Afterward, Master Mo played the gracious host and invited the three Xu Family cultivators to a feast in the shop.
The spirit wine and fine food had been specially delivered from the Spirit Wine Tower.
Of the three cultivators, aside from Xu Fugui, the Qi Refining late-stage elder was called Xu Qianhuan. His spiritual pressure was astonishing, and his magical power was formidable. The one at the Qi Refining Middle Stage was Xu Xulian, a man in his forties who gave off an impression of steady composure.
They were the backbone of the Xu Family.
Lin Changheng and Xu Qianyou kept them company.
The two men were fairly courteous to Lin Changheng as well. After all, every alchemist was precious. He might have a chance to become a guest elder in the future, and the clan had strict orders to treat him with courtesy and never chill his heart. After all, there were no ties of blood or bonds of wife and children binding him.
They also spoke of the chaotic situation outside. Several Rogue Cultivators were suspected of moonlighting as bandits and planning to block the roads, but they had been slain by the Xu cultivators.
They also made it clear that when the time came to evacuate, the forces sent by the clan would be increased further to ensure nothing went wrong.
Those words were undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the three people at the alchemy shop.
That evening, Lin Changheng invited Xu Fugui to dine alone.
The two of them properly strengthened their friendship.
Amid clinking cups and crisscrossing goblets, both men drank until they were dizzy. Xu Fugui handed over an exquisite box, a gift to celebrate Lin Changheng's advancement.
Xu Fugui's eyes were hazy with drink, but he revealed another piece of news. The female cultivator among the Xu Family's immortal seedlings named "Dantai Feiyue" had also made a breakthrough in one of the hundred arts and become an entry-grade talisman master.
"Brother Lin and that woman are, as of now, the only two immortal seedlings who have entered the ranks of the hundred arts."
Lin Changheng paused, recalling Dantai Feiyue. She had been a cold and noble woman. They had not dealt with each other much, and he only vaguely remembered that she was the legitimate daughter of an Iron-Capped Prince from a mortal dynasty.
She had no desire to inherit the family estate and had willingly stepped onto the immortal path.
"She will likely undergo the clan's assessment in about two months as well. If she succeeds, she will be promoted to a 'registered guest elder.' She will have no real authority, but the treatment will not be bad."
"I know."
Lin Changheng nodded.
The path of advancement was generally the same. After passing the assessment, he too would become a registered guest elder of the Xu Family. If he could further advance to mid-grade, he would become a formal guest elder and be able to oversee a shop.
Reaching the rank of an upper-grade alchemist would be even more different.
At that point, he would no longer be a vassal or subordinate of the Xu Family. He could look the Xu Family in the eye as an equal and exchange benefits with them.
Because at that level, any Qi Refining Realm family would be a place for him to establish himself. They would respectfully beg him to join them and treat him as an honored guest!
Even Foundation Establishment families would eagerly extend olive branches and offer high prices to invite him.
Even Aristocratic Clans would look upon him with greater regard!
The next day.
Lin Changheng did not see Xu Fugui again. Their final cup of wine the previous night had already served as a farewell drink.
He did not know when the three cultivators had departed. They had slipped away quietly, leaving behind not a single sound.
Lin Changheng also noticed that the time Shopkeeper Xu Qianyou spent managing the storeroom had greatly decreased.
He could usually stay busy in the storeroom for more than half an hour, but now he emerged after the time it took an incense stick to burn.
From this, Lin Changheng inferred that the place had clearly been emptied out quite a bit.
Of course, this had no real impact on him.
He continued refining pills as usual, stockpiling premium Crimson Flame Pills.
At the same time, Lin Changheng had been studying the pill formula for another lower-grade Wood Origin Pill he had acquired. He already had a clear grasp of it in his heart and only needed to put it into practice.
The most crucial matter was acquiring alchemy materials. That could not be separated from the Xu Family, and he had to rely on the shop.
Thus, he estimated that it would still be about a month before he could truly begin refining it. Only after returning to the Xu Family and obtaining the status of "registered guest elder" would it be easier to find an opportunity to actually refine the pills.
"The immortal path is long. There is no need to rush this moment."
That was how Lin Changheng cautioned himself.
