Chapter 3: Hidden Dangers

A sleepless night.

Early the next morning, Chen Lin rose early, intending to head to the market to purchase materials. However, before he could even step out the door, someone knocked.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, it’s me, Zhao Zhengyuan."

What is he here for again?

Chen Lin felt a bit suspicious, but he walked over to open the door anyway.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, what brings you here so early?"

As the door opened, Chen Lin gestured for him to come in.

"Sigh, don't even mention it. I drank too heavily last night and completely forgot about the important business."

Zhao Zhengyuan shook the snow off his hat and said in a low voice, "It’s about that demonic possession incident we had last time."

Immediately after, he squinted his eyes and sneered, "But don't worry. If anything happens, I, Zhao, will handle it. There isn't a single thing in this Kaiyuan City that I, Zhao, cannot resolve!"

Chen Lin returned the gesture with a squint and a sneer of his own, then lowered his head in silence.

The worry that had been weighing on his mind surfaced once more.

The original owner’s death had not been a natural one.

A month ago, the original owner and several companions had gone into the wilderness to gather materials. Upon returning, he had become dazed and confused, then died inexplicably, allowing Chen Lin to transmigrate and possess his body.

Of course, in the eyes of outsiders, he had simply been ill for a few days before recovering.

However, the companions who had gone with him had all died one after another, leaving only this Zhao Zhengyuan before him.

In fact, he was the only survivor, which was exactly why Chen Lin remained on guard against him.

As for the squinting, the sneering, and the thin red lines—he had long since ignored them. Everyone in the city was the same; it was impossible to guard against it all.

Except for the midnight hours when the red lines appeared and he dared not go out, he lived his life as if it were a normal world.

"Why? Did you discover something?"

Chen Lin was also eager to know what had actually happened back then, so he looked at the other man with an inquisitive gaze.

The squinting and sneering had been fleeting; Zhao Zhengyuan had already returned to normal. He shook his head and said, "It’s not that I discovered something, but that others have run into trouble again. Their condition is exactly the same as ours was back then!"

"What?"

Chen Lin was startled.

"Others have run into trouble? Who are they, and what is their cultivation level?"

Zhao Zhengyuan’s expression turned ugly. "There are quite a few of them this time—over a dozen. The highest among them are at the late stage of Qi Refining, and there are even cultivators from the Five Great Families among them."

Immediately, he squinted and sneered again, "The Five Great Families are nothing! With me, Old Zhao, you can rest easy!"

"So many people, and even from the Five Great Families?"

Chen Lin’s expression darkened.

The Five Great Families referred to the five major clans in the city that possessed Foundation Establishment cultivators; they were the actual masters of this city.

If even their people were running into trouble, the situation was far more serious.

"Indeed. And these people also fell ill after returning from the wilderness. If they all die, the two of us will likely be subjected to an investigation."

Zhao Zhengyuan’s tone was heavy.

This was exactly what Chen Lin was worried about.

The people who had been affected previously were all loose cultivators at the early stage of Qi Refining; no one cared whether they lived or died.

Now that late-stage Qi Refining cultivators and family disciples were involved, it would certainly be taken seriously, and an investigation would likely be unavoidable.

He wasn't afraid of much else, but he was terrified that his identity as a transmigrator would be discovered, or that it would be found out that he was different from the people here. That would be the end of him.

Although the cultivators here were all like puppets on strings, they still acted according to normal behaviors. Even if he was a bit special, he was just a bottom-tier laborer cultivator.

"Let them investigate. Surely they won't kill us just because we didn't die, right?"

Despite his inner trepidation, Chen Lin acted as if he didn't care.

Zhao Zhengyuan sighed. "That’s what one would hope, but I’m afraid some people will use their minor authority to make things difficult for us, and we’ll have to cough up a large amount of spirit stones again."

Chen Lin’s face grew even gloomier.

That was almost a certainty.

Usually, those in charge would love to peel a layer of skin off them. If they used the excuse of investigating demonic spirits, they wouldn't stop until they had squeezed them dry.

Without spirit stones, he couldn't quickly improve his cultivation, and his grand plan to escape would be hindered.

"Then what do you intend to do? Leave this place?"

Chen Lin looked at the other man, probing for an answer.

If he could organize a group of people to leave together, even if their cultivation was weak, there might be a glimmer of hope.

He didn't want to stay in this eerie place for even one more second.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Zhengyuan shook his head repeatedly.

"Leave? Are you joking? This snow is falling so abnormally; I don't want to go out of the city and throw my life away. Besides, we haven't done anything wrong. If we run away, it will only make us look suspicious. Isn't that just asking for death?"

Immediately, the man’s demeanor shifted, and he squinted and sneered, "How could I, Zhao Zhengyuan, act like a stray dog!"

Chen Lin nodded helplessly.

The other man couldn't feel the abnormality of this place; his way of thinking could never align with his own. Their goals could not be reconciled.

"Sigh, let’s just take it one step at a time. If it’s a blessing, it’s not a curse; if it’s a curse, it cannot be avoided. In the end, we’ll just have to spend some money to avert disaster. Who told us to have low cultivation and no backing!"

Chen Lin shrugged.

Zhao Zhengyuan expressed his deep agreement.

