ragginovel Chapter 38 Unexpected Guest
Chapter 38 Unexpected Guest
Just as Lin Changqing was about to end the conversation and leave, Wang Yi hesitated for a moment and then took out two more jade slips and gave them to him.
"This was given to me by Uncle Fu, who told me to give it to you as a congratulatory gift for your foundation building."
"Oh?" Lin Changqing looked surprised. He hadn't sent Chen Fu an invitation, but he hadn't expected that Chen Fu would prepare a gift for him.
He only wanted to focus on his cultivation and didn't want to show anything to Chen Fu or prove who was right or wrong, so he didn't invite Chen Fu. Consequently, Chen Ziyan wouldn't come either.
Lin Changqing drew the jade slip into his hand with a flick of his wrist. It was covered with a simple restriction, meant to prevent others from spying on it.
One of them was a jade slip containing a message. After checking it, Lin Changqing realized that the restriction on it had not been touched by anyone, so he opened the restriction, and the restriction immediately left a mark on the jade slip.
Lin Changqing scanned the area with his divine sense and confirmed that the magic power above was indeed Chen Fu's, so it seemed that Wang Yi had not deceived him.
As for the information on the jade slip, it was very simple: it was a simple congratulation to Lin Changqing on his foundation building, just like an elder showing concern for a younger generation. It didn't mention anything else.
The other jade slip was a congratulatory gift from Chen Fu: a recipe for a Spirit Gathering Pill, a pill often taken by Foundation Establishment cultivators to promote their cultivation.
This pill formula was prepared by Chen Fu in preparation for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, but fate played a trick on him and he did not succeed. So this Foundation Establishment stage pill formula was left behind. Now that he knows Lin Changqing has broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he sent it over.
Looking at the two jade slips in his hand, Lin Changqing calmly put them into his storage bag.
He continued chatting with some cultivators who frequently bought magical artifacts and pills. Some offered guidance on cultivation, while others talked about interesting things that had recently happened in the cultivation world. It was a very pleasant conversation, and he didn't feel too constrained.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, why didn't you invite me to such a celebration?"
A streak of light flew from the direction of Yellow Maple Valley, accompanied by a questioning voice, tinged with a hint of mockery.
Looking into the distance, Lin Changqing saw a tall, upright man slowly walking towards them.
"Fellow Daoist Song?" Lin Changqing asked in confusion. He hadn't invited Song Meng, had he? They weren't that close. The last time they met, Song Meng was his senior.
After the fierce battle and completing the sect's mission, Song Meng gained a lot. In addition, after a period of seclusion, his strength has now reached the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage.
After his breakthrough, Song Meng possessed a powerful aura and extraordinary demeanor.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, I hope my unauthorized visit will not disturb your Foundation Establishment celebration?" Song Meng asked frankly, bowing with his hands clasped.
Lin Changqing naturally returned the greeting, expressing his welcome to his fellow practitioners.
He had wondered if it would be bad if his Foundation Establishment cultivation journey didn't include any fellow Foundation Establishment cultivators. Now that Song Meng had unexpectedly arrived, it would make it clear to others that Lin Changqing was not without Foundation Establishment friends and that he did have acquaintances in Huangfeng Valley.
"Since Fellow Daoist Song has come, I will naturally welcome him with open arms."
"Fellow Daoist Song, please come up the mountain for a chat."
Lin Changqing led Song Meng up the mountain peak and arrived at the pavilion in the cave. As for the remaining Qi Refining stage cultivators, they naturally stayed at the foot of the mountain.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, congratulations on your Foundation Establishment. This is my gift, Song Meng."
The gift was normal; it was just cultivation materials exchanged between Foundation Establishment cultivators. It seemed that Song Meng also wanted to make friends with this newly promoted Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Song Meng and Lin Changqing were acquaintances and had even collaborated before. Song Meng's actions were not considered impolite; on the contrary, they enhanced Lin Changqing's standing among the cultivators at the foot of the mountain, since everyone knew that Song Meng was the personal disciple of Li Huayuan, a Core Formation True Person from Huangfeng Valley.
