I am cautiously cultivating immortals in a strange world

The place Chen Lin bought was a low hill.

This is a hilly area, with hundreds of hills connected together. Because there is no water source, there is basically no vegetation.

Its only advantage.

It means owning the entire hill, without having to share it with others.

Even a small hill made Hua Qianyu and the others very happy. Unlike Chen Lin and Hua Yi, they had survived in this dark world for decades and knew how difficult it was to survive.

Being able to gain a foothold in Yuming City means at least temporary stability.

I never dared to even think about it before.

So they worked with great enthusiasm and quickly built two houses, one big and one small. The big one went to Chen Lin, and the small one was a room for each of them.

Regardless of size, they were all mud-brick houses.

No one seemed to mind. After the houses were completed, they had a small celebration before settling into their own homes.

Chen Lin naturally lived with Hua Yi.

Hua Qianyu did not allow her to come over.

It's not that I don't trust the other person, it's just that it's inconvenient to have them around when discussing tasks or other matters.

After settling in.

Chen Lin had Tie Zhu open the Fruit Pit Cave, and then condensed his soul clone to enter it.

They immediately saw what the blue aliens had left behind.

A dusty talisman and a very small scroll were carelessly tossed on the ground, covered in dirt.

He stepped forward and picked it up.

Carefully wipe off the dirt.

But after thinking about it, he listened to the blue alien's advice and instead of carrying the items on his person, he found a jade box that contained fruit, put it away, and placed it under a fruit tree.

Since there's an iron pillar, it can be used anytime, so there's no need to take any risks.

If they become tainted by the rules of this world and are unable to be taken out with them when they leave, then both treasures will have been wasted.

then.

Chen Lin then began picking the spiritual fruits.

Everything that is mature and usable in the current interface is put into the bag.

And the items that were prepared beforehand.

Regardless of size, they were all packed into suitable containers, filling several large bags.

Unfortunately.

Chen Lin had planned everything, but he hadn't anticipated that this was a post-apocalyptic world. Not only was ordinary food scarce, but this body also needed to eat and drink.

Therefore, I brought relatively little regular food and drink.

Especially the spirit rice; we only brought some Yin-Yang spirit rice, which would be too wasteful to use for filling our stomachs.

All items have been categorized and organized.

Chen Lin separated half of it and brought it out of the cave.

This world is full of uncertainties. Even if there are many powerful people gathered here, it is not necessarily safe. In order to prevent accidents, we cannot take out everything.

inner city.

Chen Lin walked along the bluestone road with Hua Yi, looking at the brightly lit shops on both sides, and sighed at the difference between the inner and outer cities.

The inner city was basically no different from a normal city, and there was no sign of an apocalypse.

There were even restaurants, teahouses, and brothels.

The people coming and going were all well-dressed and in high spirits, unlike the apathetic people in the outer city who looked like beggars.

Yu Family Grain Store.

Chen Lin glanced at the plaque and stepped inside.

"Oh, this is a new face. Are you new to Yuming City? Our shop has all kinds of rice and noodles. Please do come and support our business in the future."

As soon as I entered the store, a beautiful middle-aged woman came forward to greet me, exuding a strange fragrance.

Chen Lin glanced at the other person.

His eyes flickered involuntarily.

He couldn't even tell the other party's cultivation level!

Although he was only at the early stage of the Mang Realm, he cultivated a divine-level technique, and his soul level was also high enough that even ordinary Cage Realm cultivators could not block his senses.

The fact that we can't tell the difference between their true and false states means that the opponent is at least a mid-to-late stage expert in the Cage Realm.

On second thought, it makes sense.

Nowadays, food is the most precious resource, even scarcer than rare and precious herbs. How could an ordinary person be able to run a rice shop here?

Chen Lin cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

After looking around, he pointed to the container storing flour and asked, "How much is this?"

The proprietress's eyes lit up.

Given current food prices, most people come here to buy rice to make porridge. Only important people or wealthy individuals can afford to buy noodles.

"One crystal weighs three jin."

Chen Lin smacked his lips.

This isn't just an exorbitant price, it's outright robbery.

The so-called Qi Crystals are the rune crystals of Qi Realm monsters, or the inner cores of Qi Realm demons. They are currently a form of hard currency, replacing the original currency.

However, for a monster to condense rune crystals, it needs to be at least at the late Qi Realm stage; anything lower is unlikely to leave behind energy crystals. Furthermore, when a monster dies, only the rune crystals remain; nothing else is left behind.

To kill a creature of such a level and exchange it for three pounds of flour is an outrageously high price.

"Honorable guest, please don't think the price is too high."

The proprietress, observing the situation, immediately spoke up.

"Since you come from other places, you should know how rare plants are now, not to mention that refined foods like rice and flour also have a certain spiritual power."

