Eternal Life: I Can Harvest Demon Beast Talents

Chapter 190: Chapter 163: The Puppet Master Wanes, Essence Blood Arrives

Business was business. Faced with the Spirit Stones Lin Changheng took out, Chef Zeng did not refuse and accepted them directly.

They chatted for another moment. Once their business was concluded, Chef Zeng became noticeably silent.

Lin Changheng’s gaze shifted slightly. Seeing Chef Zeng’s state, he knew the man most likely had something else to ask of him.

He just didn’t know how to bring it up.

But Lin Changheng didn’t take the initiative to ask or break the silence. Instead, he leisurely sipped his tea, waiting for the other man to speak first.

This was unlike his earlier interaction with Puppet Master Yan and his granddaughter, where he had been the one to make a proactive suggestion.

’Different people require different communication strategies and methods. You can’t just apply a one-size-fits-all approach.’

For instance, Puppet Master Yan and his granddaughter were reclusive. Lin Changheng had been the one to visit them, initiate contact, and even proactively ask for their help in refining a puppet. They had neither refused nor made any demands.

Later, as Puppet Master Yan’s health steadily declined, the pair never came to him asking for Elixirs. Lin Changheng figured Puppet Master Yan must have forbidden his granddaughter from doing so.

’When dealing with people like that, it was perfectly fine for me to show goodwill and offer help proactively.’

But his relationship with Chef Zeng was different. Though they addressed each other with the familiarity of brothers, their first contact had been purely transactional. If not for that, Lin Changheng doubted he would have ever even met the man.

The recent return of the "storage fee" and the demand for the steward’s apology could have been a prelude to this conversation, or it might just be part of Chef Zeng’s character. For the moment, Lin Changheng couldn’t be sure.

Lin Changheng was decisive. ’If I can’t figure it out, then I won’t waste time on it. I’ll just wait for him to speak.’

And just as he expected, after a brief wait, Chef Zeng finally spoke.

He didn’t get straight to the point, however. He started by laying some groundwork.

He began telling a story about his background and origins.

As it turned out, Chef Zeng was also a Son-in-Law—just like Xu Fugui!

But unlike Fugui, who had married into the Xu Family, a mere Qi Cultivation Clan, Chef Zeng had married into a large Cultivation Clan with five Foundation Establishment Cultivators!

If they could produce just one Fake Core Cultivator, they had a chance of becoming a new Cultivation Family.

One must understand that to this day, in all of Song Country, there were only nine Cultivation Families—not even a full ten.

The difficulty was immense. It was an incredibly rare achievement.

The key criteria were the presence of a Fake Core Cultivator and multiple Foundation Establishment members.

But that was merely the threshold. A clan still had to withstand the long test of time and the pressures from all sides, remaining steadfast, before it could truly be called a Noble Family.

The "generational" aspect—that was the very heart of the matter.

Lin Changheng was extremely surprised to hear this. The largest Cultivation Clans he had encountered before were the Talisman-Making Song Family and the Beast Taming Sun Family—and he’d only ever bought things from their shops. Beyond them, there was the Spirit Fox Mountain Liu Family with its Dual Foundation Establishment, and the Star Erosion Lake Jin Family with its Triple Foundation Establishment...

He had never encountered a clan as powerful as one with five Foundation Establishment Cultivators!

But it was clear that Chef Zeng’s life force was stable; Lin Changheng could sense this through the True Intent of his own Rongsheng Divine Abilities.

’He clearly hasn’t lost a great deal of his vital essence. His path must be different from the one Xu Fugui chose—the path of siring many children for the family’s prosperity.’

’Combined with his identity as a Tier Two Spirit Chef, he must have found a way to balance being a Son-in-Law with pursuing his own Skills. It’s like he chose a combination of my path and Xu Fugui’s.’

Lin Changheng deduced as much.

But then he had another realization. ’A large Foundation Establishment clan like that wouldn’t be short on studs for breeding purposes. They wouldn’t settle for an ordinary young cultivator. The requirements must have been to have both a good Spirit Root and a Talent for a Skill, on top of being willing to marry into the family!’

’He must have met all three criteria just to get in the door.’

The line of reasoning was seamless, without any apparent flaws. Lin Changheng was confident he had guessed eighty to ninety percent of the truth.

Then he heard Chef Zeng speak, his expression calm. He showed no embarrassment or sense of inferiority for revealing his status as a Son-in-Law. "Younger Brother Lin, the Huangliang Residence Spirit Wine Tower that I manage is owned by my family—the Huang Family of Spirit Dome Mountain."

"The Huang Family of Spirit Dome Mountain?"

