him.
Then pointed in the direction of the Spirit Herb Pavilion.
After going back and forth a few times.
Wei Fan wore a look that said, "Are you kidding me?" but eventually, he fully understood the ins and outs of the matter.
"I was just thinking, given how cautious you usually are, how could you suddenly offend someone? Turns out it was a friend's good intentions that backfired, leading you to cross paths with that Chen Zhou."
Struggling to hold back his laughter, Wei Fan spoke, but the amusement in his eyes was impossible to hide.
This kind of misfortune would leave anyone bewildered.
Chen Zhou had suddenly lost his spirit fields and would now have to travel between two locations daily to cast the Rain Spell, wasting a significant amount of time.
But on He Song's side, since the fields were a favor from a friend, he couldn't just return them to Chen Zhou.
Both sides had their grievances, and there was no going back to how things were.
Thus, the conflict between He Song and Chen Zhou was firmly set.
One was a fourth-layer Qi Refining rogue cultivator.
The other was a fourth-layer Qi Refining immortal marketplace cultivator.
It was clear at a glance who had the upper hand in combat.
And He Song, being self-aware and knowing he couldn't win, had come to Wei Fan for help in resolving this issue.
The combat prowess of immortal marketplace cultivators simply couldn't compare to that of rogue cultivators.
If Chen Zhou truly sought revenge, He Song would likely have to remain on guard at all times.
But as the saying goes, "You can't stay on guard forever."
If He Song slipped up even once.
Well.
He might just end up dead.
Given He Song's cautious nature, he wouldn't give Chen Zhou such an opportunity.
Even if he was reluctant, he would probably have to strike first.
Understanding this, Wei Fan's gaze toward He Song took on a teasing glint.
"Although this is an unfortunate situation, since you've come to me, I assume you already have a plan in mind. Why not share it? If it's feasible, I might be willing to lend a hand."
Knowing that He Song wasn't in immediate danger, Wei Fan relaxed a bit.
He handed He Song a cup of tea.
Wei Fan's eyes flickered with uncertainty.
Given his years of understanding his friend, he could even guess what He Song was about to say.
But even so, he wanted to hear it directly from He Song.
After all, this was the first time He Song had come to him for help.
Three years ago, it had been Wei Fan who had offered, not He Song who had asked.
"I'd like to ask Brother Wei to investigate. If Chen Zhou has no intention of revenge and is generally timid, then let it be. But if he does, then I'll have to trouble Brother Wei."
"At that time, I'll have my friend at the Spirit Herb Pavilion remove his name from the list of spirit farmers, reducing him back to a rogue cultivator. Then, Brother Wei can take action."
Taking the teacup Wei Fan handed him, He Song set it aside and continued without pause, sharing his thoughts.
Even now, He Song couldn't be sure whether Chen Zhou had been acting or if he was genuinely timid.
Thus, he could only trouble Wei Fan to investigate.
If Chen Zhou was as timid as he had appeared and had no thoughts of revenge, then sparing his life would be fine.
But if Chen Zhou wasn't usually timid, and his meekness during their encounter had been an act, or if he harbored thoughts of revenge, then He Song would have no choice but to ask Wei Fan to strike first.
Additionally, if it came to that, He Song would have Zhao Lin remove Chen Zhou's name from the list of spirit farmers.
This way, Chen Zhou would no longer be an internal cultivator of the immortal marketplace but a rogue cultivator.
Killing among internal cultivators of the immortal marketplace was strictly prohibited.
If caught, the offender would have their cultivation abolished and be expelled from the marketplace.
However, if an internal cultivator killed a rogue cultivator outside the marketplace, no one would pursue the matter.
Even if the law enforcement team knew it was you, they wouldn't care.
The world of cultivation was one of survival of the fittest.
The immortal marketplace's law enforcement only ensured safety within the marketplace and prevented killings among internal cultivators.
Rogue cultivators? No one cared how many died.
No one would bat an eye.
Every year, countless rogue cultivators died outside the marketplace. One or two more wouldn't make a difference.
And He Song, before coming to Wei Fan, had already thought everything through.
Now, he only needed to wait for Wei Fan's investigation results before taking action.
"Sigh, you're still too cautious. If it were me, as soon as I sensed something was off, I'd have slapped Chen Zhou to death." Wei Fan clearly didn't agree with He Song's approach.
His initial thought was that He Song would directly ask him to take action and eliminate Chen Zhou with a single strike.
That would be decisive.
But instead, He Song wanted him to investigate first and then decide based on the findings.
Even the act of striking would have to wait until He Song's other friend removed Chen Zhou's name from the list of spirit farmers.
This... was too much trouble.
Although this approach minimized the risk of mistakenly killing an innocent person and reduced the aftermath of killing, it was overly cautious.
But after some thought, Wei Fan let it go.
Wasn't this just like his friend?
If He Song stopped being cautious, he wouldn't be himself anymore.
"Stay in my courtyard for a while. I'll head to the Spirit Construction Pavilion first to check where Chen Zhou lives, then investigate further. Wait for me to return."
As he spoke, Wei Fan stood up to leave but quickly paused.
Turning back to He Song.
Wei Fan thought for a moment, then handed He Song several defensive talismans.
"Take these talismans for now. I'm worried Chen Zhou might be reckless enough to come looking for you."
After He Song accepted the talismans, Wei Fan left with peace of mind.
In the courtyard pavilion.
Watching Wei Fan's departing figure.
Then glancing at the defensive talismans in his hand, He Song shook his head helplessly.
He immediately recognized that these talismans were the ones Wei Fan had bought for his own protection three years ago.
Back then, they hadn't been needed.
Now, these talismans had ended up in his hands.
Shaking his head, He Song decided to return the talismans to Wei Fan once he came back.
These were high-grade talismans, and only a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator like Wei Fan could fully utilize their power.
For He Song to use them would be a waste.
Spirit Construction Pavilion.
After leaving his courtyard, Wei Fan quickly made his way to the Spirit Construction Pavilion.
Ignoring the respectful greetings from the surrounding cultivators.
Wei Fan went straight to the ledger used to record the residences of internal cultivators in the immortal marketplace.
Taking the ledger to the second floor, Wei Fan's eyes quickly scanned through the entries.
"He Song, currently residing at House 13, Cloudsoar Street, Outer District B."
"Su Jin, currently residing at House 31, Peakview Street, Outer District A."
"Chen Zhou, currently residing at House 7, Inkfragrance Street, Outer District D."
"..."
As his gaze swept over the names and addresses, Wei Fan's eyes soon stopped at the name Chen Zhou.
"Chen Zhou, House 7, Inkfragrance Street, Outer District D."
(End of Chapter)
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theres some Chinese word that does not have translation in English, and if you translate it, it makes no sense, like *Moxiang Street* which translated to Inkfragrance Street, so do I translate it or leave it to the Chinese word and keep in mind that theres some word that you need to translate, like in the past few chapters you need to understand? so tell me what to do in the future.