Cultivation begins with the Druid panel

"Gurgle gurgle?"

At this moment, Guji turned around, blinked its large amber eyes, and pointed with its vines at the spiritual materials in the earthen jar, asking a question.

"What should we do with this spiritual material?"

Sweet flag is a spiritual material with both wood and earth attributes. Its main effect is enlightenment. Guji is a tree person, so this effect has no effect on it. Therefore, Guji will not be clamoring to eat it at this moment.

Lu Lin had planned ahead. He opened his left palm and took out the Shennong Harvest Picture, putting the mature sweet flag into it.

Sweet flag, growing to one foot in total, is a plant suitable for a scholar.

Its fundamental power lies in the ability of wood to overcome earth's ignorance, granting the capacity for sudden enlightenment. The effects are doubled for those cultivating the path of literature, while the effects are moderate for those on other paths. Ordinary people who consume it will gain sharpened senses and perception, enabling them to see through the essence of things and inevitably make discoveries.

Lu Lin looked at the basic information that appeared on the Shennong Harvest Map and smiled with satisfaction. He knew he would be able to use it when he broke through to the fourth level of the Qi Refining stage in the future.

Lu Lin closed the Shennong Harvest Picture and put it away again. Guji transformed back into vines and wrapped around Lu Lin's right arm. Just then, Sang Ling's carriage suddenly stopped.

The three fiery steeds reared up and neighed, their hooves pounding the mud and splashing up a lot of muddy water, staining their fiery red coats.

Lu Lin stepped out of the carriage and glanced at the front of the carriage. Just as he was about to ask Sang Ling why she had stopped, his peripheral vision caught sight of the five corpses lying in front of the carriage. The clothes worn by these five corpses were the same as those that Lu Lin had taken off Sang Ling earlier, all inlaid with gold thread, and looked quite valuable.

So this outfit is standard issue for Kirito's镖局 (bodyguard agency)!

Sang Ling jumped off the carriage and moved among the five corpses. All five had residual spiritual energy in their bodies. Some had their chests pierced, while others had their necks severed. Without exception, they were all killed instantly.

Of the five dead, three were at the second level of Qi Refining and two were at the third level. None of their belongings were missing, and there were footprints on the ground similar to those found at the supply point.

Looking at the scene before him, Lu Lin asked curiously, "The person who made the move must be a master on the path of sword cultivation, at least at the fourth level of Qi Refining. Can your Kirito Escort Agency defend against that?"

"Also, why is gold thread embedded in the clothes of your Kirito Escort Agency?"

"The team leader this time is at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and the Chamber of Commerce also has a fifth-level Qi Refining member accompanying the team," Sang Ling said to Lu Lin. "As for the gold silk... Tongren Escort Agency doesn't have the capacity to equip every escort with inner armor, so this is the only way to improve the clothing's defense without slowing down the escort speed."

Inner armor is generally made from the hide and flesh of demonic beasts or spirit ore. It is cheaper than magic weapons, but the most common inner armor costs between thirty and fifty spirit stones.

Most importantly, inner armor is a consumable item, primarily used for protection. Those without substantial resources simply can't afford it. Not to mention, the镖人 (bodyguards/couriers) of Kirito's镖局 (bodyguard agency) are a group of people who live on the edge, so their inner armor wears out even faster.

That reason is perfectly reasonable!

Lu Lin gave a thumbs up in his mind.

Ordinary mortals who obtain this garment can live a life free from worries about food and drink, but in the world of cultivation, this garment is used to protect against injuries.

Sang Ling seemed to recognize the five people, and her demeanor visibly somber. She burned the five corpses in a large fire, cleaned them up, and then returned to the carriage.

"Judging from the degree of dryness of the blood, they must have died within half an hour, which means we are not far from the caravan."

As she spoke, Sang Ling was about to drive the carriage to catch up, but Lu Lin spoke up at this moment: "I understand that you want to find your sister, but I am not a member of the Kirito Escort Agency, you understand what I mean?"

Sang Ling was taken aback.

Lu Lin continued, "I don't need to deal with those people, and what happens to the Kirito Escort Agency is none of my business. So, if you want to chase after the caravan, you can, but don't take me with you."

Sang Ling turned to look at Lu Lin. She was a reasonable person and knew that this matter had nothing to do with Lu Lin. After hearing this, she jumped off the carriage and said, "Please do as you please, young master."

After saying that, Sang Ling jumped onto a tree branch and followed the direction of the footprints.

Lu Lin sat at the front of the carriage, took out the map and looked at it. Sure enough, he found a way out: "There is a small road from here that can bypass the merchants' guild and the escort agency."

After Lu Lin looked up to confirm the direction, he took the reins of the Fiery Sun Horse in his hand and steered it towards a side path.

