I am cautiously cultivating immortals in a strange world

Chapter 2196 Invitation

"I wonder what you call me, senior?"

Inside the private room, after a hearty meal and drinks, Chen Lin probed the other party's background.

The other party really ripped him off. There were four dishes in total, worth three crystals. The golden-striped fish alone cost two crystals and was basically eaten by the other party. If he hadn't gotten the crystals, he would have killed the other party.

"Qin Yueying."

The old woman took a sip of the spiritual tea, looking completely comfortable and content.

Chen Lin wanted to ask more questions.

She smiled faintly and said, "There's no need to test me. I'm just an old woman who's about to die. Even if you know where I come from, what can you do? Just tell me what your purpose is in coming to me. Anyway, you're paying for this meal. I don't have a penny to my name."

Chen Lin didn't hide anything after hearing this.

He got straight to the point: "Senior, you have some iridescent crystals on you, right? I'd like to exchange one with you."

The old woman was taken aback.

Then his voice turned cold.

"Who are you? Why do you know so much about my situation? Could you be sent by the Han family?"

After speaking, his aura surged, and a faint killing intent lingered around him.

"Please don't misunderstand, senior."

Chen Lin hurriedly spoke up to explain.

He didn't want to get into a fight with a dying man.

"I am not a member of the Han family, nor do I know anything about your background. I am just sensitive to the aura of the variegated crystal, which is why I came to you."

"You can sense the iridescent crystals on my body?"

Although the old woman had dissipated her murderous aura, her expression was not good.

To avoid being discovered, she deliberately placed the variegated crystal in a special container, but it was still discovered.

"It's just that I have a stronger sense of perception. I didn't mean to investigate you. Please don't take offense."

When he needed someone's help, Chen Lin adopted a very humble attitude.

The old woman did not speak.

After scrutinizing Chen Lin from head to toe, he relaxed his demeanor, picked up the spirit tea, and took a small sip.

Then gently swirl the teacup in your hand.

For quite a while.

She put down her teacup, gave Chen Lin a deep look, and said, "How do you know about this treasure, the variegated crystal?"

"A gift from a mysterious person."

Chen Lin answered truthfully.

He then added, "It is precisely because I have used this item before that I am so familiar with its aura."

The old woman fell silent again.

He spoke in a deep voice after a moment.

"I do have the variegated crystal, but it's a treasure I obtained from the temple. I use it to enhance my cultivation and prolong my life, so I can't sell it to you."

Chen Lin suddenly realized.

He had always suspected why the other party possessed the iridescent crystal; it turned out they obtained it from the temple, which made perfect sense.

Based on the information he had gathered during this period, the things that appeared in the temple were all kinds of strange and wonderful things, including cultivation techniques, divine weapons and treasures, and all kinds of elixirs and miraculous medicines.

Many of them did not originally exist in this world.

But they are all rare treasures.

That's why he couldn't determine whether the figures in the temple were surviving powerful beings from this world or visitors from outside.

"I can exchange it for something that prolongs life."

Chen Lin thought for a moment before speaking.

Among the spiritual fruits in the Fruit Core Grotto-heaven are those that can prolong life, but we don't know how effective they are in this realm. Let's test them first.

"Is it?"

The old woman became interested.

"What kind of treasure is it? If it's the Life-Extending Pill from the Wen Ding Sect, then there's no need to discuss it. I've taken too many of these pills, and they've long since lost their effectiveness."

"It's not a life-extending pill."

Chen Lin took out a fruit.

Place it on the table and push it over.

The old woman reached out and took it, examining it carefully.

After a moment, he said disappointedly, "It does contain the breath of life, but unfortunately it is too mixed. It can only increase my lifespan by a maximum of three years, which is negligible to me."

Chen Lin did not refute.

This fruit is called Qian Yuan Jia Zi Fruit. Like the Xiao Qing Li Fruit, it is also a level four fruit. Originally, it could extend one's lifespan by sixty years and was effective even for high-level life forms. However, since the level of this interface is too high, its effect is naturally greatly reduced.

Anything that works is good.

"I can add two more, making a total of three fruits. Even with resistance, that will increase my lifespan by at least five years."

Chen Lin offered to raise the price.

Then he continued to persuade her, "With these five years, you can search for other things that prolong life, and perhaps you can even ascend the temple again and obtain even greater opportunities."

The old woman remained silent.

Finally he shook his head.

“Short-term survival is meaningless; it’s just prolonging your life in this city. If you want to take my variegated crystal, you’ll have to provide a treasure that can extend your life by more than a hundred years.”

There was a pause.

She glanced at Chen Lin.

He pondered for a moment and said, "Items that can extend one's life by a hundred years are too rare. I have a compromise. You and I will go to a place where there is a treasure that can extend life. If you can help me get it, I will give you the variegated crystal."

"Where?"

