I hired a tutor.

Luo Yu glanced around at the people nearby and sat down awkwardly. Clearing his throat, he asked, “So, will you come home with me?” He thought this person called Qin Yue seemed to know a lot, surely still holding something back. If he wanted to learn more, he had to keep this lead close—ideally, establish a long-term partnership. Selling him pills would be safe, and he’d have someone to consult if problems arose.

Qin Yue nodded. “Alright. It’s not convenient to talk here anyway.”

So the two paid the bill and went outside to Qin Yue’s car. Luo Yu saw it was a half-new, half-old JEEP Wrangler Polar Edition and asked, “Why don’t you buy something flashier? I thought rich kids preferred Lamborghinis or Ferraris.”

Qin Yue shot him a look of disdain, got in the car without a word, and started the engine.

Luo Yu hurried to get in. They headed straight for No. 328 Osmanthus Alley.

Upon arriving at the Luo residence, Luo Yu stood at the door and sternly warned Qin Yue, “Don’t throw a tantrum in my house, or I won’t sell you any medicine.”

Qin Yue replied, “I’m not as childish as you,” and pushed the gate open, walking in by himself.

Luo Yu saw him treating the place like his own home and quickly followed after.

Once inside, Luo Yu called toward the studio, “Dad, I’m back!” Then he gestured for Qin Yue to sit on the sofa for a bit while he ran upstairs to the living room to fetch the pills. This family left pill bottles tossed in a white rattan basket on the carpet, mixed in with snacks.

After finding the medicine and coming downstairs, he saw Qin Yue and Father Chu locked in a staring contest. Father Chu held a palette in his left hand, an oil brush in his right, and wore an apron splattered with paint.

Father Chu asked in confusion, “Are you… Xiao Yu’s classmate?”

Qin Yue, equally puzzled, asked, “Are you… Luo Yu’s father?”

Father Chu thought: This student looks much too old.

Qin Yue thought: This Luo’s father looks much too young.

Standing on the stairs, Luo Yu said, “He’s not my classmate, he’s… uh, my client.”

Father Chu turned to put away his things, untying his apron as he asked Luo Yu, “Client? What are you selling?”

Luo Yu replied, “Pills. He’s like me.”

Father Chu grew jealous. “So you mean I gave birth to some freak who isn’t even my own kind?”

Luo Yu quickly apologized, “Not a freak, just superior genetics, evolutionary improvement~”

Qin Yue, a bit uncomfortable, asked Luo Yu discreetly, “He… knows…?”

Luo Yu sprawled boldly on the sofa, “This isn’t anything shameful, why hide it from family?”

Qin Yue said nothing, taking the pills to examine them closely.

Father Chu asked, “Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee? Juice?” Qin Yue asked for tea, and Father Chu sat down to watch the results.

“These pills are much weaker,” Qin Yue commented.

Luo Yu explained, “They require century-old wild ginseng, but that ingredient is too expensive for me to get, so I have to substitute. If you provide the materials, I’ll only charge you for processing.”

Qin Yue replied, “It’s only century-old ginseng. I’ll provide the ingredients, you refine the pills. We'll split them eighty-twenty—me eighty, you twenty.”

Luo Yu whispered, “You’re the twenty…”

Father Chu sternly said, “Luo Yu! Watch your language!”

Luo Yu suddenly remembered his father was still present and played the victim, “He just called me an idiot.”

Qin Yue shot him a cold look. “Do you have any opinions about our partnership?”

Luo Yu said, “An eighty-twenty split sounds awful. I demand thirty-seventy—or maybe forty-sixty? Of course, fifty-fifty would be best.”

Father Chu discreetly rubbed his forehead, pretending not to hear.

Qin Yue ignored the latter half of Luo Yu’s talk and said flatly, “Fine, thirty-seventy.”

Luo Yu pressed, “Could you add a little more? Buying ingredients for pill refining is quite a hassle.”

Qin Yue pondered for a moment. “Thirty-seventy, and I’ll answer some cultivation questions for you as compensation.”

That really hit Luo Yu’s itch; he nodded eagerly, “Alright, alright, it’s settled.”

Qin Yue said, “These pills are of no use to me, so I won’t take them this time. Tomorrow I’ll bring the ingredients.” With that, he prepared to leave.

Luo Yu hurriedly called out, “Hey, hey—are you really that busy? Don’t leave so quickly!”

Qin Yue asked, “Do you have other questions?”

