Xie Ruolan's reappearance signaled that the adventure had come to an end. Without wasting words, the two of them began their flight back toward the sect.
Lin Haoming noticed that Xie Ruolan never used a flying sword or a flight-type magic tool when she traveled. This was strange, as typically only Foundation Establishment cultivators and above can fly using their own internal spiritual power. He figured it was one of her secrets and decided not to pry; she likely wouldn't tell him anyway.
Halfway back, instead of heading straight for the gates, Xie Ruolan descended onto a small hillside. She performed a hand seal, and a large blue stone shifted aside to reveal a hidden cave entrance.
"What are you dazing off for? Get in here!" she barked. Lin quickly followed. Inside, the stone slid back into place, sealing the entrance. It was a temporary hidden residence.
"Rest here for two hours," she ordered before disappearing into a separate stone chamber. A formation flared to life around her door, masking any aura from within.
Lin Haoming, used to cultivating with his Five Elements Array, found simple meditation unbearable. After half an hour of unproductive sitting, he decided to organize the loot from this trip.
---
Sorting the Spoils
They had killed five people in total. Four were fellow sect members whose storage bags were mediocre at best. However, the Heavenly Sword disciple's bag was a mid-grade one, roughly seven or eight yards square—worth two or three hundred spirit stones on its own. Lin immediately claimed it and moved his belongings into it.
The spirit stones from the victims were already gone—likely taken by Xie Ruolan—along with the high-grade magic tools, late-stage pills, and valuable herbs like the Crimson Sun Ginseng. Those were items nobody on the First Level could process into pills or tools anyway.
What remained for Lin was still substantial:
Seven or eight low-to-mid grade magic tools.
Over twenty low-rank talismans.
Over a hundred Qi-Gathering Pills and thirty Heqi Pills.
A handful of basic healing and detoxification medicines.
Beyond these, there was a pile of over three hundred spent spirit stones. In the Blood Refining Sect, disciples are required to turn in spent stones once used, or face punishment. This rule ended up being a blessing for Lin; to him, these spent stones were as good as new once recharged by his bead.
---
The Secret Refinement
Two hours later, Xie Ruolan emerged exactly on time. As she stepped out, Lin detected a faint trace of lingering Yin energy from the room.
He realized she had used the time to refine the five souls she had captured into her Yin Soul Banner. By doing it here, she avoided the risk of being caught with the souls of fellow disciples back at the sect, which would have carried a severe penalty. With five new souls, the banner's power had increased significantly.
They returned to the sect's teleportation hall and eventually parted ways at the entrance to the First Level. Lin flew back toward the market.
---
An Urgent Visitor
When Lin entered his shop, the young attendant immediately rushed over. "Manager! A friend of yours has been waiting for you for two days. He refused to leave!"
"Two days?" Lin was puzzled. Who would wait that long? He walked into the soundproof private room and found Bao Wenliang.
Lin hadn't returned to the Stupa Grotto since he left. Many there knew he was now a manager, but Bao Wenliang had never visited before.
The moment Lin walked in, Bao Wenliang scrambled toward him and collapsed, grabbing Lin's leg. "Senior Brother Lin, save me! You must save me!"
Lin looked down and was shocked. Bao Wenliang's cultivation had actually dropped from the 7th level of Qi Refining to the 6th. His face was a deathly, terrifying pale—as if the very blood had been drained from his body.
"What happened?" Lin asked, frowning.
Bao Wenliang, his eyes bloodshot and filled with tears, gritted his teeth and pulled open his robes. When Lin saw what was on his chest, his eyes widened in absolute horror.
Chapter 24: The Terrifying Magic Insect
Lin Haoming stared at Bao Wenliang's chest. Perched right over his heart was a creature that looked like a leech swollen several times its normal size. The insect was blood-red, its body translucent enough to see through. One end was buried deep within Bao's flesh, while the other protruded outward, looking as if it had grown directly out of his heart. The sight was indescribably macabre.
Lin Haoming frowned. "What is this thing?"
Bao Wenliang replied with a sob, "It's a Blood Essence Insect. It's a magic insect that attaches to a cultivator to feed on their essence and blood. Half of it is hooked onto my heart. Although I could easily pinch it to death, if it dies, I die with it!"
"How did this happen?" Lin asked.
