From a country cook to a master chef

Looking at the sincere-looking man in front of him, Lin Jue showed a hint of surprise.

A painting?

Thinking that the Six Sects had come for a great treasure, Lin Jue had an idea and immediately asked Kahn to take him to see the painting he had mentioned.

The two soon arrived at the Shicun Clan Ancestral Hall where the paintings were stored.

Kahn first solemnly knelt and worshipped the spirit tablet enshrined in the ancestral hall, and then led Lin Jue to the back of the spirit table.

I saw the painting hanging on the wall.

A black and white landscape painting.

The painting depicts majestic mountains and a flowing river, with a house faintly visible among the peaks, a small bridge over a stream, and withered vines and old trees.

The scroll is one foot wide and three feet five inches long, with peach wood as the axis on both sides, and intricate patterns carved with lacquer.

Although Lin Jue knew very little about talismans, he was certain at first glance that the painting was left by a master of talismans.

This painting appears to be created using ink, but that is not actually the case.

Upon closer inspection, one can discover that the entire painting is constructed from densely packed runes, and these runes bear a striking resemblance to those in the village chief's stone house.

"So, Brother Lin, have you noticed anything?"

Just as Lin Jue was deep in thought, Kahn, who was behind him, stepped forward with a smile and stood next to him. He sighed and said, "This painting is a family heirloom. Before Stone Village was built, this painting was kept by each clan chief. It has a history of more than two hundred years."

Even the village chief cannot take it out of the ancestral hall.

You might be wondering why I brought you here.

Lin Jue nodded slightly, secretly observing his surroundings with vigilance.

Suddenly, as his gaze swept across a dark corner, he clearly saw a figure hiding there, but upon closer inspection, the figure vanished.

There are guards inside the ancestral hall!

Lin Jue was startled. This person was able to hide right under his nose. His skills were so advanced that he must be a martial artist who had surpassed the Divine Power Realm.

No wonder Xiang Ting couldn't take the scroll out of the ancestral hall, and no wonder the villagers still stayed here despite knowing that Shicun was not safe.

Lin Jue suddenly understood, but without showing any emotion, he turned to look at Kahn and asked, "What is so unique about this painting?"

"Distract yourself and take another look," Kahn replied with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Lin Jue nodded and then, as Kahn had instructed, began to examine the scroll once more.

"Huh, what's this...?"

In this landscape painting, he actually saw a figure gradually receding into the distance.

The figure exuded loneliness and solitude, walking alone into the distance with its head down.

Unbeknownst to him, Lin Jue's surroundings underwent a dramatic transformation, as if he had stepped into a landscape painting.

The view was entirely black and white, surrounded by a forest with gray leaves scattered haphazardly in the air, piling up along the path leading up the mountain.

Lin Jue followed the mountain path upwards, and soon arrived at the courtyard of a mountain family.

Through the tall fence, he saw a stone table, a stone pavilion, and several thatched cottages.

He instinctively wanted to push open the courtyard gate and go inside, but the moment his hands touched the gate, he was blasted backward by a mysterious force.

"Phew~"

Coming to his senses, Lin Jue swallowed hard. Even if this scroll was something that the Six Schools were searching for, it was undoubtedly a rare and precious treasure.

"Brother Lin, what did you see in the painting?"

Kahn's expression shifted slightly, and he asked with some curiosity.

When Lin Jue heard him ask this question, although he had doubts, he still told him the truth about what he saw in the painting.

When Kahn heard Lin Jue say that he not only saw a receding figure in the painting, but also followed that figure to a small courtyard hidden in the mountains, he could no longer contain his excitement and suddenly knelt down on one knee in front of Lin Jue, who was in a daze.

"Please, Brother Lin, accept this painting!"

"..."

"You shall accept this painting. This is the will of Heaven. For two hundred years, you have been the only one who has been able to enter the painting. You are worthy of possessing it." The figure that had been hiding in the shadows spoke softly. "Those who are of the same status as you are in the village north of Stone Village. If you want to find them, you can go there."

Although he didn't know what the other party's intentions were, after some contemplation, Lin Jue gladly accepted Kahn and the mysterious martial artist's request and left Stone Village with the scroll.

He had no intention of staying in this village for long. He only had nine days to travel to the Netherworld, so he naturally didn't want to linger here, as that would make him owe more and more favors.

"Brother Lin, we'll meet again someday."

Outside Stone Village, Kahn led his clansmen in a farewell ceremony for Lin Jue.

"Gentlemen, we'll meet again someday."

Lin Jue clasped his hands in a salute, then headed north without looking back.

After passing through a grove of trees, he unexpectedly encountered a figure who seemed to have been waiting for him for a long time.

Kahn's sister, Gulimina.

"I've wanted to visit other villages for a long time, but Beka has always forbade it. Thanks to you this time, he didn't notice that I sneaked out," the girl said casually, sitting on a rock.

"Aren't you afraid of encountering a zombie-like beast?"

Lin Jue said with a solemn expression, "You should go back quickly, don't let Brother Kahn worry."

"I'm not going back. I've heard that those big villages have a way to easily eliminate the Nether Beasts. I want to go and see for myself."

Gulimina shook her head, a look of longing on her face, and said in a deep voice, "Every time the Nether Beasts appear, people die in the village. I need to find a way to completely exterminate them."

After saying that, the girl turned around, jumped off the rock, and walked forward.

Lin Jue watched her receding figure, shook his head, composed himself, and quickly followed.

The two traveled together and arrived at their destination, Sanlian Village on Qingmo Island, two hours later.

As one of the three major villages on Qingmo Island, Sanlian Village has nearly 10,000 residents.

Unlike the original appearance of Shicun, Sanlianzhai is very close to the surrounding villages and towns, with shops, inns, stores, pharmacies and all kinds of shops available.

Sanlian Village is extremely tolerant of outsiders; here, every outsider can receive the most proper accommodation.

Lin Jue came here only to find the other nine inner court disciples. As soon as he entered the village, he parted ways with Gulimina and asked everyone he met about the outsider.

As it turned out, he actually found out that a disciple of the Six Sects was also in this Three Lotus Village.

Furthermore, this disciple of the Sixth Sect was none other than Miss Zhao Er, whom he knew.

However, Zhao Xiaoyao's current situation is not very friendly. After entering the Netherworld, all her magical powers were sealed, and she became a mortal. She was then noticed by the beloved son of the leader of the Three Lotus Village, and they are to hold a grand wedding on a chosen day.

Apart from Zhao Xiaoyao, Lin Jue did not find out the whereabouts of anyone else in Sanlian Village.

Upon learning that Zhao Xiaoyao was going to marry someone, Lin Jue was stunned, his face full of surprise.

As a cultivator of the Yanxia Sect, and now even a disciple of a Core Formation cultivator of the Yanxia Sect, it would be impossible for Zhao Xiaoyao to meet and fall in love with a mortal here. Now that she has lost all her magical power, she must be under someone's control and being forced into marriage.

Lin Jue was immediately caught in a dilemma of whether to save him or not, unsure of what to do.

Although Stone Village is small, it is protected by a martial artist who is suspected to be at the Divine Illumination Realm.

As for the larger Sanlian Village, it is no surprise that there are martial arts experts there as well.