“Of course I do!” Luo Yu was going crazy. “I have tons of questions for you! First, you need to leave me a way to contact you. Second, are you free this afternoon?”

Qin Yue thought for a moment. “Nothing in particular.”

Luo Yu said, “Why not stay for dinner at my place? My dad’s cooking is exceptionally good.”

Qin Yue glanced at Luo Yu, then at Father Chu, and slowly nodded.

The two then sat on the sofa, continuing the interrogation begun in the teahouse. Father Chu pretended to read Western art history nearby, openly eavesdropping.

Luo Yu felt he had too many questions and didn’t know where to start. Finally, he asked, “Where are you staying in Qingning?”

Perhaps because their partnership was established, Qin Yue answered calmly, “Hotel.”

Luo Yu was surprised. “You always stay in hotels?” Qin Yue nodded.

Luo Yu exclaimed, “Then why not stay at my place? Eighty percent off rent, with meals and lodging included.”

Qin Yue surveyed the room, confused. “You can’t possibly be that poor, right?”

Luo Yu scooted closer, acting like he was confiding, “Do you think I care about your rent? I just think there’s no need to waste money. Frugality is a virtue; living here is convenient for communication, and if anything comes up, I can help… By the way, why did you come to Qingning? How long do you plan to stay?”

Qin Yue listened, then suddenly fell silent. Luo Yu sensed this silence was different—tinged with a kind of unknown sadness and confusion, not just his usual indifference. Watching Qin Yue sink into thought, Luo Yu said nothing either.

After a while, Qin Yue answered quietly, “I don’t know.”

Luo Yu cautiously said, “If you don’t know… why not stay at my place for now? You’ll need my pills anyway, and if I want to ask you something, I can do it anytime…”

Qin Yue was still hesitating when Father Chu stopped pretending, put down his book, and said to Qin Yue, “Why not stay here temporarily? Living in hotels isn’t ideal. We happen to have a guest room.” He glanced at Luo Yu, “No need to charge rent—just, I’d appreciate it if you could guide Luo Yu more often.”

With the father’s invitation, Qin Yue saw no reason to refuse. It made no difference where he stayed—perhaps, staying here… might be better?

Qin Yue nodded, looking at Father Chu. “Alright. Thank you, Mr. Luo.”

Mr. Luo stood up, intending to cook. “What did you call me? Mr. Luo?—Call me Uncle Luo.”

Qin Yue looked at that face in silence. Though he was used to cultivators hundreds of years old still looking young, this one was clearly an ordinary person… He seemed only four or five years older than himself; how could he call him uncle?

Uncle Luo glared, “Don’t judge by appearances; I’m old enough for you to call me uncle.”

Qin Yue reluctantly, “Uncle Luo.”

Uncle Luo, for the first time, successfully tricked someone so grown-up into calling him uncle, and went off to cook, satisfied.

Luo Yu, acting like a loyal henchman, eyed Qin Yue. “Should we go to your hotel and bring your luggage over? That way you’re here for dinner. What do you think?” He was desperate to settle it, thinking that once Qin Yue’s luggage was here, he wouldn’t be able to run off.

Qin Yue glanced at him, eyes full of the contempt city folk have for country bumpkins.

Luo Yu was confused: Did I step on another landmine? He saw Qin Yue slowly extend his right hand, rolling up his sleeve to reveal a lean, muscular arm, palm facing down, half-hovering in the air… That look—was he indicating Luo Yu should hold his hand and walk together?

Luo Yu hesitated: Two grown men holding hands—what would people think?

But remembering Qin Yue’s odd temperament, he reached out and grasped those slender, elegant fingertips.

Qin Yue asked, “What are you doing?”

Luo Yu replied, “Didn’t you want me to walk with you, holding your hand?”

Qin Yue couldn’t take it anymore. “I wanted you to look at my hand, not hold it!”

Luo Yu grumbled, “Why look at your hand? If I want to look at hands, I might as well hold up my own in the mirror.”

Qin Yue’s forehead twitched with frustration; he waved his hand in front of Luo Yu, and suddenly something appeared in his grasp.

Luo Yu stared: It was an article of clothing!

“Ahh!” Luo Yu jumped. “How did you do that? Are you a magician?”

Qin Yue scoffed, “Magic tricks? Those are just cheap tricks for fools.”

Luo Yu’s eyes sparkled. “Teach me, teach me!”

Qin Yue waved his hand again, and the clothing vanished.

