Another Encounter

Zhang Mazi had not expected Chen Lin to refuse, much less so decisively, and irritation immediately crept onto his face.

He felt the terms he had offered were generous enough. He had expected Chen Lin to overflow with gratitude, yet the man had failed to appreciate his kindness.

"In that case, forget it. You certainly know your own mind, fellow Daoist."

As the manager of a trading firm, he valued harmony as the path to wealth. Though displeased, he did not let it show too plainly.

The people around them, however, looked at Chen Lin strangely, their expressions tinged with regret.

After that little incident, Chen Lin no longer wanted to buy anything here. He turned to leave.

Just then, Zhang Mazi suddenly stiffened his neck and sneered out of the corner of his eye. "Hmph, you really don't know what's good for you. I meant to offer you a way to survive. Since you don't want it, just wait for the Monstrosity to..."

Halfway through, he seemed to realize something and hastily shut his mouth.

Then he walked behind the counter, his face expressionless.

Chen Lin did not break stride and walked straight out of the Zhang Clan Trading Firm, but inwardly, he was startled.

Although Zhang Mazi had not finished speaking, his words suggested that he too knew of the Monstrosity's existence.

If so, his standing in the Zhang Family must not be low.

But the Zhang Family was still recruiting talent at a time like this. Were they planning to take those people with them?

According to Yu Yuehai, the fewer people who left, the better, lest they draw the Monstrosity's attention.

He thought that made sense too. He himself had been connected to a red line after that phantom image of the Monstrosity appeared.

He did not know whether the Zhang Family was acting out of ignorance or had some other reason.

But if too many cultivators left the city, turmoil was inevitable.

As he walked, he wondered how things would develop, whether Yu Yuehai could reach Foundation Establishment, whether they could successfully sever the red lines and leave, and whether the Monstrosity would discover them and wipe them all out.

After thinking for a while, he realized none of this was within his power to change, and he suddenly felt far too insignificant.

Others held the knife and chopping block, while he was the fish beneath their blade. It was an awful feeling.

In a gloomy mood, he arrived at the Multitreasure Pavilion and bought some pill refining ingredients, along with a flying sword.

Yu Yuehai had shattered his Xiaoyao Sword, so he could only buy a new one.

The flying sword was pale silver and a little over a foot long. It had no name and was merely an ordinary low-grade magical tool.

It was not that he did not want something better; he simply had few spirit stones left. The fifty medium-grade spirit stones he had received from Lu Li last time were almost gone.

He had also wanted to buy spells and magical tools that concealed cultivation, but had been unable to afford any.

Even so, he did not want to spend this time making talismans for money. His immediate priority was to increase his strength quickly so he could face the unknown dangers ahead.

He therefore planned to use Enlightenment Pills to work through all those spells in the Detailed Spell Manual.

Unfortunately, he had no Storage Bag. Otherwise, he could have refined some more Thunderbolt Beads.

Chen Lin once again lamented the taste of poverty. It shackled him at every turn.

And that was with his talent ability letting him cheat. Ordinary rogue cultivators had it so much worse that it hardly bore looking at. No wonder the body's original owner had made no progress in cultivation for twenty years.

After finishing his purchases, he headed back.

Having thought things through along the way, he had come to a conclusion: staying with Yu Yuehai was actually his best option now. He decided to obediently wait for the man to reach Foundation Establishment and abandon all other plans.

"Please wait a moment, fellow Daoist!"

Just as he was about to leave the Market, a figure suddenly approached him. He immediately gripped his flying sword and looked over warily.

"Who are you? Why are you stopping me?"

Seeing a female cultivator he had never met before, Chen Lin could not help asking in confusion.

But she was only at the third layer of Qi refining, so he relaxed his guard slightly.

"Could we speak somewhere more private, fellow Daoist?"

The woman glanced at the cultivators manning stalls in the distance and spoke softly, motioning for Chen Lin to follow her farther away.

When Chen Lin did not move, she said quietly, "Artifact Refining Grimoire."

Chen Lin's eyes flickered. He looked her up and down, then recognition dawned on his face.

She was the female cultivator who had sold him the damaged artifact refining book in the Inner City. Though she had disguised herself, she looked just as malnourished, and her aura was very similar.

"It's you. What do you want with me? And how did you recognize me?"

He had been disguised back then too. Being recognized at a glance came as quite a surprise.

Despite his doubts, Chen Lin followed her some distance away, outside the Market.

He cooperated because she had been at the second layer of Qi refining in the Inner City, yet now she was at the third layer, and did not look as though she had just broken through. She must have used a spell or magical tool to conceal her cultivation, and he wanted to see whether he could obtain it cheaply.

"Now tell me, how did you recognize me?"

With no one around, Chen Lin raised his voice a little.

The woman first cupped her hands, then smiled brightly. "Please don't be suspicious, fellow Daoist. I'm simply very sensitive to smells. You also left a deep impression on me, so I recognized you when we met."

Chen Lin was stunned.

He had never imagined that would be the reason.

People truly had all sorts of abilities. He would have to pay attention to this aspect when disguising himself in the future.

"Then what did you stop me for?"

Chen Lin did not ask directly about concealing cultivation.

The woman hesitated, then bowed deeply. "My name is Xu Ruolan. I have a favor to ask."

Chen Lin frowned. He could not imagine what she might need his help with, but still asked, "What is it?"

She hesitated again before a resolute expression settled over her face. "Are you in need of a dual cultivation companion, fellow Daoist?"

"What!"

Chen Lin thought he had misheard.

With his current physique and appearance, a female cultivator was actually throwing herself at him?

Once the words were out, the woman instead grew calm. She said seriously, "You heard correctly. If you're interested, I'm willing to become your companion. I'm only twenty-eight this year. Even if my cultivation is somewhat lower than yours, you wouldn't be losing out."

Chen Lin scrutinized her, wondering what medicine she was hiding in her gourd.

Love at first sight?

He was not that narcissistic yet.

If he were at the Qi Condensation late stage, it might make sense for her to approach him like this. The mid Qi refinement realm was still a little lacking.

Zhang Mazi might have wanted to introduce him to a female cultivator from the Zhang Family, but that meant marrying into the family, which was little different from selling himself.

"Tell me what you really want. If you won't, I'm leaving!"

Chen Lin had no desire to play guessing games with her. He still had plenty to do.

Seeing his attitude, Xu Ruolan realized she had been somewhat rash. She pursed her lips and said, "Do you have pills that can increase cultivation, fellow Daoist? Or a way to buy them?"

Understanding immediately dawned on Chen Lin.

So that was what she wanted.

If you want to buy pills, just say so. Why bring up being dual cultivation companions? Are you trying to snare a white wolf with empty hands?

After grumbling inwardly, Chen Lin frowned and said, "What makes you so sure I have pills? The Five Major Families control all the pills in the city now. How could a lowly rogue cultivator like me possibly buy any?"

Xu Ruolan merely smiled faintly at his words. "Why be so modest, fellow Daoist? Without the help of pills, at your age, I doubt you could have broken through two layers in succession and entered the mid Qi refinement realm!"