Cultivation begins with the Druid panel

Lu Lin and Shen Luo were both unsure of the old man's true intentions, so they remained silent after hearing his words, quietly waiting for him to continue.

The short old man said unhurriedly, "You two, one killed Song Changning of Wangyue Pavilion and the other killed Zhao Yang of Hammer Mountain Sect. Although both of you are marginal figures, it is a fact that you have offended these two forces."

"They definitely won't let you get away with this."

Lu Lin and Shen Luo frowned at the same time.

Whether it was Wangyue Pavilion or Hammer Mountain Gate, they were both completely unfamiliar to them. They had never even heard of the former, and they only knew about the latter from that man.

It seems that these two forces are quite important in Peacock City.

The short old man continued, "After Song Changning entered Wangyue Pavilion, his aptitude was extremely poor, and he was unable to break through to the second level of Qi Refining for a long time. So he would squat outside the city every day, specifically targeting inexperienced mountain kids like you to harm."

Zhao Yang was at the bottom of the Hammer Mountain Sect in terms of strength, and his cultivation resources were extremely scarce, which is why he teamed up with Song Changning.

Upon hearing this, Lu Lin and Shen Luo realized what was happening.

It turns out that their encounter with Song Changning outside the city gate was not a coincidence, but an inevitability.

"So, what exactly did you want to say, senior?" Lu Lin and Shen Luo sat back down in their chairs and began to talk while eating.

"There are roughly three forces in Peacock City. The Moon Gazing Pavilion and the Hammer Mountain Gate are two of them, and the last one is the Peacock Restaurant where I work. I see that you two are both exceptionally talented, and I want you to do something for my Peacock Restaurant. In return, I will protect you from being harmed by the Hammer Mountain Gate and the Moon Gazing Pavilion." The short old man's purpose was clear, and he told Lu Lin the truth after hearing his question.

Lu Lin asked, "What kind of busyness?"

The short old man said, "The position of city lord of Peacock City is about to change. The choice of city lord will be made among these three parties. However, the leaders of these three forces are all at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and it is impossible to distinguish who is superior. Therefore, the position of city lord will fall to one of their disciples."

Lu Lin finally understood what the short old man was up to:

"You want us to represent Peacock Restaurant in the war?"

The short old man was taken aback, clearly not expecting Lu Lin to think that way, and quickly refused, saying, "You two little brats are only at the first level of Qi Refining, while there are quite a few disciples at the second level of Qi Refining in Hammer Mountain Sect and Moon Gazing Pavilion. Sending you to participate in the battle is just sending you to your deaths, isn't it?"

Lu Lin and Shen Luo were now completely bewildered.

The short old man took out two scrolls from his sleeve, giving one to Lu Lin and the other to Shen Luo.

The scroll was inscribed with more than twenty names, followed by their corresponding strengths and methods.

Lu Lin's list was from Wangyue Pavilion, while Shen Luo's list was from Chuishan Sect.

"You want us... to assassinate these people?" Lu Lin immediately objected. Assassination was far more dangerous than fighting. If they were discovered, they would become mortal enemies.

"No, no," the short old man denied again, "I meant for you to go and disturb their rest."

For Lu Lin and Shen Luo, both at the first level of Qi Refining, to assassinate those on the list would be tantamount to suicide.

As the short old man spoke, he took out two jade bottles from his sleeve. He looked at the labels on the jade bottles, handed one to Lu Lin, and the other to Shen Luo.

Lu Lin and Shen Luo looked down.

"Has Bai Mingtian abandoned his fans?"

"The Spirit-Entering Illusionary Dream Disperser?"

The short old man coughed lightly and said, "The Hundred Sounds Powder, if inhaled even a tiny bit, will easily induce sleep, but will inevitably plunge one into a deep abyss of nightmares, depleting one's spirit. And since the Moon Gazing Pavilion primarily cultivates magic, if one cannot sleep well, one's magic will naturally fail."

