Only children choose

Five Treasures Flower Honey Wine was brewed using the Five Immortals Sect's exclusive secret recipe, then had to be sealed in jars for years before its medicinal effects became potent enough.

Just this one gourd of wine, if offered to the martial world, could send countless people fighting tooth and nail over it, even spilling rivers of blood.

After all, treasures that could rapidly increase qi were exceedingly rare. Even many renowned major sects had none.

And it did more than increase qi-it tasted good, too.

By the time Lin Lang opened his eyes, daylight had fully broken.

Host: Lin Lang.

Qi: fifteen years (Evil-Warding Qi).

Martial arts: Reverse Golden Body Child Skill (external conditioning · Wulin Secret Art, major attainment); Reverse Evil-Warding Sword Technique (Wulin Secret Art, minor attainment); Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber (third-rate saber technique, major attainment); Basic Movement Technique (third-rate movement technique, major attainment).

Realm: mid-stage Martial Arts Master.

His qi had increased by five years, raising his cultivation to the mid-stage Martial Arts Master realm.

If a single gourd of Five Treasures Flower Honey Wine could improve him this much, what about an entire jar?

Even if its effects diminished with repeated drinking, it should still add at least ten years of cultivation.

No wonder Lan Fenghuang had much stronger qi despite being about his age. She had probably drunk plenty of this wine.

"Cult Leader Lan, my injuries have healed, and my cultivation has even improved a little. This wine must be very precious, right?" Lin Lang asked deliberately.

Lan Fenghuang replied breezily, "The elders of my Five Immortals Sect brew it. I have plenty more. Come visit our sect when you have time, and I'll treat you to more wine, along with fried scorpions, fried centipedes, and dragon-and-phoenix soup. I guarantee they'll taste so good you'll swallow your own tongue."

"Sounds good. I'm actually looking forward to it," Lin Lang said.

Those dishes really were delicious, and they boosted virility, too!

When Lan Fenghuang saw that Lin Lang showed neither fear nor disgust at these delicacies, but actually looked forward to them, she became even happier.

Even some of her brothers in the Sun Moon Holy Cult politely declined whenever she mentioned these dishes.

What did those people know!

"Your injuries have healed, so it's time I left. Elder Qu won't be easy to deal with. I need to help the Holy Maiden."

"Cult Leader Lan, wait a moment. Have you considered this? Since Dongfang Bubai ordered you to kill Qu Yang, you should do the opposite. When Cult Leader Ren retakes his position in the future, he'll need powerful subordinates, too."

"If you kill Qu Yang now, you'll have to return to Blackwood Cliff to report. How will you have time to rescue Cult Leader Ren?"

"So your best option is to pretend to pursue Qu Yang. That will also give you more time to contact Left Emissary Xiang and the others."

Delighted by his words, Lan Fenghuang said, "You're right, Young Hero Lin! Why didn't I think of that? I'll tell the Holy Maiden right away."

"We'll come find you once everything is ready. It should take about a month."

Watching Lan Fenghuang's retreating figure, Lin Lang murmured, "Every stop has its own scenery, and every age has its own flavor."

"She and Ren Yingying have completely different styles. Only children choose. A mature man like me naturally wants them both!"

Lin Lang opened the door and had the waiter take away the dishes that had gone cold and bring a fresh spread of food and wine. Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, he mounted his newly purchased horse and rode north.

"Holy Maiden, we kept watch on Qu Yang's granddaughter, Qu Feiyan, and sure enough, we found his trail."

"With Qu Feiyan in tow, Qu Yang can't move very fast. We'll definitely catch him this time." Helmsman Sun stood before Ren Yingying with his back bowed. He was about to earn a great merit.

This time, the Holy Cult would surely reward him with a Martial Arts Masterwork. Then he would have a chance to become a Martial Arts Master, and perhaps eventually rise to the lofty position of a Holy Cult elder.

Ren Yingying nodded distractedly. "Helmsman Sun, take your men and pursue him, then. Once Sister Lan returns, we'll capture Qu Yang!"

After Helmsman Sun left, the door to Ren Yingying's room was pushed open again.

Seeing Lan Fenghuang enter, Ren Yingying immediately stood up. "Sister Lan, did you get it out of him?"

Lan Fenghuang sat down, picked up Ren Yingying's teacup, and drained it. "No."

Ren Yingying grew anxious. "How could you fail to get it out of him?"

With Lan Fenghuang's methods, poisoning Lin Lang would be easy. She could even infect him with a gu parasite. Wouldn't he then answer whatever she asked?

Lan Fenghuang set down the teacup. "I thought it over. He came to help us rescue the Old Cult Leader, so he's our benefactor. If I poisoned our benefactor, what would the Old Cult Leader think of us when he found out?"

"Besides, even if I poisoned him, would everything he said necessarily be true? It's safer to have him lead us there himself."

"He should genuinely want to rescue the Old Cult Leader. Otherwise, if he hadn't told us, we wouldn't even know the Old Cult Leader was still alive."

"Have you found Left Emissary Xiang? With him around, there shouldn't be any problems."

Once Ren Woxing was mentioned, Ren Yingying stopped objecting. In her memories, her father had always taught her to draw a clear line between gratitude and grudges.

"I've already sent people to find Uncle Xiang, but his whereabouts have been unpredictable these past few years. It'll probably take a month to find him."

Lan Fenghuang continued, "Oh, and don't kill Elder Qu yet. Dongfang Bubai wants him dead, so when the Old Cult Leader retakes his position, Elder Qu could become one of his allies."

"Besides, if we kill Qu Yang now, won't we have to return to Blackwood Cliff immediately to report? How would we have time to contact Left Emissary Xiang and rescue the Old Cult Leader?"

"We should only pretend to pursue Qu Yang. That way, we'll have more time to contact Left Emissary Xiang."

Ren Yingying looked at Lan Fenghuang with admiration. "Sister Lan, thank goodness you're here. That never even occurred to me."

"I didn't think of it myself. Young Hero Lin suggested it."

At the mention of Lin Lang, Lan Fenghuang's face lit up with a smile.

Ren Yingying teased her, "Sister Lan, don't tell me you've taken a fancy to him?"

Lan Fenghuang looked regretful. "He practices Child Skill."

If not for that, she really would have considered Lin Lang a fine match.

He was highly skilled, handsome, and clever. More importantly, he didn't look down on the Five Immortals Sect like those disciples from so-called renowned orthodox sects.

Ren Yingying froze for a moment. "Child Skill? Sister Lan, did you discover the origins of his martial arts? Could he be a Shaolin disciple?"

Over the past two days, she had also sent people to make discreet inquiries, but no one in the martial world knew anyone named Lin Lang.

A Martial Arts Master so young would be a core disciple in any renowned major sect. He shouldn't have been so utterly unknown.

Lan Fenghuang thought for a moment. "His swordsmanship is bizarre and extremely fast. It's definitely not Shaolin's style."

"His Child Skill is powerful. He must have practiced it for many years. Without poison, even the two of us together might not be his match."

Ren Yingying was stunned. "He's that strong?!"

Together, the two of them were strong enough to take on a Holy Cult elder, yet they still couldn't defeat Lin Lang?

What great power or supreme expert could have raised such a successor?

A martial prodigy like him was bound to have very high standards.

Then, if Lin Lang helped her rescue her father, what could she offer to thank him?