Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

14: Save them and create a good karmaLin Jingyu’s heart sank abruptly, and he turned around suddenly.

He saw that ”Fat Sheep” brother, who had just been so majestic and had unleashed a talisman treasure, now looked as if all his bones had been removed.

He lay limp on the ground, his face pale as gold paper, his breath hanging by a thread, having completely fainted.

The earth-shattering phantom of the coiling dragon giant sword was now slowly flying back, its light dim, transforming once again into a palm-sized glowing white jade talisman.

With a ”clatter,” it landed lightly on his blood-stained chest.

However, there was a tiny crack on it now.

”Uh...” All of Lin Jingyu’s excitement was instantly extinguished, and he couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear.

So that was it! This thing was just a one-time nuclear button; once you pressed it, you were done for! No wonder he didn’t use it at the start!

Fortunately, that old bastard Elder Lin Chengyuan was only focused on fleeing and had no time to pay attention to the situation here.

Otherwise, if he had turned back to attack, both he and the ”Fat Sheep” brother would have died.

His gaze involuntarily fixed tightly on the jade talisman lying quietly on the ”Fat Sheep’s” chest.

A talisman treasure!

A super trump card that would allow him to walk sideways in this region! As long as he obtained it, what was Elder Lin Chengyuan worth? He could crush him with a wave of his hand!

And on this ”Fat Sheep” brother... the Mid-Grade Spirit Stone he pulled out so casually, the Spirit Pill he ate like candy, the luxurious Storage Pouch... Was this even a person? He was clearly a walking Spirit Stone mine!

As long... as long as he reached out his hand...

Lin Jingyu’s breathing suddenly became heavy. His heart felt as if it were being gripped by an invisible hand and then suddenly released, pumping hot blood frantically.

His fingertips trembled slightly, uncontrollable, as if the jade talisman were exuding a deadly temptation.

Thoughts of greed sprouted wildly like vines, entangling his reason—the immense wealth and supreme power within reach!

He could even imagine Elder Lin Chengyuan’s terrified, twisted old face after he obtained the talisman treasure! And a future where his sister, Lin Jingxia, would never have to worry again!

”Slap!” A crisp, loud slap suddenly exploded in the silent clearing!

Lin Jingyu used all his strength to strike his left cheek hard and mercilessly! A burning, intense pain instantly swept through his nerves, and half his face visibly swelled up, instantly slapping away the wildly growing greed!

”Damn it! Lin Jingyu! What the hell are you thinking!” he roared at himself in his heart. His eyes regained their clarity, even carrying a trace of lingering fear.

He took a deep breath and, with a kind of caution as if avoiding a plague, carefully pinched the jade talisman that still carried the ”Fat Sheep’s” body heat with two fingers.

As if holding a red-hot iron, he quickly and tightly stuffed it back into the collar of the other person’s chest, even subconsciously tucking it in further to ensure it was hidden well.

Deep down, he was not the type of Bandit Cultivator who would kill to seize treasure and stop at nothing.

If he were tempted by greed today and committed such an act of treachery and taking advantage of someone’s misfortune, even if he gained much, it would inevitably become a Heart Demon, gnawing at his Dao Heart day and night, making it difficult for his thoughts to ever be clear again.

He had a Golden Finger, his future was promising; it wasn’t worth gambling his original intent for this bit of ”floating wealth” right before him!

Not worth it!

Besides, what kind of behemoth stood behind someone who could casually pull out something like a talisman treasure? Did he dare to bet that there weren’t more terrifying protective Restrictions on the other person?

What if, the moment he harbored murderous intent, a Golden Core Stage Divine Thought phantom popped out and slapped him into a pulp?

Or, even more insidiously, were there any tracking or vengeance marks on that talisman treasure or Storage Pouch? This immense wealth—he might have the life to take it, but not the life to spend it! The risk was too great!

This ”Fat Sheep” person seemed reckless and stubborn in his actions, but that pride in his bones and that fearlessness of death... were definitely not the temperament of an ordinary Loose Cultivator.

Saving such a person and forming a good bond was far more long-term and safer than killing him to seize his treasure!

Having figured this out, Lin Jingyu’s heart was clear and calm, with no more ripples.

He didn’t look at that tempting Storage Pouch again, nimbly bent down, and carried the unconscious ”Fat Sheep” brother on his back.