Fortunately, the Fiery Sun Horses were spirit beasts, and Lu Lin was a druid who had a natural affinity for these spirit beasts. The three Fiery Sun Horses obeyed Lu Lin's orders and galloped away.

The path was lined with dense bushes on both sides, and the ground was incredibly muddy after the recent rain. Three Fiery Sun Horses galloped past on the road. Lu Lin held the reins in one hand and kept checking the map with the other, afraid of taking the wrong turn.

But at this moment, the three Fiery Sun Horses suddenly slowed down on their own. Lu Lin frowned. Could it be that the Fiery Sun Horses needed to eat?

But when he looked up, he froze in place.

But directly in front of the carriage, there were three other carriages, surrounded by a group of bodyguards. The bodyguards were dressed in the same clothes as the corpses Lu Lin had just seen.

Why are the people from Kirito Escort Agency here? Lu Lin's lips twitched, and he looked puzzled.

Similarly, Lu Lin spotted the people from the Tongren Escort Agency, and the people from the Tongren Escort Agency also spotted him. The escorts frowned at the same time, thinking that Lu Lin was with the group of cultivators who had just robbed the goods, so they stopped and turned around to look.

The next moment, bodyguards hidden in the shadows appeared from all directions, surrounding Lu Lin's carriage completely.

"Tsk..." Lu Lin had a headache.

However, these bodyguards valued their lives, and after surrounding Lu Lin, they did not make any rash moves, which gave Lu Lin the opportunity to explain.

"We're on the same side." Lu Lin raised his hand: "Sang Ling, you should know her, right? She's my friend."

"?"

Sang Ling did not hold a high position among the镖人 (bodyguards/escorts), but they were all colleagues and partners who had gone through life and death together, so they naturally knew each other.

But... wasn't Sang Ling captured? Could she still be alive?

"Where is Sang Ling?" At this moment, a tall woman walked out from the crowd. She was carrying a long spear, had her hair in a high ponytail, and had a hint of heroism between her eyebrows. Her features were at least nine-tenths similar to Sang Ling's.

"Huh?" Lu Lin was taken aback, not expecting that the sister Sang Ling mentioned was actually her twin.

Lu Lin pointed behind him and said, "Just now at the fork in the road, she followed the footprints. You must be her sister, right?"

The tall woman in front of him changed her expression abruptly upon hearing this.

Follow those footprints.

Wouldn't that be like walking into a trap?

The woman immediately wanted to help, but someone in the group disagreed, saying to the gunwoman, "We finally managed to shake off those thieves using this path, and many of our comrades were killed in the process. If you take the initiative, won't you expose us?"

The speaker was a middle-aged man. He had no weapon in his hand, but it was clear that all the镖人 (bodyguards/escorts) followed his lead. He was most likely the captain of the escort team.

The woman's expression shifted between light and dark: "But my sister..."

She didn't help before because she was in dire straits herself, but now that she's not helping, it seems like she's trying to protect herself.

Moreover, Sang Ling followed those footprints because she was worried about them; otherwise, why would she take that risk?

"Young master, could you please help me save her?" the woman asked Lu Lin.

Lu Lin opened his mouth to refuse, but the woman preemptively threw something out and said, "This is your reward."

Lu Lin raised an eyebrow, then looked down and saw a booklet—a cultivation manual.

"This is the legacy of my martial arts. It's all I have left."

Lu Lin was stunned for a moment. A cultivator's cultivation technique is of utmost importance, not only because it is precious and rare, but also because it contains all the cultivator's flaws and weaknesses. Entrusting one's inheritance to a stranger while still alive is no less than giving half of one's life to the other party.

"If you save my sister, I will reward you," the woman continued.

Lu Lin was curious. Where did this woman get her confidence? You know, this technique was almost useless to him, and as for the woman's life, it was even less important to Lu Lin. What would he want it for?

But he still opened the manual in his hand, only to find a line of text written on the first page:

"After the matter is accomplished, the inheritance site of an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator will be handed over."

hiss--

Upon seeing this, Lu Lin immediately closed the booklet in his hand.

The woman continued:

"I am an ordinary person, and the reason I have been able to get to where I am today is because I keep my word."

Lu Lin weighed the pros and cons in his mind for a moment, then smiled and said, "No problem, no problem, I'll go and bring it back to your sister right away."

The woman breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the guards surrounding the carriage, and ordered, "Make way, let him go."

The镖人 (bodyguards) exchanged glances, and finally looked at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man frowned slightly, knowing that this was against the rules, but considering that the woman was also desperate to save her sister, he didn't want to offend her in public and said, "Move aside."

The crowd then made way, letting Lu Lin go.