Lin Changheng repeated the name to himself. It was the first time he had ever heard of them.

Then, Chef Zeng slowly steered the conversation to the main topic. "You might think being in a huge, resource-rich family is great, but sometimes, life isn’t as straightforward or peaceful as it is in a smaller clan."

This single sentence sparked a connection in Lin Changheng’s mind. ’Aren’t the stories always full of tales about the different branches of great houses fighting amongst themselves for power and profit? It’s a classic setup!’

’The most obvious example is the mortal Royal Family, where fathers and sons turn on each other and brothers compete to the death, a brutal form of succession by force!’

’The Immortal Dao is even worse. Cultivation consumes vast amounts of resources, so everyone prioritizes them above all else. While the big picture might come first, internal struggles are unavoidable beneath the surface.’

As expected, Chef Zeng’s next words confirmed his suspicions. "My branch of the family... well, my wife’s grandfather is our only Foundation Establishment Cultivator. His body is growing old, and once he passes on, our branch will be squeezed out from all sides..."

"Oh?"

Lin Changheng feigned a look of sudden understanding. "Brother Zeng, are you saying your branch urgently needs to groom a new Foundation Establishment Cultivator to hold down the fort and turn the tide? And so, you want me to help refine a Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"Of course, of course! Brother Zeng, with our relationship, that’s an easy favor to ask! As long as you can gather the Materials, I can prioritize a batch for you right away."

He rattled it all off in a rush, finishing before Chef Zeng could say another word.

Chef Zeng opened his mouth, but no words came out. He then sighed. "The Foundation Establishment Pill isn’t the urgent part. My wife’s grandfather... his intention is for me to invite you, Younger Brother Lin, to become a Tributor for our branch..."

This was the real reason he’d found it so hard to speak. Rumors that Lin Changheng’s doorway was as crowded as a marketplace had already spread throughout the Inner City. After three days of observation, there had been no signs of anyone successfully recruiting him.

This suggested that Lin Changheng wasn’t interested in the olive branches being extended by the various powers.

Therefore, extending his own invitation would be doubly difficult.

But he had his orders, so he could only bite the bullet and try. His only strategy was to be sincere.

Hearing this, Lin Changheng thought, ’Just as I thought.’ He had been deliberately sending out "rejection" signals with his behavior.

He then shook his head, feigning difficulty. "Becoming a Tributor... I have no such plans at the moment. I prefer to be free and unrestrained, without any obligations. I can only apologize. And I’m not just telling you this, Brother Zeng. Everyone who has come to visit has received the same answer."

Even after the rejection, Chef Zeng didn’t give up. He began listing offers—all precious items that a Qi Cultivation Cultivator would covet. He had no idea that Lin Changheng was already in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

They held no appeal for him whatsoever.

Lin Changheng politely refused again. After a moment’s thought, he added, attempting to soften the rejection, "But whether I become a Tributor or not doesn’t have to affect anything, does it? I can still prioritize refining pills for your branch in the future."

Chef Zeng had expected as much and didn’t press the issue. He simply nodded, looking somewhat dejected.

Lin Changheng pretended not to notice and added, "Has Miss Huang finished the batch of Elixirs I refined for her last time? If you need more, just bring the Medicinal Materials to my door."

At this, Chef Zeng seemed to snap out of his stupor and forced a smile. "Thank you, Younger Brother Lin. My wife’s younger sister is doing much better now. Even though you were busy last time, you still remembered to refine a batch of Elixirs for her ahead of time. We will never forget this kindness."

"Think nothing of it. I’m still relying heavily on you for the matter of the Essence Blood, Brother Zeng."

Lin Changheng seized the opportunity to bring up the Essence Blood again.

"Of course, of course." With that, Chef Zeng took his leave.

...

As he turned to go back inside, Lin Changheng thought about Chef Zeng’s situation and couldn’t help but shake his head.

’For others, this kind of family infighting might be a golden opportunity to fish in troubled waters and reap huge rewards.’

’After all, in times like these, rare treasures that wouldn’t normally see the light of day might appear, all in the name of achieving some goal.’

’That’s why Chef Zeng revealed all these internal affairs.’

’He did it to entice me.’

’But it had the exact opposite effect. It just made me want to stay as far away as possible.’

’To me, conflict means danger, and danger is something to be avoided at all costs!’

’This was the core principle of his path of cautious stability. It could not be violated.’

’It was just as the saying goes: one man’s treasure is another man’s poison...’

Then, a renewed sense of excitement welled up within Lin Changheng, and he immediately took the Jade Wave Spirit Turtle’s Essence Blood from his Storage Bag.