Only then did the caravan steward turn to the female cultivator and Lin Changheng and force a smile. "Thank goodness you noticed. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable. Once we return to the clan, I'll record a merit for each of you."
Lin Changheng shook his head. "I only happened to notice it, but failed to react in time. Fortunately, the fellow cultivator beside me acted decisively and called out a warning, preventing greater losses."
His implication was that the female cultivator beside him deserved more credit. In truth, he simply did not want to draw attention.
Only by keeping out of the spotlight, remaining almost invisible, could he keep everyone in front of him as a shield during an emergency like the one just now without attracting notice.
The female cultivator turned her head and gave Lin Changheng a surprised look. Her eyes flickered, but she said nothing more.
"Merit is merit. It rests on the facts alone, and nothing else can change that."
The caravan steward settled the matter.
"Yes."
Lin Changheng could only answer in unison with the female cultivator.
Early the next morning.
Before the others had woken, Lin Changheng went straight outside, greeted the steward who was still keeping watch, and sat on a large rock to meditate facing the rising sun.
His hand, however, slipped discreetly inside his robes, repeatedly taking essence blood from his Storage Bag. He pulled out the stoppers and dipped his finger inside, absorbing it for transformation.
Qi Refining cultivators had no spiritual sense to project outward, only spiritual awareness that could not leave their bodies. Thus, as long as he blocked their view, he need not worry about being exposed.
Before long.
Lin Changheng quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
His gaze pierced through illusion and "saw"