The aunt ignored the looks from others, walked over and said, “Young Man, you’re strong—help me carry this bag.”

It was an ordinary conversation, but with an extraordinary subtext: Carry the bag and come with me, and these spirit apples worth five thousand per jin will be yours.

That’s why people say the Immortal Cultivation Courtyard is a land of romantic encounters—situations like this happen almost every day.

Cultivation is a competition of resources.

There are always some handsome guys lacking resources who, with tears in their eyes, follow the aunt.

There are also girls in urgent need of resources who, for their dreams, go with a bald old man.

The tall and strong handsome guy in front of them finally bowed his head before the aunt.

The aunt was clearly an old resident of the Immortal Cultivation Courtyard; the security guard at the entrance didn’t stop them, just watched as the man and woman walked in.

Chubby, who witnessed all this, felt a surge of emotion inside.

He really couldn’t help himself, and with a spirit of scientific inquiry, decided to conduct a cultivation science experiment: If he bought a few jin of spirit fruit and strolled around the entrance, would a kind-hearted girl help him carry his bag?

Chapter 9: A Lifelong Rival

Before conducting a scientific experiment, you first have to move into the Immortal Cultivation Courtyard.

A skinny camel is still bigger than a horse; judging from the handsome men and beautiful women coming and going at the entrance, there were still plenty of people flocking to the Immortal Cultivation Courtyard.

Chubby was no exception. Even knowing it was a haunted house, he still resolutely came to pursue his dream.

A few minutes later, he met up with Old Thompson.

Old Thompson, now middle-aged and a bit overweight, got straight to the point as soon as they met: “Little Henry, don’t take offense, but show me your mana fluctuations first, otherwise I can’t take you in to see the apartment.”

Chubby raised his hand, displaying the power of Manifestation Level Two, a swirl of mana rising from his palm.

Old Thompson let out a long sigh of relief and got down to business: “Let me first introduce the surrounding area. The Immortal Cultivation Courtyard is in a bustling neighborhood, with two official specialty stores nearby: 【Spirit Beast Pavilion】 and 【Spirit Fruit Pavilion】.”

“There are also plenty of great restaurants around, including branches of 【Spirit Hotpot】 and 【Hundred Flavors Fresh】—all highly reputable places.”

“Look, right across from the main entrance is a 【Star Blue Training Center】, which is very famous. You can work out there, hire a coach to learn physical techniques, or find a sparring partner to practice spells. There are very professional and beautiful female coaches inside, offering all kinds of training programs, plus weight loss courses.”

“If you’re interested, I can help you get memberships at any of these places.”

It was clear that Old Thompson was very skilled at bundled marketing.

Chubby had his own ideas: “Show me the apartment first.”

Old Thompson didn’t push further, took out his credentials and exchanged a few words with the security guard at the entrance, then led Henry Parker inside.

After passing the greenbelt, Chubby finally saw the true face of the Immortal Cultivation Courtyard.

Modern buildings were surrounded by ingeniously arranged plants, and there was an artificial lake—picturesque scenery.

At this point, Old Thompson handed over a list and said, “The currently vacant apartments are: Building A, 3804; Building B, 1606; Building C, 2517; Building D, 1913… Which one would you like to see first?”

“Let’s go to Building B.”

Henry Parker didn’t hesitate.

Out of the 26 letters, B was his favorite.

Arriving at Building B, 1606, Chubby was amazed.

He thought single apartments were all under 50 square meters, but it turned out he was still too young. The apartment before him was at least 100 square meters, with unique and tasteful decor, exuding the elegance of a cultivator detached from the mundane world.

The place had already been thoroughly cleaned; there was no sign it had been the scene of a bloody incident.

Relying on his experience, Chubby searched for clues in his own way.

He walked out onto the balcony, looking around curiously.

The balcony in Building B was designed to be beautiful and spacious—not only could you hang clothes, but you could also set up a table to admire the moon, or have three people play cards with no problem.

To pursue aesthetics, this kind of balcony had no guardrail, giving monsters an opportunity.

“How did the last tenant die?” Chubby asked.

“You ask that as soon as you come in… If it were anyone else, I really wouldn’t dare say. But with you, kid, I’ll just accept my fate.”

Old Thompson pulled a long face and revealed what he knew: “The last tenant was a female cultivator. In the middle of the night, she let out a few screams. The neighbor next door heard the commotion and called the police. The door was closed, and the woman was found dead on the bed, inexplicably turned into a dried corpse.”

“When was the body discovered?” Chubby asked.

“The police checked the surveillance. On February 14th, Valentine’s Day, the female cultivator entered 1606 alone, and that night she became a dried corpse. It’s been about a month since the murder. That’s all I know,” Old Thompson replied.

“Brother Thompson, you have a lot of connections and know plenty of people around here. What are they saying?” Chubby asked again.

“There’s a ton of rumors.”

Old Thompson said, “But let me be clear, this is all hearsay—not necessarily reliable.”

“Some say all seven victims lived above the 10th floor. Even cultivators at the Dharma Body stage can’t reach such heights, so the killer is probably a pigeon spirit or a sparrow spirit, who bypassed the elevator and hallway cameras and flew in through the window to commit the crime.”

“Others exaggerate, claiming they saw a black shadow climbing up the balcony like Spider-Man, disappearing in the blink of an eye.”

“There are even more outrageous stories, saying the black shadow was a cat demon.”