Chapter 14 : Chapter 14
Chapter 14: Aunt
In the days following the contract, Lin Bai spent all his time testing his coordination with Mo Ling and figuring out how they should fight together.
Thanks to the solid Life-bound contract between them, Mo Ling could clearly understand and carry out nearly every command Lin Bai gave.
And through the divine-soul link between them, Lin Bai could also understand what Mo Ling was trying to express.
What delighted Lin Bai the most was that he could actually share Mo Ling’s vision. The range was only about five li for now, but he could feel that this distance would expand as the compatibility between their minds and souls deepened.
The discovery sparked a burst of inspiration in him, and he immediately tailored a tactical system perfectly suited to his current stage.
He called it the Spotter-Bow Style.
Just think about it. Once Mo Ling grew up, flew high and fast, and came with her own Stealth trait, wouldn’t she basically be an all-weather, all-terrain super scout aircraft that could not be counter-spotted and could even relay enemy positions?
And now that Lin Bai’s physical strength had greatly increased, the arrangement fit perfectly with his archery.
When the time came, Lin Bai could crouch safely in some hidden place, search for targets through Mo Ling’s vision, then draw his bow and unleash strikes from beyond visual range. In complicated terrain, that style of fighting would be an outright nightmare for his enemies.
Even if it was less effective in open ground, that did not matter. Lin Bai’s own close-combat strength was just as formidable.
He was simply a cautious person who deeply understood the supreme principle that if you could shoot cold arrows from behind someone’s back, then you should absolutely never charge them head-on.
Aside from training Mo Ling, Lin Bai’s own cultivation was also steadily improving. Based on his physique, he had gradually increased both the dosage and the frequency of his Bearheart Medicinal Powder.
The benefits were obvious. His cultivation progress was so fast it was almost absurd.
The drawback was equally obvious. He was burning through the medicinal powder far too quickly. Lin Bai estimated that the powder would probably run out before it was even time for him to report to the Martial Academy.
Of course, that was Lin Bai’s weakness, not the weakness of a top-grade talent.
Still, the horrifying rate at which he consumed resources even made Lin Bai briefly entertain the dangerous thought of finding some rich older sister and skipping twenty years of struggle, since Yunmeng City was full of great clans willing to invest in sons-in-law with high-grade talents.
Naturally, the thought passed in an instant. It was not because of any masculine pride, but simply because Lin Bai did not believe those great clans would ever hand out benefits for free. There had to be a trap somewhere.
But his Beast-Taming Martial Artist path, combined with the Metamorphosis talent, meant that the evolution path of his Life-bound beasts could never be allowed to stop.
And spirit beast evolution was another money pit altogether, the kind that only burned more money the further you went.
For example, through the guidance displayed by the Metamorphosis talent, Lin Bai could now see exactly how Mo Ling should evolve next and what materials were required.
Name: Mo Ling
Species: Dark Crow (Mutant)
Evolution Requirements: In a place where yin energy gathers within a mass grave, inscribe a Yin-Gathering Formation and place the Dark Crow within it. Then feed it Phosphor Fireflies continuously for seven days, and on the seventh day perform the corresponding ritual.
Evolution Formation.pdf
Mysterious Ritual.pdf
This Metamorphosis talent was strangely considerate. Apparently afraid that Lin Bai might not understand the formation or the ritual materials, it had listed out two separate inventories directly within his mind, and even done so in the format he was most familiar with.
Lin Bai examined the specific requirements. Overall, since this was the first evolution, and a low-level evolution at that, there were quite a few materials needed, but taken individually, none of them were expensive.
For example, Black Cloud Ink Ore Ink for drawing the formation, Yin Soul Stone as the core of the formation, Brightbird Feathers needed for the ritual... all of them were cheap materials available in large quantities.
Compared to the spirit beast evolution resources on the market that could bankrupt people at every turn, these were practically sold at cabbage prices.
The problem was that Lin Bai currently could not even afford cabbage prices. His little treasury had all been thrown into buying Mo Ling.
Still, Lin Bai could always mooch off his sister. As the disciple of a master alchemist, Lin Su still had a modest amount of wealth.
But one material on the list made Lin Bai feel a little strained.
Phosphor Fireflies.
It was not that the stuff was especially precious, but this insect happened to be one of Great Xia’s controlled materials. On the surface, among outside forces, only the Heavenly Craft Hall generally had it, and it was not sold to outsiders.
