Chapter 268 - 197: A Main Herb with Roots, an Opportune Demand
Chapter 268: Chapter 197: A Main Herb with Roots, an Opportune Demand
"Heheh, you’re quite the cautious one. That disguise is really meticulous. If I hadn’t broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage and gained Divine Sense, you really would have escaped, you little brat..."
The male cultivator, a steward, who was tailing him, was nearly dazzled by Lin Changheng’s series of incredibly skilled maneuvers and couldn’t help but muse to himself.
"Too bad... you ran into me!"
WHOOSH!
A figure followed him out of the Marketplace, shot straight up from the ground, and gave chase in a streak of Escape Light.
However, all of this was within the grasp of Lin Changheng’s Divine Sense.
’You were watching me, thinking I was oblivious. In reality, you only saw what I wanted you to see, and you never knew I was watching you as well...’
Before long, the distance between the two continued to close.
Lin Changheng seemed to sense something. He glanced back, then hurriedly landed and ducked into the mountain forest.
"Hahaha! Don’t even think about running, boy!"
The male steward, his own features distorted by a disguise, flared his Escape Light and followed him in with a howl.
"AHH!"
The next instant, a blood-curdling scream echoed out, startling a flock of birds into the air.
The male steward’s savage grin was still on his face when he suddenly felt a chill on his neck. Then his vision flipped upside down, sinking lower and lower.
It sank until it was level with the dust. At the same time, the final image entered his sight: a headless body standing in place, its clothes and figure strangely familiar...
Behind it, a Cyan Gold Flying Line whizzed by, splashing a few drops of blood.
’Isn’t that my bod—’
His eyes widened in realization, then his consciousness scattered. He was as dead as could be.
This Foundation Establishment Cultivator didn’t even see what killed him...
WHOOSH!
A figure in a black robe emerged from the forest—it was Lin Changheng.
The distant Cyan Gold Flying Line cut an arc through the air and instantly flew back, landing obediently in Lin Changheng’s outstretched palm.
It was none other than his Spiritual Flying Sword!
And this was the first time it had drawn blood.
...
Walking over to the corpse, Lin Changheng reached out. His Magical Power surged, pulling the grimy, dust-covered head into his grasp.
He didn’t touch it directly, using his Magical Power to keep it at a distance. He found it filthy.
Then, his Divine Sense instantly drilled into the man’s brain, and he began to cast the Soul Searching Secret Skill.
A moment later, Lin Changheng withdrew his Divine Sense with a neutral expression. A dark golden Flame erupted in his palm, burning the head to nothingness. He then flicked a spark from his finger, which incinerated the corpse completely.
’This... this guy was a truly ruthless one.’
’Too bad he ran into me.’
A strange light flashed in Lin Changheng’s eyes.
He pieced together the basic facts from the memory fragments left by the Soul Search, and the story gave him pause.
First, it confirmed one thing: this man was indeed a former attendant from the Alchemy Pavilion. He had seen him several times, but they had never interacted much.
As Lin Changheng was an honored guest and a major client, he was usually received personally by the middle-aged Shopkeeper.
This attendant had a dark mind. After suggesting several times that they should kill wealthy customers for their treasures, he was reprimanded by the middle-aged Shopkeeper.
From then on, it was as if he had awakened from a dream. He reflected deeply on his actions and seemed to become a completely different person.
He kept this up for several years.
This led the middle-aged Shopkeeper to believe the young man was teachable. Seeing that his Spirit Root and Talent were decent, the Shopkeeper began to invest heavily in his training.
As a result, the attendant’s Cultivation gradually improved.
Later, the middle-aged Shopkeeper’s family clashed with a rival family while developing new territory and became locked in a war of attrition. A subsequent strategic error by the higher-ups caused them to suffer a great loss of Vitality. Neighboring families, watching like hungry tigers, naturally wouldn’t let such a plump sheep escape.
One night, they joined forces, disguised themselves as Tribulation Cultivators, and annihilated the clan.
Only a few of the family’s shops in various Marketplaces were left, isolated and vulnerable.
However, thanks to the protection of the Influence behind the Marketplace, they weren’t wiped out in one fell swoop.
With his family destroyed and his loved ones dead, the middle-aged Shopkeeper plotted revenge. But his own Cultivation Talent was poor, he was getting old, and he could see the end of his road as a cultivator.
So he turned his hopes to the attendant he had known inside and out for nearly thirty years—the one who had become so outstanding and obedient.
He even married his daughter to him.
He promised the attendant the shop would be his one day, asking only that he never forget the family’s grudge and slowly plot revenge. He urged him not to be impulsive and to wait patiently for the right opportunity.
But the middle-aged Shopkeeper never lived to see that day of revenge. Instead, on an outing, he met his own son-in-law’s butcher knife.
