I Live Forever In The World of Cultivation World (Patreon)

Chapter 74: Uneasy

The position of Spirit Herb Pavilion manager wasn’t a high-ranking one. However, compared to the role of a mere Spirit Planter, it was considerably easier and offered higher pay.

Helping He Song rise from the muddy pit of being a Spirit Planter was something Wei Fan was more than happy to see.

But what Wei Fan didn’t know was that, to He Song, this position didn’t hold much appeal.

While becoming a manager would mean stepping into the middle management of Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market and gaining a managerial role, for He Song, that wasn’t the important part.

The key for him was to remain undisturbed in his cultivation outside of his duties.

That was the most crucial factor.

Although becoming a manager would mean earning more spirit stones, the increase wasn’t substantial.

Take Zhao Lin, for example. He was one of the managers of the Spirit Herb Pavilion, and He Song knew well about his income—around 110 spirit stones per year.

Compared to the 90 spirit stones per year earned as a Spirit Planter, it was only an increase of a little over ten stones.

To earn those extra ten stones per year, He Song would have to spend his days running around and working hard in the pavilion. He simply wasn’t willing to do that.

It was far better to remain a small Spirit Planter, where he only needed to spend half an hour daily casting Spirit Rain Technique on the plants. The rest of his time could be dedicated entirely to cultivation or other endeavors.

Wasn’t that much better than working himself to exhaustion?

"Perhaps it’s better to let this opportunity pass. Being a Spirit Planter is good enough. I have plenty of time to dedicate to cultivation every day. If I take on a managerial position, I fear my cultivation progress will slow considerably."

He Song was grateful for Wei Fan’s good intentions and was tempted to accept the offer.

However, after thinking it over, he decided to decline.

The reason was simple.

Remaining a Spirit Planter allowed him to cultivate daily in the Spirit Gathering Formation at home, which ensured faster progress in his cultivation.

If he took up the managerial position at the pavilion, he would lose the advantage of the Spirit Gathering Formation, inevitably slowing his cultivation speed.

It wasn’t worth trading ten extra spirit stones for a slower path to ascension while also taking on more responsibilities at the pavilion.

"Don’t worry. I’ve thought through everything you’re concerned about. One of the two positions that opened up is quite relaxed and won’t interfere with your cultivation. I’ve already taken all of that into account."

Seeing He Song’s reluctance, Wei Fan quickly explained.

"The position I’m recommending for you is to oversee the medicinal herb garden. All you need to do is supervise the garden during the day and check it thoroughly at the end of your shift. Other than that, there’s no need for you to handle anything personally—the staff will take care of it."

"Additionally, the spiritual energy concentration in the herb garden is much higher than in the outside world. Cultivating in the garden will actually speed up your progress."

"…"

After Wei Fan’s explanation, He Song gained a better understanding of the responsibilities of the garden manager role.

The herb garden manager was essentially a supervisory role.

Tasks like casting Spirit Rain Technique, turning the soil, watering, and fertilizing were all handled by the workers.

If He Song were to take the job, he would only need to check the number of herbs when he arrived and tally them again before leaving. The rest of the time would be his to allocate freely.

Moreover, because the spiritual herbs required a high concentration of spiritual energy, the herb garden naturally had an environment rich in spiritual energy.

The concentration of spiritual energy there might even surpass the levels provided by the Spirit Gathering Formation at He Song’s home.

With the added benefit of spiritual energy released by the herbs, cultivating in the garden could be even faster.

In short, the position was highly attractive.

Even with the Spirit Gathering Formation at his home, cultivating in the garden wouldn’t be any slower—and might even be faster.

With the added perks of earning more spirit stones and speeding up his cultivation, why not take it?

With this in mind, He Song cupped his hands toward Wei Fan in thanks and said, "Thank you, Brother Wei. I’ll remember this kindness always."

He Song accepted the offer with a nod.

Wei Fan nodded in satisfaction.

Having been friends with He Song for more than ten years and helped each other many times, Wei Fan naturally hoped for He Song to advance in cultivation as quickly as possible.

The stronger He Song became, the more he could truly assist him in the future.

This kind of behavior might sometimes be called forming alliances, but more often than not, it was simply mentoring and supporting a junior. When that junior grows strong, the benefits they bring back are usually significant.

And for Wei Fan, he wasn’t losing much anyway.

It was just an application.

Since the herb garden manager role could be given to anyone, why not to He Song, someone he had a close relationship with?

With their discussion concluded, the two lingered for a while, chatting casually in the Spirit Builder Pavilion. Before long, He Song excused himself and left.

Leaving the pavilion, He Song contemplated for a moment before heading toward his home.

Having been away for over half a month, it was time to tidy up his room.

However, now that he had mastered Manipulate Object Technique, cleaning up his room could be done with much less effort.

Thinking about this, He Song quickened his pace.

But just as he approached his home, he noticed a familiar figure pacing outside his door.

Zhao Lin.

At that moment, Zhao Lin was wandering back and forth in front of He Song’s door, seemingly hesitant about whether to knock.

The sight puzzled He Song, but he quickly approached and greeted Zhao Lin.

"Daoist Zhao, why not come in for a chat?"

The sudden voice startled Zhao Lin, who instinctively reached for several Thick Earth Talisman seals. However, upon seeing that the speaker was He Song, he relaxed.

Putting away the talismans, a hint of embarrassment flashed across Zhao Lin’s face.

Without commenting on how He Song had arrived unnoticed, Zhao Lin cupped his hands in greeting after stowing the talismans.

"In that case, I’ll accept your invitation, Daoist He."

The two entered the house together.

Using Manipulate Object Technique, He Song quickly cleaned the dust-covered room and invited Zhao Lin to take a seat.

Beside the desk, He Song skillfully prepared tea.

In the cultivation world, just as mortals cooked meals for guests, cultivators brewed tea—it was a form of hospitality.

Though He Song didn’t yet know why Zhao Lin had come to find him, hospitality must not be neglected.

As He Song busied himself with the tea, Zhao Lin stared blankly out the window.

It wasn’t until the room was filled with the fragrance of tea, and He Song placed a freshly brewed cup in front of him, that Zhao Lin finally turned his gaze away from the window.

He picked up the teacup and let out a deep sigh.

"Daoist He, do you know why I was pacing outside your door for so long but couldn’t bring myself to knock?"

Zhao Lin’s face betrayed no emotion as he looked at He Song.

However, before He Song could respond, Zhao Lin spoke again.

"Daoist He, over half a month ago, I promised to find someone to tend to your seven acres of spirit farmlands. Do you remember that?"

As he spoke, Zhao Lin placed the teacup back on the table, stood up, and bowed deeply toward He Song.

Seeing this gesture, a sudden sense of unease surged in He Song’s heart.