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

Chapter 35 Wooden Puppet Fox
Lin Changheng's idea was simple: to use one mid-grade defensive magic weapon in combination with two low-grade offensive magic weapons.

In addition to ensuring sufficient survivability, it can also achieve a variety of attacks.

With the addition of the terrifying and unpredictable [Fireball Technique], the sense of security was effectively improved somewhat.

"That's it."

Lin Changheng's gaze swept over the area, and he pointed to a bamboo whip, a magical artifact, that Xu Xuyang had taken out.

"Master Lin's judgment is astounding. This Jade Bamboo Whip, though primarily offensive, also possesses the ability to entangle and trap enemies, making it a versatile weapon with both offensive and control capabilities. And it only costs seventy spirit stones—a wise choice indeed..."

Manager Xu Xuyang was in a great mood when a big client arrived, and he smiled broadly, praising the visit.

Lin Changheng simply smiled, took out 330 spirit stones, put away the two magical artifacts, and was escorted to the door by the steward before leaving with his eyes on him.

He went straight back to his courtyard and began methodically refining the magical artifact.

The low-grade magic artifacts were fine; they were refined in less than half a day.

The mid-grade magic artifact took two full days to refine before it was successfully completed.

During this period, he even stopped halfway through, went to the alchemy room to refine pills for a day, and then came back to continue refining them.

On the day the furnace was opened, just as Lin Changheng had guessed, the result of one batch of ten pills and two high-quality pills was confirmed.

The [Fire Control Technique - Ascension] effect of the Fourfold Fire Crow is truly astonishing.

Even a mid-level alchemist like Master Mo, who has been immersed in fire for a long time and deals with it day and night, cannot control fire as well as he can.

When Lin Changheng went to the alchemy room, he would often run into Master Mo and they would chat.

The old man is now living a comfortable life, full of energy and in even better condition. He only focuses on refining pills and is no longer bothered by the many trivial management matters of the pill shop.

……

half a month later.

Lin Changheng received a letter.

It was sent by Xu Fugui, who volunteered to reclaim wasteland and eventually reached the entrance to the wilderness.

Aside from pleasantries and complaints, the letter only mentioned two things.

Firstly, after so many years of reclamation, the wilderness is now in a deep water zone.

It is a place teeming with monsters, plagued by poisonous insects, filled with miasma, and fraught with hidden dangers...

Although things are in full swing now, progress is not fast. They have only advanced about twenty miles in all directions, and every now and then, cultivators with missing limbs, covered in bruises and poisoned are forced to retreat in agony. There have also been two instances where the entire pioneering team was wiped out.

Xu Fugui had never seen such a scene before, and his heart trembled with fear. He forced himself to stand up and still wrote back to warn, "If Brother Lin summons you, you must not come. You must find another way to get away."

Second,

This means that his newlywed wife, a woman from the Xu family with spiritual roots, is pregnant after his tireless efforts.

If he were to die while he was away, I would be grateful if Brother Lin could look after him to the best of his ability.

This will prevent mothers and children from being bullied.

The last words were "bowing deeply in gratitude".

After reading the letter, Lin Changheng picked up his pen to reply, but then paused.

Even when Xu Fugui was in a dangerous and remote place, surrounded by peril, he still remembered him and wrote a letter to remind him. Such friendship truly touched him.

He couldn't write anything like, "You may go now; I will take care of your wife and children; do not worry."
Instead, he simply wrote, "A young child cannot be without a protector, nor can a wife and concubine lose her husband. You should take good care of yourself and return home to comfort your wife and children."

Next, he took out two near-fine-quality "Dispelling Miasma Pills" and attached them to the inner layer of the scroll, then sent them out together.

Although these two pills are not of the highest quality, their medicinal effects are not too different, and they may have an incredible effect when taken for detoxification.

This is the only thing he can do right now.

……

Time passed by as Lin Changheng methodically refined pills and cultivated his skills.