The man’s Cultivation had reached the Peak of the Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation, a level he had reached bit by bit, nurtured with the Shopkeeper’s own resources and painstaking effort.
But now, with every single stab, it was as if the son-in-law was venting all the pent-up hatred, resentment, and gloom he had accumulated under his disguise for thirty years, releasing it all through the Shopkeeper’s agonized cries.
’You repay all my painstaking effort by taking my very lifeblood?’
The middle-aged Shopkeeper was in disbelief, but it didn’t stop his son-in-law’s savage grin. The attacks remained vicious, and his death was exceedingly tragic.
Using the resources the middle-aged Shopkeeper had saved for revenge, along with the inheritance of the shop, the man managed to acquire a Protective Vein Pill.
In addition, by robbing and killing a cultivator from some family, he surprisingly obtained a Substandard Foundation Establishment Pill. The victim was suspected to have been traveling alone after an Auction and was killed on his way to rendezvous with his clan members.
With it, he successfully achieved Foundation Establishment in one go.
And with this new level of Cultivation, his true nature was exposed. He began to carry out his plans to lure and kill wealthy customers with even more brazenness.
’After all, how could honest business ever be as fast as robbing and killing? A man gets rich from a windfall, and this is how you get the cultivation resources for the Foundation Establishment Stage!’
But who would have known that he would run into a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who was even better at Disguise?
If Lin Changheng hadn’t wandered around the Marketplace, feigning caution, the man would have been more careful and kept his guard up, and he wouldn’t have died so quickly.
...
Now that his objective was accomplished, Lin Changheng didn’t return to the Ruins District. He set his direction and headed straight for the Huang Family on Spirit Dome Mountain.
With the shop now in the hands of the middle-aged Shopkeeper’s daughter, it could be considered returned to its rightful owner.
But it would be difficult for a woman at the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation to support a shop on her own. Once she realizes her husband is dead, her next choice will be crucial. Will she continue to run the business, or will she cash out and leave?
This would determine the future course of her life.
Besides, according to the Soul Search, the shop didn’t have any of the other Medicinal Materials Lin Changheng needed.
Therefore, Lin Changheng had no intention of getting involved.
Next, Lin Changheng spent over a month traveling on his speeding Dharma Ship.
Fortunately, he was capable of Dual Tasking, so he didn’t waste too much time.
He spent most of that time trying to deduce substitute Medicinal Materials for the incomplete recipe of the Spirit Communication Pill that Bai Zhenchuan from the Immortal City had given him.
By the time he picked up Yan Mingyi and returned to the Immortal City, he had already devised replacement options for four ingredients, two of which were Ancient Medicines.
After dropping off Yan Mingyi, Lin Changheng turned and made a trip to the Spiritual Materials Hall in the Inner City, which was run by the Immortal City itself.
"How may I help you, sir?" a Female Attendant asked as she approached him.
Lin Changheng directly presented the Token given to him by Bai Zhenchuan. The smile on the Female Attendant’s face visibly became fuller and more genuine.
"The True Inheritance has already left instructions. We will do our utmost to meet your needs. This way, please."
"Mm."
Lin Changheng nodded, took a seat as invited, and was respectfully served tea.
Just then, an elderly man who looked like a Steward approached. His Cultivation was at the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation. He recognized Lin Changheng at a glance and said with a smile, "Alchemist Lin, you’ve finally arrived. The other two senior Pill Masters who were invited have already been here several times."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Lin Changheng said nonchalantly, "I’m accustomed to deducing before acting. I only begin testing ingredients once I have a certain degree of confidence."
"Indeed, indeed!"
The elderly Steward agreed profusely.
Lin Changheng said no more. With a flick of his finger, he sent out a Jade Scroll inscribed with six Medicinal Materials, which the old man caught.
"This..."
The old man hesitated the moment he looked at it.
"What’s wrong? Don’t tell me the Hall doesn’t have them?"
Lin Changheng frowned, then said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, "If that’s the case, then I can only report the truth to Bai Zhenchuan. It’s not that I’m incompetent, but that one can’t make bricks without straw."
He made a beckoning gesture with his hand. The Jade Scroll, which the old man was gripping tightly in thought, suddenly trembled and easily broke free from his five-fingered grasp, flying back into Lin Changheng’s hand.
"Huh?"
The elderly Steward looked down at his hand. A moment ago, he had felt a surge of Giant Strength, and the Jade Scroll had flown out of his grasp before he could even react. His palm was still tingling.
’This is...’
"Wait! Alchemist Lin, please wait!"
Shaken by this display, the elderly Steward immediately snapped to his senses and called out to stop Lin Changheng. Seeing Lin Changheng look back with a placid expression, he quickly offered an apologetic smile. "Two of those Medicinal Materials are quite rare and not easy to obtain, but since Alchemist Lin has asked, I will go and fetch them right away!"
His tone suggested he was deeply pained by the prospect.