Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Harvesting the Talents of Demonic Beasts

Chapter 13 Channels of Intervention
The woman was graceful and dressed in plain clothes.

It was none other than Su Shuangjiang, the female cultivator next door.

Why did this woman come to me? Lin Changheng was puzzled, but he did not resist her; on the contrary, he had something to ask of her.

I wouldn't mind if the relationship went deeper.

"Fairy Su, are you looking for me?"

A male voice came from behind her. The female cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining had a premonition, so she turned around immediately, smiled generously, and gave a slight curtsy.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Lin. I recently returned from the wilderness and heard the rumors that Fellow Daoist Lin had spent ten years honing his skills and finally advanced to become an alchemist. Such perseverance is astonishing and admirable! As my neighbor for many years, I have come to offer my congratulations."

"Thank you for your kindness, Fairy Su. Please come in and have a seat in my humble abode, and have a cup of spiritual tea."

Lin Changheng separated the simple protective barriers that came with the cave and opened the door to invite the woman in.

"Being respectful is worse than obeying orders."

Su Shuangjiang smiled and nodded, not refusing again, and followed behind her into the room.

Inside the room, Lin Changheng invited the female cultivator to sit down, while he brewed some spiritual tea.

Su Shuangjiang glanced at his busy figure, then looked around. Apart from tables, chairs, and some essential utensils, there was nothing else; it was very simple.

Fellow Daoist Lin has already become an alchemist, yet he still lives such a frugal life? It seems he is also a self-cultivating person who does not seek enjoyment or pleasure.

It's a pity that his spiritual root is somewhat lacking; otherwise, he wouldn't have remained at the early stage of Qi Refining for so many years...

"Fairy Su, please have some tea."

Lin Changheng quickly served the tea and then sat down at the opposite table.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, this is just a humble token of my appreciation, nothing more."

Su Shuangjiang also pushed over a gift basket containing two spirit stones and two low-grade talismans, with a faint spiritual light flashing on them.

"No, no, this is too precious. I cannot accept such a reward without having done the right thing."

Lin Changheng glanced at it, then shook his head and refused to accept it.

A first-grade low-level talisman is worth about one to two spirit stones, so this gift basket is worth more than four spirit stones.

The more valuable it became, the more uneasy he felt.

After all, every gift comes with a hidden price tag, and one should not accept things indiscriminately.

Su Shuangjiang insisted that there was no reason to take back a gift that had been given away.

“Since it is Fairy Su’s kind intention, I will accept it. I have no other skills, only some knowledge of alchemy. If Fairy Su ever needs any pills in the future… well, perhaps I can help.”

Lin Changheng finally nodded, but said this.

The implication is that I will help as much as I can with anything related to elixirs, but I'm sorry, I can't help with anything else!
Now that all forces are retreating and planning to withdraw their power, instability is emerging within the neighborhood, and chaos reigns outside. Lin Changheng should prioritize self-preservation.

Anything risky...must not be done!

Upon hearing this, Su Shuangjiang looked at Lin Changheng carefully, took a sip of spiritual tea, and said with a faint smile, "Of course."

Then he suddenly asked, "Does Fellow Daoist Lin have any pills that can improve one's cultivation?"

"Yes, there are, but they are all low-grade Crimson Flame Pills. Fairy Su probably won't need them, right?"

Lin Changheng's mind raced, but he maintained a calm smile on his face.

"That's acceptable!" Su Shuangjiang surprisingly nodded. "I wonder how many there are?"

Seeing the puzzled look on Lin Changheng's face, she pursed her red lips and explained again.

It turns out that among the demon hunters, there are also loose alliances, with many independent cultivators gathering together to help each other and occasionally team up when venturing into the wilderness. Now that the sect's planned large-scale wilderness exploration is imminent, every bit of strength increases the chances of survival. Therefore, their demand for elixirs is quite high. However, they are also extremely risk-taking and live on the brink of death, so they also value spirit stones highly, even to the point of being stingy.

