Chapter 167: Chapter 162: 3 Visits to the Thatched Cottage
The Zi Wu Pill tasted slightly bitter, with a sweet aftertaste. After swallowing it, Zhao Lin felt a warm current flowing through his chest and abdomen, subtly strengthening his internal organs.
Even by the next morning, he could still feel that gentle energy lingering in his body.
’The effects of this Zi Wu Pill are really long-lasting!’
Zhao Lin opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...
A knock came from the courtyard gate.
"Who is it?"
Zhao Lin threw on some clothes and walked to the courtyard gate to ask.
"Nephew Zhao..." a wizened voice called from outside the gate.
Opening the gate, he saw Elder Gold and Stone standing there with a smile. Zhao Lin bowed and said, "Greetings, Elder."
"Mm."
Elder Gold and Stone nodded and strode into the house.
Zhao Lin followed behind, wondering, ’What’s the head of the Wuxiang Institute doing here so early?’
After they were seated, Elder Gold and Stone asked with a smile, "Nephew Zhao, you’ve been at the Wuxiang Institute for over two months now. Are you settling in well?"
"Everything is fine, Elder."
"That’s good. Your performance in the Autumn Harvest was outstanding, and several of the elders have spoken very highly of you..."
Zhao Lin adopted an attentive expression, as if hanging on every word, while secretly pondering the elder’s true intentions.
"Your cultivation is currently at the Second Layer of the Qi Realm, so the next step is cultivating the Ren and Du meridians. As you surely know, this is the most difficult barrier in the Qi Realm. Countless talented disciples get stuck at this stage."
Elder Gold and Stone suddenly changed the subject, turning the conversation to cultivation.
"You speak truly, Elder."
Zhao Lin agreed on the surface, but inwardly, he was baffled.
’Elder Gold and Stone came alone, without Water Mirror. Is he saying all this because he wants me to transfer to the Gold and Stone Department?’
’But I’ve already reached the Second Layer of the Qi Realm without hitting any bottlenecks. Changing my Cultivation Technique now would be a huge mistake.’
’If that’s his request, I absolutely can’t agree.’
Elder Gold and Stone continued, "The rewards the sect gave you were the Marrow-Cleansing Soup and the Zi Wu Pill. The Marrow-Cleansing Soup, needless to say, will be of great use to your current cultivation."
"As for the Zi Wu Pill, however... while it is a good item, it’s ultimately meant for warriors in the Blood Realm. It’s still a bit early for you to take it..."
It dawned on Zhao Lin. ’So he’s here for the pill.’
’Good thing I took the pill last night. Otherwise, this would have been a real hassle.’
A weight lifted from his heart, and Zhao Lin listened to the elder speak with a smile on his face.
"I’ve been through this before, so I know the intricacies. Coincidentally, I have a grandnephew in my clan who has just reached the Blood Realm and is in dire need of a Zi Wu Pill. I am willing to trade three portions of Marrow-Cleansing Soup and one Blood Recovery Pill for it."
"If you are confident you can break through to the Blood Realm before you’re thirty and don’t need the Blood Recovery Pill, we could instead swap it for a Zi Wu Pill meant for cultivating vital energy."
Elder Gold and Stone laid out the two proposals eloquently, then looked at Zhao Lin with a warm, expectant expression.
’Three portions of Marrow-Cleansing Soup? I still have six! A Blood Recovery Pill? A Zi Wu Pill? How can either of those compare to the one I got?’
Zhao Lin sneered inwardly. He feigned a moment of shock, then suddenly slapped his thigh, his face a mask of pure regret.
"Oh no, Elder! You’re too late!"
"What happened?"
Thinking someone had beaten him to it, Elder Gold and Stone asked urgently.
"I got the Zi Wu Pill, and I... I couldn’t resist... I ate it!"
"What?"
Elder Gold and Stone’s jaw dropped. After all that buildup, he had never expected this outcome. His expression flickered, and he began to scrutinize Zhao Lin.
"Nephew, surely you’re joking. The rewards were only handed out last night, weren’t they?"
"That’s right."