"The Dream-Entering Powder, if inhaled even a tiny bit, will make it difficult to wake up all day, and will cause one to indulge in revelry in dreams every night, thus depleting one's kidney essence. Since the Hammer Mountain Sect focuses on cultivating physical techniques, once the kidney essence is depleted, the lower back and knees will become weak, and the physical techniques will naturally become ineffective."

"You two are newcomers. Wangyue Pavilion and Hammer Mountain Sect would never have imagined that you would dare to take such a risk, let alone that you would have a list of their disciples. This is the perfect opportunity to strike."

The shorter old man felt increasingly clever as he spoke, and immediately began to laugh lewdly.

Moreover, after the incident, no one was able to trace it back to their Peacock Restaurant. After all, Lu Lin and Shen Luo were newcomers with low cultivation levels, and no one would have imagined that he would cooperate with these two.

Lu Lin and Shen Luo were both stunned.

It turns out that the world of cultivation is not about fighting and killing, but about deceit and treachery.

Moreover, their methods were extremely despicable.

Is this the layout of Peacock City?

After a moment of silence, Lu Lin said, "This can be done. But we don't have enough leverage."

Upon hearing this, the short old man asked, "What do you want? Please speak freely."

"I want two secret techniques, and a hundred low-grade spirit stones." After a moment's consideration, Lu Lin held up one finger.

"Are you robbing me?" The short old man was shocked when he heard the price.

Lu Lin frowned. "Could it be that a hundred spirit stones are too much?"

"I can give you a hundred spirit stones, but two secret techniques are impossible; at most, one book," the short old man said at this moment.

One hundred spirit stones are not much for the position of city lord.

But the secret techniques are the foundation of our power; how can we give away two of them at once? This would shake our very foundation.

Lu Lin raised an eyebrow upon hearing this:

"This has potential."

"Alright, I'll do as you say, senior. One secret technique, plus one hundred spirit stones." Lu Lin readily agreed.

The short old man accepted, and immediately took out a booklet and a bag from his sleeve.

Shen Luo took the bag and opened it. It was full of spirit stones, but the quality was not very good, not as good as the three that their master had given them.

Lu Lin then took the booklet in his hand.

He looked down.

"A three-inch heavenly lightning bolt?"

Then turn it over.

"It's still a fragment? Only the first half is available."

The short old man said, "I obtained this secret technique by chance. There is only one copy. If you do not accept it, then I will go and find someone else."

Lu Lin and Shen Luo exchanged a glance and decided to call it quits while they were ahead.

After all, they are in a passive position now, so they might as well suffer some losses.

The short old man observed their reactions, chuckled, and took out two more tokens, handing them to Shen Luo and Lu Lin.

"With this token, you can contact me at any time. It can save your lives in critical moments. If people from Hammer Mountain Sect and Moon Gazing Pavilion come to kill you, you can use this to escape."

After saying that, the old man pointed to the door of the private room and continued, "However, if you are exposed during the operation, I will not show up, so you should think carefully."

Both Lu Lin and Shen Luo understood what the old man meant.

This old man just doesn't want to be labeled as a scoundrel.

"After you leave, don't say you know me," the short old man continued.

Lu Lin and Shen Luo shrugged.

After the short old man finished speaking, he didn't linger there any longer. He tore off a piece of duck leg and left.

Lu Lin and Shen Luo then began to discuss the matter.

Shen Luo said, "Are we really going to do this? Isn't it a bit too risky?"

Lu Lin sighed and shook his head: "That old man is at least at the fifth level of Qi Refining, you and I are no match for him. The fact that he's giving us a hundred spirit stones and a secret technique is probably because we're disciples of the mountain."

"It seems like we have a choice, but in reality, that old man didn't leave us any way out. Let's just take it one step at a time."

Shen Luo thought about it and sighed softly.

I still lack experience.

Having just arrived in Peacock City, I've already found myself in such a passive situation.

"But this token..." Lu Lin's gaze fell on the wooden token in his hand: "This token might expose our location. Let's find a chance to throw it away."

"That makes sense," Shen Luo agreed.