Chapter 26: Meeting Again

Unexpectedly, Chen Lin refused, and so decisively that a flash of indignation crossed Zhang Mazi's face.

He had judged that the conditions he offered were high enough and had assumed Chen Lin would be filled with gratitude; he hadn't expected such ungratefulness.

"In that case, forget it. You are a man of principle, Fellow Daoist."

As a merchant manager, his priority was to make money through harmony. Although he was displeased, he did not show it too overtly.

However, the people surrounding them looked at Chen Lin with strange expressions, their eyes filled with pity.

With this interruption, Chen Lin no longer felt like shopping here and turned to leave.

Just then, Zhang Mazi suddenly stiffened his neck and sneered sideways, "Hmph, truly ungrateful. I intended to give you a way to live, but since you don't want it, then just wait to be consumed by the Anomaly..."

Halfway through his sentence, he seemed to realize something and hurriedly shut his mouth.

Then, he walked behind the counter with an expressionless face.

Chen Lin did not pause his footsteps and walked straight out of the Zhang Family Merchant House, though he was secretly startled.

Although Zhang Mazi hadn't finished his sentence, his words suggested he was aware of the existence of the Anomaly.

If that were the case, it meant the man's status within the Zhang family was not low.

But the Zhang family was still recruiting talent at a time like this—did they intend to take everyone away with them?

According to Yu Yuehai, if one were to leave, the fewer people there were, the better, to avoid being noticed by the Anomaly.

He found that reasoning quite sound; he himself had been connected by a red thread after that anomalous phantom appeared.

He wasn't sure if the Zhang family's actions stemmed from ignorance of the situation or some other motive.

But if too many cultivators left the city, chaos was inevitable.

As he walked, he pondered how things might develop: whether Yu Yuehai could succeed in Foundation Establishment, whether he could smoothly sever the red thread and leave, or if they would all be wiped out once the Anomaly discovered them.

After thinking for a while, he realized these were things beyond his control, and he felt a sudden sense of his own insignificance.

Being the meat on a chopping block—the feeling was truly terrible.

In a heavy mood, he went to the Treasure Pavilion to purchase some alchemy materials and a flying sword.

His previous Xiaoyao Sword had been shattered by Yu Yuehai, so he had to buy a new one.

The flying sword was a little over a foot long and pale silver; it had no name and was merely an ordinary low-grade magical tool.

It wasn't that he didn't want to buy a better one, but he simply didn't have many spirit stones left. The fifty mid-grade spirit stones he had received from Lu Li last time were almost entirely spent.

He had originally wanted to buy spells and magical tools for concealing his cultivation, but he couldn't afford them.

Even so, he didn't want to spend his time making talismans for money lately; the priority was to rapidly increase his strength to deal with unknown dangers.

Therefore, he planned to use the Enlightenment Pill to grind through the spells in the *Detailed Explanation of Spells*.

Unfortunately, he lacked a storage bag; otherwise, he could have refined more Thunderbolt Beads.

Chen Lin once again lamented the taste of poverty; it truly hindered him at every turn.

At least he had his talent and ability to "cheat"; the situation for ordinary rogue cultivators was even more miserable. It was no wonder the original owner's cultivation had not progressed for twenty years.

After finishing his shopping, he began walking back.

Through his reflections along the way, he had come to a conclusion: staying by Yu Yuehai's side was currently the best option. Thus, he decided to wait honestly for the man to succeed in Foundation Establishment and would no longer harbor other ideas.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment!"

Just as he was about to exit the market, a figure suddenly appeared beside him, causing him to immediately grip his flying sword and look over warily.

"Who are you, and why are you stopping me?"

Seeing that it was a female cultivator he had never met before, Chen Lin couldn't help but ask in confusion.

However, seeing that her cultivation was only at the third level of Qi Refinement, he relaxed his guard slightly.

"Could we speak privately, Fellow Daoist?"

The woman glanced at the cultivators setting up stalls in the distance and whispered, gesturing for Chen Lin to walk a distance away with her.

Seeing that Chen Lin did not move, the woman whispered, "The *Manual of Artifact Refinement*."

Chen Lin's eyes flashed. He sized the woman up and a look of realization dawned on him.

It turned out she was the same woman who had sold him the damaged artifact refining book in the inner city. Although she had used a disguise, she suffered from the same malnutrition and possessed a very similar aura.

"It's you. What do you want, and how did you recognize me?"

He had also used a disguise back then; he was quite surprised that she had recognized him at a glance.

Despite his suspicion, Chen Lin followed her a distance away until they were outside the market.

The reason he cooperated was that she had been at the second level of Qi Refinement in the inner city and was now at the third; she didn't look like she had just broken through, meaning she likely used a spell or tool to conceal her cultivation. He wanted to see if he could get his hands on one at a low price.

"Now, tell me, how did you recognize me?"

With no one around, Chen Lin's voice grew louder.

The woman first cupped her hands in greeting, then smiled brightly and said, "Do not doubt me, Fellow Daoist. I am simply very sensitive to scents, and combined with the deep impression you left on me, I recognized you upon meeting."

Chen Lin was stunned.

He hadn't expected that to be the reason.

She truly had all sorts of strange abilities; he would have to be more careful regarding this aspect when disguising his identity in the future.

"So, why did you stop me? Is there something you need?"

Chen Lin did not ask directly about the cultivation-concealing tools.

The woman hesitated for a moment before bowing deeply and saying, "I am Xu Ruolan, and I have a request."

Chen Lin frowned, not feeling that there was anything about him worth asking for help with, but he still asked, "What is it?"

The woman hesitated once more before saying with a look of determination, "Does Fellow Daoist lack a dual cultivation partner?"

"What!"

Chen Lin thought he had misheard.

With his current physique and appearance, a female cultivator was approaching him proactively?

As the words left his mouth, the woman actually became calm and said seriously, "You heard correctly. If you are interested, I am willing to become your cultivation partner. I am only twenty-eight years old; even if my cultivation is slightly lower than yours, you will not be at a disadvantage."

Chen Lin stared at her, sizing her up while wondering what her angle was.

Love at first sight?

He wasn't that narcissistic.

If he had late-stage Qi Refinement cultivation, it might be possible for her to approach him, but mid-stage was a bit of a stretch.

Even though Zhang Mazi had wanted to introduce him to female cultivators from the Zhang family, that would have been marrying into their family, which wasn't much different from selling oneself.

"Speak. What do you actually want? If you don't tell me, I'm leaving!"

Chen Lin didn't want to play hide-and-seek with her; he had many things to do.

Seeing Chen Lin's attitude, Xu Ruolan realized she had been a bit too forward. She pursed her lips and said, "Does Fellow Daoist possess medicinal pills that can increase cultivation? Or perhaps you have a channel to purchase them?"

Chen Lin suddenly understood.

So that was it.

If she wanted pills, she should have just said so. Why all the talk about a dual cultivation partner? Was she trying to get something for nothing?

Chen Lin complained inwardly and frowned, saying, "How can you be sure I have pills? Currently, all the pills in the city are controlled by the five great families. How could a mere rogue cultivator like me buy them?"

Hearing this, Xu Ruolan smiled faintly and said, "Why be so modest, Fellow Daoist? If it weren't for the power of medicinal pills, given your age, it would have been difficult for you to break through two levels consecutively and enter the mid-stage of Qi Refinement!"