45: New member Little Grey

Lin Jingxia curled up on the old rattan chair by the window. The afterglow of the sunset filtered through the lattice, dancing upon her lowered eyelashes.

The fluffy Earth Spirit Rat lay quietly on her lap, its little head bobbing up and down as if it were dozing off.

Her fingertips unconsciously stroked its soft fur. The little creature emitted a faint "purr" from its throat, and its furry tail curled up contentedly, gently brushing against the back of her hand.

"Little Ash..." Lin Jingxia whispered softly, a genuine, faint smile finally spreading across her lips. The gloom that had lingered between her brows for days seemed to be dispelled somewhat by this warm snuggling.

She carefully lifted Little Ash before her eyes and gently rubbed her forehead against its moist nose tip. "From now on, you'll be called Little Ash, okay?"

The Earth Spirit Rat seemed to understand. It opened its beady little eyes a crack, stuck out its pink little tongue, and licked her finger ingratiatingly, emitting a weak "squeak."

Lin Jingyu had just pushed the door open and saw the rare look of ease on his sister's face. His heart warmed slightly, and the exhaustion from days of rushing about seemed to diminish a little.

He took two steps closer and reached out to touch the little thing.

Before his fingertips could touch it, the docile and adorable Little Ash instantly went rigid, its pink tongue lolling out of the corner of its mouth with a "plop." Belly up, it performed a perfect "death with eyes open," holding even its breath.

Lin Jingyu's hand froze in mid-air, and the corner of his mouth twitched violently. He glanced at his sister, who was holding back her laughter, and withdrew his hand helplessly, muttering, "What an ungrateful wretch! I brought you back for nothing."

Little Ash remained "playing dead," not even moving its eyelashes.

Lin Jingxia chuckled, pulled the feigning-dead Little Ash back into her arms, and poked its head gently. "You bad thing, you only know how to bully my brother!"

Only then did Little Ash slowly "come back to life," rubbing ingratiatingly against her palm, completely ignoring the dark-faced Lin Jingyu beside them.

Lin Jingyu shook his head, not wanting to disturb this rare moment of warmth. The aroma of rice porridge wafted from the stove, but he had no appetite at the moment. He looked at the sky, turned, and closed the door softly, his figure quickly blending into the deepening twilight.

The Lin Family was located in the southeast corner on lower ground, with a large area enclosed by rough, uneven stone walls and sturdy bricks.

Before one even arrived, an extremely overbearing stench, like a tangible curtain, assaulted the senses.

It was a composite odor accumulated from long-term captivity of dozens of Black Mountain Pigs—a mix of strong urine, fermented manure, rotting vegetable leaves, and the rich, fishy stench of the pigs themselves, so pungent that it made one want to retch.

Even in this place lacking Spiritual Qi, such a strong, pungent odor was enough to deter ordinary Cultivators.

Lin Jingyu frowned slightly, held his breath, and pushed open the heavy wooden door that creaked and was covered in unknown greasy stains.

The scene inside was even more "vibrant." Several rows of pig pens built with thick logs and heavy stone slabs had muddy floors pockmarked by the Black Mountain Pigs, with vegetable leaves and filth floating in the murky mud puddles.

Dozens of plump, dark-haired Black Mountain Pigs were either rolling contentedly in the mud pits, grunting; pushing and shoving each other; or lying lazily in the corners.

The rising and falling pig grunts, the splashing of mud, and the clanging of feeding troughs merged into a noisy "Pastoral Symphony."

In the open space beside the pig pens, a huge iron pot half a person's height was set up. The firewood underneath was burning fiercely, with tongues of flame greedily licking the bottom of the pot.

The burly Lin Lingkuang, his muscular upper body bare and drenched in sweat, was wielding a heavy wooden shovel, vigorously stirring the boiling pig feed in the pot.

The pig feed was a mixture of chopped fruits and vegetables, yellowed rice, wild vegetables and pig grass with an earthy smell, and unknown grain husks, all boiled together. It was thick like paste, bubbling loudly under the high heat, and emitted an indescribable, strange odor that mixed food with decay.

"Dinner time—!" Lin Lingkuang gave a rough roar, like a command. He scooped up a large ladle of the scalding paste and flung it into the nearest stone trough.

Instantly, as if cold water had been dropped into boiling oil, the whole pig pen exploded! The previously lazy herd of pigs became excited in an instant, crowding, squealing, and trampling over each other as they rushed toward the feeding trough, burying their heads to eat wildly, emitting a deafening "smacking" sound.

Amidst this noisy and chaotic background, a small, thin figure appeared exceptionally agile.

It was a little girl of about six or seven, wearing patched coarse cloth clothes. Her little face was dirty, but her eyes were clear, black and white, revealing a wild, clever spirit.

She was barefoot, walking steadily on the slippery, low stone wall of the pig pen, holding a long, thin bamboo pole in her hand. If any pig was too aggressive in grabbing food and squeezed its companions, or tried to occupy territory, she would quickly and accurately poke the pig's nose or ear with the tip of the bamboo pole, eliciting a dissatisfied grunt.

"Ah Da! Don't push Xiao Hua!" She stood with her hands on her hips, scolding the biggest and strongest boar in a milky, childish voice, yet her tone carried a trace of unquestionable Aura.

The boar called Ah Da, with its tusks turned outward and a body size nearly twice that of the other pigs, only shook its head in dissatisfaction and slightly restrained its overbearing posture.

"Xi Xi! Stop playing!" Lin Lingkuang finished pouring another ladle of feed, wiped the sweat rolling down his forehead, and shouted to his daughter on the wall:

"If you dawdle any longer, there won't be any meat soup left! Isn't the Yao Beast meat your Uncle Jingyu brought your favorite? If you don't come over now, Daddy will eat it all." Although his tone was urging, his eyes were full of doting affection.

It was only then that he caught a glimpse of Lin Jingyu, who had been standing at the wooden door for who knows how long.

Lin Lingkuang was stunned, then put down the wooden spoon, reached out to grab a rag of unrecognizable color hanging on the fence, wiped the sweat from his hands and chest, and put on an honest smile:

"Jingyu? When did you come? Do you need something from Uncle? Come in..." Halfway through his sentence, the smile on his face froze abruptly.

His eyes, accustomed to dealing with livestock and long since trained to be sharp, were fixed like a magnet onto the inconspicuous little gray cloth bag hanging at Lin Jingyu's waist.

The material of the bag was ordinary, but it faintly exuded an introverted fluctuation of spiritual power—it was definitely no ordinary item!

It must be the Storage Pouch that low-level Loose Cultivators dreamed of.

And what made him even more alarmed was Lin Jingyu's overall spirit and energy.

Clearly, he was the same person, his frame still somewhat thin, but standing there, his Aura was like an ancient abyss—steady and condensed, like a sharp blade hidden in a plain scabbard. Though the scabbard was ordinary, it concealed a heart-palpitating edge within!

This was definitely not the temperament that the boy who was at the Qi Refining Second Layer with floating Aura half a month ago could possess!

"You..." Lin Lingkuang's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, his voice distorted by shock. He took two quick steps forward, staring intently at Lin Jingyu, and asked with some disbelief: "You... when did you reach the Qi Refining Third Layer?"