Chapter 8

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Chapter 8: The Three Life-Saving Treasures

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, ten years had passed.

During these ten years, the Lin family had undergone significant changes. Lin Batian’s thirty-fifth child had been born. After Lin Die, two other members of the Lin family—Lin He (the second oldest) and Lin Ying (the tenth oldest)—had advanced to the Foundation Building Stage. However, the eldest brother, Lin Shan, had failed in his cultivation attempts and was still stuck at the tenth level of Qi Refining.

Over these years, Lin Batian had stopped expanding the Lin family’s territory and instead focused on stabilizing their existing land. As a result, the Lin family had flourished. The number of Lin family cultivators had exceeded fifty, and they had become a rising star family in the southwest of Yun State.

Finally, Lin Jiang had reached the third level of Qi Refining at the age of 36. This achievement wasn’t particularly remarkable in the Lin family or anywhere else. It was considered a rather mediocre accomplishment.

But Lin Jiang was extremely happy. His cultivation progress had brought him a stronger sense of power, which felt quite satisfying.

Changes had also taken place at the Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa. The number of tenants had grown from just over a hundred to nearly two hundred households. With more manpower, Lin Jiang could manage the villa more efficiently. He also raised more Silver Light Fish, Silver Arrow Fish, Colorful Pigs, and Iron-backed Pigs. The annual income of the villa now exceeded five hundred spirit stones.

Lin Baohua, who lived at the villa, had seemingly come to terms with his situation. No longer obsessed with refining the Wisdom Arousing Pill to awaken his Spiritual Root, he had gotten married and started a family. He helped Lin Jiang run the villa and pinned his hopes for cultivation on the next generation.

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“Feels so good!”

In the sky, Lin Jiang grabbed Lin Ying’s shoulder and shouted joyfully as they flew on their swords. It seemed like an exhilarating experience.

But Lin Ying just rolled her eyes in annoyance. She could fly on her own sword with her four levels of Qi Refining, but her brother, with only three levels, was too weak to fly on his own. So she had to carry him. It was embarrassing.

Lin Die, standing on the side, sighed in disbelief and decided not to look at her little brother’s antics. She just focused on the journey ahead.

Yun State’s Anhua City was about a thousand miles away from the Lin family’s territory. It took about two days for a cultivator at the Foundation Building Stage to reach it. Currently, Lin Die and Lin Ying were escorting Lin Jiang to Anhua City.

Over the years, Lin Jiang had stayed in one place, and Lin Ying and Lin Die had grown tired of the many treats and delicacies. They had gradually stopped visiting the Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa as often. Lin Jiang also wanted to go out and explore, so he begged Lin Ying to take him along. Otherwise, with Lin Jiang’s cultivation, it would take him at least half a month to get there, and along the way, there might be many dangers. It would be like sending a small shrimp at the third level of Qi Refining out to face bandits.

After enduring two days of outdoor sleeping, the three of them finally arrived at the famous Anhua City. Lin Jiang gazed at the city, which sprawled across the land like a giant dragon, and he couldn’t help but be amazed. Such a huge city was rare, even in modern society.

“It’s incredible, right? I was also in awe when I first came here. Cultivators are as numerous as grains of rice.”

“In Qi Refining, there’s a crowd everywhere. As for Foundation Building, it’s as common as dogs.”

“Phew, phew, phew, you’re the dog. You should be walking around with a Foundation Building Stage cultivation. It’s not worth much compared to a dog in Qi Refining.”

Lin Ying was so annoyed that she nearly threw Lin Jiang down. How dare he speak like that, calling her worse than a dog?

Lin Jiang smirked but didn’t respond because it was true. In Anhua City, the Foundation Building Stage was so common—it was more abundant than dogs—and the Qi Refining Stage was even more numerous. It was basically the same as being worse than a dog in the Foundation Building Stage.

Flying was prohibited in Anhua City. The three of them landed outside the city, each paying a spirit stone as an entrance fee before walking into Anhua City.

Lin Die had visited Anhua City many times, so she led the two of them to the Lin family’s business in the city, which was a small shop.

“Third Sister, Sixth Brother, Tenth Brother.”

Lin He, the second brother, spotted them and immediately smiled. It was rare to see someone from the Lin family in Anhua City, so he was very happy to see them—it was like meeting an old acquaintance.

“Second Elder Brother!”

“Hello, Second Elder Brother.”

The three greeted him. Lin He had been in Anhua City for many years. The Lin family’s business here was important, as it sold the resources produced by the family and bought the items they needed. It played a key role in supporting their operations.

Lin He asked them why they were here. Lin Die and Lin Ying had come to buy medicine. The medicine for those in the Qi Refining Stage was the Qi Gathering Pill, which could be found in the Lin family’s marketplace. However, the True Spirit Pill for Foundation Building cultivators was hard to come by in the market, and the quality was poor, with too many impurities. It wasn’t ideal for cultivators. So Lin Die often came to Anhua City to buy medicine from time to time.

As for Lin Jiang, he had come to broaden his horizons. This was his first time leaving the Lin family’s territory.

Lin He enthusiastically showed Lin Jiang around Anhua City’s many shops. There were various resources needed by cultivators, and each shop specialized in something. People who didn’t know the city would have no idea where to shop.

The front and back of the Lin family’s shop were spacious. The trio decided to stay there and save money on an inn. After settling in, they made a plan to go shopping together.

Anhua City was filled with people. The streets bustled with crowds, and the shops were packed with goods. There were medicine stores, spiritual herb shops, spiritual talisman stores, clothing stores, restaurants, and inns, offering a wide variety of items.

