Meeting and arrangements

With his mind made up, Lin Ke was no longer quite so excited.

But everyone around him still wore the same expressions, clearly enticed by the benefits Rain Spider True Person had just described.

They had completely forgotten the question of their own strength.

Although Lin Ke also looked forward to gaining territory and resources, deep down, he remained calm.

Only after establishing his own base and securing a dependable rear could he venture out to fight without worry.

And only then would his gains from battle be more likely to translate into strength of his own.

That was what he would do!

At that thought, Lin Ke's heart flew home like an arrow.

Finally, at Rain Spider True Person's command, everyone in the sect dispersed. Lin Ke and Zong Ya mingled with the crowd and hurried back to the Green Mulberry Garden.

Almost everyone rushed toward their own cave abode.

Most were going to pack their things and make preparations before heading out to fight.

A small minority were probably planning to hide somewhere safe and never come out again.

After all, unless Qi Refining Stage disciples stumbled into extraordinary luck, they would struggle to prevail against demon beasts.

In truth, even Dao Foundation disciples like Zong Ya would find it difficult.

Back when Zong Ya was at the Qi Refining Stage, her job had been raising spirit pigs specifically to feed insects. After establishing her Dao Foundation, she had taken a post in the Spirit Insect Cave.

Even in the annual Sect Grand Tournament, she was the sort who lost within a few rounds.

It was worth remembering that people like Lin Quan-meng and Fang Du were exceedingly rare in the Sect Grand Tournament. Most participants were like Zong Ya.

This was the result of the Golden Wing Sect's long-standing peace and stability.

Thus, when they returned to the Green Mulberry Garden, Lin Ke was cautious yet excited, while Zong Ya was worried and frightened.

The Green Mulberry Garden, beneath Golden Silkworm Peak.

Zong Ya and Lin Ke sat at the Earthen Table and Chairs by the entrance to the first underground level, fashioned using Mountain-Moving and Sea-Overturning and Turn Earth to Steel.

A soft radiance shone from the surrounding glowshrooms, illuminating the entire space.

"Junior brother, I know you'll definitely be heading out." Lin Ke was the first person Zong Ya thought of. "There are so many venomous insects out there. You must be careful!"

"Put your mind at ease, senior sister," Lin Ke reassured her. "I'm no slouch in combat, and this is the perfect chance to hone my skills. With the Nascent Soul elders around, there won't be any major danger."

"Yes. With such sweeping changes in the Cloud Frontier, fighting will be necessary if we're to survive this upheaval..." Zong Ya gritted her teeth.

"Not only you-I need to go out and hone my skills too. Otherwise, we can't rely on you alone to support the Green Mulberry Garden in the days to come."

Although Zong Ya usually appeared gentle and frail, she was quite sensible at critical moments, and there was a hidden streak of steel in her character.

When Lin Ke had been weak, she had shown weakness at every turn and kept on everyone's good side. She had neither accepted nor rejected Li Le, keeping him dangling so he would not dare act directly against her and Lin Ke.

When Lin Ke's cultivation returned, she had suggested that he kill Li Le outright, though war had arrived before they could carry it out.

With war approaching, she had not dragged her feet at all. She had used her connections to resign from her post in the Spirit Insect Cave, then come straight to Lin Ke's Green Mulberry Garden to prepare for the unrest.

Now, although she was still frightened, she remained decisive, determined to improve both her own combat strength and Lin Ke's.

Lin Ke had to admit that, in his eyes, Zong Ya was quite impressive.

"Let's do this."

Lin Ke considered for a moment. "Senior sister, Li Le has already used force against you, and he probably won't let the matter rest. Fortunately, his father, True Person Yuan Yong, has already left to oversee the mountain territories, so we only need to deal with him."

"But going out would still put you in danger. For now, stay hidden down here, manage our Green Mulberry Garden properly, and practice using your spell arts while you're at it."

Lin Ke had already worked out a rough plan, so his arrangements for Zong Ya came naturally.

"Once I've dealt with Li Le, if I can find a helper or two, I'll go out together with you."

"Otherwise, it wouldn't be safe for you to go out alone."

"All right." After a little thought, Zong Ya nodded in agreement without the slightest fuss.

"Also, senior sister, please come with me." Lin Ke stood and spoke to her with an air of mystery. "Weren't you wondering where the Stinger Hawk Moth and Amethyst Longhorn Beetle came from?"