Zhao Lin stood, walked to the tea table, and picked up the medicine bottle he’d left there the previous night. He uncorked it, turned it upside down, and said, "Please, Elder, see for yourself."
Elder Gold and Stone froze. A flash of disappointment crossed his face, gone in an instant. He sighed. "Since you have already taken it, Nephew, let’s not mention it again."
"I was only asking on behalf of another. In a way, this saves me the trouble."
"It’s my fault for being so impatient," Zhao Lin said apologetically.
Elder Gold and Stone stood up to take his leave. At the door, he added, "This is a trivial matter. There’s no need to mention it to anyone."
"My lips are sealed."
After seeing Elder Gold and Stone off, Zhao Lin was drawing water in the courtyard to wash his face when he heard another set of footsteps outside, heading his way. ’Don’t tell me Elder Gold and Stone hasn’t given up and is coming back?’ he thought.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
The knocking sounded again.
Zhao Lin wiped his face, opened the gate, and was surprised to see Elder Law-Earth standing there.
"Elder Law-Earth?"
"What? Am I not welcome?"
"I wouldn’t dare. Please, come in, Elder."
Elder Law-Earth walked into the house, sat down, and began, "Nephew Zhao, how long have you been at the Wuxiang Institute?"
"Two and a half months."
"Are you settling in well?"
"Everything is fine, Elder."
Zhao Lin sighed inwardly. ’Such familiar lines. Don’t tell me he’s also here for the Zi Wu Pill?’
"Nephew Zhao, I’m a straightforward man, so I’ll be direct. The sect has given you the reward for the Autumn Harvest, and someone has asked me to buy the Zi Wu Pill from you."
Elder Law-Earth was far more direct than Elder Gold and Stone, getting straight to the point. "But rest assured. You are a disciple of the Wuxiang Institute, and I won’t let you get a bad deal. Name your price—money, pills, just say the word!"
When he saw the troubled look on Zhao Lin’s face, he asked, somewhat displeased, "What is it? Don’t you trust me?"
"It’s not that. It’s just... I’ve already eaten the Zi Wu Pill."
Zhao Lin took out the medicine bottle and repeated the same motions as before.
"You ate it?!"
Elder Law-Earth’s eyes went wide. He stared at the empty bottle for a long moment, his brows and mustache scrunching together, his expression one of visceral pain, as if he had suffered a personal loss.
"I’ve never seen such a treasure before, so I acted on impulse..."
"Forget it. Just pretend this never happened."
With those parting words, Elder Law-Earth left.
Zhao Lin shook his head, straightened his clothes, and was about to head out when, with a CREAK, someone pushed open his courtyard gate.
Zhao Lin sighed to himself. ’Is this ever going to end?’
’Let me guess which elder it is this time.’
"Nephew Zhao, heading out to practice?" Elder Cyan Wood asked with a smile as he walked into the house.
"Elder Cyan Wood," Zhao Lin greeted.
"The Water Mirror Department is truly fortunate to have a disciple like you."
Elder Cyan Wood said, stroking his beard. As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the medicine bottle on the table, and his eyelid twitched.
"You flatter me, Elder."
Reading the elder’s expression, Zhao Lin thought, ’Here comes another demon coveting the Tang Monk’s Flesh.’
’In that case, I might as well be direct.’
He picked up the medicine bottle, expertly uncorked it, and turned it upside down. "Elder, I already took the Zi Wu Pill last night."
Elder Cyan Wood was taken aback. "You knew I was..."
Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly realized. "Someone has been here already? Which elder was it?"
Zhao Lin lowered his gaze. "The two elders preferred not to be named."
"Two of them!"
Elder Cyan Wood’s mouth twitched. He thought, ’There are five elders in the Wuxiang Institute. Water Mirror wouldn’t try to take something from his own disciple. Fire Jade is on bad terms with Water Mirror, so she’d be too proud to come knocking.’
’Doesn’t that leave just the three of us?’
"Nephew, you misunderstand. I just happened to have some business at the Water Mirror Institute and thought I’d drop by since I was passing through. Since you’re heading out to practice, I won’t disturb you."
Elder Cyan Wood chuckled, then rose and took his leave.
