“You don’t believe me?” Cough, cough, cough… Qin Jian was angered by Lin Feng’s dismissive attitude, and in his excitement, he started coughing again, “You know such things will happen, yet you choose to ignore it?! You’re clearly avoiding responsibility, shirking the duty you should bear as a cultivator!” “Why should I believe you? Why must I get involved in these intrigues? I just want to be a simple man, to protect those I think need my protection. A cultivator? Humph,” Lin Feng sneered, “I don’t see myself as some cultivator with a mission to protect the country or anything. I am who I am! Don’t try to drag me into that circle!”
Qin Jian’s expression turned somber, somewhat at a loss. “Those bastards hurt you deeply, I know! It’s normal for you to feel this way!” Cough, cough… Lin Feng tried to summon Niu Niu again, his left hand on his chest trembling subconsciously, hoping that the familiar presence would reappear in his palm, allowing him to feel its indescribable warmth. Unfortunately, Niu Niu seemed to have gone into complete silence, no matter how he called out or searched with the bond of their souls in the sea of consciousness. “Don’t tell me these meaningless things! Damn uncle, you should, cough, consider recovering quickly. For the sake of accumulating enough reputation points, I’m set on taking down this level 9 elite monster today, cough, cough!” The fervor in Lin Feng’s eyes reignited, even though there was no longer Niu Niu’s unique video camera in his consciousness, and even though no prompt information was visible above the other’s head, his enthusiasm was undiminished. Even at this point, with his body on the verge of collapse, the fighting spirit within him remained unquenchable. “What a stubborn brat!” Hahaha! Qin Jian laughed again, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small porcelain bottle, from which he poured out a red pill the size of a fingernail. “Open your mouth!” “What? Poison?” Qin Jian flicked his finger, and the small pill shot out, flying straight into Lin Feng’s mouth as he spoke, “Swallow it if you want to die!” Lin Feng felt a sweet liquid slide down his throat, instantly reaching his abdomen. Sure,
Guessing that the other party intended to save him, and since he himself was not ready to die so ignominiously, he offered no resistance. As the red pill entered his mouth, he allowed the medicinal power to spread and enter his stomach. Don’t expect me to be grateful! I, the young master, am the reincarnation of an undying cockroach; I was never meant to die! Despite this, Lin Feng’s face could not help but show embarrassment. He had been intent on killing the other to earn moral points, but the other had repeatedly tolerated and even proactively offered medicinal help. No matter how rogue he was, Lin Feng could no longer bring himself to lash out. Left with no choice, he scrambled for excuses, striving not to be overpowered in momentum. Who needs your gratitude! Qin Jian angrily retorted, “I don’t want you to die so easily because I haven’t tortured you enough yet. How could I let you die so comfortably? Wouldn’t that be too lenient on you, you little brat? Hmph!”
Lin Feng knew the other was just bluffing. He couldn’t understand why, despite his relentless provocation and even intentional insults, the other’s attitude towards him had taken a complete 180-degree turn, seemingly growing fond of him, or perhaps an appreciation was forming. Being treated differently by a rare ninth-level expert made Lin Feng feel secretly pleased. However, he had other pressing matters on his mind. Seeing the moral points gold mine he was about to grasp slip away again, his frustration and depression were far from trivial. Moreover, his usual greatest support, Niu Niu, had encountered such trouble that now, she was completely out of contact! He didn’t know what had happened to Niu Niu, and he was worried whether his concocted Turing’s Three Laws were too extreme, causing this digital life form to suffer severe logical confusion, potentially leading to dire consequences. All these were sources of his frustration and regret, realities he could not change with his current abilities, so naturally, he harbored resentment towards Qin Jian, this uninvited guest who had disrupted his life.
A warm sensation spread from his lower abdomen, clearly the red pill had started to take effect. “Close your breath, concentrate! Clear your mind, enter the void,” Qin Jian’s voice, though not loud, vibrated like thunder in his ears. Lin Feng, who had been deep in thought, was abruptly pulled back to reality and quickly followed the instruction, entering the state of emptiness. As soon as the medicinal power was catalyzed, it quickly spread throughout his limbs and bones. However, Lin Feng’s injuries were too severe. Although the red pill was potent, it was not some miracle drug that could defy fate or bring the dead back to life. After the medicine dissolved into his body, it merely helped him hold onto his internal breath, alleviating some of his pain.
As the medicine started to work, Qin Jian, from afar, reminded, “This is just a tonic made from common snow ginseng and a few other herbs. If you want to survive, you’ll need to work harder on your healing exercises. But rest assured, as an Intender, as long as your spirit remains, ordinary physical injuries are not a major concern!”
Lin Feng opened his eyes, and with the medicine’s effect, at least the bleeding from his wounds had stopped, and his complexion had slightly improved, no longer so pale and weak. “Why don’t you take it?!” he asked, “Don’t tell me you only had this one pill left, so you desperately saved it for me! Don’t play the tragic hero with me; I’m not interested in such sentimental favors!”
Qin Jian’s old face slightly reddened, feeling frustrated to the extreme, almost disturbed by the outburst again, disrupting his recently calmed internal breath. He feigned anger, “You little bastard, is this how you speak to your elders? What kind of mess is in that head of yours! Can’t I eat it later?” Clearly, his words didn’t match his intentions.
“Sorry, I misunderstood you,” Lin Feng said, deliberately elongating the syllables of ‘senior’, implying another meaning.
Qin Jian, flustered, replied, “I don’t need your apology! But to be honest, you’re not much as a person, but your fearless spirit, I do admire that!”
“Who cares about your admiration! Hey, now you’re getting too full of yourself! Believe it or not, I’ll flatten you!”
“Enough talk! We’ve argued, and I’m not your match!” Lin Feng unexpectedly softened his tone, seemingly wanting to end the conflict. “Do you have anything else to say? If not, I’m leaving!”
“Hold on, we still have business to discuss!” Qin Jian suddenly became anxious, his heroic demeanor vanished, reverting to his usual cunning merchant face.
“Chairman Qin, business can wait. If I survive, have your people come find me in a couple of days!”
“Hahaha, of course, of course, Mr. Lin, a man of wealth and nobility, how could you die so easily! I’ll arrange for the best hospital for you, and rest assured, all medical expenses will be covered by Wanmei! We’ll make sure Mr. Lin is well taken care of, plump and tender…”
“Chairman Qin, you talk too much!”
Qin Jian, feeling choked, saw his eyes darting around, a look of eagerness on his face. “Mr. Lin, you’re being too formal. Since we’ve hit it off so well and will soon be working together, how about calling me ‘Brother Qin’ from now on?”
Lin Feng rolled his eyes, “Forget about ‘Brother’, my mother isn’t that old, it’s too easy to misunderstand!”