Although the other person looked lean, as a Cultivator, his bones and muscles were heavy. Coupled with Lin Jingyu’s own significant exhaustion, this nearly crushed him.

”So heavy, much heavier than a Yao Beast Baboon!” He spat, adjusted his posture, identified the direction, and hurried away in the deepening twilight, stumbling toward the Southeast Market Town.

He dared not stop, fearing that the old dog Lin Chengyuan might recover and turn back to attack, or that Black Wind Stockade might have other reinforcements.

He was on edge the entire way, his spirit stretched to the limit, until he saw from afar the protective Formation at the entrance of the market town, emitting a soft spiritual light in the night.

Only then did Lin Jingyu feel as if a thousand-jin burden had been lifted. He let out a long breath, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

He successfully passed through the detection Formation and entered the market town.

For the Southeast Market Town, which was backed by the Qinglan Sect, as long as one was not a Demonic Cultivator, they accepted any Cultivator who entered.

As for Demonic Cultivators, there was a detection Formation; once detected, they were killed on the spot.

Entering the market town, the noisy voices and bright lights slightly dispelled the gloom in his heart.

He looked up at the sky, which was completely black with only a few stars, and his heart skipped a beat: ”Oh no! It’s so late and I haven’t returned! That girl Lin Jingxia must be worried sick!”

Thinking of his sister possibly guarding the door in fear and looking out, Lin Jingyu was anxious.

Gritting his teeth and enduring the pain of losing money, he quickly slapped two shiny Low-Grade Spirit Stones onto the front desk of an inn called ”Immortal Residence” in the inner circle: ”Innkeeper! Open the cheapest single room! Quick!”

He dumped the unconscious ”Fat Sheep” brother onto the hard bed like unloading cargo. Lin Jingyu checked his breathing; it was still steady. It seemed it was just a deep coma caused by the exhaustion of spiritual power and a massive shock to his spirit, so he wouldn’t die for the time being.

Lin Jingyu looked around the simple room, grabbed the rough paper and pen on the table, and wrote a line in a flying script: ”I saved you, no need to be polite, and no need to thank me! Just call me Lei Feng!”

After writing, he thought for a moment and drew an extremely abstract symbol at the signature, which could barely be seen as a smiley face.

After finishing all this, he did not stay any longer. As if chased by a ghost, he rushed out of the inn in a hurry and merged back into the night of the market town.

Lin Jingyu headed straight for the shantytown. At the door of a small, dilapidated house filled with the smell of cheap cosmetics and alcohol, he blocked old man Gong Changshou, who was humming a tune, had a clear red lipstick mark on his face, and was reeking of a pungent scent.

”The stuff! Quick!” Lin Jingyu was concise, his tone carrying an unquestionable urgency.

Seeing his hurried expression and sweating profusely, Gong Changshou didn’t ask any questions and quickly took out the Materials and tools Lin Jingyu had ordered earlier for making sweet potato pill.

Lin Jingyu grabbed them, stuffed them into his basket, couldn’t even be bothered to say hello, turned, and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the messy alleys of the shantytown.

He trotted all the way home, his legs spinning like windmills. He was burning with anxiety, thinking of the large paper kite the ”Fat Sheep” brother had been riding earlier, and felt incredibly envious.

”Too slow! Too slow! Once I have Spirit Stones, the first thing I’ll do is buy a tool for transport! This round trip nearly ran my legs off.”

When Lin Jingyu’s figure finally appeared outside the dilapidated fence of the Lin family’s small courtyard, Lin Jingxia, who had been guarding the door and almost looking forward to his return with longing, instantly bloomed with a smile of relief, like a small flower quietly blooming in the dark night.

She didn’t have a single word of complaint, trotted up to meet him, and skillfully helped her brother unload the heavy basket.

Through the light shining from the house, she saw the undisguisable fatigue on Lin Jingyu’s face, a trace of lingering terror that hadn’t yet dissipated, and... the clear, slightly red and swollen slap mark on half his face?

Lin Jingxia’s heart tightened abruptly, and a sense of sourness and helplessness welled up. It was all for this home, for that huge debt of fifty Spirit Stones, to fight against the terrifying Black Wind Stockade.

That was why her brother was working so hard and was so tired. Yet she couldn’t help at all!

