Chapter 395 - 363: I Want to Be Your Dao Companion
Chapter 395: Chapter 363: I Want to Be Your Dao Companion
October, the start of winter.
The weather on the Xuanyuan Continent rarely changed, and there were no distinct four seasons across its lands. However, because many cultivators came from the mortal realm, they brought with them customs similar to their past lives in the Huaxia civilization.
Thus, they continued to follow the mortal world’s solar terms, habitually using them to mark certain times of the year.
After his morning lessons, Zhao Lin went to the Library Pavilion to read.
Knowledge is power. This saying was just as applicable in the Cultivation Realm.
This held true for magical duels and for cultivation alike.
The Transmission Elder had once told a story: a long time ago, a Foundation Establishment cultivator saw a peculiar bird’s nest high up on a mountain.
The nest was perfectly square, and inside was a demonic bird that resembled a crane.
The demonic bird had red markings on its cyan feathers and a long, sharp, white beak.
The Foundation Establishment cultivator didn’t recognize the demonic bird. ’Its nest is so unusual,’ he thought, ’it must be no ordinary creature.’ And so, he went to great lengths to capture it.
Only after bringing the demonic bird back to his sect and asking around did he learn that it was called a Bifang Bird, a Tier Two Demon Beast. These birds were incredibly proud; once captured, they would refuse to eat or drink, starving themselves to death.
Therefore, the Bifang Bird itself had no value and could not be trained into a Spiritual Bird.
However, the bird’s nest was built from dozens of rare Spirit Grasses, making it exceptionally precious—worth even more than a Dragon Ascending Pill, which could help a Foundation Establishment cultivator break through to the Purple Mansion Realm!
When the Foundation Establishment cultivator learned the truth, he was overcome with regret. He immediately rushed back to find the nest, only to discover someone had already beaten him to it.
If he had been more knowledgeable and understood the value of the square nest, he certainly wouldn’t have made the mistake of choosing the casket over the pearls, of throwing away a watermelon for a sesame seed.
"Junior Brother Zhao should be in the Library Pavilion. Please wait a moment, Junior Sister, while I go find him."
Zhao Lin walked out of the Library Pavilion and saw Senior Brother Dong Lingcheng approaching with a young woman.
The woman was remarkably tall, even taller than Dong Lingcheng. She wore a light purple silk dress and had an exceptional appearance, with almond eyes, rosy cheeks, and elegantly arched eyebrows that gave her a dashing air beneath her beauty.
Zhao Lin felt the woman looked somewhat familiar and couldn’t help but take a second glance. He was about to walk past them when Dong Lingcheng called out to him.
"Junior Brother Zhao, I was just looking for you."
Zhao Lin paused, taken aback. He stopped and cupped his hands in a salute. "Senior Brother Dong."
"This is a transmission disciple from the Spirit Dao Institute of the Western Ox Continent. Her surname is Li, and her given name is Zhen."
Dong Lingcheng introduced the woman beside him to Zhao Lin, then added with a smile, "She came all this way just to see you, Junior Brother Zhao."
He winked as he finished, a teasing look on his face.
’Li Zhen?’
Hearing the name, Zhao Lin’s heart skipped a beat. The last time he had inquired about the Li family, he had learned that their Patriarch, Li Chenglin, had three sons and two daughters. The eldest son, Li Yuanyou, and the second daughter, Li Zhen, were the ones with talent for cultivation.
Three Mountains County was in the Western Ox Continent, and this woman’s name was Li Zhen. ’She’s almost certainly from the Li family of Three Mountains County...’
’What does she want with me?’
Zhao Lin’s mind raced. He sized up the woman before him again, secretly raising his guard. Calmly, he said, "Greetings, Senior Sister Li. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Li Zhen’s face flushed slightly. She avoided Zhao Lin’s gaze and said softly, "I have something to ask you, Junior Brother Zhao. Is now a convenient time?"
Before Zhao Lin could answer, Dong Lingcheng chimed in, "Our Spirit Dao Institute has guest rooms. You two can go there."
