Chapter Twenty-Five: An Unexpected Windfall
With all worries set aside, Lin Cheng finally felt at ease. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead.
Little Demon!
He turned to look at Little Demon, finding it unharmed, though it lay flat on the ground with drooping ears, staring at Lin Cheng with a face full of complaint.
Lin Cheng gave a sheepish grin and hurried over, gently stroking its small head in comfort.
Wang Shan, curiosity written all over his face, came over as well, scrutinizing Little Demon.
He could easily tell that Little Demon possessed the strength of the ninth stage, high tier of the True Qi Realm. While this was nothing in the presence of masters like Si Miao, it was a formidable force among those in the True Qi Realm.
“Is this your spirit pet, Brother Lin?” Wang Shan asked.
Lin Cheng replied, “He is my younger brother; we address each other as siblings, not as master and servant.”
Wang Shan nodded, half understanding.
Scanning their surroundings, the two decided to leave the area.
...
Heishan Town lay six thousand miles directly east of Qingyang Sect, at the outer edge of the Heishan Mountains, one of the few large towns in the region.
At this moment, inside a tavern, two men and a dog sat at a window-side table on the second floor. These were Lin Cheng and Wang Shan, who had narrowly escaped death.
After downing three bowls of fine wine, the two felt invigorated. Amidst the clinking of cups, Lin Cheng gained a deeper understanding of Wang Shan.
Wang Shan was the chief inner disciple of Yuyang Peak, Qingyang Sect. Not only was he powerful, but his upright character made him beloved by his peers.
Yet, above him stood a direct disciple, with whom he had a contentious relationship. That disciple often used his status to hinder Wang Shan from behind the scenes.
Thus, Wang Shan preferred to take sect missions as opportunities to travel far and wide.
Lin Cheng had always been unclear about the hierarchy within the sect, but today, through conversation with Wang Shan, he finally understood.
In the sect, one’s position was clearly marked by the color of their attire: green for outer sect laborers, blue for official outer sect disciples, purple for inner sect disciples, red for chief inner disciples, and black for the highest-ranking—direct disciples.
Hearing this, Lin Cheng suddenly felt as if he stood atop the summit.
In truth, if not for Master Cang Feng’s favor, becoming a direct disciple would not have been so simple.
Moreover, if his own cultivation failed to advance, he might not retain his status for long.
Wang Shan set down his cup, gazed at Lin Cheng, and sighed,
“I never imagined... The junior brother from back then has now reached the eighth stage, high tier of the True Qi Realm, and even slain—”
Realizing he almost let slip too much, Wang Shan quickly stopped himself, lightly slapping his mouth with a wry smile.
...
“I must say, the experts of our sect are rather unreliable! If we wait for them to rescue us, they might not even find our bodies...” Lin Cheng joked, chewing on a chunk of chicken.
Wang Shan’s face darkened. By rights, his urgent message should have reached the elders, and they ought to have arrived already.
Perhaps his message hadn’t reached them. The thought unsettled Wang Shan, and suspicion crept into his heart.
“By the way, Brother Lin, what brought you there today?” Wang Shan asked, having composed himself.
“Just passing through... I planned to come to Heishan Town to get a mount,” Lin Cheng wiped oil from his mouth and explained how he’d been investigating the spirit beast unrest at the lava vein.
Wang Shan said, “What a coincidence! If not for you today... I would have fallen in Heishan Town.”
Lin Cheng asked, “What are your plans, Brother Wang?”
Wang Shan replied, “Let’s return to the sect together. This matter must be reported.”
At these words, Lin Cheng jumped to his feet.
Stirring up trouble!
“Hey, hey, hey... Brother, don’t be hasty, let me finish,” Wang Shan hurriedly approached, lowering his voice,
“Think about it, Brother Lin—Si Miao is dead. Ziyang Sect will surely investigate, and eventually, it will lead back to us...”
“So, we need a consistent story. When reporting to the sect, we say that Si Miao was killed by a mysterious figure while pursuing me.”
Lin Cheng relaxed, recognizing the wisdom in Wang Shan’s plan.
Si Miao of Ziyang Sect had acted wickedly in secret; encountering a mysterious expert who dispatched him was fitting retribution.
With all worries dispelled, the two indulged in feasting and drinking.
After several rounds, they chose two superior rooms, intending to rest well after their arduous journey. For Lin Cheng, it was a rare chance to truly relax.
He took out Si Miao’s storage ring and examined it. Compared to storage bags, storage rings were far more advanced. He muttered an incantation and dripped a drop of blood to claim ownership.
Since Si Miao was dead, the ring was now unclaimed, and Lin Cheng easily opened its space.
Seeing that the ring’s space was more than ten times larger than his storage bag, Lin Cheng cheered in delight and eagerly inspected its contents.
Even with over two thousand fire attribute spirit stones in his possession, Lin Cheng could not help but laugh with joy.
Inside, there were more than ten thousand attribute-less spirit stones, over a hundred bottles of assorted pills, six or seven high-grade mysterious artifacts, and two top-grade ones, including a defensive soft armor.
He picked up a crimson broadsword—the Bloodslaughter Blade—a low-grade spiritual weapon, Si Miao’s personal artifact.
...
He weighed the Bloodslaughter Blade in his hand. Though a low-grade spiritual weapon, such items were exceedingly rare; it would serve someone well in the future.
His eyes fell on a dull, blue-green sword in the corner. Its blade was eight inches wide, and aside from its bulk, it had little else remarkable.
Yet Lin Cheng nearly leapt for joy—he’d struck gold!
The Breeze Sword!
A flying artifact!
Only those who had broken through to the Pill Realm could traverse the skies freely, while cultivators below that realm relied on flying artifacts.
Wang Shan himself had used his flying artifact, the Blazing Fan, to carry Lin Hu and himself to Qingyang Sect.
Lin Cheng never imagined he’d now have his own flying artifact, and his heart surged with excitement.
He recalled his dream of soaring through the heavens alongside Fatty Lin, riding swords across the world—it was about to become reality.
He could not stop grinning as he pictured returning to Qingyang Sect, bringing Fatty Lin, and the two of them flying on swords together.
Before dawn, Lin Cheng woke Wang Shan.
“Brother Wang, let’s set out!”
Wang Shan: “...”
Opening the door and seeing the stars still bright in the sky, Wang Shan looked speechlessly at Lin Cheng.
“Brother Lin, did you drink again after returning to your room last night...?”
Lin Cheng scratched his head, embarrassed, and said with a chuckle, “Well... I’m eager to return to the sect, couldn’t sleep...”
Wang Shan sighed, “Alright! Let’s depart at once!”
With a casual wave, Wang Shan enlarged the Blazing Fan beneath their feet, beckoning Lin Cheng forward.
Lin Cheng grinned, swept his hand, and summoned the Breeze Sword beneath his feet, stepping onto it.
Upon seeing this...
Wang Shan: “...”
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