Fortune: 80233

It went up by over forty thousand points.

Jiang Feng’s face broke into a smile.

He understood the rise in his Fortune Point meant the Second Prince could no longer touch him; at least within Great Tang, the Second Prince now viewed his identity as a Cultivator with nothing but respect and a cautious desire to win him over.

He could fully utilize this identity to shake off the Second Prince and, as a wandering Cultivator, settle in Dragon Capital, gradually learning about the Cultivation Realm from other cultivators.

This was the main reason he accepted Lin Cai.

As a "foreign" Cultivator, if Jiang Feng wanted to hide, barely anyone would be able to find him—but if he wanted to be found and recognized for this identity, he needed to accept Lin Cai and let Lin Cai handle things for him outside.

Only by doing so could he take the opportunity to blend into the crowd of hidden cultivators within Dragon Capital.

Jiang Feng also wanted to see just what means the Great Tang Royal Family would use to draw him in.

In fact, when he entered the Cultivation Marketplace and saw the so-called Spirit Herbs, Elixirs, Magical Artifacts, Talismans, and such, he was quite panicked inside, since he didn’t understand a single thing about Spirit Herbs or Elixirs.

Magical Artifacts and Talismans were even more of a mystery.

And to gain a foothold in the Cultivation Realm, Jiang Feng needed to understand all of these things; luckily, he had plenty of time and didn’t need to rush—he could first live in the Purple Bamboo Forest and slowly connect with other cultivators.

Sooner or later, he’d figure out the basic knowledge of Spirit Herbs, Elixirs, Magical Artifacts, and Talismans.

Besides this, the Underground Palace beneath Dragon Capital, and the Underground Palace within Laojun Mountain—what were they all about? Surely some cultivators knew; everyone cultivating in this area must know many things that Jiang Feng did not.

Jiang Feng could also take this chance to learn more.

If anything went wrong, he could leave Dragon Capital as a wandering Loose Cultivator without attracting too much attention—a win-win situation.

The next day.

Jiang Feng, as a Cultivator, arrived outside the East City Gate.

From a glance, he saw Lin Cai standing atop the city wall, searching all around. Jiang Feng let out a faint hum; the sound seemed to echo in Lin Cai’s mind, startling him, but he quickly found Jiang Feng in the crowd.

Delighted, Lin Cai hurried over to Jiang Feng and respectfully said, "Immortal Master, I’ve completed all the tasks you gave me. I’ll take you to the Purple Bamboo Forest right now."

"Good."

Jiang Feng nodded. He’d known for a while about the Purple Bamboo Forest near the East City Gate.

It was just that, previously, he hadn’t realized there were cultivators in the bamboo forest—and a whole group of them at that, training inside. Even after becoming a cultivator, he hadn’t sensed any Spiritual Power fluctuations from the forest.

With Lin Cai leading the way, Jiang Feng stepped into the Purple Bamboo Forest for the first time.

Only upon entering did Jiang Feng realize the mysteries hidden here—the bamboo grove was filled with Spiritual Qi, an earthly paradise in a bustling city, protected by restriction arrays against Spiritual Sense probing and further arrays barring outsiders from entry.

Even Innate Powerhouses entering the forest would be subtly led away by the arrays and, afterwards, wouldn’t even realize anything was amiss.

If Jiang Feng hadn’t walked in, even his Spiritual Sense sweeping across from above would, under the workings of the arrays, make him mistake this for an utterly ordinary patch of bamboo.

Only by stepping deeper could one feel the pressure of the restriction arrays, the intimidation of Spiritual Energy.

Jiang Feng found that, with his understanding of restriction arrays and his Second-Layer Qi Condensation strength, without Lin Cai’s guidance, forcefully breaking through the array would not only exhaust a great deal of Spiritual Power but also pose many dangers.

"Immortal Master, this bamboo forest was founded by Linyang Hermit, and now is overseen by his descendants. Any Immortal Masters wanting to cultivate inside must at set times pay tribute to the Hermit’s family in the form of Spirit Stones or Spirit Rice—or, of course, trade them for Spirit Herbs and Elixirs."

Lin Cai explained from the side.

Jiang Feng frowned. He had no Spirit Herbs, Elixirs, Spirit Stones, or Spirit Rice—how was he supposed to stay here?

"Immortal Master, will this courtyard serve as your cultivation spot from now on?"

Just as Jiang Feng was wondering.

Lin Cai led Jiang Feng to a courtyard.

Calling it a "courtyard"—

It was actually anything but small.

In the bamboo forest, it resembled a little fortress with a prime location, and the yard itself was inscribed with a Spirit Gathering Array.

Making the Spiritual Qi here two or three times richer than elsewhere in the grove.

"Ah Cai, you didn’t find this courtyard for me, did you?"

Jiang Feng paused at the gate, his tone a bit cold.

"Immortal Master, I’m useless—this courtyard was arranged for you by the Second Prince. Even the worst courtyard in the Purple Bamboo Forest requires three stalks of Centennial Reishi Grass per year for rent. The one I found for you was deep inside, in the place with the poorest Spiritual Qi. But after learning this, the Second Prince personally asked the Hermit’s descendants to rent this courtyard to you for twenty years. He instructed me specifically never to tell you, but I dared not deceive you."

Lin Cai knelt and kowtowed.

"I detest owing favors. If you can’t afford Spirit Stones, you can simply tell me."

Jiang Feng snorted coldly.

He sensed the Second Prince’s presence behind him.

"Immortal Master, please don’t be angry. I took it upon myself to secure the courtyard for you. Brother Lin is not to blame."

The Second Prince, shrewd as ever, hurried over in explanation.

"Fellow Daoist, Young Master Li’s intentions are pure. He simply wants to get along with you. Please accept this gesture."

Snowy Owl followed, saluting Jiang Feng respectfully.

"I travel far and wide, and dislike dealing with people, so..."

Jiang Feng shook his head.

"Rest assured, Immortal Master. I ask for nothing in return—just that you accept this token of friendship. Once you’re settled, without your permission, I’ll never disturb you."

The Second Prince looked utterly sincere.

With that, he slowly retreated, leaving together with Snowy Owl.

Lin Cai remained kneeling, anxious, awaiting Jiang Feng’s orders.

"Forget it, come inside with me and have a look." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Jiang Feng mused for a moment, sighed, and motioned Lin Cai to rise and lead him in.

"Yes, sir!"

Lin Cai breathed a silent sigh of relief and hurried to escort Jiang Feng inside.

When the door swung open, Jiang Feng noticed a familiar wooden box on the table in the hall—the very same box Shopkeeper Liu’s shop used to package Red Dust.

"Your Highness, he’s accepted."

Snowy Owl, now at the edge of the bamboo forest, saw Jiang Feng enter the courtyard.

"Good. Come with me to meet the Turkic Envoy!"

The Second Prince lit up with joy. As long as Jiang Feng would accept his first gift, he needn’t worry about binding their fates together.

Thinking of the Turkic Envoy having brought the Turkic King’s daughter to Dragon Capital, and the welcoming party having entered the Capital City, the Second Prince didn’t dare delay and rushed back toward the Imperial City.