Cultivation begins with the Druid panel

Chapter 147 Warmth at the Mountain Gate

After breakfast, the eldest and second eldest brothers left first, as if they had something to do. The third eldest sister also took Shen Luo downstairs, saying that she was going to teach Shen Luo how to conduct himself in society.

Lu Lin was also led by Shi Jia to that bamboo forest.

The wind rustled through the bamboo forest. As before, Shi Jiayi sat down on a rock first, followed closely by Lu Lin who sat down on another rock.

"You still have injuries, so let's meditate and cultivate for a while over the next couple of days." Shi Jiayi was still considering Lu Lin's well-being and didn't immediately start training Lu Lin's combat skills.

Lu Lin seized the opportunity and immediately took out a piece of clothing and a pill from his Qiankun bag, saying to Shi Jia, "Senior Sister, this is the Flowing Years Water-Clearing Spirit Pill, which may help you break through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

As he spoke, Lu Lin opened the wooden box in his hand. Inside the box lay a pale blue pill, surrounded by a faint, refreshing fragrance.

Shi Jia glanced at the pill, then at the wooden box containing it, and frowned slightly, saying, "You entered the Cliff Academy's treasure vault and this is all you found?"

Lu Lin was taken aback: "Is Senior Sister blaming me for wasting this opportunity?"

Shi Jia glanced at Lu Lin: "Didn't you waste this opportunity?"

Lu Lin chuckled and said, "Then you've misunderstood me, Senior Sister. I didn't choose this pill; it was chosen by an alchemist named Bai Zhen. I defeated her and then got the pill."

At this point, Lu Lin realized what was happening and asked curiously, "Senior Sister, couldn't you know what I went through through the watermark? How come you didn't know about this?"

"I'm not monitoring you all the time." Shijia shook her head, took the wooden box in her hand, glanced at the pills inside, which were of superior quality, and sighed, "No matter how you got these pills, I accept it, but next time you should think of yourself first. There's no need to waste such a rare opportunity for others."

"Senior Sister is no stranger." Lu Lin laughed as he saw Shi Jia accept the pills, then handed her the clothes. "This set of clothes can ward off illusions. It's unisex, so I'm giving it to you as well."

Shi Jia took the clothes in her hand and saw the words "Huan Yin Fang" on the hem. She immediately threw the clothes back to Lu Lin: "These clothes are useless to me. Why are you giving them to me? Besides, these clothes were given to you by that woman from Huan Yin Fang, weren't they? What do you mean by giving them to me? It's against the rules."

"Where in Tianhang Mountain is there such a rule?" Lu Lin muttered, looking at the exquisitely crafted and high-quality clothes in his hand with a regretful expression: "Besides, these clothes weren't given to me by that woman from Huanyin Pavilion—the young master of the Su family gave them to me to ask me to do something."

Lu Lin's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and Shi Jia could hear it, but she didn't react at all. She had said no, and that meant no; there was no way she would go back on her word.

Lu Lin sighed, "Then I'll just have to wear it myself. Maybe I'll have some unexpected gains if I encounter an illusionist in the future."

Upon hearing this, Shijia frowned and simply said, "You handle interpersonal relationships well, why not give this garment to your fifth senior brother?"

"?"

Lu Lin raised an eyebrow, surprised. He was about to ask why when he met Shi Jiayi's indifferent gaze, so he could only say, "That's fine then, I'll give it to him sometime."

Shi Jiayi then fell silent.

After Lu Lin put the clothes away, he remained silent.

An awkward silence fell between the two.

After a long silence, Shi Jia finally spoke, "Do you have time tonight?"

Lu Lin was taken aback for a moment, then nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes."

"How about you help me protect me?" Shi Jia explained, "I might have some trouble digesting the effects of this Flowing Years Water-Clearing Pill. I'll need your help then. If things go wrong, I might even need you to practice dual cultivation with me."

Lu Lin visibly perked up upon hearing the words "dual cultivation," but Shi Jiayi immediately frowned and glared at him irritably: "It's the power of both of us refining the pill simultaneously, not dual cultivation. You read so many books before you went down the mountain for training, don't you know there are many kinds of dual cultivation? Or have you forgotten?"

Judging from Shi Jiayi's expression, if Lu Lin answered that he had forgotten, Shi Jiayi would definitely not mind making him remember again.

Lu Lin coughed lightly and quickly said, "I haven't forgotten, I haven't forgotten. But why didn't you ask Third Senior Sister for help? It would be more convenient for you two, since you are both women."

Shi Jia said, "Your third senior sister has a fire elemental root, which is incompatible with water and fire. She is a god of war, so naturally she cannot cultivate with me."

Lu Lin understood.

"Then, senior sister, how should I find you? Should I go through the back door or the front door?" Lu Lin asked.

Shi Jia said, "Whatever you say. Anyway, our eldest and second eldest brothers are going into seclusion to cultivate, our third eldest sister is going to teach our fifth junior brother a lesson, and Master already knows that there is a secret between us. There's no need to hide it."

"So, Senior Sister, what time should I go?" Lu Lin asked.

"Midnight." Shi Jiayi was getting a little impatient with Lu Lin's question.

Lu Lin finally finished asking his questions.

He immediately fell silent.

Lu Lin was injured at the moment, and his meridians were extremely fragile. Any use of spiritual power caused him pain as if he were being cut by a knife. He tried to cultivate for a while, but he couldn't bear it any longer. He sighed and ended his meditation, taking out a book from his Qiankun bag.

It was at this moment that Lu Lin suddenly realized that Shi Jiayi was not cultivating either, but was sitting cross-legged on a rock reading a book about the mutual generation and restraint of the five elements, probably searching for a method to establish a foundation.

Lu Lin was very curious: "Why doesn't Senior Sister cultivate either?"

"I've been stuck in the Foundation Establishment stage for a long time. Meditation and cultivation have lost their effectiveness, and I find it difficult to calm my mind," Shi Jia explained, her tone unconsciously tinged with distress and frustration.

She herself was unaware of the emotions in her tone.

Upon hearing this, Lu Lin fell into deep thought and suggested, "I think you could go down the mountain for a walk, Senior Sister. A scholar from the Cliff Academy once told me a saying: 'Read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles.' Before they reach the Foundation Establishment stage, they must travel in the mortal world."

"That's the Confucian path of literature, and I'm not a cultivator of that path." Shi Jia closed the book in her hand. "You're just a kid at the sixth level of Qi Refining, so don't give me any advice. You don't even know what path I follow."

Lu Lin was speechless for a moment, but upon closer reflection, he realized that it made perfect sense.

However, he didn't ask, because he knew that given Shi Jiayi's current state, even if he asked, she would definitely not tell him.

Because deep down, Shi Jia felt that he couldn't be of much help.