Fear gripped her, her body trembled slightly, and she reached out to touch Lin Jingyu’s cheek, her voice carrying a weeping tone and pleading:

”Brother... how about... how about we go find Elder Lin Chengyuan? Beg him, we can even mortgage the house and spirit fields to him! As long as we can scrape together the Spirit Stones to pay back the Black Wind Stockade... as long as... as long as the two of us siblings can be together... anywhere is fine... I... I’m afraid...”

Looking at the deep fear and reliance in his sister’s eyes, Lin Jingyu’s heart felt as if it had been pricked hard by a needle, and his murderous intent and anger toward the Black Wind Stockade and Lin Chengyuan burned fiercely once again!

He opened his arms without hesitation, pulled his sister’s trembling, cold little body tightly into his embrace, and comforted her in the most firm voice: ”Silly girl, don’t be afraid! Brother is here! The sky won’t fall!”

He gently patted his sister’s back, his tone decisive: ”A mere fifty Spirit Stones, brother has a way! I’ll earn them very soon. As for the Black Wind Stockade... Hmph, this Southeast Market Town is, after all, the territory of the Qinglan Sect! They still don’t dare to be too presumptuous and have to follow some rules!”

These were all words to comfort Lin Jingxia; a behemoth like the Qinglan Sect wouldn’t care about such ant-like disputes below.

The Black Wind Stockade dared to act as Bandit Cultivators less than five miles away from the market town, so they probably had no taboos in their hearts and didn’t care at all about the deterrent power of the Southeast Market Town.

Feeling the warmth of her brother’s embrace and the strength in his words, Lin Jingxia’s emotions calmed down a little.

Lin Jingyu hesitated slightly, then decided to reveal a little of his plan to put her at ease. He told her about his idea of using mountain sweet potato to make a special snack, ”sweet potato pill,” to sell in the market town to earn money. Of course, he hid the core secret of the hundred-year mountain sweet potato and only said it was ordinary mountain sweet potato.

”Really?” Lin Jingxia’s eyes instantly lit up, as if infused with starlight. The previous gloom was swept away, and she excitedly grabbed her brother’s arm and shook it.

”Brother! Was the sweet and cool thing you gave me to eat yesterday this? It was so delicious! How do you make sweet potato pill? Can I help? I have a lot of strength!”

”Of course I need your help!” Lin Jingyu looked at his sister’s face, which had regained its radiance, and felt much more relaxed. He rubbed her hair, ”Without you, this big helper, brother couldn’t handle it alone!”

The two of them hurriedly ate a few bites and then began their ”sweet potato pill grand undertaking.”

sweet potato pill, strictly speaking, was not a Medicinal Pill, but more like an exquisite spiritual food snack.

In the high-end restaurants in the inner circle of the market town, there were often similar desserts made with low-grade spiritual fruits and spiritual plants for sale, at high prices.

The core lay in the quality of the ingredients themselves and the combination of special auxiliary Materials. After deep-frying, it could stimulate a unique flavor and a hint of gentle spiritual power nourishing effect.

Similar items included sugar pills, safflower pills, and the like.

Lin Jingxia volunteered to go to their neighbor Little Miss’s house to borrow mountain sweet potatoes. Not long after, she returned, followed by Little Miss, who looked curious and kind.

”Brother! Young Miss heard we were going to make something delicious and came specially to help! She’s great at cooking and sewing!” Lin Jingxia introduced with a grin, her eyes carrying a little bit of pride and a trace of hard-to-detect matchmaking intent.

Lin Jingyu smiled helplessly, understanding his sister’s little thoughts, but he couldn’t refuse this kindness.

Moreover, the mountain sweet potato, the raw material for this sweet potato pill, technically had some credit due to Little Miss, so letting her participate and share some of the benefits was reasonable.

”Brother Jingyu,” Little Miss rolled up her sleeves and said generously, ”The braised Yao Beast meat you gave me yesterday was so fragrant I almost swallowed my tongue! I haven’t properly thanked you yet! I heard you’re making pills; I can’t do much else, but helping out and tending the fire is no problem! If there’s any work, just order me!”

Lin Jingxia pursed her lips and giggled on the side; she hadn’t revealed the true value and ”secret recipe” of the sweet potato pill. No matter how good Little Miss was, she was ultimately an outsider. Unless... hehe, she became a sister-in-law in the family.