"I wouldn't dare say my prices are lower than other places, but they're definitely not higher than others."

"Even at this price, there aren't many left. If you don't buy now, you might not be able to buy them again in the future."

Chen Lin shook his head.

He wasn't a miser and had quite a bit of wealth, but he couldn't afford to squander it like that.

"What about that one?"

Chen Lin then pointed to a bag of rice that looked rather broken.

The proprietress glanced at it.

He said calmly, “Broken rice has very low spiritual energy. It’s an old product from the Bright Era and it’s already spoiled. One Qi Crystal costs twenty catties.”

"Then let's buy twenty catties."

Chen Lin ignored the change in the proprietress's attitude.

A low level of spirituality is just right.

Making Lao Ma Baozi (a type of steamed bun) in this place is definitely subject to some limitations; even using top-quality Ling rice might not guarantee success.

The proprietress was not in much interest.

I thought a big spender had arrived, but it turns out he's just a penniless wretch.

He slowly weighed out twenty catties of brown rice, threw it on the counter, and said, "There are purchase restrictions on brown rice. According to the regulations of the inner city, each person can only buy a maximum of twenty catties per year from one shop. After you buy this, you can't buy it again."

Chen Lin didn't know whether what the other person said was true or false, nor did he care.

He reached into the package and took out a spirit fruit.

Also put it on the counter.

"I don't have any Qi Crystals. Shopkeeper, take a look at this fruit. What's its value?"

"what?"

The proprietress stepped forward in surprise.

He picked up the fruit, examined it closely, and then smelled it under his nose.

After pondering for a moment, he said, "Could this be a Lesser Green Glass Fruit? It doesn't seem to have much spiritual energy, and it's quite mixed. Where did you get it?"

Chen Lin's heart skipped a beat.

This fruit is indeed called the Lesser Green Glass Fruit. It is recorded in Master Ning Tianyue's manual that its effect is to assist in body refinement and it belongs to the fourth-level spiritual plant category.

However, this fruit belongs to the Seven Star Realm.

If the other party can call out the name, it means that they also exist in this realm, and at a higher level.

This is nothing.

What puzzled him most was that even the names of the fruits were the same. Could this interface be related to the Seven Star Realm?
"The shopkeeper has a good eye."

Chen Lin put aside his distracting thoughts.

He nodded and said, "It is indeed a Small Green Glass Fruit. The lack of spiritual energy may be due to the quality of the fruit tree. As for where it was obtained, I cannot disclose that information."

"I'll offer three Qi Crystals to buy the location of the fruit tree."

Chen Lin smiled but remained silent.

"Five!"

The proprietress raised the price again. Chen Lin remained silent.

Seeing this, the proprietress stopped and turned the fruit around, saying indifferently, "Such a poor quality Little Green Glass Fruit isn't even worth a single Qi Crystal, but since you're a new customer, I'll just give you one Qi Crystal."

"Thank you."

Chen Lin didn't try to bargain.

What the other party said is correct. A level four spiritual fruit is indeed not considered a good thing in this world. Even if it is used by a Qi Realm cultivator, the effect is only so-so.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have put it up for trade.

The deal was struck, and Hua picked up the rice bag, and the two prepared to leave.

The proprietress's eyes flickered.

Suddenly, he called out to Chen Lin, "Wait a minute, I have some newly arrived spirit rice here, and it's quite cheap. Are you interested?"

Chen Lin stopped in his tracks.

Turning around, he asked, "What spirit rice?"

He definitely needs spirit rice, because cultivators in the Mang Realm also need to eat, they are just more able to endure hunger than those in the Qi Realm. During this period, they have been eating wild grass and tree bark, and they are already numb to it, so they miss rice porridge very much.

"It's slightly contaminated, but it doesn't prevent it from being eaten."

The proprietress went to the back and brought out a large bag. Inside was glistening white rice, but there were some black spots in the middle of each grain.

Chen Lin took a look.

He immediately frowned and said, "This isn't just slightly polluted; it's completely corrupted by the aura of darkness. Eating it might cause problems."

"hehe."

The proprietress chuckled softly.

"These days, who knows how long they'll live? Maybe the city will fall tomorrow, so don't worry about it too much. Just enjoy life while you can."

Seeing that Chen Lin did not respond.

She continued, "Even in the inner city, there isn't much rice left. My shop won't last much longer. If you don't stock up on more rice, you'll have to eat black grass in the future. Wouldn't that be hard to swallow?"

Chen Lin blinked.

The black stinky grass they mentioned is a plant that only appears after darkness falls. It can grow in large quantities without sunlight and is a food that survivors are forced to eat out of desperation.

Because it tasted absolutely awful.

"Okay, I'll buy some, but the price has to be cheap."

