Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

118: Their external identities are all self-given.Watching Lin Jingyu’s joyful expression, Qin Yue ultimately could not suppress the intense curiosity in her heart.

She pondered her wording and probed, ”Jingyu, Aunt Yue will ask a presumptuous question… where did you learn this incredibly solid foundation in Alchemy, as well as those extraordinary insights and techniques?”

She immediately added, her tone gentle and apologetic, ”If it is inconvenient to say, just pretend I didn’t ask. Aunt understands; some high-level Seniors truly dislike having such things mentioned.”

It was here! Lin Jingyu’s spirits lifted. He had long since prepared a draft for this ”Master” question.

Giving Qin Yue the first ”reveal” was just right.

His face quickly switched to a desolate and sorrowful expression. He even lowered his head slightly and remained silent for a few seconds, creating a heavy atmosphere.

Then, he slowly raised his head, his gaze drifting toward the window as if recalling the past, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible hoarseness:

”…Probably when I was seven or eight years old, I met a… um, particularly slovenly and disheveled old man.

He didn’t say a word, just snatched the candied hawthorn I had just bought and was reluctant to eat, then started munching on it. He even sprayed sugar bits while asking me, ’Little kid, do you want to learn some real skills? Want to be an Alchemist?’”

”Ah! Stealing a child’s candied hawthorn! That old man is too bad!” Yun Momo listened with righteous indignation, her little fists clenched. She instantly threw her previous little melancholy to the back of her mind, only feeling that Lin Jingyu had been so pitiful when he was young.

The corners of Qin Yue’s mouth twitched imperceptibly. This style of conduct… it was too typical!

Certain old monsters who wandered the Mortal World with eccentric temperaments loved doing such unreliable things.

Lin Jingyu was immersed in his ”memories” and continued to confide:

”…I was also stupid at the time. I felt that being an Alchemist was a huge stroke of good luck, so I gave him the one and a half Spirit Stones I had saved for several years… After that, he started teaching me some strange and bizarre things here and there…”

”He would make me memorize some inexplicable things, and even tap me, and countless things would appear in my memory…”

”He was always elusive. He would teach me for a few days and then disappear, sometimes for a few months, and other times for up to half a year before popping up again.”

Lin Jingyu felt that if he could smoke a cigarette at this moment, it would be absolutely perfect.

He would definitely be a melancholic, beautiful young man with a sense of brokenness.

It had to be a cigarette; a pipe wouldn’t do, it would ruin the mood.

His voice carried a choke: ”The last time… was half a year ago. He looked at me, shook his head, and said, ’Disciple, the fate between you and me as Master and disciple has come to an end’… and he never appeared again…”

The VIP room was silent. The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window lattice, casting a long, lonely shadow on his body.

Yun Momo’s eyes turned red. She just felt that Brother Jingyu had it too tough. At such a young age, he had been swindled of his Spirit Stones by such a bad ”Master,” and now he had been ”abandoned.” She really wanted to hug him and comfort him.

Qin Yue’s heart was deeply touched.

Looking at the youth before her who was forcibly holding back his grief, and combining this with the Heart-Nature and wisdom he had previously displayed, along with his Alchemy knowledge that far exceeded the Family’s heritage.

An image of a resilient youth who was ”of rugged background yet self-improving, who had occasionally received guidance from a famous Master but failed to formally enter the sect due to limitations in Aptitude” became incredibly clear in her mind.

The last bit of doubt in her heart completely dissipated, replaced by deep pity and the feeling of having struck gold.

She walked up to Lin Jingyu, extended her arms, and with a gentle yet unrefusable force, pulled him softly into her embrace.

The warm, soft, fragrant scent of a mature woman instantly surrounded Lin Jingyu. A warm palm gently patted his back, and her voice was soft yet full of strength:

”Good child, it’s not your fault. You have already done very, very well! Aunt believes that with your Comprehension Ability and perseverance, your future achievements will surely be limitless! Let the past be the past.”

It was very common for those old monsters to travel the Mortal World, experience the Mortal World, and occasionally offer guidance to mortals or low-level Cultivators.

But wanting to truly take on a disciple was incredibly strict.

Even a one-in-ten-thousand Heavenly Spiritual Root might not necessarily meet the threshold.

Regardless, Lin Jingyu was only a seventeen or eighteen-year-old child; having experienced such ups and downs, it was truly hard on him.

Lin Jingyu stiffened all over from this sudden embrace. The pleasant fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose, and half of his face was buried in astonishing softness.

He silently recited: ”Heart like ice, clear and serene; even if the heavens collapse, remain unperturbed…”

He steadied his mind, fully playing the part of a sorrowful little Cultivator; he dared not have any other thoughts at this moment.

Yun Momo watched from the side, her little face also inexplicably flushing red. She couldn’t help but think back to the scene where she had thrown herself into Lin Jingyu’s arms when he rescued her; that feeling of solidity and safety seemed to still linger.

She hurriedly lowered her head, pretending to tidy the corner of her clothes.

After a while, Qin Yue released Lin Jingyu, her eyes full of the affection of an elder.

She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from Lin Jingyu’s face that he had managed to squeeze out with great difficulty.

Lin Jingyu timely stepped back half a step, his face carrying a perfectly appropriate shyness and gratitude, his voice full of embarrassment: ”Aunt Yue… I’m sorry, I… I lost my composure.”

”Silly child, in front of Aunt, there is no need to force yourself.”

Qin Yue smiled gently, her eyes incredibly soft.

She picked up the exquisite Jade Box containing the ”mist hidden jade sprout” again and stuffed it into Lin Jingyu’s hand without allowing any argument, her tone unquestionable:

”Take it. Go back and cultivate well. Tomorrow, Aunt wants to see your demeanor at the Lin Family’s alliance ceremony.”

This time, Lin Jingyu did not refuse again. Holding the warm, smooth Jade Box and feeling the pure Spiritual Qi fluctuations inside, he felt, for the first time, a trace of imperceptible guilt for his ”performance” just now.

Qin Yue’s concern was sincere, just like how she would treat her own niece or nephew.

He had been calculating from the very beginning. But this bit of guilt was quickly suppressed—in this cruel world of cultivation, if one wanted to survive, to protect one’s sister and Family, a little calculation and disguise were necessary costs.

Moreover, for those who had shown him kindness, he would repay them a thousandfold!

”Brother Jingyu! This is for you!”

Yun Momo’s voice rang out crisply, carrying a hint of impatience. She trotted to Lin Jingyu and handed him a jade pendant about an inch long, half an inch wide, and half a finger thick.

The surface of the jade pendant was smooth and warm, while inside it seemed to flow with misty rosy light. Countless runes, so fine they were almost invisible to the naked eye, faintly flickered within it, emitting an abstruse fluctuation.

This was by no means an ordinary Magical Artifact!

Lin Jingyu’s pupils constricted slightly. This thing looked extremely precious at first glance! He subconsciously wanted to refuse again: ”Fairy Yun Momo, this is too valuable, I…”

Before he could finish, he saw Yun Momo’s little mouth pout. Those big, bright eyes that had just been sparkling instantly filled with moisture. Crystal-clear tears fell as soon as they welled up, rolling down in large drops and hitting the warm jade bricks on the floor.

She sobbed, her voice sounding incredibly aggrieved:

”Could it be… in Brother Jingyu’s eyes… I… am I not even worth as much as this piece of jade talisman?”

She cried while looking pitifully at Lin Jingyu, looking as if his refusal would be a heinous sin.