Lin Changqing accepted the gift and looked at Song Meng with gratitude: "Fellow Daoist Song, you left me the demon beast resources after the last battle, and now you've come to congratulate me. I'm truly flattered!"
Seeing that Lin Changqing was being too polite, Song Meng felt a little embarrassed and said bluntly, "Brother Lin, if you hadn't come to control the serpent last time, I wouldn't have been able to obtain the serpent's inner core so easily and break through to the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage so smoothly. There's no need for such polite words between us."
After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, Lin Changqing found that Song Meng was much more magnanimous than when they first met, which he figured was because the two of them were now at the same level.
"No matter what, it's Fellow Daoist Song who has taken care of me. If I need anything in the future, I will definitely help him." Lin Changqing still knew how to say polite words. After all, he had said such words countless times from the Qi Refining stage to the Foundation Establishment stage.
In the cultivation world, there must be some benefit involved in asking for help. Unless they are very close fellow disciples or sworn brothers, who would really go with you to fight against others?
However, Song Meng was quite frank and straightforward, and didn't understand these intricacies. Seeing Lin Changqing speak so "enthusiastically," he was also very excited and expressed his own thoughts.
"Brother Lin, since that's the case, would you be willing to come with me to wipe out the evil cultivators?" Song Meng looked at Lin Changqing with a sincere expression, which made Lin Changqing feel apprehensive.
Lin Changqing was stunned. He only wanted to be polite, but he didn't expect Song Meng to actually take it seriously. Fortunately, he agreed to Song Meng's suggestion.
"Heretical cultivation?"
"Yes, Senior Brother Liu and I went together to help the fellow Daoists at Tianque Fortress, where there are evil cultivators." Song Meng was originally a very enthusiastic person, but now when he talked about evil cultivators, his tone became cold, which showed his hatred for these evil cultivators.
"Why is Fellow Daoist Song so persistent about these evil cultivators? After all, the gains from eliminating evil cultivators are pitifully small. There aren't many fellow Daoists in Yue Kingdom willing to do such unprofitable business." Seeing Song Meng's frankness, Lin Changqing asked curiously.
"Brother Lin, evil cultivators and demonic cultivators are different. Although the cultivation methods of demonic cultivators in Yue Kingdom are strange, at least they don't kill mortals innocently. They abide by some rules of the cultivation world, and their actions are gradual and for a reason. Most of them are not inhuman."
"But evil cultivators are different. They are even more evil than the demonic path. They not only kill mortals and cultivators at will and refine evil weapons, but they also capture cultivators to use for training. They crush the cultivators' bones and suck their marrow, swallowing them clean. They are extremely bloody and brutal."
"Besides, these evil cultivators are extremely vengeful. If you are targeted and you don't kill them, they will kill everyone around you. This is why Senior Brother Liu and I refuse to stop, because we no longer have the chance to stop."
"If our relatives and friends weren't all close to a major cultivation sect like Huangfeng Valley, these evil cultivators would have come to attack us long ago. However, there are only a few evil cultivators; a small portion are hiding in the demonic path, and most are among the rogue cultivators."
After saying this, Song Meng softly reminded him, "Brother Lin, what I've described is less than a tenth of what I witnessed back then. You'll understand when you encounter it in the future."
Song Meng's tone became increasingly urgent and excited, and he even described the appearance of the evil cultivators he had seen to Lin Changqing in a very serious manner. However, Lin Changqing had only heard of "evil cultivators" in the cultivation world, but had never seen them in person, so he did not feel the same way as Song Meng.
Although he also disapproved of the evil cultivators' actions and wanted to go with Song Meng to help, he had only just established his foundation and his combat abilities were not yet fully developed. He was afraid that he would not be able to help and would instead perish halfway through.
Having figured it out, and to avoid disappointing Song Meng, Lin Changqing continued, "Fellow Daoist Song, why do you hate evil cultivators so much? Have you encountered anything like this?"