Therefore, they are less willing to buy directly from the shops of the major powers, and instead seek out alchemists themselves, hoping to buy at a lower price.

Some independent cultivators, struggling to support their families and strapped for cash, even resorted to purchasing inferior pills.
He laughed and said, "Since we're going to die in the belly of monsters sooner or later anyway, we might as well gather some poison in our bodies and let them experience the slippery roads of the martial world and the wickedness of people's hearts!"
"No more than ten."

Lin Changheng didn't reveal everything at once, after all, it was their first collaboration, and he had to be careful.

"That's enough!"

A look of delight appeared on Su Shuangjiang's face. "I wonder how much Fellow Daoist Lin is willing to pay?"

"Why don't you suggest a price, Fairy Su?"

Lin Changheng countered with a question.

"I wonder... how about 20% of the market price?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Su Shuangjiang's pretty face. Forty spirit sands in one bargaining motion seemed a bit too harsh.

However, she also left room for negotiation; as soon as Lin Changheng spoke, she would decisively raise the price a little higher.

Lin Changheng tapped his fingers on the table, the sound echoing in the room, as if he were deliberating.

After a long while, he shook his head.

Just as Su Shuangjiang gritted her teeth, sighed inwardly, and was about to raise the price,

"I can give you a 30% discount, but I might need your help with a small matter."

Su Shuangjiang was suddenly startled, "Seventy percent off?"

He couldn't help but repeatedly ask, "Fellow Daoist Lin, is what you say true?"

Before Su Shuangjiang could even entertain any other thoughts such as "too cheap and not genuine," Lin Changheng had already stood up, turned around, and pretended to take out fifteen [Crimson Flame Pills] from the drawer, but actually from his storage bag. He returned to the table and pushed them in front of the female cultivator.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, indicating that he should open it.

Su Shuangjiang was completely controlled by Lin Changheng at this moment, and subconsciously began to check.

He randomly opened five or six small wooden boxes in a row. Inside, each pill was perfectly round and full, with an irresistible fragrance and exquisite patterns. They were all genuine Crimson Flame Pills!
"Brother Lin, you've only just entered the realm, yet your alchemy skills are already so profound. I admire you greatly. The quality of the pills is excellent, and I'm also very grateful for the discounted price you offered."

Su Shuangjiang's beautiful eyes flashed repeatedly as she spoke sincerely.

The title "Fellow Daoist Lin" was quietly changed to "Brother Lin." However, this form of address was reasonable, since Lin Changheng was a few years older than her, and although his cultivation was inferior, he was still worthy of the title.

"Oh, why say that!"

Lin Changheng shook his head, "If Fairy Su needs any pills in the future, she can come to me for them. No matter what the pills are used for, who they are sold to, where they are sold, or at what price, I will not care. There is only one requirement that Fairy Su must promise."

"Brother Lin, please speak."

Su Shuangjiang listened attentively with a solemn expression.

"That means you must not reveal to the outside world that this pill came from my hands. Fairy Su, you may use the names of any alchemist or shop, but please do not mention me. Hehe, I only want to cultivate in peace and not be disturbed. Do you understand, Fairy? Can you do it?"

"Shuang Jiang can swear an oath to guarantee this! If she goes back on her word, her Dao heart will be disturbed when she breaks through the bottleneck, and she will suffer the consequences!"

"Hey, why bother? We've been neighbors for a long time, and we're both people you can trust."

Lin Changheng said he didn't need it, but when he saw Su Shuangjiang finish making the oath, a hint of satisfaction appeared on his face.

Su Shuangjiang immediately took out twenty-one spirit stones and handed them to Lin Changheng, thus completing the transaction.

The two chatted and drank tea for a while, and their relationship seemed to grow closer.
Lin Changheng then smiled and asked:
"I wonder if Fairy Su often encounters demonic beasts like the Fire Crow when she goes out to hunt demons?"

(End of this chapter)