Lurking danger
They returned to their lodgings.
Ling Qiuzi placed a Sub-Pill in Qingcheng's hand.
"Big sister, what's this?"
Qingcheng asked curiously.
"A candy."
Ling Qiuzi smiled as she spoke.
"Is it for me?"
"Of course it's for you."
"Thank you, big sister."
Qingcheng gave a sweet smile, licked the Sub-Pill, and said delightedly,
"It really is sweet!"
Her large eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight.
Contentedly, she held the Sub-Pill in her mouth.
Her gaze, clear as blue waters, brimmed with a gentle warmth.
Lin Tian watched the scene impassively, then went into his room.
He took out his Sub-Pill and crushed it into powder.
By now, he had long since purged all the pill poison from the Moon God Pill.
Taking another Sub-Pill would have no effect at all.
Looking at Lin Tian's tightly shut door, an unusual gleam flickered in Ling Qiuzi's beautiful eyes.
"Big sister, big brother seems even better-looking now."
Qingcheng spoke with the Sub-Pill in her mouth.
Ling Qiuzi paused slightly, recalling Lin Tian's previous appearance.
That did seem to be the case.
Hongyu had said the same thing before.
In fact, this was because, after consuming the Kui Bull's essence soul,
Lin Tian had shed his entire outer layer of skin, leaving him wholly renewed.
Today counted as the first time he had shown his new face to others.
"I'll go cook."
Ling Qiuzi patted Qingcheng's head, then went into the kitchen.
Before long, the meal was ready.
Lin Tian stepped out of his room, and a wave of fragrance immediately greeted his nose.
On the stone table sat a large basin of cooked Demon Pig meat and several cold side dishes.
"The day before yesterday, I found a beehive in the forest and gathered some honey."
Ling Qiuzi brought over a cup.
Orange-yellow blossoms and leaves bobbed in the water, and the curling steam was filled with a rich, delicate fragrance.
"I also found an osmanthus tree. The blossoms this season couldn't be better for making tea. Please try it, young master."
Lin Tian took the cup, breathed in the wafting osmanthus fragrance, and glanced at Ling Qiuzi in surprise.
The reason he had spared Ling Qiuzi that day was that she could cook.
But he had not expected this.
Even in a place as harsh as Blood Town,
she actually managed to live with such relish.
The meals had been somewhat monotonous in recent days.
That was not Ling Qiuzi's fault; rather, the ingredients Lin Tian brought back had been too repetitive.
Ling Qiuzi's beautiful eyes flickered, and she picked up her own teacup, intending to test it for poison for Lin Tian first.
Yet she saw that Lin Tian had already drained his cup, leaving her momentarily stunned.
"Good tea."
Lin Tian offered a word of praise.
It was not that he truly trusted Ling Qiuzi.
Rather, he had already cultivated his Sword Heart Body Refining Art to major completion in Sword Grinding.
His physical body was sturdy, and he was already immune to the vast majority of poisons.
"It really is good tea."
Lin Tian praised it again.
His predecessor had never enjoyed much of a good life in the Lin Lineage, nor had he had time to savor tea.
As for his previous life, he had enjoyed plenty.
But perhaps because this world was filled with Spiritual Qi,
whether it was Demon Pig meat, wild vegetables, or this osmanthus tea,
everything had a little more spiritual savor than the food in his previous life.
Ling Qiuzi watched Lin Tian drain the clear tea in one gulp.
She lowered her eyes, her long lashes trembling softly.
Then she hurriedly filled his cup again.
"So yummy!"
"Big sister, today's food is so delicious!"
Beside her, Qingcheng gnawed on Demon Pig meat, her mouth covered in grease.
Ling Qiuzi added some cold dressed greens to Qingcheng's bowl.
Across from her, Lin Tian's appetite had already been whetted.
Meanwhile.
Inside Hongyu's room.
Chen Yu, North Saber, and Hongyu were all present.
"You're saying the strength Lin Tian displayed was already at the mystic core ninth layer?"