The two discussed it for a while longer, but couldn't come up with any good solutions. They could only pray that more of the people who had fallen ill would survive—preferably that none of them would die.

If that happened, it would mean the problem wasn't major, and it wouldn't alarm the Five Great Families.

After all, their Foundation Establishment powerhouses had already gone missing; they shouldn't have the leisure to deal with these trivial matters.

After Zhao Zhengyuan left, Chen Lin sat on his stool, frowning in deep thought.

Pinning his hopes on others was truly unwise. He had to raise his cultivation level quickly.

The early stage of Qi Refining was simply too weak—weaker even than a formidable martial artist. He still had to rely on talismans to cast spells.

Once he reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining, he would not only be able to cultivate spells but also use magical artifacts. Only then could he be considered a true cultivator.

Once he had a certain level of self-preservation, he would leave this eerie city as soon as possible. He didn't want to spend every day surrounded by people who squinted and sneered.

After thinking for a while, he got up, left his room, and braved the snow, heading straight for the market.

The streets were cold and deserted. Occasionally, a few figures would appear, all moving in a hurry, with an "approach at your own risk" air about them.

Chen Lin kept his focus and soon arrived at the market.

He had come to the small market in the shantytown of the outer city, not the inner city.

Because of this abnormal snow and the disappearance of the Five Great Families' Foundation Establishment cultivators, the inner city was under martial law, and it was troublesome to get in.

It was called a market, but it was actually just a crude, narrow alleyway with a few shops.

Before the snow, there would have been some loose cultivators setting up stalls outside, but now, not a single soul was to be seen.

Familiar with the path, he arrived at the door of a shop and pushed it open.

"Oh, if it isn't Master Talisman-Maker Chen? Here to sell more Strength Talismans again?"

A thin, middle-aged man with a face full of pockmarks saw Chen Lin enter and immediately squinted and sneered in mockery.

His attitude was not very warm; he didn't even bother to stand up from his chair.

Chen Lin came here to sell Strength Talismans every so often, so he was quite familiar with this shopkeeper.

As for the squinting, the sneering, and the arrogant, demonic madness—he had completely stopped paying attention to it, treating it as a normal expression.

Knowing the man’s acerbic personality, Chen Lin didn't mind. He squinted and sneered back, then took out a Fireball Talisman and waved it in front of the man. "Zhang Mazi, open your little eyes and look. Didn't you say I would never be able to craft a first-grade mid-tier talisman in my entire life?"

"What? You actually succeeded!"

Seeing the Fireball Talisman, the man jumped up from his chair.

With an incredulous expression, he took the talisman and observed it carefully for a while before placing it on the counter in shock.

"Impossible! With your trashy, ghost-drawing technique, you actually managed to craft a Fireball Talisman? There’s no justice in the world!"

Chen Lin feigned great anger.

"What do you mean 'trashy technique'? My talisman-making craft has a formal lineage! How dare you call it trash? Are you buying it or not? If not, I’m going to the Treasure Pavilion next door!"

"Buying, buying, buying! Don't be angry. How could the Treasure Pavilion possibly offer a higher price than me?"

The shopkeeper squeezed out a smile and apologized repeatedly.

But the moment he turned around, he squinted and sneered at Chen Lin, "A mere loose cultivator dares to threaten me? Go ahead and try the place next door, and I’ll beat the crap out of you!"

Chen Lin kept telling himself that these people were all patients, suppressing his anger as he asked, "How many spirit stones can you give me?"

The shopkeeper didn't answer immediately, instead picking up the talisman again to examine it closely.

After a long while, he exclaimed in admiration, "I didn't expect that not only did you craft a Fireball Talisman, but the quality has actually reached a perfect level. Could it be that you are truly a genius at talisman-making?"

Chen Lin knew that the talisman he had crafted was perfect—after all, it was a product of his innate ability—which was why he had been looking forward to this.

If it were an ordinary Fireball Talisman, the acquisition price was transparent: about seven or eight low-grade spirit stones.

"Why are you being so long-winded? Hurry up and tell me how many spirit stones you can give!"

Chen Lin urged him again.

The shopkeeper stopped beating around the bush. He thought for a moment and held up one finger.

"Ten spirit stones?"

Chen Lin frowned.

"That's right. Recently, because the situation is a bit unfavorable, the price of talismans has risen. The acquisition price for an ordinary Fireball Talisman is about eight spirit stones. Your talisman is of good quality, and you're a regular customer, so I can give you ten."

The shopkeeper nodded, squinting and sneering, looking as if he were doing him a favor.

Chen Lin was not satisfied.

Ten spirit stones—there was hardly any profit in that.

After all, he could only craft it using his innate ability, and he only succeeded once every ten attempts.

"Can you add a bit more? I’m not just crafting this one; there will be many more in the future!"

Chen Lin looked at the shopkeeper’s pockmarked face and began to haggle.

Every extra stone counted; otherwise, he didn't know when he would be able to save up enough for ten sets of alchemy materials.

Hearing Chen Lin’s words, the usually acerbic Zhang Mazi didn't refuse directly, nor did he offer any sarcasm.

There’s a chance!

Chen Lin’s eyes lit up.

He became increasingly expectant.

(End of chapter)