Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 164 The Puppet Master is Withering, His Essence Blood Comes Knocking (Two chapters combined, extra chapter, please subscribe)

"Besides...shouldn't neighbors help each other out of the way?"

Upon hearing Lin Changheng's words, the Yan family grandfather and granddaughter all looked moved. Yan Kuishi glanced at his granddaughter with affection, and then looked at Lin Changheng with a strange meaning in his eyes.

Next, Yan Mingyi cooked many of her signature spiritual dishes and also took out her grandfather's treasured spiritual wine, filling Lin Changheng's cup.

The chopsticks kept moving, and both host and guests enjoyed themselves immensely.

During the meal, Yan Mingyi also drank a couple of glasses. Her pretty face flushed, and her eyes, driven by the alcohol, were unpredictable, but mostly lingered on Lin Changheng.

This girl is now twenty-three years old. She is beautiful and charming, truly a "girl next door who has come of age."

Suddenly, Yan Mingyi pursed her lips and said, "Brother Lin..."

Lin Changheng and Yan Kuishi both turned their gazes in that direction.

"What is it, Miss Yan? Please speak freely." Lin Changheng smiled without minding when he saw the female cultivator's hesitant expression.

"Alright." Encouraged, Yan Mingyi spoke up, "Brother Lin just said that he wants to refine a second-tier [Spiritual Essence Rejuvenation Pill], but my grandfather is only at the first tier of cultivation. Is he able to contain such a powerful medicinal force?"

There was a hint of worry in his words.

It was this concern that prompted Yan Mingyi to speak up.

"I wondered what it was about?"

Lin Changheng reached out and patted Yan Mingyi's shoulder, then glanced at Yan Kuishi, whose eyes also held a hint of doubt but who was hesitant to speak. He immediately smiled and explained, "You two should also know that the Foundation Establishment Pill is a second-tier pill, right?"

The two nodded.

"The Foundation Establishment Pill can be given to Qi Refining cultivators, and this pill can be given to Master Yan Kui in the same way."

Lin Changheng continued with a smile, his words revealing a strong sense of confidence.

This explanation did not involve advanced Taoist alchemy theories, and even if it were explained in a profound way, the two outsiders would not understand it.

Lin Changheng gave only a brief example, and the two immediately understood, all their doubts resolved.

"Here, I apologize to Master Lin for my misunderstanding of him... It was my fault, and I will punish myself with a cup of wine."

Immediately, Master Yan Kui apologized and punished himself with spirit wine.

"Oh, it's nothing." Lin Changheng was a man of principle, seeing things through to the end. He was magnanimous and wouldn't be upset about something like this.

Half an hour later.

Lin Changheng slowly took his leave and headed home, slightly tipsy.

"Brother Lin!"

Suddenly, a voice called out from the left, and it sounded somewhat familiar.

Almost simultaneously, the [Crimson Sky Profound Flame] within Lin Changheng's body circulated, completely dissipating the alcohol fumes. Lin Changheng also saw Chef Zeng, a burly and robust man, waving at him from next door.

Then he walked briskly over carrying a gift basket.

"Brother Zeng, it's been a long time."

Lin Changheng smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.

During this time, Lin Changheng was busy with the Foundation Establishment process and did not go to Huangliang Residence to retrieve the Xuanling Essence Blood of Bibo Ling'ao.

However, he had previously told the manager of Huangliangju that he wanted them to store the items temporarily and that he would come to retrieve them later, and he had also paid a "storage fee".

The manager with the mustache patted his chest and guaranteed it.

Since the agreed-upon monthly collection time was approaching soon, Lin Changheng decided to go and collect the money together. He was busy lately anyway, so it would save him an extra trip.

……

"Brother Lin, congratulations on reaching the second tier! Your skill in refining the Foundation Establishment Pill has made you famous throughout the Immortal City. I was busy before and didn't have time to congratulate you, so I'm making up for it now."

Chef Zeng smiled apologetically and handed over the gift basket.

"Why say such things between us?"

Lin Changheng accepted the heavy gift basket, invited Chef Zeng to his home, and served him second-grade spiritual tea.

"Brother Lin was busy before and didn't go to retrieve his essence blood for a long time, so it was stored at the Spirit Wine Pavilion, which was fine in itself. But when I heard the manager report this, I learned that he had even charged Master Lin a 'storage fee'. How could this be allowed? I immediately reprimanded him, ordered him to return the blood, and made him apologize to Brother Lin in person next time!"

Chef Zeng's expression turned serious, and he brought up a matter.

"It's alright. I paid for it voluntarily. I had already done someone a favor, so it's only right to show my appreciation."

Lin Changheng gestured for Chef Zeng to have some tea, and smiled nonchalantly.

“That won’t do either.” Chef Zeng’s attitude was firm; he insisted on returning the spirit stones and having the steward apologize.