After all, he had not been an entry-grade alchemist for long. At most, it had only been five months.
"Changchang, I'm leaving."
Calling out, Lin Changheng stepped out of the Li Family Spirit Meat Shop with five catties of freshly cut Savage Boar prime meat in hand.
"Come again, Brother Lin!"
Li Changchang set down his meat cleaver, wiped the greasy stains from his hands haphazardly on his apron, and hurriedly saw him out.
"Sure, see you around!"
Under Li Changchang's escorting gaze, Lin Changheng waved with a smile and left.
Lin Changheng now had surplus spirit stones on hand, so naturally he could improve his quality of life somewhat. There was no need to deliberately scrimp and save.
The Savage Boar was a domestically raised beast. Though only lower-grade, its meat was tender and delicious whether braised, steamed, or served with porridge. Eating it could also enrich one's blood and qi and replenish one's vigor.
It balanced flavor with practicality and was greatly favored by cultivators!
Moreover, these five catties of Savage Boar prime meat had cost him one spirit stone, and that was already a friendship price. It truly was not cheap.
Worth mentioning was that Lin Changheng had come to buy meat many times now. Coupled with his identity as an alchemist, their relationship had gradually become quite good, and Li Changchang regarded him as a friend.
After all, an alchemist's status was there for all to see. Lin Changheng was lowering himself to make friends, leaving Li Changchang both honored and startled.
As far as Lin Changheng was concerned,
Although Li Changchang was currently just a shop hand who cut and sold meat, he had an elder blood brother in the Li Family with decent aptitude who had already reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.
Having lost their parents at a young age, the two brothers had relied on each other for survival.
Through casual conversation, Lin Changheng had already learned seven or eight parts out of ten about Li Changchang's circumstances.
Whenever this was mentioned, Li Changchang revealed a sincere smile. Clearly, he had an excellent relationship with his elder brother!
Once his elder brother broke through to the Qi Refining late stage, coupled with Li Changchang's diligence and capable tongue, he might well be able to ride that momentum into becoming a shopkeeper himself. When that time came...
"It was merely a seed planted with a casual hand. It would be good if it bore fruit; if it yielded nothing, so be it."
He was exceptionally open-minded. By forging good ties far and wide, perhaps he might one day wait for that one chance in ten thousand.
Inside the Grade-D cave residence.
Lin Changheng cooked a catty of Savage Boar meat porridge. Its fragrance was overwhelming, and thanks to his improved Fire Control, his cooking skills had grown increasingly refined as well.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just as he was about to eat, a knock sounded from outside the door.
"Fairy Su, your timing is perfect."
After inviting his neighbor in, Lin Changheng served her a bowl of fragrant meat porridge.
"I never expected that aside from alchemy, Brother Lin's cooking skills would be so profound as well. It is truly delicious. The boar meat is fragrant without being tough, smooth without being greasy."
Su Shuangjiang's beautiful eyes lit up after her first taste. Then her red lips did not stop until she had finished every last bite, praising it without end.
Lin Changheng truly enjoyed the female cultivator's reaction. More importantly, the trust implied by the logic of her actions made him feel very comfortable.
The two still completed their transaction.
Fifteen standard pills, worth twenty-four spirit stones.
As for the premium pills, Lin Changheng still did not show them to her.
The female cultivator also took out ten bottles of mature Fire Crow essence blood, along with twenty-eight bottles of unfamiliar essence blood that shimmered with earthen-yellow light.
"This is?"
Lin Changheng's eyes brightened slightly. Staring at the new essence blood in the glass bottles, he asked curiously.
"This came from a recent demon hunt outside the city. We discovered a small group of lower-grade demon beasts, Rock Mountain Turtles, in an underground cave and wiped them out in one sweep, gaining this much essence blood. I wonder whether it will be of use to Brother Lin?"
"As for Fire Crows, they are still difficult to catch. This is all I managed to get."
Speaking of Fire Crows, a trace of helplessness appeared on Su Shuangjiang's pretty face. They had wings and flew quite fast. Rogue Cultivators who wanted to chase them did not dare make too much commotion either, fearing that they might draw the attention of powerful demon beasts.
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