Chapter 382 - 356: Returning to the Commandery
Chapter 382: Chapter 356: Returning to the Commandery
Two days later, Zhao Lin arrived at a dock, having followed a cargo ship.
"We’ve finally made port! Brother Hou, the harbor here in Guangping County is really impressive."
"Of course. Guangping County is the largest county in all of Celestial Cyan Province. Is this your first time here, Younger Brother Ge?"
"It is. Are there any local specialties, or places worth visiting?"
"Haha, Guangping County’s Essence Fruit and Seven-Colored Spirit Pear Paste are both quite famous and greatly beneficial for one’s cultivation. Since it’s a rare trip for you, Younger Brother Ge, you should take some back with you..."
Hearing the conversation between the two men on the vessel from beneath the water, Zhao Lin nodded to himself.
’So I’ve already reached Celestial Cyan Province. I should be safe now.’
The Chenghua Sect governed thirteen provinces. Celestial Cyan Province was centrally located among them and heavily populated, with Guangping County serving as its capital.
If he revealed himself in a place like this, his safety was practically guaranteed. Even if the Li and Tao families tracked him here, they wouldn’t dare make a move so openly.
Zhao Lin swam stealthily to the shore and quietly surfaced.
Over a dozen Spiritual Vessels of various sizes were moored at the docks. The jetties were piled high with cargo, and people—both cultivators and mortals—bustled about.
Some were loading and unloading cargo, others were cleaning the docks, and still others were inserting Spirit Stones into the arrays on the vessels. It was a scene of constant activity.
Zhao Lin’s heart eased. He leaped onto the shore and channeled his energy to dry his clothes.
Based on past experience, a port was never far from a marketplace. And if he found the marketplace, he’d find the vessel station.
He followed the crowd leaving the port and, sure enough, soon saw a marketplace.
"To Shangyuan County."
Zhao Lin bought a ticket at the vessel station and quickly boarded the Spiritual Vessel.
There were other, even faster, routes back to Han Chi County, but Zhao Lin had decided to make a trip to Shangyuan County first.
He had a specific purpose for this trip: to spread the news that Li Yuanyou was still alive.
The reason the Li family was hunting him was most likely to prevent this news from spreading. Therefore, he would do the exact opposite.
He couldn’t retaliate against the Li family directly right now, but this could be a small counterstrike.
Marketplaces, where all sorts of people gathered, were the fastest places to spread information.
「In less than half a day, he arrived at the Shangyuan market.」
Zhao Lin first went to a talisman shop and bought two Hongyan Talismans and two Concealment Talismans.
Both types of talismans were high-grade and expensive. The Hongyan Talisman in particular cost one thousand Spirit Coins a piece, while the Concealment Talisman was five hundred Spirit Coins.
But Zhao Lin didn’t hesitate in the slightest. These items could save his life in a critical moment; they were worth buying no matter the cost.
After buying the talismans, Zhao Lin made his way to the shop that Han Chi County operated in the market.
"Young friend, back so soon?"
Cultivator Gu, who had been on the same vessel as him last time, was also in the shop. He smiled and greeted Zhao Lin upon seeing him.
"Yes, Elder Gu."
Zhao Lin stepped into the main hall and glanced around. It was just after noon, the busiest time of day, and seven or eight customers were browsing the wares.
"Come, have a seat."
Cultivator Gu was the Shopkeeper on duty. It was customary to offer some hospitality to a visiting cultivator from the county, and besides, he had a good impression of Zhao Lin from when he’d helped transport cargo last time.
He ordered an assistant to serve Zhao Lin some tea and asked casually, "So, how did your mission go?"
In his experience, a cultivator on his first sect mission was bound to struggle. He had already prepared some words of comfort for Zhao Lin.
To his surprise, Zhao Lin’s reply was astonishing. "Thank you for your concern, Elder Gu. The mission was a complete success. I earned several hundred merit points, and I even killed a..."
He paused intentionally before adding, "Ghost Cultivator!"
He spoke just loudly enough for everyone in the shop to hear.
Upon hearing this, several customers turned their heads. The shop assistant also drew closer, his ears pricked.
"Is that so? Tell us more!"
Cultivator Gu was taken aback. He swallowed the comforting words he had prepared and asked with great curiosity.
Due to his age, Cultivator Gu no longer undertook sect missions. His life had become uneventful, and he loved nothing more than to hear about strange and unusual events.
"Well, it was like this..."
Zhao Lin leisurely raised his teacup, blew the froth from its surface, and took a careful sip, an expression of pure enjoyment on his face.
Cultivator Gu waited for a moment, but when nothing more was said, he couldn’t help but ask, "Well?"
Zhao Lin praised, "Excellent tea!"
The corner of Cultivator Gu’s mouth twitched. "I was asking about the Ghost Cultivator you mentioned..."
"Ah, right."
Zhao Lin slapped his forehead. Catching sight of two more cultivators entering the shop out of the corner of his eye, he cleared his throat and began, "The sect mission I accepted was to enter the Yinfeng Realm to gather Spirit Grass. I never expected that on the very first day, I would encounter a thousand-year-old Yin Soul..."
He had already recounted this story no less than three times and knew it by heart. He told the tale with embellishments, immediately capturing the attention of everyone present.
"...Li Yuanyou is a member of the Li family from Three Mountains County. The Li family searched for him for twenty years without success, and now the truth has finally come to light."
Zhao Lin finished his story, heavily emphasizing this last point.
The shop fell silent. After a long moment, someone asked, "Fellow Daoist, is what you’re saying true?"
Zhao Lin knew someone would have doubts and was prepared. He took out a Body Stone and used his Divine Sense to obscure the earlier parts of the recording, showing only the final section where he completed the mission.
"The sect is still calculating the merit points for slaying the Ghost Cultivator, so it’s not officially on record yet. However, this should be proof enough."
"Everyone, take a look. The Ghost Cultivator painstakingly cultivated over a hundred stalks of Star Peony Grass, and I took every last one!"
"Let me see."
Cultivator Gu was the first to take the Body Stone. As his Divine Sense swept across it, an expression of unconcealable shock spread across his face.
Soon, every cultivator present had taken a look, and this time, they were all convinced.
"You’re truly lucky, Fellow Daoist! That’s over six hundred merit points right there!"
A young cultivator remarked with envy. Zhao Lin was only at the Qi Refining Third Layer, yet he had managed to slay a Ghost Cultivator. ’If I ran into one, I could definitely do it too. A pity I’m not that lucky.’