If Lin Bai had acquaintances in the Heavenly Craft Hall, secretly getting a little might not have been difficult. But after thinking it over again and again, there was not a single person he knew who had any connection to the Heavenly Craft Hall.
So his plan stalled the moment he began making it. Lin Bai had considered telling Lin Su.
But Lin Su was a textbook homebody who did not like dealing with people. Lin Bai guessed she did not have that sort of connection either, so he did not want to make his sister worry along with him.
Nor was the matter of evolution urgent. Lin Bai decided to think of a solution himself first. If he truly ran out of options, then he would tell Lin Su and see if she had a way. And if that still failed, he would activate his hidden emergency reserve, Master Jinhua.
It could not be helped. He could hardly trouble Master Jinhua over such a “small matter.”
Lin Bai was currently considering whether he should visit Yunmeng City’s black market.
As everyone knew, where there was control, there was profit. And where there was profit, there were always people willing to take risks and smuggle.
As for whether he was afraid of running into robber cultivators, Lin Bai was not all that worried. With his current strength, he could be considered a top expert within the Transcendent-Mortal. Besides, he only wanted to buy some Phosphor Fireflies. It probably would not be enough to attract robber cultivators.
Just as Lin Bai was hesitating, Lin Su sent someone to fetch him.
“What does my sister want with me?”
The maid who had come shook her head.
“I don’t know either. Alchemist Lin only instructed me to bring you, honored guest, to see her.”
Since he could not get anything out of her, Lin Bai could only tidy himself up, settle Mo Ling properly, and follow the maid.
The maid led him to an alchemy room on the fourth floor, then bowed and withdrew.
Lin Bai was now full of question marks, because this was neither Master Jinhua’s alchemy room nor Lin Su’s own.
But since he was already here, he could only raise his hand and knock on the door.
The door opened automatically in response.
Lin Bai did not hesitate and stepped straight inside.
The moment he entered, he saw Lin Su at once, along with an unfamiliar woman beside her.
The woman wore a goose-yellow dress, with silver embroidery along the collar and cuffs. Her hair was tied with a golden cord. Her features were bright and beautiful. Most striking of all were her amber eyes, with a touch of cinnabar red at the corners, adding several extra degrees of radiance to her appearance.
The woman looked Lin Bai up and down with amused interest and raised a hand to stop Lin Su, who had been about to introduce him.
At that moment, Lin Bai’s thoughts were racing.
My sister does not know many people, and even fewer are this close to her. And this is an intermediate alchemy room of the Benevolent Heart Hall.
Lin Bai then recalled someone Lin Su had mentioned while bringing him here. Added to that was the fact that although the woman did not resemble his mother Wang Xiu exactly, her eyes and brows were extremely similar. On top of that, there were his own vague childhood memories.
Once all of that came together, Lin Bai understood.
He immediately bowed and saluted.
“This nephew greets Aunt. Your nephew has been in Yunmeng City for quite some time without taking the initiative to pay his respects. That was your nephew’s failing.”
The smile at the corners of the woman’s eyes became even more obvious.
“How did you know I was your aunt? Weren’t you afraid of making a mistake?”
Lin Bai answered as respectfully as ever.
“Before I came, Mother had already instructed me about such matters. On the road, my sister and I also spoke of them. Now that I have seen you today, Mother’s eyes and brows are extremely similar to yours. In addition, seven years ago I accompanied my parents to Yunmeng City to visit relatives. Though my memories are blurred, the general outline remains.”
The woman beckoned for Lin Bai to sit beside her.
“You used to be as mischievous as a little mud monkey. How is it that now you speak like some little scholar from an academy? Could it be that my elder sister has raised a future top scholar of the literary line?”
Hearing the woman tease him for being too proper, Lin Bai offered no direct response. He had his own reasoning.
When facing an unfamiliar elder, the first impression was the most important. There was never any harm in first being thoroughly proper and observing every courtesy.
If the elder was easygoing and disliked fussy formalities, then at most they would tease him a little. Deep down, they would not truly mind.
After all, no one could fault a person for being overly courteous. But if he happened to meet an old-fashioned, serious elder, then overly lively behavior would definitely leave them displeased.
So Lin Bai had always followed one principle when dealing with elders.
First act obedient. Once you know them well enough, then you can talk.