Lin Changheng smiled slightly and said nothing more, letting it be. Then he heard Chef Zeng change his attitude and say, "However, I took it upon myself to retrieve the stored essence blood for Master Lin."

"Oh?"

Chef Zeng reached out and swept his hand across the table, and a sunken wooden box with the effect of locking spirits appeared on the table, with several [Spirit Sealing Talismans] pasted on it.

"Brother Lin, shall we open it and take a look?"

Lin Changheng's eyes flashed, and he nodded in agreement, immediately removing the talisman and opening the wooden box lid.

There were a total of 121 bottles, the essence of which contained a deep blue color, resembling blue jade from afar, dazzling the mind.

“Excellent, thank you for making the trip, Brother Zeng.”

Lin Changheng did not hide his joy. After all, it was perfectly legitimate for a second-tier alchemist to have the blood essence of a second-tier demon beast, so what was wrong with being happy?

As he spoke, he took out a wooden box containing more than 4,800 low-grade spirit stones and handed it over.

The market price for a second-tier Xuanling essence blood is around fifty spirit stones per serving, but Chef Zeng is offering it at a reasonable price of forty pieces per serving, which is quite a discount.

Lin Changheng kept this in mind, so he did his best to refine pills for his sister-in-law.

However, after he advanced to the second-tier skill, he realized that he didn't have that many low-grade spirit stones left. No wonder Chef Zeng, who had asked him for a favor, didn't even blink when he "rounded down" the price.

In business, Chef Zeng accepted the spirit stones offered by Lin Changheng without hesitation.

After chatting for a while longer, Chef Zeng fell noticeably silent after the matter was finished.

Lin Changheng's eyes flickered slightly. Seeing Chef Zeng's state, he knew that this person probably still had something to ask of him.

I just don't know how to bring it up.

However, Lin Changheng did not take the initiative to ask questions or break the silence. Instead, he leisurely sipped his tea, waiting for the other party to speak. Unlike when he faced the Yan family grandfather and grandson, he did not take the initiative to make a suggestion.

Different people require different communication strategies and different ways of dealing with them; one cannot generalize or use a single method.

For example, the Yan family lived a secluded life, and it was Lin Changheng who personally visited and interacted with them, even offering to help them refine puppets. The Yan family did not refuse or make any demands.

Later, Master Yan's health deteriorated, and the grandfather and granddaughter no longer came to ask for the elixir. Lin Changheng guessed that Master Yan must have forbidden his granddaughter from doing so.

It is not inappropriate for Lin Changheng to take the initiative to befriend and help such a person.

Although Lin Changheng and Chef Zeng seemed to be calling each other "brother" in a friendly manner, their initial contact actually stemmed from an exchange of interests. Otherwise, Lin Changheng wouldn't know if he would have even been able to meet Chef Zeng.

The earlier return of the "deposit fee" spirit stones and the demand for an apology from the manager might have been a prelude to this, or it might have been due to Chef Zeng's temperament; he couldn't quite figure it out for the moment.

Lin Changheng was quite decisive; if he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't, and would just wait for the other party to speak.

Sure enough, after a short while, Chef Zeng finally spoke.

However, instead of directly addressing the problem, they began laying the groundwork.

It tells the story of his background and origins.

It turns out that this Chef Zeng was also a son-in-law, just like Xu Fugui!

However, unlike Fu Gui who married into the Xu family, a "Qi cultivation family", Chef Zeng married into a large immortal cultivation family with five members who had reached the Foundation Establishment stage!
If another pseudo-core cultivator can emerge, they may become a new "Cultivation Family".

It should be noted that, to this day, there are only nine cultivation families in the Song Kingdom and Song region, less than ten!

It is incredibly difficult and extremely rare!
Their core characteristic is that they all have pseudo-core pills and multiple Foundation Establishment cultivators.

But this is just the threshold. Only those families that can withstand the test of time and various pressures and remain standing can be called a distinguished family!

The character “世” (world/world) is found here!
Hearing this, Lin Changheng was extremely surprised. The large cultivation families he had previously come into contact with, apart from buying things from the shops of the Song family (who made talismans) and the Sun family (who controlled beasts), were the Liu family of Linghu Mountain (who had two members at the Foundation Establishment stage) and the Jin family of Xingshi Lake (who had three members at the Foundation Establishment stage)...

There is absolutely no family with five Foundation Establishment cultivators as powerful as this!
However, it was clear that Chef Zeng's essence was stable, and Lin Changheng was able to perceive it through his own [Rongsheng Divine Power] true meaning.

Clearly, he did not lose much of his vital essence, which should be different from the path of having many children and many blessings that Xu Fugui chose in the past.

Combined with his status as a second-tier [Spirit Chef], it becomes clear that he likely balanced being a live-in son-in-law with the art of craftsmanship, essentially a combination of Lin Changheng and Xu Fugui.

Lin Changheng had deduced this.