"It was Situ Ping! After you left, he asked if I wanted to become a manager. Of course, I said yes. But then he told me my cultivation was too low and that I'd lose during the Grand Moon competition. He offered to help me boost my power and gave me a pill. At first, it worked; my cultivation soared, and I hit the 8th level of Qi Refining in less than six months. But then everything went wrong. My power started regressing, and I realized the pill he gave me was actually this insect." Bao's voice trembled with terror every time he mentioned the creature.
"I didn't think he'd be that vicious," Lin Haoming remarked, surprised.
"Yes! I found out later that because I was your confidant, Situ Ping took his resentment toward you out on me. He didn't dare touch you, so he used me as a vent. Senior Brother, you have to save me! Situ Ping had to return to the Second Level for business two days ago, which is the only reason I could sneak out." Bao clung to Lin's leg, clearly at his wit's end.
"Do you know how to remove it?"
Bao nodded quickly. "I heard that if you drip a few drops of juice from a sixty-year-old Bloody Grass onto the exposed part of the insect, it will detach itself!"
"Bloody Grass? That's a main ingredient for Blood-Purifying Pills," Lin noted. "A ten-year-old plant is worth at least a hundred spirit stones. A sixty-year-old one... you won't get that without several hundred stones."
"Senior Brother, I know it's expensive, but I have no other choice! If I don't get it within seven days, the insect will have sucked enough essence to fully emerge, and I'll be finished! If you save me, I, Bao Wenliang, will swear a Blood Oath to serve you for the rest of my life!" Bao cried. Lin was his final hope.
Spirit stones weren't the issue for Lin, but Bloody Grass only grew on the Second Level or lower. He had just parted ways with Xie Ruolan; he couldn't exactly call her back so soon. Who else could help?
---
The Jealous Young Master
Just then, a familiar, arrogant voice shouted from outside. "Lin Haoming! Get out here!"
Lin was startled, then immediately relieved. He whispered to Bao, "Stay here. Act like a customer and don't say a word!"
Bao nodded like a chick pecking grain.
Lin stepped out to find Ling Shengjie standing at the door, looking fuming. "Junior Brother Ling! You've arrived. How can I serve you?" Lin asked with a forced smile.
"You brat! Tell me, why did Ruolan take you to Red Leaf Mountain alone?" Ling demanded. He was clearly green with envy and had come to interrogate Lin the moment he heard he was back.
Lin knew Ling was a loose cannon. If he didn't handle this right, he'd be in danger. His mind whirred. "Oh, Senior Brother Ling! Don't blame me! Remember when I told you Senior Sister had feelings for you? Did you go see her right after that?"
"Of course! If I know she likes me, why would I hesitate?" Ling barked.
"That explains it!" Lin sighed theatrically. "I was wondering why she suddenly forced me into such a dangerous mission. She was punishing me!"
"Punishing you?" Ling's expression shifted to confusion.
Lin looked aggrieved. "For three days, she used me as bait at Red Leaf Mountain. I nearly got hacked to pieces by a Heavenly Sword Mountain disciple! It's because I leaked her secrets to you, so she took her embarrassment out on me!" Lin even faked a shudder of fear.
"Wait... why would she punish you for that?"
"Oh, Senior Brother! Senior Sister Xie is shy! She isn't like other girls; she's incredibly reserved. Now that I've exposed her feelings, she's mortified! Naturally, she's annoyed with me."
"Is that true?" Ling asked, his suspicion wavering.
"Think about it. The last time you saw her and expressed your feelings, did she actually drive you away?"
Ling thought back. Indeed, Ruolan had been evasive, but she hadn't flatly rejected him. A look of joy spread across his face. "So... I was just too hasty and almost got you killed?" His mood improved so much he started calling Lin Junior Brother again.
"Exactly! Senior Brother, don't be so direct next time. Senior Sister isn't the type you can win over with just spirit stones. That's why a genius like you has to put in so much effort!"
"Haha, you're right. My mistake. Junior Brother, if you hear anything else, tell me immediately!" Ling actually apologized to an outer disciple—a first.
"Of course! By the way, Senior Brother, as a descendant of Ancestor Ling, you must practice the sect's Blood Refining Arts, right?"
"Naturally!" Ling boasted.
"In that case... would you happen to have a sixty-year-old Bloody Grass on you? I'm willing to pay twenty percent over the market price for one."