Seeing the wonder on Luo Yu’s face, Qin Yue smirked, speaking slowly, “This can’t be taught.” He extended his hand once more.

This time, Luo Yu examined it carefully. It looked much like his own, except Qin Yue wore a wooden bracelet. Could it be the bracelet? The wood grain was intricate, and when he touched it, he sensed spiritual energy! Moreover, it didn’t feel like wood—more like metal or jade, truly strange.

Luo Yu asked, “What kind of bracelet is this? Does it have spiritual energy?”

Qin Yue replied, “This bracelet is called ‘Zhao Mu,’ an ancient storage bracelet passed down through generations. It contains its own space, allowing you to store objects inside. In the cultivation world, it’s a rare treasure.”

Luo Yu was both curious and envious. “Let me feel it… What is it made from?”

Qin Yue said, “It’s not wood, just crafted to look that way for discretion. It’s a magical artifact refined mainly from Void Stone. Although an artifact, it’s rarer than a true treasure, the highest grade among artifacts.”

Luo Yu tried to probe inside with his spiritual sense but was repelled by an unknown force. It was the first time he’d encountered “spiritual sense obstruction,” and cried out, “Why can’t I get in?”

Qin Yue explained, “Void Stone is a spatial material. If you don’t understand the rules of space, you can’t force your way in. The creator carved an array on it, using blood for identity recognition. After acknowledging the owner, you can freely use its space.”

Luo Yu was amazed. “How does it work? How was it made?”

Qin Yue replied, “Ask me again when you reach Nascent Soul stage.”

Luo Yu considered it and asked, “Nascent Soul… That’s stronger than Golden Core, right?”

Qin Yue tilted his head. “You don’t even know that? The stages of cultivation are: Qi Refining is the basic entry level, like preschool. Then come Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Void Transformation, Divine Fusion, Great Ascension, and finally the Tribulation stage. If you survive the heavenly tribulation, you become a true immortal.”

Luo Yu, hearing so many stages, mentally blocked out the lengthy list, then asked, “How many people are still cultivating nowadays? Do you know?”

Qin Yue answered, “There are still many cultivators, but powerful experts are gone. The highest now are Nascent Soul stage, but they’re rare and rarely seen; I’ve never met one myself.”

Luo Yu was curious. “Why have I only found you? Where are the others?”

Qin Yue said, “They have their own places to stay. Besides humans, there are many demon and ghost cultivators, all considered part of the cultivation world. Though there is some racial discrimination, it’s not much.”

Luo Yu clung pitifully to Qin Yue’s arm. “Where can I find them? Take me to see!”

Qin Yue looked at the paw gripping him. “Stop touching me all the time.”

Luo Yu pouted. “A little grab doesn’t hurt—guys always roughhouse.”

Qin Yue pulled his arm away. “Touch me again and I won’t answer.”

Luo Yu grinned, “You’re childish too. So, where can I see those… ghosts and demons?”

Qin Yue thought for a moment, then said, “Cultivators regularly hold gatherings. Major sects host them, rotating locations. For example: the Daoist Hidden Cloud Temple on Zhongnan Mountain hosts the ‘Gathering of Floating Reeds’; the Feng family in Phoenix Valley hosts the ‘Immortal Wandering Assembly’; the Confucian Bamboo Academy in Jiuzhaigou hosts the ‘Da Wen Forum’; and the Buddhist Treasure Assembly is held at Hui Ling Summit. These are just a few I know. Each month there’s a trade event focused on Qi Refining stage needs, Foundation Establishment trade events are held annually, and Golden Core stage events every ten years.”

Luo Yu listened, heart racing, “So many cultivators? For the trade events to be so big, there must be at least tens of thousands involved, right?”

Qin Yue nodded. “Most cultivators today are at Foundation Establishment stage, mainly born in the Qing dynasty. Golden Core stage cultivators are mostly from the Yuan and Ming dynasties, some from Song as well. Nascent Soul stage are extremely rare and don’t associate with ordinary cultivators.”

Luo Yu asked, “What about modern ones? Are there few modern cultivators?” Qin Yue nodded, “Those with spiritual roots are one in ten thousand. Out of China’s 1.3 billion people, only about ten thousand have spiritual roots. Of those, only one in ten thousand start cultivating, usually because their innate wisdom is exceptional and they were specially sought out by cultivators to replenish their sects. For you and me to meet—it’s truly a coincidence.”

The story of ‘Cultivation Among Friends’ continues—new chapters have been updated!