Old Man He's Pain

Green Bamboo Mountain Market.

"Have you heard? The Divine Sword Sect's recent bounty states that anyone who kills an inner disciple of the Li Fire Palace can exchange the deed for a High-Grade Magical Tool at the Divine Sword Sect."

"What's so surprising about that? The Li Fire Palace and Mystic Sound Pavilion also have bounties out. As long as you kill the corresponding Divine Sword Sect spies or Cultivator Bandits, you can claim rewards according to their status and strength. There are even Foundation Establishment Pills."

Within the bustling Market, amid the endless stream of people, many cultivators carried a trace of Sha Qi between their brows.

Even the Market had begun displaying large quantities of goods such as Monster Beast Meat and leather armor.

True Treasure Pavilion.

"Master Lin, you are quite the rare visitor these days."

The familiar Shopkeeper Miao had been positively glowing since the Sect cultivators arrived. When he saw Lin Chang'an enter, his smile widened even further.

"Shopkeeper Miao, don't make fun of me. If I'd known the Li Fire Palace would open recruitment to outsiders, who wouldn't sell themselves?"

Lin Chang'an shook his head, inwardly helpless beyond measure.

Who could have expected that he had only just latched onto the Zhou Family when this sort of thing happened?

Seeing Lin Chang'an's displeasure, Shopkeeper Miao smiled and cupped his hands.

"Master Lin, surely you jest. Even I never heard the slightest whisper of news from above."

Shopkeeper Miao spoke cautiously, but Lin Chang'an merely shook his head without saying more. He slapped the table directly, placing down five Spirit Stones along with a Mid-Grade Golden Light Talisman.

"Oh my, Master Lin, your craftsmanship is getting better and better."

Seeing how quickly Shopkeeper Miao changed his expression, Lin Chang'an could not help but smile. He waved a hand.

"That'll do. I want top-quality Mid-Grade Cinnabar and talisman paper, as well as Medicinal Pills that improve cultivation."

Other than the Talismans he prepaid to the Zhou Family every month, he naturally sold the remainder outside.

Yet to avoid attracting attention, he came to True Treasure Pavilion to purchase Cinnabar. To outsiders, he appeared to be nothing more than a hard-cultivating lone cultivator.

Mid-Grade Talismans were hot sellers in the Market. There was never any shortage of buyers.

"Master Lin, we also have inheritances for other Mid-Grade Talismans. They only cost a little over a hundred Spirit Stones."

After delivering the Cinnabar and Medicinal Pills, Shopkeeper Miao smoothly began his sales pitch. Lin Chang'an, however, put on the appearance of having empty pockets while forcing himself to remain composed.

"Breadth is no match for mastery. Besides, more than a hundred Spirit Stones would take me a year even if I neither ate nor drank, not to mention that I still owe the Zhou Family a debt stretching ten years."

After receiving the Medicinal Pills, Cinnabar, and talisman paper, Lin Chang'an did not leave. Shopkeeper Miao smiled knowingly; after all, True Treasure Pavilion had opened quite a few things to the public recently.

"Master Lin, things outside have not been peaceful lately. I hear Cultivator Bandits have even committed crimes within the Market. Whether defensive Magical Tools or spells, our store has everything you could need."

Seeing Shopkeeper Miao's smiling face, clearly intent on squeezing him dry, Lin Chang'an was speechless for a moment. Still, he nodded.

"Shopkeeper Miao, you know my worth is only this much. I won't even think about defensive Magical Tools. I only wanted to ask whether you have any cultivation-experience journals on spells from high-level cultivators? Talisman-experience journals would work too."

"Yes, of course we do."

Shopkeeper Miao's face was full of smiles. So long as someone did business with him, he was happy.

"A spell cultivation journal from a Qi Refining Late Stage great cultivator who cultivated a Wood-Attribute technique: eighty Spirit Stones! An experience journal from an Upper-Grade Talisman Master: one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones."

Hearing those prices, Lin Chang'an fell silent. He asked whether they could be bought separately, such as an experience journal for a single spell.

Shopkeeper Miao responded with a smiling nod, but when he added that a Spirit Contract would also have to be purchased, Lin Chang'an left without looking back.

"A single Fireball Technique experience journal costs only ten Spirit Stones, yet I'd have to take on a Spirit Contract worth fifteen Spirit Stones as well! Blackhearted! Utterly blackhearted!"

After leaving True Treasure Pavilion, Lin Chang'an wore the look of someone short on funds and resentfully chose to try his luck elsewhere.

Yet after winding through several turns, Lin Chang'an had already changed his disguise and attire.