But then it dawned on them that such large Foundation Establishment families must not lack "seedlings," and ordinary young immortal seedlings would definitely not be considered. They might have to consider spiritual roots, skills and talents, and even require the person to marry into the family!

Only by taking a three-pronged approach can one gain entry into someone's household.

The reasoning was so smooth and flawless that Lin Changheng was confident he had guessed at least eight or nine out of ten correctly!
Then Chef Zeng spoke calmly, without any embarrassment at being considered inferior because of his status as a son-in-law: "Brother Lin, the [Huangliangju] Spirit Wine Restaurant that I control belongs to the family and is part of the [Huang Family] of Lingqiong Mountain."

"Lingqiong Mountain [Huang Family]?"

Lin Changheng murmured to himself, also hearing this name for the first time.

Chef Zeng then slowly got to the point: "Don't say that a family is huge and has abundant resources, but sometimes they don't live as comfortably or peacefully as a small family."

This sentence reminded Lin Changheng of something. On screen, weren't the conflicts and power struggles between branches of wealthy and powerful families a common occurrence? It was the norm!
The most obvious example is the secular royal family, where fathers and sons kill each other and brothers fight each other, and the Xuanwu Gate succession law is followed!
The path of immortality is even more extreme. Cultivating immortality involves a huge consumption of resources, and everyone prioritizes resources. Although the overall situation comes first, internal struggles are inevitable.

Sure enough, Chef Zeng's next words confirmed this guess: "As my brother's branch of the family grows increasingly frail, his wife, who is also the only Foundation Establishment cultivator in the branch, passes away, the branch will be squeezed out in all aspects..."

"Oh?"

Lin Changheng feigned sudden realization, "Brother Zeng, do you mean that your lineage urgently needs to cultivate new Foundation Establishment cultivators to maintain order and reverse its decline? So, you want me to help you refine Foundation Establishment Pills?"

"Of course, of course! Brother Zeng, with our relationship, isn't this just a matter of a word? As long as you find all the materials, I can start refining it first."

She spoke fluently and quickly, finishing her sentence before Chef Zeng could continue.

Chef Zeng opened his mouth, speechless, then sighed, "As for the Foundation Establishment Pill, there's no rush. My wife's grandmother's idea is for me to ask Brother Lin to serve as an offering in the branch..."

This was the reason why he found it difficult to speak. After all, the rumors of Lin Changheng's door being crowded with people had already spread and were basically known throughout the inner city. Moreover, after observing for three more days, there was still no sign of a successful invitation to Lin Changheng.

This suggests that Lin Changheng seems uninterested in the olive branches extended by various forces.

Inviting someone yourself is naturally even more difficult.

But with orders in hand, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go ahead, though his main strategy was to be sincere.

Upon hearing this, Lin Changheng thought to himself, "As expected, his previous behavior was deliberately sending a 'rejection' signal."

He then shook his head with difficulty: "Becoming a worshipper is not something I intend to do at the moment. I prefer to be free and unrestrained, so I can only apologize. Moreover, I have given the same answer not only to Brother Zeng, but to everyone who has visited me."

After refusing, Chef Zeng did not give up and continued to offer conditions, all of which were precious items coveted by Qi Refining cultivators. However, he did not know that Lin Changheng was already at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Not appealing at all.

Lin Changheng declined again, then added after a moment's thought, trying to ease the tension: "But whether or not I become a worshipper won't make any difference, right? I can still prioritize refining pills for your lineage in the future."

Chef Zeng had anticipated this and didn't insist, nodding somewhat dejectedly.

Lin Changheng acted as if he hadn't seen anything and asked again, "Have you finished using the batch of pills you made for Miss Huang last time? If you need more, just bring the medicinal materials to my door."

Hearing this, Chef Zeng finally came to his senses and forced a smile: "Thank you very much, Brother Lin. My sister-in-law is in much better condition. Last time, even though you had something to do, you didn't forget to prepare a batch of pills for her in advance. We will always remember this kindness."

"Why say such things? We still need to rely on Brother Zeng more on matters of essence and blood."

Lin Changheng then took the opportunity to mention the matter of essence and blood again.

"No problem, no problem." Chef Zeng took his leave.

……

Lin Changheng, upon returning, shook his head, recalling what Chef Zeng had just said.

For others, internal family strife may be a golden opportunity to profit from the chaos and snatch chestnuts from the fire.

After all, at this time, in order to achieve a certain purpose, some good things that would not normally be available might appear.

This is why Chef Zeng revealed these inside stories.

It was all to win over Lin Changheng.

But it had the opposite effect, making Lin Changheng want to avoid it at all costs.

For Lin Changheng, conflict means danger, and danger must be avoided!
This is the core principle of his steady approach, and it cannot be violated.

This proves the saying: one man's meat is another man's poison...

Then, Lin Changheng felt excited again and took out the essence blood of the Azure Wave Spirit Turtle from his storage bag.

(End of this chapter)