“This is the grand marketplace, where you can eat, drink, and have fun. But little brother, don’t buy cultivation items from stalls or expect bargains. The cultivators here are all experienced and have a sharp eye. They won’t give you any opportunity for a deal. Anything that looks like a bargain is probably a scam.”

Lin Die pointed at the roadside stalls, where many cultivators had laid out cloth and set up shop, selling various medicines, spiritual talismans, spiritual herbs, and even broken magical weapons or incomplete treasure maps.

But most of these items were junk, worthless, or scams. Skilled alchemists wouldn’t sell their goods in such an open-air market. Precious spiritual herbs wouldn’t be found by ordinary cultivators. As for treasure maps and the like, if you really pursued them, you might end up being robbed by unscrupulous bandits.

“Third Sister, I’m not a beginner. Why would I fall for that?”

Lin Jiang was convinced by Lin Die’s words and stopped acting impulsively, even though he seemed like the type to rush in headfirst.

Lin Die, as the oldest of the three, guided Lin Jiang and Lin Ying through Anhua City, advising them on how to avoid scams. She warned them to stay focused and not get greedy, as that would help them avoid ninety percent of scams.

There were so many vendors at the big market, selling a variety of goods, including snacks. Lin Jiang never hesitated when it came to food. After walking down the street, the three of them had dozens of different types of snacks in their hands, and Lin Ying’s mouth didn’t stop.

“My brother is always the best to me.”

Lin Ying said happily. Even though she had reached the Foundation Building Stage, she would always be her brother’s little sister.

Lin Die couldn’t help but feel a little sad. Her older brother was Lin Shan, but there was a twenty-year age gap between them. They didn’t have the usual sibling bond, and their relationship was more formal. She envied the bond between Lin Ying and Lin Jiang, because no matter what, Lin Jiang always treated her like a little sister.

The next morning, Lin Die took the two of them to familiar shops to buy what they needed. Lin Die explained that when she came to Anhua City, she relied mostly on these trusted shops—not for the cheaper prices, but for reliability. If they went to unfamiliar stores, they risked being deceived. Some shops even employed thieves. Once outside the city, one could easily be ambushed.

“Greetings, Senior Lin.”

They entered Duobao Pavilion, a shop. The shop assistant saw Lin Die and immediately smiled. He led the three of them to a private room and treated them like important guests.

The assistant served tea, and soon the steward arrived. He exchanged pleasantries with Lin Die before asking what they needed. Lin Die listed the items she was after.

Lin Die was looking for True Spirit Pills for her cultivation, a few second-level spiritual talismans, and some healing and energy-replenishing pills. She spent over four thousand spirit stones.

“Tenth Sister, if you need anything, you can get it here. I have a Duobao Token, which gives me a discount.”

Lin Die told Lin Ying that Duobao Pavilion was one of the top businesses in Anhua City and well-known across Yun State. It was a safe place to shop.

Lin Ying nodded and listed what she needed, mostly True Spirit Pills. She also bought a flying sword, spending a few thousand spirit stones.

“What about you, Sixth Brother?”

“Of course, I’m buying something too.”

“What do you need?”

“A soft armor, a flying sword focused on speed, and a set of silver needles for techniques.”

“Why do you need all this? It would be better to concentrate on buying Qi Gathering Pills. The Qi Gathering Pills from Duobao Pavilion are famous and of much higher quality than those in the Lin family market—about 30-40% better.”

Lin Die was speechless, wondering why Sixth Brother had such odd requests. Why not buy something that would improve their cultivation?

“Buying these is for self-preservation. We should still buy some elixirs. Just get a random assortment.”

Lin Jiang said with determination, “We need self-preservation. I did some research last night and decided these three life-saving items.”

The soft armor would provide defense, the speed-enhancing flying sword would help in escape, and the silver needles would be useful for surprise attacks. These were all for survival in dangerous situations.

“Self-preservation? You stay in the villa all year round. What do you need preservation for?”

Lin Die was speechless. With your lifestyle as a recluse, why would you need to think about self-preservation?

“Who knows? Maybe I’ll get bored one day and go out for some fun. There are so many people killing and stealing treasures out there. We need to be prepared.”

“Shopkeeper, please show us the corresponding items.”

“Sure.”

The steward smiled silently, understanding that this young cultivator valued his life. He knew the importance of preparing early.

Soon, the assistant brought out the items. There was a soft armor made from silkworm silk, a medium-grade magic weapon capable of withstanding three full-force attacks from a cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining. There was also a silver flying sword that increased speed by thirty percent compared to others at the same cultivation level, and a set of silver needles, as fine as cow hair, which could shield one’s divine consciousness and were best used for stealth.

“The price for the soft armor is 4,500 spirit stones, 2,000 for the flying sword, and 1,500 for the silver needles. With Taoist Friend Lin Die’s Duobao Token, the total is 4,500 spirit stones.”

“Here are 5,000 spirit stones. Keep the extra 500 spirit stones and exchange them for Qi Gathering Pills.”

Lin Jiang handed over 5,000 spirit stones, his savings from many years. Apart from the monthly allowances from the family, there was very little left. Plus, his mother’s savings also contributed, and all of it had been spent here.

“Lin Ying, don’t you want to try and persuade your brother?”

“I don’t need to persuade him. I think he’s right. As long as he can save his life, he doesn’t need to fight or kill. I don’t want to get involved.”

Lin Ying shook her head. She understood her brother’s talent—taking more Qi Gathering Pills wouldn’t be very helpful. It was better to spend the money on survival tools.

Lin Die, hearing this, was speechless. If the siblings didn’t value spirit stones, why should she worry about them?