Looting

The red lines were just as magnificent and overwhelming as ever when he saw them again.

But Chen Lin's state of mind had changed.

For one thing, he now knew where the red lines came from. For another, he had a way to leave, so he was no longer trembling with fear.

Even with Yu Yuehai's promise, however, whether their departure would go smoothly remained unknown. After all, he was relying on a Foundation Establishment expert, rather than being one himself.

Besides watching out for the bizarre entity setting its sights on him again after he severed the red line, he had to remember that the wilderness was far from peaceful. All sorts of monster beasts and unpredictable dangers lurked out there.

If Yu Yuehai himself ran into danger, he could hardly risk his life to protect him.

So Chen Lin still needed to prepare some means of defending himself.

Time was short, and improving his cultivation was out of the question, so he planned to refine more Thunderbolt Beads.

With a Storage Bag, the problem of carrying the Thunderbolt Beads was solved. A few of them would not do much, but used in large numbers, they could be deadly to low-tier monster beasts and Qi Condensation cultivators.

Most importantly, the raw materials were cheap enough for him to afford.

Since he might have to leave any day, Chen Lin wasted no more time. Early the next morning, he headed straight for the Market in the Inner City.

Then he learned something shocking.

Just last night, several shops in the Market had been looted, and countless treasures had been stolen!

The Market was now in utter chaos, with the Five Major Families' City Guard questioning people shop by shop.

Seeing this, Chen Lin suddenly recalled what Yu Yuehai had said yesterday. Was this what he had meant by not leaving empty-handed?

A rough count revealed that six shops had been looted, including two fairly high-end establishments.

What a fast way to make money!

"What, tempted? Want to scrape up some loot yourself before you leave?"

Just then, a voice sounded beside him, jolting Chen Lin out of his thoughts.

"Oh, Fellow Daoist Ye. What brings you here? Have you returned to Shuiyue Pavilion?"

Seeing that it was Ye Jingyun, Chen Lin immediately cupped his hands in greeting.

With no one nearby, he reached into his robes and fumbled around, preparing to take her belongings out of his Storage Bag and return them.

Instead, she gave him a meaningful look and walked toward a secluded spot.

"Well? Did you succeed?"

Only after they had left the Market did Ye Jingyun stop, looking at Chen Lin with nervous anticipation.

"I didn't let you down."

Chen Lin took out the talisman and handed it to her.

Then he took out the other items one by one and reluctantly passed them over.

He had considered lying to her and claiming he had failed, but after turning it over in his mind, he had decided against it.

For one thing, he feared she might have some special means of interrogating him. For another, he had always felt that she and Yu Yuehai were not quite as close as they appeared.

If his guess was right, she might someday help him break free of Yu Yuehai.

Of course, this was all groundless speculation, but even a thread of possibility was worth taking a chance on.

"Not bad. You really did manage to craft it. Your luck truly is extraordinary, Fellow Daoist Chen!"

Ye Jingyun took the talisman and examined it, immediately lighting up with delight.

She did not inspect it closely, however. After accepting everything, she put it all into her Storage Bag, then stared at Chen Lin for a moment. "Remember, you must never let Yu Yuehai find out about this. Don't ask why. All you need to know is that it benefits both of us."

Then she added another warning. "The city may descend into chaos over the next few days. You'd better stay put at home and not come out. Although Yu Yuehai asked me to follow you in secret, I have things of my own to take care of."

"Ah, yes. Of course."

Chen Lin hastily agreed.

At the same time, one of his doubts was resolved. Yu Yuehai had not simply left him unsupervised; he had assigned her to keep watch over him.

If he really had sought refuge with the Five Major Families, he probably would have suffered another harsh lesson.

But as one doubt cleared, an even greater one arose.

Why had she told him all this? What was she after?

This time, she had not even called Yu Yuehai her senior brother, instead addressing him by name. Had that been unintentional, or was she deliberately trying to convey something to him?

Watching Ye Jingyun's figure disappear, Chen Lin's gaze grew deep and unreadable.

Since he had been warned, Chen Lin stopped wandering around. He hurriedly bought a few things and prepared to return.

Supplies were now desperately scarce. There was nothing good to buy, and he no longer had the means to afford it anyway.

He still had some Vigor Talismans and Fireball Talismans, but they were worth too little to sell for many spirit stones.

He could refine Enlightenment Pills at any time, but unfortunately, if he tried to sell pills that looked like that, he would certainly be taken for a fraud.

As for Chuyuan Pills, he only had three left. He intended to keep them for himself rather than sell them, lest he invite trouble.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, what a coincidence!"

As he walked, a familiar figure suddenly blocked his path.

"You?"

Chen Lin was taken aback. He had not expected to encounter her again.

Thin and looking malnourished, she was none other than Xu Ruolan.

He did not believe for a moment that this was a chance encounter. Expressionless, he said, "What brings you to me again, Fellow Daoist Xu? Let me make this clear beforehand: once pills are sold, there are no refunds."

Xu Ruolan's expression darkened, but she quickly forced a smile. "You worry too much, Fellow Daoist. I came to make another trade with you."

Chen Lin studied her, then asked, "What sort of trade?"

Though this woman's cultivation was low, she had quite a few treasures on her, and he had gotten the better end of their previous two trades. He could not help feeling a little anticipation.

"Pills, of course."

Xu Ruolan glanced around. Once she was sure no one was nearby, she continued, "I used both of your pills yesterday, but I'm still a little short of a breakthrough, so I'd like to trade for another."

Two pills, and she still hadn't broken through?

Chen Lin's mouth twitched. Her aptitude was even worse than his!

After a moment's thought, he nodded. "I do still have a pill, but it's my last one. I originally intended to keep it for myself, but since you need it urgently, I could sell it to you."

"But as you know, after what happened in the Market today, buying pills in the future will be all but impossible. The price certainly won't be low."

He laid down his terms first, so she could not play the pitiful victim to win his sympathy.

Xu Ruolan was just about to speak when her demeanor suddenly changed. Raising her chin arrogantly, she cast him a sidelong glance and sneered. "Do you have any idea who this immortal maiden is? A few scraps slipping through my fingers would keep you supplied for half your life. Would I really take advantage of you?"

Chen Lin's eyes flickered.

During their last encounter, she had shown no "symptoms" at all. He had thought she might also possess some special means of blocking the red line's control, but now it seemed he had been overthinking things.

"Very well. Then let's see what treasure you're offering in trade. But let me make this clear: I don't need spirit stones. I'll only accept a barter."

Supplies in the city were now so scarce that even spirit stones could not buy anything good. Besides, he coveted the treasures she carried far more than spirit stones.