99: Frankly speaking, the alchemist's legacy

Lin Jingyu pushed open the door, and a heavy scent of blood mixed with the bitterness of herbs rushed at him.

The light in the side room was dim. The Family Head, Lin Lingshan, sat cross-legged on a futon, his face as white as a piece of old paper soaked in water, his lips cracked and devoid of color.

On the floor, a few spots of dark red had long since dried and turned black, like splattered low-quality ink, silently recounting the danger of last night.

However, his spirit seemed quite good, full of drive.

His brows were knitted together, his gaze somewhat unfocused as he stared intently at the cracked, ancient Beast Skin Scroll spread out before him.

His fingers unconsciously rubbed the scroll, his knuckles turning white from excessive force.

Clearly, it recorded a method for fully transitioning into a Body Cultivator; he practiced it with great difficulty, and it might have even triggered an internal conflict within his body.

"Jingyu is here?" Lin Lingshan heard the movement and suddenly snapped back to his senses.

The confusion on his face was instantly forced down, and he managed to squeeze out a kind smile, even though it was so weak it looked like it could shatter at any moment.

"Good lad, you handled the previous matter beautifully!"

He voice was hoarse, yet it carried heartfelt praise:

"A slap followed by a sweet date—punishing them until it hurts while making them remember your kindness... such methods are sophisticated! The youth are truly to be feared!"

He looked at Lin Jingyu, a faint light of hope igniting deep within his cloudy eyes.

With such a junior supporting them, perhaps the Lin Family... perhaps they really could survive this calamity?

But as soon as this thought arose, the petty schemes and power struggles of the Elder Council instantly flooded his mind.

The slight smile on Lin Lingshan's lips froze, eventually turning into a heavy sigh as his shoulders slumped.

Intense self-reproach nearly overwhelmed him.

It was all his fault!

If he hadn't been obsessed back then and insisted on practicing the Immovable Wisdom King Art, delaying his Realm, he should have already been at the Late Stage Qi Refining!

If he had the strength to hold the fort, how could a Qilin child of the Family like Jingyu be forced to face the storm at such a young age?

Why would a heavily injured Family Head need to hide in the back and let a child take the hits?

Pathetic! Truly damn pathetic!

He couldn't help but feel a sense of shame rising in his heart again.

Lin Jingyu looked at the complex, changing expressions on the Family Head's face and understood.

"Just a bit of cleverness, nothing to boast about. Uncle Lingshan, you overpraise me."

His tone was flat, as if he had only done a trivial thing.

Then he changed the subject, his gaze falling on the Beast Skin Scroll:

"Uncle Lingshan, you showed me this scroll before. It mentions several Pill Formulas to aid in Cultivation... Have you ever found someone to refine them?"

"Pill Formulas?" Lin Lingshan was stunned, taking a few breaths to break free from his heavy thoughts and remember.

He waved his hand with a bitter smile. "Sigh, those things... I didn't take them to heart at the time."

"Our Lin Family is a small temple; how could we afford such a great deity as an Alchemist? Finding an outsider to refine them? I wouldn't even dare think about it!"

There was a hint of fear in his eyes:

"Those formulas are strange and eccentric, clearly not ordinary items. If they were to attract the greed of wolves and tigers, wouldn't that bring disaster to the Family?"

"Besides, even if we weren't afraid of those risks, finding an Alchemist to refine an unfamiliar Medicinal Pill... from familiarizing themselves with the Pill Formula to actually trying it..."

He curled his lips in self-mockery and said helplessly, "I'm afraid even if we sold all of the Lin Family's meager assets, an Alchemist might not be willing to take the job."

He spoke frankly, but there was little regret on his face.

Keeping the Family stable was far more important than raising his own Realm.

He understood this truth perfectly well.

"Then... did it mention exactly how effective the Medicinal Pills are?"

Lin Jingyu pressed further, his fingertips lightly tapping the Storage Pouch, which contained over a hundred Medicinal Pills.

"Effect?" Lin Lingshan tried to recall but eventually shook his head. "It didn't say in detail. I'd guess... they probably speed up Cultivation?"

Seeing Lin Jingyu's interest, he thought the other was trying to find medicine for him. He quickly straightened his back and patted his chest to reassure him:

"Jingyu, don't worry! This old uncle's bones are still sturdy! Even without Medicinal Pills, I can still recover! Once I'm better, let's see who dares to bully us!"

His tone was resolute, and a strong light of confidence burst from his eyes, attempting to dispel the gloom in the room.

"Oh? Is that so?" A faint, mischievous smile played on Lin Jingyu's lips.

He slowly pulled out two heavy jade boxes and a smaller porcelain bottle from his Storage Pouch.

The moment a crack was gently opened in the box lid—

Buzz!

A strange pill fragrance suddenly wafted out!

This scent wasn't elegant; instead, it carried a faint smell of blood and rust, yet it contained a certain wild vitality!

Lin Lingshan felt his originally stagnant and nearly collapsing blood and Qi, stimulated by this aura, begin to surge and rush uncontrollably, like a parched riverbed sensing moisture!

His whole body stiffened, and his eyes instantly widened like bronze bells, staring fixedly at the lustrous glow peeking through the crack in the jade box.

"This... this is..." His voice cracked.

He couldn't understand why these Medicinal Pills would actually stir the blood and Qi in his body.

Lin Jingyu smiled like a little fox that had stolen a chicken and deliberately shook the box:

"Ah, since Uncle Lingshan is so confident, then these 'little jellybeans' I worked so hard to refine shouldn't be shown off. I'll just take them back to feed the rats."

"You refined them?"

As soon as those words reached his ears, Lin Lingshan felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he sprang up from the futon!

The movement was too sudden, aggravating his wounds, but he didn't care even as he grimaced in pain.

He lunged in front of Lin Jingyu, his large, fan-like hands suddenly grabbing Lin Jingyu's shoulders with enough force to nearly crush his bones!

He stared intently into Lin Jingyu's eyes, saying each word slowly as if squeezing them through his teeth, filled with an unbelievable tidal wave of emotion:

"What. Did. You. Say? Say. It. Again. These Medicinal Pills—you. refined. them?"

He couldn't be blamed for losing his composure!

An Alchemist was an existence that could turn stone into gold and transform the mundane into the miraculous!

For a small Family like the Lin Family, struggling at the bottom, what did an Alchemist represent?

It was the heavenly ladder for a carp to leap over the Dragon Gate, the hope for the Family's rise, and the stabilizing force that could change everyone's fate!

It was like a Family of peasants suddenly producing a scholar official!

From then on, they would completely transcend their status and step into another class!

Even their relatives and Family members would rise to the heavens along with them.

Lin Jingyu felt his shoulders aching from the grip, but looking at the fire burning in the Family Head's eyes, his heart felt calm instead.

Meeting that gaze hot enough to burn, he nodded heavily, his voice clear and certain:

"Uncle Lingshan, I was fortunate enough to obtain an Opportunity and am currently studying the Dao of Alchemy. Right now, I can't be considered a formal Alchemist, but..."

He paused, a flash of confidence in his eyes. "Before long, I will be able to establish this reputation! When that time comes, I will refine the Medicinal Pills the Family needs!"