In the blink of an eye, a month has passed since the standoff between the Xu and Chen families in the wilderness, with constant friction on the front lines.

The atmosphere within the clan became increasingly polarized. Those who were terrified hoped for restraint from the clan to maintain temporary stability;
Some warmongers were indignant, believing that the Chen family had snatched food from the Xu family's mouth, secretly encroached on the Xu family's interests, and coveted the sacred land in their hands. They felt that this was a contempt and insult to the Xu family and demanded that the clan directly attack the Chen family's territory to teach them a lesson and vent their anger!
Lin Changheng made no comment on this and focused solely on refining elixirs.

After finishing refining a batch of pills, he walked out of the alchemy room looking refreshed and showing no signs of fatigue.

"Master Lin, the manager requests your presence."

Someone was already waiting at the door, and upon seeing Lin Changheng, immediately informed him.

He was secretly amazed by Lin Changheng's condition. He had been waiting for a long time and saw several alchemists coming out of the alchemy room looking exhausted, as if they had been drained.

Lin Changheng, however, was completely different, which explains why he was valued by the manager.

"Alright, hurry up and go, don't keep Brother Xuzhong waiting."

Lin Changheng seemed to have thought of something, and his heart leaped with joy. He immediately strode away, moving as fast as the wind.

Xu Xuzhong, the steward of the General Affairs Hall, has now grown even closer to Lin Changheng. After getting drunk at a banquet, he felt that he had met Lin Changheng too late and insisted on calling him brother.

Lin Changheng could not refuse, so he had no choice but to obey and call Xu Xuzhong, who was almost twice his age, "elder brother".

"Yes."

The two arrived at a side room of the General Affairs Hall, where Lin Changheng saw Xu Xuzhong sitting behind his desk, engrossed in his work. To his right were ten long wooden boxes stacked high.

He was extremely familiar with this box; it was clearly the one used to store pills.

"Did my brother call me?"

"Changheng is here? Please have some tea and rest for a while while I finish my urgent business."

Xu Xuzhong looked up, his face dark and solemn. He forced a smile, gave a brief explanation, and then continued working at his desk. At this moment, the waiter who had led the way earlier had already served the spirit tea.

"Of course, we should prioritize important matters and not rush things."

Lin Changheng was aware of her emotions and immediately said so, suppressing his desire for the inferior pill essence blood.

Xu Xuzhong waited until the sun was setting before sending out the documents in his hand. He then stopped writing, apologized, and began to discuss business, giving him all the long wooden boxes.

It really is a inferior version of the [Miasma-Clearing Pill].

Moreover, the entire clan's resources were given to him all at once.

Unlike before, there are no more people sharing the profits.

Lin Changheng accepted all the rectangular boxes, expressed his gratitude, chatted for a few more minutes, and then took his leave.

"and many more……"

Xu Xuzhong seemed to have thought of something and suddenly called out to him.

"Brother, what's the matter?"

Lin Changheng turned around and smiled slightly, only to see Xu Xuzhong looking hesitant to speak.

Suddenly, a thought struck me: Could it be related to the urgent matter I had just dealt with?

He remained outwardly calm.

An awkward silence fell over the side room. After a long while, Xu Xuzhong sighed softly and spoke again:

"Upon returning, I must devote myself to studying alchemy and refining my alchemy skills..."

"Trusting me will be good for you. Well then, go..."

This cryptic conversation left Lin Changheng somewhat confused, so he could only reply with a "Yes" before leaving with a puzzled expression.

But Lin Changheng thought about it from another angle. Xu Xuzhong's seniority and position in the clan were not low. Even he was reluctant to talk about it. It might not be a simple matter.

"Just do as instructed. Advancement in alchemy is inherently beneficial and harmless."

Return to the yard.

He brushed his palm across the ten boxes of substandard pills.

call out!
Above the Yuan Ding, a new emerald green gem slowly took shape.

(End of this chapter)