Zhao Lin shook his head. "That won’t be necessary. I have other things to attend to. If you have something to say, please say it here."
’If this woman is from the Li family, she might not dare to attack me openly, but all she has to do is shout ’indecent assault!’ and I’d be unable to defend myself. It’s best not to be in a room alone with her.’
Neither Dong Lingcheng nor Li Zhen had expected Zhao Lin’s flat refusal. For a moment, they both stood there, stunned.
The disciples coming and going from the Library Pavilion saw the three of them, and many stopped to stare, captivated by Li Zhen’s appearance.
"Who’s that female cultivator? She’s gorgeous."
"Not just gorgeous, she’s tall, too. Look at those legs..."
"Judging by her clothes, she’s a transmission disciple, too. And her cultivation is at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer! She’s no simple character!"
Unaware of why Zhao Lin’s attitude was so cold, Dong Lingcheng gave him a strange look and said, "There’s a pavilion over there. Why don’t you talk there?"
Zhao Lin figured there shouldn’t be any danger out in the open. He nodded. "Fine."
Li Zhen breathed a sigh of relief and shot Dong Lingcheng a grateful glance before following Zhao Lin into the pavilion.
Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere grew a little awkward.
Zhao Lin stared straight ahead, silent, and maintained a certain distance from her.
Li Zhen waited for a moment, but Zhao Lin didn’t speak. Finally, unable to bear the silence, she parted her red lips and asked, "Junior Brother Zhao, how old are you?"
"Thirty-three."
Zhao Lin replied impassively.
"I... I’m a year older than you."
Li Zhen said shyly.
"Oh."
Zhao Lin responded casually, his mind busy trying to figure out her real intentions.
"Do you know why I’ve come to find you?"
"I don’t. Please be direct."
"I am from Three Mountains County. My older brother’s name is Li Yuanyou. You saved him in the Yinfeng Realm. I have come today to express my gratitude."
’Gratitude?’
Zhao Lin sneered internally. The last time the Li family had "thanked" him, they had sent a Foundation Establishment cultivator and three late-stage Qi Refining experts to hunt him down and kill him.
If he hadn’t been proficient in Magic and taken precautions beforehand, he would have been dead long ago.
’Today, the Li family has sent someone to my doorstep again. I don’t know if this is a show of force or if they have some other scheme in mind.’
At this thought, Zhao Lin’s face darkened. "It was nothing. There’s no need for thanks."
"A life-saving debt must be repaid."
Li Zhen said with great seriousness. She then took a small storage pouch from her waist and offered it with both hands. "A small token of my appreciation. It’s nothing grand."
But Zhao Lin didn’t even glance at it. "Not necessary!" he said coldly.
’I wouldn’t dare accept anything from the Li family. Who knows what kind of trap they’ve put inside.’
Li Zhen’s expression froze. She awkwardly withdrew the storage pouch, unsure of what to say. Her brows furrowed slightly, as if she didn’t understand Zhao Lin’s attitude.
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going."
Zhao Lin wanted nothing to do with the Li family. ’One day, when I’m strong enough, I’ll go back and kill Li Chenglin and every one of the cultivators who tried to assassinate me. Only then will I quench this hatred in my heart.’
"Wait..."
Seeing that Zhao Lin was about to leave, Li Zhen said anxiously, "Please stay, Junior Brother Zhao! I still have more to say."
Zhao Lin stopped but said impatiently, "Then say it quickly. I have to get back to my cultivation."
Li Zhen bit her lip and said, "My mother had me late in life and passed away not long after. At that time, my father had just taken over as Patriarch and was overwhelmed with responsibilities, so he had no time to raise us."
"Because of this, my brother and I have been very close since we were children. So when I heard the news that he had gone missing, I felt like my world was collapsing."
"I had just begun cultivating back then. I had a little bit of talent and was considered somewhat comely, so I made a vow: whoever could find my brother, I would pledge myself to them."
At this, Li Zhen’s chest heaved as if she had just made a monumental decision. "Junior Brother Zhao, I want... to become your Dao companion."