You Rascal!

Chen Lin's hand seemed to carry a faint electric current as it slowly traveled upward from her smooth, jade-like ankle.

Song Qiuya's body went completely rigid.

Wherever his large hand passed, her skin broke out in tiny shivers.

She could distinctly feel the warmth of his palm and its thin, rough calluses-an unfamiliar, domineering masculine touch that left her at a loss.

She wanted to pull away, but her body had gone so weak she could not muster any strength.

The clamor in the park, the music from the group dancing, and the murmurs of couples by the river all faded away in that instant.

Her world held only the pounding of her own heart and the hand slowly roaming over her calf.

How outrageous!

How embarrassing!

Watching her turn her head aside and pretend with all her might to admire the scenery, Chen Lin could not help smiling.

He leaned down, his warm breath brushing her sensitive ear.

"So beautiful."

Boom!

Song Qiuya's mind exploded.

This guy! Was he complimenting the scenery or her legs?

Before she could figure it out, that mischievous hand had already passed her knee and entered territory far more private, far more flustering.

Her silky skirt was pushed up slightly, and his palm settled against her thigh through the thin fabric.

Song Qiuya stopped breathing altogether.

The next second, Chen Lin drew her into his arms in one smooth motion.

His other hand traveled upward along her slender waist...

The warm sensation registered clearly against his palm.

"Don't..."

Song Qiuya jolted, all her embarrassment turning into strength in that instant.

She shoved Chen Lin away, her delicate, fair face flushed scarlet.

"You... you rascal!"

She scrambled up from the bench without even putting on her shoes. Only after taking two barefoot steps on the cold ground did she suddenly remember her predicament.

She hurriedly slipped on her high heels and, not daring to look at Chen Lin again, turned and strode toward the park exit.

There was something of a panicked retreat in her departing figure.

Watching her flee, Chen Lin could no longer hide his smile.

The iceberg had melted completely.

He hurried after her and took her hand as naturally as could be.

Song Qiuya made a couple of token attempts to pull away before letting him hold it, though her tightly pressed lips betrayed her unsettled feelings.

After taking Song Qiuya to the entrance of her apartment building and watching her hurry inside with a flushed face, Chen Lin started his car in satisfaction and headed back to the village.

By the time he returned to his little courtyard, it was eleven at night.

He closed the courtyard gate and locked the door to his room.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Chen Lin was still savoring that astonishing softness and the way it had felt beneath his hand.

But soon, another thought surfaced.

By his reckoning, it was time for his weekly "trash picking" again.

He steadied himself. The familiar dizziness swept over him, and Chen Lin appeared once more inside that sealed, hundred-square-meter space.

A fresh pile of trash had appeared.

Most of it consisted of tattered fabric and organic matter whose original forms were unrecognizable, giving off a faint smell of mildew and rotting vegetation.

The trash began sorting itself automatically.

Chen Lin walked over to the pile and began rummaging through it.

The scraps of cloth felt exceptionally smooth. He had no idea what material they were made of, but unfortunately, they were all badly torn and stained with dark brown marks that had long since dried.

After rummaging for ages, he found only a few broken porcelain bottles, all completely empty.

Was he going to come away empty-handed this time?

Just as disappointment began setting in, his fingertips touched something soft yet resilient.

It did not feel like fabric.

His spirits lifted. He pulled aside the ragged robes covering it, revealing a dusty gray pouch the size of his palm.

It looked like the sort of money pouch people in ancient times used to carry copper coins.

[Item information: ownerless Storage Bag]

Chen Lin's heart gave a sudden leap.

He immediately picked up the bag and tried to undo its drawstring, only to find that the knot seemed sealed by some invisible force. No matter how hard he pulled, it would not budge.

There really was something to this.

Recalling the miscellaneous accounts of Cultivation of Immortality he had read, he followed their example and carefully channeled the faint Taiyin Inner Force within him into the opening of the bag.

"Pop."

With a sound so faint it was almost imperceptible, the previously unyielding drawstring loosened.

It worked!

Chen Lin suppressed his wild delight. Instead of checking the contents immediately, he willed it away-and the Storage Bag went straight into his Storage Ring!

Huh? A Storage Bag could be put inside a Storage Ring?

Delighted once again, Chen Lin continued searching the trash pile, but he found nothing else useful before being transported back to his bedroom.

He locked the door and drew the curtains, then eagerly dumped everything in the Storage Bag onto his bed.

Clatter!

Several items tumbled out.

First came six thumb-sized white jade porcelain bottles, identical to the Spirit Spring Water bottle he had obtained before.

He eagerly opened one, and a rush of pure Spiritual Energy washed over his face.

Spirit Spring Water! Six whole bottles!

Next came dozens of small, translucent stones that emitted a soft white glow. Each contained enough energy to make his heart quiver.

These had to be the legendary spirit stones!

Chen Lin's breathing quickened.

His gaze finally settled on a thin booklet with yellowed pages.

Three ancient-looking seal-script characters were written on its cover.

"Everlasting Spring Art."

This wasn't a martial arts manual. It was a genuine Cultivation of Immortality technique!

Chen Lin felt as though his blood were about to catch fire.

Judging by its appearance, the technique certainly could not be high-grade. It was probably the sort of commonplace stuff found everywhere in the cultivation world.

But to Chen Lin as he was now, it was nothing less than the key to a whole new world!

Aside from those three great treasures, the Storage Bag contained only a cultivator's everyday belongings.

A few spare gray Daoist robes made from the same material, a wooden comb, and a short dagger for self-defense.

Chen Lin carefully put the spirit stones and the cultivation manual into his Storage Ring, his excitement refusing to subside for a long time.

The next day.

Before dawn, Chen Lin was already sitting cross-legged on his bed with the Everlasting Spring Art open before him.

Following its formulas and diagrams, he began meditating and tried to draw Spiritual Energy into his body.

Yet two full hours passed without the slightest movement in his dantian.

He frowned. Could it be because the Spiritual Energy in this world was too sparse?

An idea struck Chen Lin. He took a spirit stone from his Storage Ring, held it in his palm, and practiced the technique again.

This time, it felt completely different!

A cool stream of energy was drawn out of the spirit stone and flowed along the meridians in his arm, surging into his dantian like a lively brook!

The stream circulated through his limbs and every part of his body, leaving indescribable comfort and ease wherever it passed.

It worked!

Chen Lin was thrilled.

With this Everlasting Spring Art!

Longevity and the extraordinary power to control his own destiny were no longer dreams!

While Chen Lin immersed himself in the joy of his growing power, two black minivans slipped silently into Chen Family Village, one behind the other, and drove straight toward his little courtyard.