After confirming with the two Reds that they’d be willing to undergo treatment by me I shoved everyone out of the courtyard and locked it back up.

Then I boldly headed to the Alchemists’ Guild as if I were on a mission. I knew this city like the back of my hand, so I didn’t even stop to do a sweep with my divine sense... Until I reached the location where the guild was supposed to be.

Where I found a run down inn. Mortals went in and out of it, looking not entirely unlike the townsfolk from the seaside village we came from.

Yep. I’d messed up. I mean, between now and a thousand years in the future, things in the city hadn’t changed much… but it had changed.

Little Spring looked at me like I’d gone crazy again. I flicked his forehead and continued walking.

It took me a minute to remember the old location. Fortunately, it was only a few minutes away.

The building appeared dilapidated for an Alchemists’ Guild, but that was mostly because it was many centuries old. It was easy to see why they built a new one.

As soon as I entered the old guild, I headed straight to the sales desk and lined up. A large line of cultivators queued in front of me.

I huffed out an irritated breath and reluctantly waited.

I had things I needed to do, damn it! I’d been in house arrest so long that I was antsy to get my hands on some good spiritual herbs so I could concoct some pills and make money.

A young man in front of me, whose exterior looked maybe 23-25 (which meant little for cultivators), wore black travel-worn robes. They had fan patterns on them, once made of gold thread, but now just looked brown.

Eventually, his turn came up. Since they didn’t take him to a side room, I couldn’t help but hear his order. He named a few plants that were useful when creating spiritual tools and he requested to see someone higher up.

Of course, I also overheard the associate deny him both requests.

He stormed out of the Alchemists’ Guild, looking frustrated and desperate. Well. It wasn’t like I’d see him again. Though he felt familiar.

The receptionist called me up.

Now it was my turn. I quickly held out my guild badge and requested the money I earned from the patents I recorded with the guild. Apparently, people were very excited about the new developments I introduced to them. The ones in lessening side effects and increasing the conceiving properties of my new (stolen) aphrodisiac recipe.

The sum I earned wasn’t small… Well, it was tiny compared to what I was used to earning as an Immortal Ascension stage cultivator, but now I could practically kiss these spirit stones.

I finally had a decent-sized wallet! Immediately, I spent a quarter on spiritual plants for healing the two Reds and for a side project of mine that would help prepare me for the trial.

Another quarter went toward supplies to make more pills to sell. The last half I saved for later… to spend at the Formation Masters’ Guild. Which was next door.

***

As soon as we entered the massive building, I noticed the pleasant, calming scent of a small environmental formation.

This was a simple level 3 array that would keep the room at a perfect temperature, as well as keep everyone calm. Some might get offended that the guild was manipulating them like this, but to me, it wasn’t any different from the massive amount of research big stores in my past-past life put into creating environments that quietly coerced people to stay longer and buy more.

Take a certain Swedish furniture store’s confusion formation of a layout that tricked customers into winding their way past temptations that practically screamed, ‘come buy me.’

An unwary traveler susceptible to mundane formations might end up planning to buy an office chair but come out with a really cool throw pillow, cinnamon rolls that smelled like heaven, and some savory meatballs that they didn’t intend to buy (and probably shouldn’t have).

And, of course, there was a line here too. Once again, I found myself behind that same black robed man from before. Once he reached the counter. He requested items used to create small formations on spiritual tools while also requesting to see one of the guild’s higher-ups.

Now that I got a second look at the guy, he definitely appeared familiar. Also, his cultivation wasn’t low. He was at least a Nascent Soul realmed rogue cultivator. A man of that level could technically create his own tiny sect if he chose to.

But why was he having so much trouble getting an audience with the big shots of the guild?

Okay, not all Nascent Soul Cultivators were sane. Once one reached a high enough level and had been around for enough years, thinking like a normal human was difficult. The only way I managed it was by constantly referencing things from my original life, remembering that this was a world inside a book, and trying to stay young mentally by not taking everything so goddamn seriously.

Fuck being serious all the time. I had no need for a boring life like that.

The man turned around and flicked his sleeve in irritation. Then he marched toward the exit.

I froze when I finally remembered where I saw this guy’s face. There was a guild in my past life called, Black Jade Information Guild. They specialized in gathering information across the world. The guild was large and reputable... at least it would be in around two hundred years.

There were other guilds like that now, of course (just not to that scale). But what made this one special was the way in which the information was accessed.

Their leader developed a near smartphone-like spiritual tool… Well, it was more like a clipboard that someone could write a request on and shove a reward into along with two medium-grade spirit stones (depending on the size of said reward).

Then if the information was discovered, the reward — minus the two medium spirit stones — would be given to the one providing it. Of course, the guild would verify the inquiry first. It was an insanely advanced system for a cultivation world.

Well, for this one anyway.

And this weirdo in front of me was the man who created that device, started the guild, and helped it become one of the ways cultivators received their information.

Now that I considered it, he was probably using this network to form part of his Dao, one that could help him ascend to immortality. The fact that he was thinking that far ahead as a rogue cultivator was impressive.

Well, I had just been considering ways to find information about what was going on in the world… And I did happen to know how to make a low-end version of the spiritual tool since I studied it back in the day.

The weirdo wasn’t paying attention as he walked and a small group of Qi Condensation cultivator kids ran into him.

A kid dressed in fine robes looked offended and ready to explode in anger. His face had almost turned purple with rage.

As if to mollify the little silk pants, a servant off to the side yelled, “Excuse me! Do you know who you just ran into?!”

Fuck. That brat was going to get himself killed! I briefly looked at the associate who was waiting for us to step up, then I glanced at the security guard. Neither appeared to give a shit. He wouldn’t move unless the guild itself was in danger and then he could do squat in front of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

I sighed deeply.

Too many people in this world just didn’t give a shit.

Whatever. Now was as good of a time as any to make friends and influence people.

I stepped forward. Little Spring grabbed my robe, his eyes wide. “It’s not our problem.”

I grinned and rubbed the top of his head.

“When you live a long life, you’ll realize that the universe has things called fate and karma. If I step forward now, I will tie a string of karma from me to them. Whether this is a good or bad thing will depend on fate. In this way, a complete stranger could turn into someone indispensable.” I grinned and smoothed his hair. The kid scowled up at me. I just broadened my smile then turned to go make trouble.

With my hands behind my back, and sporting the air of an immortal child, I walked up to the two just as the man in the fan-patterned black robes put pressure on the idiots.

“Sorry to disturb you, Senior.” The pressure turned on me as he glared. Fortunately, this was pressure from his divine sense, which didn’t even faze me.

It helped that, he had only been using enough to frighten Qi Condensation stage children and their guardians. He wasn’t trying to harm them.

When he realized I was calmly taking his divine sense pressure, he peered at me curiously.

Ah, he looked so young. And a little desperate. For a Nascent Soul, anyway.

I pulled out my Formation Masters’ Guild Badge and showed it to him. “I’d like to discuss things with you, Senior. Perhaps talk about the Dao, and deliberate over advanced formations and how to combine them with Spiritual Tools.”

His eyes narrowed, and he increased his pressure against me.