North Saber asked with a frown, his eyes filled with shock.
Hongyu nodded lightly and said,
"Although it felt as if he deliberately held back with that sword strike, it could indeed threaten me."
Chen Yu leaned against the door, his fingers resting on his sword hilt, a faint smile lingering at the corners of his mouth.
"Then when do we make our move?"
North Saber gave a cold laugh, already growing impatient.
"It's no use."
Hongyu spoke indifferently, showing no intention of getting up.
"What do you mean?" Chen Yu and North Saber both looked at Hongyu.
Light flashed between Hongyu's fingers, and a secret manual appeared in her slender, jade-white hand.
North Saber and Chen Yu swept their gazes over the manual, and both froze.
"This is an evil art of my Joyous Immortal Sect, the Yin-Yang Transference Art."
Hongyu explained, putting the cultivation manual away.
"It's also a dual cultivation art, but rather than absorbing someone else's Yang essence or Yin essence, it seizes their bloodline and physique."
After Hongyu finished, the room suddenly fell silent.
North Saber and Chen Yu exchanged glances, their breathing a little quickened.
"Why did Li Musheng give you this?"
North Saber asked.
"Hmph."
Hongyu narrowed her eyes slightly, a dangerous glint flickering within them.
"Li Musheng gave this to me naturally because Lin Tian's bloodline and physique are special. I'm to dual cultivate with Lin Tian and absorb his physique, then he'll dual cultivate with me to absorb it."
After Hongyu finished, North Saber and Chen Yu both fell silent.
"So the reason Lin Tian can still cultivate after swallowing the Moon God Pill is his physique."
North Saber stroked his chin as he spoke, somewhat disappointed.
He had originally thought Lin Tian could cultivate because he possessed a special cultivation art.
If it had been a cultivation art, once they tortured it out of Lin Tian,
breaking out of Blood Town would not have been impossible.
But if it was merely his physique, that was not very likely.
"What are you planning?" Chen Yu asked, unconsciously straightening from his position against the door.
"What am I planning?"
Hongyu gave a bitter laugh and said,
"If I'm not mistaken, once I absorb Lin Tian, he will undoubtedly die. In turn, I'll also die at Li Musheng's hands."
"Li Musheng covets Lin Tian's physique, but he isn't that impatient. Otherwise, he wouldn't have me do it."
"Lin Tian's physique will eventually fall into his hands through Blood Town. Whether I act or not, this is merely a simple attempt."
As Hongyu continued, her voice grew somewhat desolate, and gloom covered her lovely face.
"Hongyu, you still want to seize Lin Tian's physique, don't you?"
Chen Yu spoke as he looked at Hongyu, who had now turned vicious and ruthless.
"Yes."
Hongyu spoke emphatically, then suddenly began to laugh.
"Lin Tian promised to dual cultivate with me in five days. If he goes back on his word then, I'll have to ask you two to help."
"I'm already at the void insight eighth layer. After absorbing Lin Tian, I'll dual cultivate with a hundred people within this month and break through to the soul palace realm."
North Saber frowned and said with some displeasure,
"Actually, there's another path we can take."
Hongyu gave a disdainful smile.
"You want to rely on Lin Tian? Do you think he'll cooperate with you? Can't you sense what sort of person Lin Tian is? Someone so cold-blooded and savage-do you think he can cooperate with you?"
"If you cooperate with him, what can you offer him?"
North Saber was at a loss for words, then looked at Chen Yu.
Chen Yu looked at Hongyu, who had already grown somewhat deranged, and said,
"You mean that as long as you break through to the soul palace realm, you can break Blood Town's formation?"
Hongyu nodded and said with a sinister smile,
"Of course. Otherwise, why would the strongest person in Blood Town only be in the void penetration realm?"
"Why not make your move today?" North Saber asked.
"Just how stupid are you? Am I supposed to read the secret manual while dual cultivating with Lin Tian?"
Hongyu grew even more disdainful.