Cautiously Cultivating Immortality in a Strange World

Chapter 25: Reality

After obtaining the Blood Demon Pill and having the Gu insect implanted in Chen Lin’s body, Yu Yuehai no longer monitored Chen Lin.

Chen Lin waited for two days, but when he saw that the other party never showed up, he cautiously walked out of the courtyard.

He walked a long distance without seeing anyone intercept him, and only then was he certain that the other party had indeed stopped restricting his actions.

This made him feel a great sense of relief.

The taste of losing freedom was truly unbearable.

However, he also had some concerns. The more this was the case, the more it proved that the Gu insect in his body was extraordinary, and Yu Yuehai had great confidence in it.

Wanting to remove the Gu insect on his own was probably not possible.

As he pondered, he quickly arrived at the market in the slum district.

It had been a long time since he last came, and Chen Lin discovered that the number of people here had increased.

There were people chatting and laughing in twos and threes, and the street vendors had also increased, calling out to attract customers, filling the air with the smell of smoke and fire.

The trees by the roadside had also sprouted branches, and the greenery was lush, with the fragrance of grass and trees wafting into his nostrils.

It was full of life.

However, this did not make him feel happy, but instead gave him a sense of oppression.

There was still a month left, and this colorful painting would soon be torn to shreds.

The more beautiful the scenery was now, the more tragic it would be then.

He sighed and then regained his composure.

He was just a small ant in the cultivation world, and he could hardly take care of himself, let alone change anything.

Moreover, even if he were to loudly broadcast the information he knew, these people whose minds had already been influenced would not believe him, and would instead think he was crazy.

Even if someone believed him, it would be futile to try to cut off the red thread that bound them.

So, he might as well just focus on himself.

Shaking his head, he took a deep breath of fresh air and walked into the Zhang family’s shop.

Zhang Mazi was still sitting in his chair, looking like a patriarch.

However, there were two new shop assistants, busy attending to customers.

The weather had warmed up, and the incidents of demonic beasts causing trouble had decreased. As a result, cultivators were now going out to hunt and gather, and the number of people buying supplies had increased.

It was hard to imagine that the cultivators here had not discovered anything unusual over the years, and had always thought they were living normal lives as cultivators.

This anomaly was truly terrifying.

Looking out of the open window, he saw the bright blue sky, feeling no evil intentions.

But this was just a facade. He had personally seen the giant, blurry shadow that night, and had also seen the red thread fall onto his body.

He didn’t know how Yu Yuehai had seen the red thread, and he had never asked, nor had the other party said anything.

Sometimes, Chen Lin would think that if he had left before seeing the blurry shadow, he might have been able to escape safely.

At that time, he was still a normal person, without being bound by the red thread.

Unfortunately, there were no ifs.

The opportunity had already been missed, and now he could only place his hopes on Yu Yuehai.

Life was just like this, unpredictable, and one’s greatest enemy might become one’s only hope for survival.

“Hey, isn’t this Daoist Chen, the talisman master? It’s been a while since we last met. Could it be that you’ve raised your level and look down on my humble shop?”

Zhang Mazi’s sarcastic voice interrupted Chen Lin’s thoughts.

“Ha ha, I’m just a small, scattered cultivator. How could I dare to look down on you, Daoist Zhang? I’ve just been in a closed-door cultivation and haven’t come out.”

Chen Lin laughed and explained.

Zhang Mazi smiled and nodded, appreciating Chen Lin’s attitude.

But he immediately changed his tone, his eyes flashing with cold laughter. “Hmph, you wouldn’t dare, a mere Qi Refining initial stage cultivator, even if you can make a few broken talismans, it’s still not worth mentioning in front of me, Zhang!”

Chen Lin was speechless.

However, he naturally wouldn’t bother to argue with someone who was about to die, and only felt sorry for the other party.

Shaking his head, he decided not to bother with the other party anymore and planned to buy some alchemy materials before leaving, to see if Yu Yuehai’s Gu insect could alleviate the aftereffects of the Enlightenment Pill.

He ignored Zhang Mazi, but the latter suddenly stood up from his chair, pointing at Chen Lin with an incredulous cry.

“You, your aura is so strong, you’ve broken through to the Qi Refining middle stage!”

His voice immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the shop, who looked at Chen Lin with shock and admiration.

However, no one was as shocked as Zhang Mazi.

Reaching the Qi Refining middle stage was already a high level of cultivation in the slum district, and even if one couldn’t form an alliance, it was best not to offend them.

“Heh heh, it’s just a Qi Refining middle stage, and I broke through after a closed-door cultivation. Why are you so surprised?”

Chen Lin said calmly.

He was also very helpless, because he hadn’t learned a technique to hide his cultivation, and couldn’t conceal his true abilities. Anyone with a similar or higher level of cultivation than him could see through him.

This was severely incompatible with his cautious and low-key style.

This time, he had come out not only to buy materials for making pills but also to see if he could buy a technique to hide his cultivation or some spiritual treasures.

Zhang Mazi’s face was very colorful.

He looked at Chen Lin as if he was seeing him for the first time, sizing him up from top to bottom.

Finally, he nodded with a surprised expression and said, “Then congratulations, Daoist. You’ve made a breakthrough, and from now on, you’ll be in a new realm.”

Zhang Mazi bowed, no longer looking down on Chen Lin.

The difference between the Qi Refining middle stage and the Qi Refining initial stage was like heaven and earth. The Qi Refining initial stage was just a slightly stronger ordinary person, unable to cultivate techniques, while the Qi Refining middle stage could not only cultivate techniques but also wield spiritual treasures, with a completely different level of combat power.

Only by reaching the Qi Refining middle stage could one go out to hunt demonic beasts, while the Qi Refining initial stage could only dig up some minerals and herbs.

“Are you, Daoist Chen, interested in joining my Zhang family?”

His eyes flashed and he invited.

Chen Lin’s face turned black at the mention of old business.

“Why, Daoits Zhang? Has your widowed sister-in-law not found a good partner yet?”

Zhang Mazi didn’t take Chen Lin’s teasing to heart and said, “This is different this time, and now that you’ve broken through to the Qi Refining middle stage, your status is naturally different. If you’re interested, I can invite you to become a guest elder of the Zhang family, and the treatment will definitely be satisfactory.”

He then smiled and continued, “If you, Daoist Chen, really want to join my Zhang family, I can also report to the clan and select a Qi Refining initial stage woman from among those who have not yet married, to form a happy union with you.”

As soon as he said this, the surrounding cultivators all looked at Chen Lin with envy.

Although the Zhang family’s Foundation Establishment Stage patriarch had disappeared, they were still one of the five great families, and their status in the city had not changed. Being able to rely on the Zhang family would definitely make one a superior person.

Chen Lin was somewhat astonished.

This was truly a very realistic situation.

As his cultivation and talisman-making abilities continued to improve, the conditions offered by the other party also became better and better.

If it were before he was implanted with the Gu insect, he might have agreed, and perhaps could have used the Zhang family’s power to resolve Yu Yuehai’s oppression. But now, it was too late, and no matter how good the conditions were, they were useless.

He shook his head helplessly and rejected the other party.

“I’m sorry, I’m used to being carefree and don’t want to be restricted, so I’ll have to decline your good intentions, Daoist Zhang.”