Chen Lin initially wanted to refuse outright, but out of his desire for the variegated crystal, he inquired about it anyway.

"I can't tell you the location right now, but don't worry too much. This treasure hunt isn't just me; it's a group of experts. The purpose of bringing you along is to prevent others from stealing the treasure after we obtain it."

Chen Lin pondered for a moment.

He shook his head and said, "I am just a lowly cultivator in the Mang Realm, and I'm afraid I can't help you, senior. Please change your terms."

If the other party is a Cage Realm cultivator, then the other members must also be primarily Cage Realm cultivators. Participating in such a treasure hunt would be even more dangerous than going alone.

"Then there's no way."

The old woman picked up her cane, stood up, and wiped her lips.

"In that case, thank you for your hospitality. I will take my leave now."

After saying that, he placed the spirit fruit on the table.

He opened the door to the private room and walked out shakily.

Chen Lin opened his mouth, but still didn't call out to the other person. Frustrated, he paid the bill and left the temple.

"Daddy, do you want me...?"

As they stepped out of the restaurant, Tie Zhu asked a question.

"Need not."

Chen Lin rejected it outright.

“A true man has things he will do and things he will not do. The other party has no grudge against me. If I were to kill someone just to steal treasure, how would I be any different from those demons? This is not my way.”

"Dad is right!"

Tie Zhu swayed his body slightly, as if he were straightening his chest.

Zhengzheng said, "The protagonist really can't do such despicable things. A gentleman loves money, but he earns it in a proper way. I understand the principle. Dad is truly my guiding light!"

Chen Lin's lips twitched violently.

He's not that noble.

The main reason for not trying to seize from the other party, besides being inconsistent with one's own principles, is that one cannot win a fight.

If we let Tie Zhu take action, it will consume a lot of energy, and we will need to replenish it with variegated crystals.

It's a waste of time.

"It's good to stick to your principles, but you can't be too rigid or put yourself in shackles. Sometimes you can make the best of a bad situation, as long as you don't go astray."

Chen Lin continued to persuade him.

The other person is still young, so we shouldn't impose too many fixed ideas on them. That would hinder their growth and could also trap us in a cage.

"Dad is right!"

Tie Zhu praised again.

"The protagonist should assess the situation, seize every opportunity, and strive to rise to the top!"

Chen Lin was speechless. He stopped arguing with the other party, visited several more shops, and after finding nothing useful, he and Hua Yi left the inner city.

Qingyang Mountain.

Chen Lin named the small hill he bought Qingyang.

Remembering the days I spent with Luo Qinglan.

There's also Qin Lingyu and Sun Caiyi.

Back then, in the lower realm, I struggled to survive, thinking that I could live a carefree life after ascending to the upper realm. But I never expected that I would still have to struggle to survive.

It's even worse than being in the lower realm.

In the lower realm, one can occasionally reunite with family, fellow disciples, friends, and confidantes. But in the upper realm, especially in outer space, one is constantly on the move.

"It is said that the higher one's cultivation level, the less emotion one has. Do you have this feeling?"

Chen Lin was grinding the brown rice into flour while talking to Hua Yi.

"Does Master wish to engage in dual cultivation? Hua Yi is willing to serve!"

Hua's eyes lit up, and she immediately began to undress.

Chen Lin was both amused and exasperated.

He raised his hand to stop her, saying, "I just wanted to discuss the path of cultivation with you. Don't overthink it. Besides, you've lost your memories of your past life. Don't do anything out of line. If your memories return one day, you might regret it."

Hua Yi's expression darkened.

She said softly, "I originally thought there was a possibility of regaining my memories, but so many years have passed and there is no sign of recovery at all. The rules of the Nightmare Realm are still too strong."

She quickly composed herself.

Zhan Yan smiled and said, "But it's good to be by Master's side. If I don't recover, I don't have to. If Master is lonely, you can come to me anytime. I'm not afraid of regretting it, and I can't possibly regret it."

Chen Lin smacked his lips but didn't respond.

At this time.

Tie Zhu's voice suddenly rang out.

"Dad, do you need me to leave? I think Sister Hua Yi... no, Stepmother Hua Yi is pretty good, she's got a great figure and is obedient, why don't you just go for it?"

Chen Lin's face darkened.

My son is ruined.

In the past, I was negligent and completely opened up during spiritual communication, allowing the other person to come into contact with a lot of their thoughts from their past life. At that time, the other person's new consciousness had just been born, so it was greatly affected.

After being exposed to the environment of this world and reading many storybooks, my views became somewhat incongruous.

"From now on, read less useless stories and focus more on spiritual practice."

Chen Lin gave a piece of advice.

Ignoring the two of them, he entered the Spirit-Enchanting Realm and began making his mother's steamed buns.

The process was smooth.

The Spirit-Enchanting Realm wasn't suppressed much here, and soon only one basket was made. Hua Yi summoned Hua Qianyu and the other two over to share it with them for the experiment.