Half an hour later, Lin Chang'an, dressed in gray robes and wearing a bamboo hat, appeared once more at Treasure Pavilion.

"Experience journals that normally aren't even available outside—this opportunity is hard to come by. Though they're expensive, True Treasure Pavilion guarantees their authenticity."

He had spent so long chatting with Shopkeeper Miao at True Treasure Pavilion earlier because he had been observing in secret.

There were several Shopkeepers on the first floor, each responsible for different matters.

Half a stick of incense later, Lin Chang'an, still in gray robes and a bamboo hat, emerged from True Treasure Pavilion and quickly vanished into the crowd.

"Two hundred and thirty-five Low-grade Spirit Stones. What a robbery!"

After taking several winding turns, Lin Chang'an painfully stroked the Jade Slip inside his Storage Bag.

An Upper-Grade Talisman Master's experience journal: one hundred and eighty Spirit Stones.

A Qi Refining Late Stage Fire Control Technique experience journal: thirty Spirit Stones.

A Spirit Contract worth fifteen Spirit Stones, while the final ten Spirit Stones had purchased this special Jade Slip bearing a Restriction.

Only his own spiritual power could reveal the contents of the Jade Slip.

"The Cultivation World's awareness of theft prevention is ridiculously strong."

He had not understood much before, having never encountered such things. But now Lin Chang'an truly understood why those Sects were so powerful.

These inheritances alone were an inexhaustible fortune.

With the sole condition that they could not be passed on, they could harvest leeks endlessly.

"But I am different."

Mingling among the crowd, Lin Chang'an revealed a meaningful smile.

For ordinary cultivators, another person's experience could at most deepen their understanding and insight. It was useful to cultivators with aptitude.

But for most cultivators, it was somewhat like chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard.

But things were different for him. Every insight he gained was a permanent improvement.

One Proof Eternal Proof—this was his strongest talent.

"More than two hundred Spirit Stones are nothing worth mentioning to True Treasure Pavilion. It shouldn't attract attention, and I even deliberately bought a Fire Control Technique."

He had purchased the Fire Control Technique precisely to make people think he was a Talisman Master who cultivated a Fire-Attribute technique.

After winding through turn after turn, Lin Chang'an vigilantly changed disguises several times. Only after returning to his original attire did he completely blend into the crowd of the Market.

"Give me twenty catties of First Tier Mid-Grade Monster Beast Meat."

"Coming right up."

Looking at the fresh Monster Beast Meat, Lin Chang'an smiled in satisfaction. After paying the Spirit Stones, he raised his hand and had just stored the meat back into his Storage Bag when—

Suddenly, in the distance, a familiar hunched figure was being driven away.

"Scram, scram! You old fool, don't disrupt my business."

"No, no, Fellow Daoist, I'm only here to find my grandson. Have you seen my grandson? My grandson is a genius."

A ragged old man, his mind muddled, kept grabbing at people and showing off his grandson.

"Old Man He?!"

Lin Chang'an was startled. The old man before him, with dry white hair and a waxen yellow face, was actually Old Man He.

Old Man He was in a miserable state. His mind was clearly no longer normal, and his cultivation had already fallen to Qi Refining Early Stage.

Without realizing it, Lin Chang'an had returned to the street where he once lived. Some former neighbors and acquaintances spotted him and respectfully addressed him as Master Lin.

"Ah, Old Man He is pitiful too."

Fellow Daoist Luo, who sold meat nearby, shook his head and sighed as he began speaking of Old Man He's circumstances.

It turned out that after He Yan passed the examination, he and a group of others left the Market. On the road to the Li Fire Palace, they happened to encounter the Monster Beast attack on the Market.

The outcome was obvious. After Old Man He learned of it later, he became like this.

"So that was what happened."

Lin Chang'an let out a long, quiet sigh. The greatest blow was likely learning that the Black Wind Wolf had driven the Monster Beasts into attacking the Market.

In other words, Old Man He's greed had caused his own grandson's death.

"Old Man He, come. I'll take you to find your grandson."

"It's Fellow Daoist Lin. Let me tell you, my grandson is a genius."

The moment Old Man He heard that Lin Chang'an would take him to find his grandson, he immediately smiled.

Lin Chang'an gently nodded along. It was not that he was especially kindhearted; Old Man He's essence, energy, and spirit had clearly run dry, and he would not live for many more days.

He was merely doing what he could to let Old Man He leave this world with some dignity.

Seeing this scene, Fellow Daoist Luo, who sold Monster Beast Meat, shook his head and let out a long sigh.

"Old Man He has it pretty good, at least. Someone will collect his corpse."

Under the setting sun, Lin Chang'an led an old man toward the distance.