Lin Changheng reveled in it, instantly grasping the princess's meaning.
He could not help but look at her in surprise. This young woman was truly clever as ice and snow.
"Brother Lin understands at the slightest hint. You truly possess towering intellect; this little woman admires you immensely."
Pressing her red lips together, Dantai Feiyue praised him with a smile. Yet Lin Changheng heard a hint of teasing in her words. His "understanding at the slightest hint" made him "toweringly intelligent," so what did that make the person who had enlightened one of such "towering intellect"?
In terms of wit alone, she was implying... that she was riding on top of him?!
This little minx!
Lin Changheng feigned anger, just about to do something and administer a little "punishment," when Dantai Feiyue nimbly curled herself away and had already left her seat, gracefully heading out the door.
Only her crisp laughter, like pearls dropping onto a jade plate, lingered in the room.
"Brother Lin, I have greatly enjoyed our talk today. Let us meet again beneath the western window..."
Night surged in, obscuring his departing gaze. Lin Changheng began mulling over the words with which the female cultivator had just enlightened him.
Middle-grade alchemy?
Now, perhaps there truly was a way...
Lin Changheng had intended to find an opportunity to visit the General Affairs Hall and make some inquiries.
Instead, he received some news.
Xu Fugui had returned to the clan.
"Returning to the clan at a time like this? The fighting at the front has not ceased, yet Fugui has withdrawn. If he is not injured, then he must be crippled... I hope it is only the former, and that he is merely recovering from his wounds."
Thus, Lin Changheng decided to make time to visit Fugui first.
"How is Fugui?"
Xu Yongcai, Xu Fugui's eldest son, respectfully led Lin Changheng inside. Once they reached the room, he saw Xu Fugui lying in bed recuperating.
"Big Brother Lin!"
At the sight of Lin Changheng, Xu Fugui grew extraordinarily excited. He flailed his hands about and struggled to sit up.
"Don't."
Lin Changheng casually set down the basket of spiritual fruits he had brought, then pressed him back down to keep him from moving recklessly.
Xu Fugui could only obediently lie there, though his mouth continued pouring out thanks.
Curious about his attitude, Lin Changheng questioned him for a while before learning what had happened.
At the time, the Xu Family and Chen Family had fought so fiercely outside the valley that true fire had been struck. Xu Fugui's approach to spell battles differed from the rest; he secretly ambushed and killed two Chen Family cultivators at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.
Unexpectedly, an old man from the Chen Family at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer set his sights on him and, filled with fury, pursued the sixth bastard who had launched the sneak attacks.
Xu Fugui was startled. He had no intention of fighting him and immediately picked a direction and ran.
In his memory, there should have been two Xu Family cultivators at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer in that area.
Instead, he found only a stretch of ground plowed over by magical artifacts and techniques, without a single person in sight.
The Chen Family old man also caught up, approaching with a sinister grin.
With no other choice, Xu Fugui had to face him head-on. You never know until you fight, but once they fought, he was frightened out of his wits.
After taking only two or three exchanges head-on, Xu Fugui felt his chest tighten and his breath shorten. His blood and qi surged upward, and he could no longer hold on.
This bastard was too strong!
There was no longer any path of escape, yet continuing the battle would lead only to a dead end.
Xu Fugui gritted his teeth, stuffed a pill into his mouth, and plunged headfirst into the poisonous miasma of the valley.
He vanished at once.
The Chen Family old man had lost his head as well. He swallowed a pill and followed him in.
They chased each other within for a long time.
Xu Fugui now wore an expression of lingering fear and relief at having survived a calamity. "If not for the potent Miasma-Clearing Pills Brother Lin gave me to keep me going, I truly might have been trapped inside. Though my injuries are serious now, I ultimately managed to preserve this small life of mine."
"Oh?" Lin Changheng had not expected that a willow planted without intent would grow into shade.
"Hehe, but that old thief was not as fortunate as I was. Though he also emerged from the poisonous miasma and did not perish within, the miasma entered his body, and he will have to suffer greatly for it."
"Perhaps his cultivation will stagnate, or he may even regress from the poison. That truly let me vent my anger!"
Xu Fugui wore a proud expression, then turned solemn. "That is why I must thank Brother Lin for saving my life."
Lin Changheng looked at Fugui and smiled. "Fine. Once you have fully recovered, I will see just how you intend to thank me."
Unexpectedly, Xu Fugui suddenly called out several times toward the outside, "Han Ling."
Before long, a delicate, gentle young married woman entered with a smile. "Did my husband call for me?"
"Go fetch the thing I instructed you to prepare earlier."
"Alright." Xu Hanling turned and walked back out.
Lin Changheng watched the husband and wife exchange with some confusion. Not long after, Xu Hanling returned carrying an exquisite little wooden box and set it on the table.
"Brother Lin, open it and take a look."
Xu Fugui bared his teeth in a grin and waggled his eyebrows at Lin Changheng.
"Alright, then I shall see what good thing it is."
Lin Changheng never dragged his feet. He rose directly, nodded at Xu Hanling as she turned to leave, and reached out to open the box.
The instant he lifted the lid enough to reveal a tiny gap, an extremely faint scent of blood slipped into his nostrils.
Lin Changheng's sharp senses immediately detected it.
Moreover, judging by the distinctive scent, it somewhat resembled the essence blood of a Rock Mountain Turtle.
"Could it be..."
He immediately lifted the entire lid.
A box nearly filled to the brim with essence blood had been sealed within.
With one glance, he saw that there were nearly thirty bottles!
"Big Brother Lin, what do you think?"
Xu Fugui's laughter came from beside him.
"Not bad. Then I shall accept it."
Lin Changheng smiled. He truly needed this item, so there was no reason to refuse it or stand on ceremony.
Only the two of them were in the room now. Xu Fugui lowered his voice nonetheless. "I have never mentioned this matter to anyone, including my wives, concubines, and children."
"Fugui, you have put thought into this. But how did you obtain these? Did you happen to find a nest, or do you have another channel?"
Lin Changheng pressed further.
He especially hoped it was the latter. That would represent a new channel, rather than the fixed amount of essence blood before him.
"No. During Land Reclamation, we discovered a nest of Rock Mountain Turtles. The clan members slaughtered them all. They were originally meant to be taken away by the stationed forces of sects, Aristocratic Clans, and some powerful Foundation Establishment families at the Trade Hub, but I found an excuse and intercepted them with spirit stones."
Xu Fugui answered truthfully.
Lin Changheng nodded faintly. "You mentioned the Trade Hub to me before."
It was a gathering place for cultivators at the edge of the Wilderness, where they could rest and trade.
Xu Fugui said, "Big Brother Lin, you do not know this, but the Trade Hub is incredibly bustling now. Ninety percent of the gains from Land Reclamation have to pass through there. It is not that they use their power to bully others; rather, these forces have joined together to form an entire supply chain. From pill refinement to artifact forging, from talisman crafting to formations, from spirit food to ritual robes—everything of this sort is all included."
"What is even more remarkable is that so long as Land Reclamation cultivators and families provide the corresponding primary materials, they can not only receive spirit stones, but also purchase a corresponding quantity of magical artifacts, pills, talismans, and the like refined from those primary materials at a ten-percent discount."
"Hiss... They can do that too?"
Lin Changheng was also stunned by this strategy. In this way, not only could Land Reclamation sustain Land Reclamation, but the spiritual materials, spiritual herbs, and other resources obtained from it would scarcely flow elsewhere, all falling into the net of the major powers!
Furthermore, cultivators could profit as well, gaining a second source of benefits beyond Land Reclamation merit. Their enthusiasm would surely be sky-high.
Before you continue