"This is……"

After eating a steamed bun, Sun Shenggu immediately looked puzzled, his mind filled with the comforting feeling of being held in his mother's arms when he was a child.

This made him both want to immerse himself in it and afraid that something might go wrong.

Chen Lin frowned.

It seems that the effects of the steamed buns made in this world have indeed been reduced. Under normal circumstances, the consumers would not have any negative feelings towards them.

But it still had some effect.

Hua Qianyu, who was sitting on the ground, had her eyes slightly closed and her eyes were moist, clearly having entered a state of calming her mind.

This is enough.

Chen Lin led the others away to avoid disturbing Hua Qianyu.

Then I thought about the next steps.

Based on the current situation, we need to be prepared for a protracted battle if we want to complete the mission.

The temple appears at unpredictable times; some people only encounter it once in their entire lives. He has already encountered it once, and although he didn't go up, it's unknown when he will encounter it again.

Furthermore.

Without a certain level of survival skills, even if he encountered it, he wouldn't go inside.

Improving one's capabilities is fundamental.

What troubled Chen Lin was that the items he brought in from outside were suppressed by the dark energy of this world, with less than one-tenth of their effect.

To quickly improve one's cultivation level, a large amount of resources are needed.

Especially the Myriad Manifestations Technique he cultivated.

A divine-level cultivation technique, coupled with its devouring properties, requires an exceptionally high amount of resources.

Think of this.

Chen Lin then thought of the old woman's colorful crystal.

If the other party can obtain it from the temple, others may also obtain it. We should try to find out who has it and not place all our hopes on the other party.

Besides.

This world is of an extremely high level, and there may be other things that can restore the Iron Pillar's energy, so we should pay close attention to them.

But all of this requires money.

After darkness descends, resources become extremely scarce. To acquire high-level cultivation resources, one needs a massive amount of money, which is far beyond what one can afford with one's own reserves.

So we should make good use of Mom's steamed buns.

The outer city won't work.

Cultivators in the outer city are all poor, struggling even to eat, and cannot afford to spend large sums of money on items to soothe their souls; they must go to the inner city.

But I don't want to go to the inner city.

To open a shop there, you need the manager's approval and pay a hefty fee. Most importantly, there are limited spots available.

He didn't know any of the three Wheel Realm experts' subordinates, and without connections, it would be difficult for him to set up a shop.

They are also easy targets.

The best solution is to find someone to collaborate with.

"Bai Qingshui, take the steamed buns I made to the inner city and ask those food shops if they are interested in cooperating."

Chen Lin made another basket of steamed buns and handed it to Bai Qingshui, asking him to find out the situation and then he would discuss it in detail later.

"correct."

“A trip to the inner city is quite expensive, so you don’t need to rush out. While you’re at it, find out what I’ve asked you to do.”

"Yes!"

Bai Qingshui agreed, carefully put the buns in the jade box, and set off for the inner city.

Chen Lin asked Sun Shenggu to look after Hua Qianyu, while he went into the cultivation room, took out the tiger demon's inner core, and continued to cultivate by absorbing energy.

But before they could even get into the zone, Hua Yi came to report.

"Master, someone has come to visit. He says he is the manager of the Yu family's rice shop."

Chen Lin frowned.

The rice shop had just delivered the rice and the staff had left less than an hour ago. Why did the shopkeeper come in person? Could it be for the spirit fruit?
Despite his doubts, Chen Lin stopped practicing and went to meet the other party.

To be able to open a rice shop in the inner city, one's status and background must be extraordinary. There's no need to offend them; if you befriend them, you might need them in the future.

"Please forgive me for not welcoming you properly, sir, in person."

Chen Lin entered the reception room and greeted the landlady with a smile.

The proprietress also had a smile on her face.

“Brother Yan, you don’t need to be so polite. My name is He Yunqing. People who know me call me Qing Erniang. I should be older than you. You can call me sister or Erniang, it’s fine.”

Chen Lin's eyes flashed.

Judging from what the other party said, they had already found out his identity information in such a short time.

He is certainly no ordinary person.

"So it's Qing Erniang. Your strength and methods are far beyond my reach to be able to open a shop in Yuming City. I hope you will take good care of me in the future."

Chen Lin clasped his hands in a fist salute and continued exchanging pleasantries with a smile.

Then his expression turned serious.

He asked, "Second Sister has come to visit in person. I wonder what brings you here? If it is about the source of the spiritual fruit, I really cannot answer."

"Because so much time has passed and I have been constantly on the move over the years, the location of the fruit trees has become unclear, and I cannot find them even if I go to look for them myself."

"That's not it."

The proprietress waved her hand.

Without further ado, he said directly, "I've come here to invite you to explore a secret place together. The reward will definitely satisfy you."

(End of this chapter)