Chen Lin looked like he had been persuaded.

"One gas crystal weighs fifty jin."

The proprietress held up her palm and gestured.

Chen Lin turned and left.

"Sixty pounds?"

"seventy!"

The proprietress kept lowering prices.

Chen Lin walked to the door without turning around and said, "I'll take the hundred catties. Even those in the Cage Realm wouldn't dare to eat this level of pollution casually. It's only worth this price."

"make a deal!"

The proprietress immediately tied up the bag and handed it to Chen Lin.

"This bag weighs exactly 100 jin (50 kg). If it's not enough, we have more. If transportation is inconvenient, our shop can deliver to your door."

"Then let's deliver it to your door."

Chen Lin took out another small green glass fruit, handed it to the other party, and then walked out of the store with Hua Yi.

After the two of them walked away, a middle-aged man came out from behind.

I glanced outside.

He put his arm around the proprietress and said, "This person is unusual. He gives me a dangerous feeling. We can recruit him and explore that place together."

"You sensed danger?"

The proprietress was stunned.

He asked in confusion, "How come I didn't sense anything? The opponent's innate energy is at most at the early stage of the Mang Realm. Even if they cultivate a divine-level technique, it's impossible for them to threaten you, right?"

The man shook his head.

"It has nothing to do with cultivation level. It must be that the other party has some treasure. In any case, we can try to recruit them. The cage realm cultivators in the city are all timid as mice, and the cost of inviting them is too high. Since they have just arrived, it will be easier to get in touch with them."

"OK then."

The proprietress didn't say anything more and agreed.

Chen Lin inspected each shop one by one.

People from the outer city who want to enter the inner city have to pay a fee. They come once, buy everything they want, and then begin their secluded cultivation.

As for gathering information, Bai Qingshui and the others can do that.

However, after wandering around for a while, I became more and more disappointed.

There were many good things, but the prices were unbelievably high, which he couldn't afford.

"Dad, it smells like variegated crystals!"

While walking down the street, Tie Zhu suddenly spoke to Chen Lin.

Chen Lin's spirits lifted.

"Where is it? Which shop?"

Variegated crystals were a necessity for him; no matter how expensive they were, he had to acquire them.

"It's not a shop."

After sensing for a while, Tie Zhu replied, "It's in the crowd ahead. Get closer so I can confirm the target."

Chen Lin immediately walked forward quickly.

"It's that old woman in the floral dress!"

After walking for about several dozen feet, Tiezhu finally spoke and pointed with its tail.

Chen Lin looked over.

Not far ahead was an old woman with a full head of white hair, holding a cane in her hand, walking with a limp, her body exuding an aura of death, as if she was about to die.

But the other person was wearing a very eye-catching dress.

It looks out of place and doesn't quite fit.

After observing for a while, Chen Lin estimated that the other party's cultivation level was at most at the early stage of the Cage Realm, and that his condition was so poor that he could not pose much of a threat to him, so he approached.

Have to be careful.

Once a cultivator's lifespan is exhausted, their actions become unpredictable, and they may strike without warning.

"Please wait, senior."

Approaching the old woman, Chen Lin spoke respectfully.

"what's up?"

The old woman rolled her cloudy eyes, her voice extremely hollow, making it very unpleasant to listen to.

Chen Lin took a breath.

He cupped his hands and said, "There are some things I'd like to discuss with you, senior. May we find a quiet place to talk?"

"no problem."

The old woman was very agreeable.

But then he immediately added, "However, you'll need to make a purchase."

After saying that, he looked at a tall building in the distance, pointed with his cane, and said, "Let's go to the Baishenlou. I haven't had their golden-striped fish in a long time. I really miss it."

Chen Lin grinned.

He had inquired and learned that Baishenlou was the largest restaurant in the city, and even in this era of scarce resources, it still had many excellent ingredients and could make many delicious dishes.

But the price is also outrageously expensive.

There, air crystals are probably useless; you'll need prism crystals or even cage crystals to make them work.

"Senior please!"

Gritting his teeth, Chen Lin still made a gesture of invitation.

For the sake of the variegated crystal, he had to be the sucker.

If we can obtain another piece of iridescent crystal, our situation will improve significantly, and our chances of completing the mission will greatly increase.

“Glorious!”

The old woman gave a compliment and slowly walked towards the restaurant.

Chen Lin followed closely behind.

At the same time, he secretly communicated with Tie Zhu.

"You can't be mistaken, can you? The other party really does have iridescent crystals, but I didn't sense them."

"Don't worry, how could the main character make a mistake?"

Tie Zhu immediately gave his guarantee.

Upon hearing this, Chen Lin stopped thinking about it and followed the old woman without stopping until they arrived at the entrance of the worship hall. (End of this chapter)