Zong Ya's expression sharpened, and she followed Lin Ke downstairs.

The underground world beneath Golden Silkworm Peak now had seven levels in total. Fang Tong and the others all lived on the second.

The third level stored everyday supplies, while the fourth was used to wash and process blackgold silkworm silk. The fifth held Blackgold Silkworm silk, eggs, and a few Blackgold Moths.

The sixth housed venomous insects, and it was also the largest area Lin Ke had excavated.

The seventh was currently empty. Lin Ke had reserved it for himself and Zong Ya, making it suitable for certain secret activities, such as...

"Here we are."

Lin Ke stopped in the middle of the seventh level.

This level also had the most glowshrooms. It covered probably more than five hundred square meters, but the glowshrooms lit the whole place almost like LED lights.

"Junior brother, what did you want to tell me?" Zong Ya looked around curiously.

There were only two meditation cushions here, set aside for the two of them.

Of course, they intended to cultivate in the wooden house outside on ordinary days to keep up appearances. The underground world was their hiding place.

"She is my secret!" As he spoke, Lin Ke held out his hand.

Lin Can immediately appeared in his palm, her single leg wooden and her eyes crystalline.

"This is..." Zong Ya was immediately captivated by Lin Can's peculiar body, a mixture of plant and bee.

Lin Can also studied Zong Ya curiously.

She knew Zong Ya existed, but Zong Ya had not known about her.

"Her name is Lin Can." Lin Ke gave a brief introduction. "From now on, Lin Can will stay on the sixth and seventh levels. Lin Can, you must listen to Zong Ya from now on, understand?"

"Yes, Daddy!" Lin Can stared blankly at Zong Ya, then spoke softly. "Mommy!"

Zong Ya's cheeks flushed at that. "You can call me Auntie, not Mommy."

"Auntie?" Lin Can tilted her head. "Oh! Auntie!"

Lin Ke smiled, then explained some of Lin Can's "care instructions" to Zong Ya.

After forming a cocoon and emerging again, Lin Can did not seem to have changed physically. She had only grown a tiny bit, so little that it was difficult to notice with the naked eye.

Her appetite, however, had increased considerably. She probably needed a piece of that Insect Jelly, or Insect Gel, every day to cultivate.

All things in the world could cultivate, just like humans.

In fact, what Lin Ke envied most was the "cultivation method" Lin Can practiced.

At the dawn of antiquity, who passed down the Dao?

At the dawn of antiquity, no one passed down the Dao.

Then where had cultivation methods come from?

Lin Ke knew that cultivation methods were not so different from the science of his previous life. Both came from generation after generation of people learning, gaining insights, making corrections, and passing them on.

Many members of the demon race were the same. Those without an inheritance began as wild beasts, instinctively absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and drawing in the essence of the sun and moon before setting foot on the path of cultivation.

Lin Can was much like that.

After absorbing spiritual energy and converting it into spirit power, she circulated it through her body in whatever way felt "smooth" and "comfortable" to her.

Absorbing spiritual energy, converting it into spirit power, and circulating that spirit power to nourish the body and soul.

That was cultivation.

And cultivation methods taught people how to cultivate.

The speed of absorbing spiritual energy, the speed of converting it into spirit power and circulating it, and the degree to which it nourished the body and soul-all these were different measures of a person's aptitude and cultivation method.

A cultivation method suited to oneself would certainly yield twice the results with half the effort.

But cultivation methods were far too scarce, and most sects built high walls around their doors and jealously guarded their methods. Finding one suited to oneself was harder than hard.

For example, Lin Ke knew only his own cultivation method, the Miaojiang Gu Art. He had never even heard the names of any others.

Yet under these circumstances, Lin Can could circulate her cultivation method by instinct alone. That was a gift others could only envy!

A human would have to face all sorts of problems, such as disrupted qi, cultivation deviation, and conflicts in the meridians.

"...She's already at the first level of Qi Refining. She eats a lot, but ordinarily, she only needs to root herself in the soil."

"If I go out, feed her one fairly large insect each day, senior sister. She'll command the Stinger Hawk Moth to do things for her."

Lin Ke explained everything slowly, giving her a general account of Lin Can's characteristics.

The more he explained, the more astonished Zong Ya looked.

By the time he finished, Zong Ya's expression had become extremely solemn. "Junior brother, from now on, only you and I must know about Lin Can."

"We'll need to spend time together regularly in the future, so I won't erase my memories for now. But we must be careful!"