Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

Ning Che looked at Shi Cheng'an; the street corner was unusually quiet.

People were already peering over the medicine warehouse, and several passersby stopped in their tracks. The Shi family's carriage was too conspicuous, and the four demonic horses were even more so.

Feihu City is never short of excitement. But the kind of excitement that comes with the Shi family bowing their heads to acknowledge their kinship is quite rare. Everyone watched with bated breath, afraid of missing a moment that, many years later, would still be worth recounting at the dinner table.

"I can accept the things."

Shi Cheng'an's smile deepened immediately, and just as he was about to speak, Ning Che continued.

"But not as a member of the Shi family."

Shi Cheng'an paused slightly as he raised his hand.

Ning Che continued, "You know more about the Shi family's affairs than I do. So I won't beat around the bush. I accepted the items because I'm short of money and medicine. But I won't be included in your family genealogy, nor will I work for the Shi family. If you want to talk, then do it according to the rules for guest elders."

The courtyard was quiet for a little while.

Zhao He stood to the side, still not quite understanding. He only knew the term "guest advisor," which in the cultivation world represented an employment relationship, unrelated to clan or blood ties, purely based on mutual benefit and mutual assistance. To put it bluntly, it meant taking money to do work and leaving once the work was done.

Shi Cheng'an stared at Ning Che for a few moments, then suddenly smiled.

"You've been with the mountain guardians for quite some time now, you've even learned the term 'guest minister'."

Ning Che did not respond.

Shi Cheng'an didn't mind at all. He put away the genealogy paper, folded it again, and put it back in his sleeve. His movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest reluctance, as if he had expected this outcome all along.

"Alright." He nodded. "A guest is fine. But there are rules for guests too; there has to be give and take."

Ning Che said, "You speak."

Shi Cheng'an stretched out one hand and held up three fingers.

"First, we'll continue to provide you with spiritual herbs and spirit stones, and we'll also give you three spirit stones as a monthly subsidy. Your right arm injury requires a supreme yang spiritual herb to balance yin and yang. The Shi family has connections in this area and can help you keep an eye out for it."

"Secondly, if the Shi family encounters any tricky problems, they will ask for your help. You can refuse, but if you do take it on, we will pay you a fee, with a clearly stated price."

"third--"

He paused and looked into Ning Che's eyes.

"You don't need to work for the Shi family, but don't go looking for trouble with them either. Consider the past grievances as a debt the clan owes you, and we'll repay them slowly in the future. But you also know that a great tree can't be uprooted just because of a few rotten branches."

The last sentence was spoken very softly and in a calm tone.

But Ning Che could tell that this was the bottom line.

The three conditions he mentioned, at first glance, seemed like benefits to Ning Che, but in reality, they were testing Ning Che's bottom line. The spiritual herbs and spirit stones were the sweeteners. Asking for his help was a way to lure him in. The real purpose was to prevent Ning Che from causing trouble.

The Shi family was afraid of him.

What I fear is not his current fighting strength, but his future, his relationship with the mountain guardian, and his understanding of the Shi family's affairs. Not long after Shi Mingxuan's incident, they themselves know better than anyone how many shady things the Shi family still has to do.

Ning Che didn't need to think about whether these things were worth it, because he wasn't there to discuss business in the first place.

He needed an identity, a legitimate reason to approach the Shi family.

He used to be the mountain guardian, and investigating the Shi family case was official business. But once the case was closed, he no longer had an excuse to delve deeper into the Shi family's affairs. However, he had promised Shi Gu that he would find out who had harmed him back then.

Even amidst the turbulent times in the city, he never forgot the promise he had made.

The status of a guest retainer was perfect; it allowed him to enter and leave the Shi family compound and to come into contact with its people and affairs. Moreover, the Shi family had offered themselves up.

"I'll change the third point," Ning Che said.

Shi Cheng'an gestured for him to proceed.

"I won't bring up the past, but if anyone does, I don't care who they are in the Shi family."

Shi Cheng'an nodded: "Of course, as you know, the Shi family is a big tree with thousands of branches and leaves. The head of the family and I also disapprove of some people and some things, but sometimes we can't really stop them because of family ties... Your arrival may make the Shi family better."

Ning Che looked into his eyes but couldn't tell if he was sincere, yet he still extended his left hand.

Shi Cheng'an was slightly taken aback, then reached out his hand, and the two shook hands beside the carriage. Shi Cheng'an's palm was dry and warm, and his grip was just right, neither too strong nor too weak, making it feel comfortable.

After releasing his grip, Shi Cheng'an gestured to the two servants behind him. The two men placed the tray on the stone steps in front of Ning Che, their movements becoming much more disciplined.

Shi Cheng'an then took out a name card from his sleeve and placed it on top of the silver note. "Take this when you need to do business with the Shi family in the future. The clan will be informed."

Ning Che took the name card and glanced at it. It was a very thin bamboo plaque with the character "Shi" engraved on the back and the words "Guest Minister" written on the front, with the Shi family's seal below.

Shi Cheng'an didn't linger. His visit was either genuinely sincere, or his acting was superb. Either way, this man was no simpleton.

The carriage turned around.

After the carriage had completely disappeared, Zhao He approached and whispered, "Brother Xing, you don't actually believe him, do you?"

"I don't believe it."

"Then why are you still accepting it?"

Ning Che flipped the bamboo plaque over. "How can I get into his house if I don't accept his things?"

Zhao He opened his mouth, stared blankly for a while, and then let out a long breath.

"Sometimes I really can't tell if you're scheming or taking a risk."

"Yes, all of them."

Ning Che didn't explain further, carefully put away the spiritual herbs and spirit stones, and headed towards the medicine warehouse.

Old Qian was sitting behind the counter drinking tea when he saw Ning Che come in carrying two trays. He held the teacup to his lips for a long time without moving it.

"The Shi family?"

"Um."

Ning Che placed the tray on the table. There were three portions of spiritual herbs, each contained in a separate wooden box. When opened, the herbs released their spiritual energy, filling the entire medicine warehouse with a fresh, herbal fragrance. Old Qian put down his teacup and examined each one.

"The roots of the Tai Sui are cleaned and in good condition. The blood-clotting powder is of medium to high quality. This one is..." He picked up the last one, unscrewed the stopper, and immediately frowned.

"Earthly Dark Ginseng"

Ning Che looked at his expression: "A problem?"

Old Qian put the stopper back on the bottle and pushed it in front of Ning Che. "The Earthly Nether Ginseng is a good thing, used to nourish the soul. But in your current condition, your dantian is about to open but hasn't opened yet. Forcibly replenishing your soul with the Earthly Nether Ginseng at this time could easily break that door prematurely."

Ning Che looked at the porcelain vase: "What would happen if it broke?"

"If your dantian is damaged, your cultivation will suffer a great loss, and rebuilding it will be extremely difficult—does the Shi family know that your dantian is about to open?"

"You shouldn't know."

"That was just a coincidence." Old Qian's tone was unreadable. "The Earthly Dark Ginseng is a good medicine for cultivators whose dantian has already opened. But for you, it's a death sentence."

Ning Che pondered for a moment, then put away the Earthly Nether Ginseng: "It seems this is a test."