Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 207 Scheming and Intrigue in Pursuit of the Treasure Talisman

Seven days later.

Led by Lü Tong, Lin Changheng arrived at a high-class cave dwelling less than a hundred feet away from [Floating Life Lake].

It can truly be called a lakeside retreat, with a pleasant lake view.

As soon as there was a knock on the door, Lü Tong stepped forward, introduced himself, and was quickly led inside.

Lin Changheng followed him inside.

A beautiful woman dressed in purple, who looked no more than middle-aged, appeared at the head of the table, gently waving a round fan as she looked at the two of them.

"I have met Aunt He."

Lü Tong stepped forward to greet him.

Lin Changheng, who was following behind, was slightly surprised when he saw this. Was this middle-aged beauty the second-grade high-level talisman master? What did Lü Tong call her Aunt?

Moreover, this woman's cultivation level is quite high; she is already in the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Before this, whether intentionally or unintentionally, or at someone's behest, Lü Tong did not provide much detail, only mentioning that it was a senior named He or a talisman master.

Lin Changheng immediately followed suit, bowing and greeting, "This junior greets Senior He."

The beautiful woman in purple glanced at the two of them and said with a faint smile, "If you had come any later, you wouldn't have seen me at all."

Lu Tong was surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that Aunt He is leaving the Immortal City?"

“Indeed, the Immortal City is nice, but the cave dwelling is too small and cramped. I will rent a spiritual place to live outside.”

The beautiful woman in purple had no intention of hiding anything. She waved her fan, her full lips slightly parted, revealing a mature charm.

"Then I won't be able to visit you as often as I used to, Aunt..."

A hint of reluctance appeared on Lü Tong's round face.

"If you have the will, that's fine. But my spiritual home isn't too far from here, so you can come and sit for a while if you want."

The beautiful woman in purple smiled, seemingly having a good relationship with Lü Tong, and truly treating him as her own junior.

Lin Changheng didn't interrupt, but simply watched them exchange pleasantries with a smile.

"Junior understands."

Lü Tong nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

After exchanging pleasantries, the beautiful woman in purple looked at Lin Changheng, her bright eyes flashing, "This handsome young man must be the alchemist Lin that Lü Tong mentioned, right?"

"It's down."

Lin Changheng smiled and then explained, "Unfortunately, I am not the young man that Senior He mentioned. I am already over seventy years old. I just have some experience in preserving youth and health."

While He and Lü were talking, Lin Changheng didn't just stand there dumbly watching and laughing.

Instead, he took the opportunity to think a lot and planned to find a way to start the conversation when the topic turned to himself.

It must be said that his observational skills are extremely sharp; his research experience in his previous life instilled in him a habit of paying attention to detail.

It's obvious that Senior He is quite old to have raised his talisman skills to the second-tier high-grade level, yet he has such a beautiful and mature appearance, which suggests that he pays great attention to his appearance.

Moreover, the first thing Senior He said was "handsome young man," which was different from what Master Kong and Master Chu had said about Lin Changheng's alchemy. This shows that she also values ​​other people's "appearance."

It should be a natural reflection of one's own habits and preferences.

In addition, most female cultivators have an obsession with beauty, especially the older ones. For example, the group of noble ladies from the immortal race that the Huang family encountered earlier were willing to pay a high price for the [Youth Preservation Pill], which gives us a glimpse into this.

Thus, Lin Changheng had a preliminary judgment and direction.

In replying, the topic was directly steered to "preserving youth and maintaining health".

"Oh?"

The beautiful woman in purple raised her eyebrows slightly and began to scrutinize Lin Changheng. "Lin Danshi's appearance makes it impossible to tell his true age. I wonder if he cultivates a wood-type technique?"

Lin Changheng shook his head, "My skills are mainly based on alchemy, and my main practice is fire magic."

The beautiful woman in purple seemed lost in thought and remained silent for a moment.

At this moment, Lü Tong, who was very good at reading people's expressions, immediately expressed his intention to take his leave, pretending that he had urgent business to attend to and had to leave.

"Very well, Lü Tong, you may go and get back to work."

The beautiful woman in purple waved her hand.

Only after Lü Tong was led away by the maid did Lin Changheng carefully speak: "The main reason I came to visit Senior He through Fellow Daoist Lü is to request a talisman."

"A talisman?"

The beautiful woman in purple immediately smiled, "Master Lin's great reputation in the Immortal City is something I've heard of even though I live in the Outer Lake Cave. I wonder what kind of talisman Master Lin finds so difficult to obtain?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Changheng gave a wry smile: "My name is merely a compliment from my friends in the Immortal City. Hearing it from your mouth, senior, I can't help but feel a little ashamed. After all, when it comes to the depth of my skills, I am completely no match for the talismanic arts you possess."

The implication is that although he is famous, his skills are no match for this beautiful woman, and if she wanted to, she could easily surpass him in fame.

Sometimes when speaking to intelligent people, it's best to tell the truth, or only half of it. Saying too much can come across as flattery, which is not a good thing.

Letting them make their own associations will yield better results.

"Haha, Master Lin is quite the clever and insightful person. No wonder you have such a reputation. Tell me, what talisman do you wish to request?"

The beautiful woman in purple looked at Lin Changheng and couldn't help but smile. "What this junior wishes to request is a [Precious Talisman]."

Lin Changheng revealed the purpose of his trip.

"【Treasure Talisman】?"