Upon hearing this, Song Meng was taken aback, his expression turning somber and even somewhat blank, as if recalling something terrifying.
Seeing Song Meng's state, Lin Changqing, who was standing to the side, thought that the evil cultivator was indeed troublesome. Even after Song Meng broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, he still found the matter so unforgettable.
After a moment, Song Meng came to his senses and laughed, "Brother Lin, please forgive my foolishness. I was indeed captured by evil cultivators before and witnessed their brutality, but I was lucky enough to escape without any serious impact on my cultivation. However, my senior brother Liu, who was with me, was not so lucky."
When Liu, the usually forthright young man fell silent, becoming unusually somber.
Seeing that Song Meng remained silent, Lin Changqing did not ask any further questions.
He had just successfully established his foundation and now only wanted to improve his strength, so this time he had no choice but to refuse Song Meng.
"Fellow Daoist Song, I have just broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage and have not yet consolidated my cultivation, reforged my magic weapon, or prepared enough pills. Therefore, I will not accompany you." Lin Changqing politely declined, after all, although he now had the Little Chun Treasure Tree Body as a trump card, that was all he had.
As for his remaining magical artifacts and talismans, they might not be as good as those of Song Meng and other cultivators who had advanced for a long time, so he should not get involved with those mysterious evil cultivators, otherwise he might lose his life there.
So it's best to improve your strength first and deal with things later, otherwise you'll be the one who gets taken advantage of. If you go with Song Meng and the others, given his weak magical power, he'll probably be the first one they target.
Song Meng was not disappointed after hearing Lin Changqing's words. He knew Lin Changqing's difficulties and was well aware that he had been a bit too hasty.
"It's alright, Brother Lin. Over the years, Senior Brother Liu and I have also sought out some other cultivators. We've gotten used to extending invitations as soon as we meet new fellow cultivators. It was just that I was in a hurry."
"Since Brother Lin has other matters to attend to, then I, Song, will not trouble you any longer!" Song Meng cupped his hands and bid farewell to Lin Changqing.
Lin Changqing knew that Song Meng had no intention of staying to talk, so he personally saw Song Meng off.
Outside the cave, Song Meng activated his flying artifact and flew away from Xiaochangqing Peak.
At the same time, many cultivators at the foot of the mountain also left, leaving only a few scattered individuals, including Han Li. He glanced at the mountain peak from time to time, as if he had something on his mind.
Lin Changqing, atop the mountain peak, scanned the area with his divine sense and clearly understood everything below. He then sent out a transmission talisman, which quickly reached Han Li's side at the foot of the mountain.
Han Li was overjoyed to receive the talisman. He used the Azure Leaf magic weapon to pass through layers of clouds and mist and arrive at the mountain peak.
Lin Changqing, who was not in a hurry at this moment, had already prepared spiritual tea and was waiting for Han Li's arrival.
Han Li flew up the mountain peak, glanced at the spacious cave, and felt a pang of envy.
"It's so great to be a Foundation Establishment cultivator! Their cave dwellings are so spacious and private, unlike me who can only secretly grow herbs in Uncle Ma's herb garden, constantly afraid of being discovered."
Looking around, Han Li saw Lin Changqing, dressed in a light blue robe, in a pavilion.
Lin Changqing was brewing spiritual tea, his expression fresh and serene, exuding a leisurely and elegant air, as if he were quietly waiting for Han Li's arrival. This inevitably brought a smile to Han Li's face, and some of the depression in his heart was released. He felt that only here could he receive the respect he deserved.
He didn't have many friends in Huangfeng Valley. Although he felt pretty good after arriving, he was all alone. After wandering around for a while, he couldn't even keep the Foundation Establishment Pill. It inevitably made him feel heartbroken and made him miss his senior brother Lin in the cultivation world even more.
Now that Senior Brother Lin has been staying in Yellow Maple Valley for a long time, I can come here often to relax and unwind. I don't think Senior Brother Lin will refuse.