The surprised voice of the woman in purple came from within; she clearly hadn't expected this answer.

“Not bad.” Lin Changheng nodded.

The beautiful woman in purple glanced at Lin Changheng and said in a ethereal voice, "I wonder if Master Lin knows that this [Treasure Talisman] is extremely difficult to refine. Even with my mastery of talismans, I cannot easily refine it successfully."

Oh? It's not easy to refine successfully?

Lin Changheng's mind stirred, and instead of feeling dejected, he was delighted, naturally understanding the unspoken message.

Senior He is indeed capable of crafting [Treasure Talismans]!
Such talk is nothing more than an attempt to inflate prices.

When people came to ask for elixirs, Lin Changheng often said similar things.

This place was the right choice! It seems that my promise to Lü Tong to start the furnace has come true.

"I am also a skilled person, and it takes a lot of effort and energy to refine some extremely difficult pills."

Lin Changheng spoke, and surprisingly, he agreed wholeheartedly.

His idea was simple: first establish consensus, confirm the refining process, and then the payment could be discussed.

It's simply a matter of high or low prices.

The woman in purple was also encountering someone give such an answer for the first time, but she wasn't surprised. She went along with it and said, "It seems that Alchemist Lin does indeed have a need for this precious talisman, but I wonder what price Alchemist Lin can offer?"

She threw the question back at Lin Changheng, and no matter what he said, she maintained the upper hand.

Lin Changheng immediately felt that this Senior He was a bit difficult to deal with, and he didn't know how to start the conversation.

After thinking for a moment, he could only bite the bullet and say, "I wonder if Senior He has any needs regarding pills? My alchemy has now broken through to the middle grade of the second rank, perhaps I can provide some assistance to you?"

Lin Changheng revealed his trump card directly.

"Master Lin's progress in alchemy is truly astonishing, but I have no children, no descendants, no family, and am all alone, with only the Dao of Immortality and the Dao of Talismans for company. I'm afraid even the second-tier alchemy can't be of much help."

A hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the beautiful woman in purple. This alchemist Lin's progress in alchemy was quite astonishing, but that was all. So she uttered the words above in a low voice.

Goodness, we've run into someone who's completely unburdened and has no weaknesses...

Lin Changheng had a headache; it really wasn't easy to win over this kind of person.

Looking up at the beautiful woman in purple, who appeared indifferent, he could only sigh inwardly, "I, Lin, also have some knowledge of special pills such as the Foundation Establishment Pill and the Youth Preservation Pill..."

"Oh?"

A strange emotional fluctuation suddenly appeared ahead, and Lin Changheng immediately saw a change in the beautiful woman's expression for the first time.

"I do know that Master Lin has a profound understanding of the Foundation Establishment Pill, and... he also has some knowledge of the Youth Preservation Pill?"

Lin Changheng immediately perked up.

Although cultivators are not mortals, they are still human but not immortals. They have certain desires and aspirations. Not seeing something does not mean it doesn't exist, but rather that it hasn't been discovered.

The topic returned to the initial, and previously overlooked, point, and Lin Changheng even thought that his initial judgment was wrong.

In the end, we came back again after going around in circles.

"Indeed, I, Lin, have considerable expertise in both the [Youth Preservation Pill] and the [Youth Strengthening Pill]. The latter, due to its outstanding effects, is even sought after by a group of female immortals and has a stellar reputation."

Lin Changheng began to recount his story without any further politeness, mostly true, with a small portion being exaggerated.

Although the beautiful woman in purple had regained her original expression, the interest in her eyes could not be hidden from Lin Changheng.

"Does Master Lin currently possess any Youth-Preserving Pills?"

After thinking for a moment, she asked.

"I don't have it on hand right now, but the fact that I, Lin, am still in such good condition at my age is all thanks to the effects of this pill."

Lin Changheng's use of his own appearance as "proof" is a case of diminishing returns, because the changes brought about by Rong Sheng's divine power are certainly incomparable to the mere [Youth Preservation Pill]. However, it's still not a big problem to use it to "prove" that he has taken the [Youth Preservation Pill].

Then he made another promise: "However, the new batch of medicinal herbs is almost complete, with only a few missing."

Upon hearing this, Lin Changheng instantly felt the other person's gaze sweep over his face and body.

However, he did not use his divine sense, as that would be too impolite.

The woman in purple was clearly tempted. She hesitated for a moment, but did not believe it rashly. After all, she had not seen the actual item and could not rule out the possibility that Lin Changheng was trying to cheat her.

She was extremely cautious, not wanting to act without seeing any benefit. After a few quick thoughts, she suddenly said, "Master Lin should have the [Youth Preservation Pill], right? I wonder if I could take a look?"

But in his heart he was thinking, since you also said that the [Youth Enhancement Pill] has outstanding effects and is sought after by a group of immortal women, there must be some evidence, right?
Moreover, the "Youth Preservation Pill" and the "Face-Strengthening Pill" are from the same source, and with her years of experience in health preservation and beauty, she can surely glean some truth from them.

This is actually the fundamental reason why Lin Changheng's initial statement that he "has a lot of experience in preserving youth and health" did not impress her.

Second-tier superior talisman master, late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, what ordinary health preservation methods or ways to maintain youth have you not found or tried?

He's even more of an expert than Lin Changheng.

It was only because the [Youth Preservation Pill] was scarce and the medicinal materials were hard to find that she was the only one who managed to escape the net.

(End of this chapter)