46: Chapter 46 Sun Liancheng

"Many thanks, Senior Brother Lin; these are all things this Junior Brother should do!"

That Qin Family member smiled and nodded.

Not wishing to waste Lin Shen's time, he cupped his hands in salute to Lin Shen and then left the place.

Watching the departing back of the Qin Family member, Lin Shen's pupils deepened, and then he shook his head.

Just as he intended to return to his courtyard to rest, the courtyard door not far away suddenly opened.

"Fellow Daoist, please stay a moment!"

A voice rang out behind Lin Shen.

Hearing the voice, Lin Shen turned to look and saw that the door of the neighboring courtyard was wide open. An extremely handsome youth with a face like jade and a height of eight feet was looking at him with a smiling expression.

"Who might this Fellow Daoist be?"

Seeing this person's gaze, Lin Shen couldn't help raising his eyebrows slightly and asked.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist! I am Sun Liancheng, a True Disciple of the Lihuo Sect. Traveling here a few days ago, I happened to hear about the two-hundredth birthday of the Qin Family Ancestor and thought of joining in on the lively event, so I was arranged to rest in this courtyard."

Sun Liancheng spoke with a smile, introducing his background.

Hearing this, Lin Shen nodded slightly.

According to the information he had gathered, the Lihuo Sect and Chiyun Valley were both among the five major Sects of the Yan Country. The territory they occupied and the Sect's strength were even somewhat stronger than Chiyun Valley, and there was even a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor holding down the fort within the Sect.

Even without an invitation, relying on his identity as a True Disciple of the Lihuo Sect, wanting to join in the excitement was well worth treating with VIP status.

After understanding Sun Liancheng's identity, Lin Shen immediately cupped his hands with a smile and said, "So it is Fellow Daoist Sun. I am Lin Shen of Chiyun Valley. Today, I specifically came under my master's orders to offer birthday congratulations to the Qin Family Ancestor, and I am also new to this place."

If it were any other unfamiliar place, Lin Shen certainly wouldn't say he was a person from Chiyun Valley, and certainly wouldn't report his real name.

However, his visit this time to offer birthday congratulations was entrusted by Mo Shenggu, so his identity was naturally transparent. There was naturally no need to cover things up and deliberately report a fake name and fake identity.

If he rashly reported a fake identity and fake name, others could easily find out his true identity and name with a little inquiry. Doing so would instead rather disgust others and was not a wise move.

"So you are Fellow Daoist Lin of Chiyun Valley!"

Sun Liancheng looked at Lin Shen, sizing up the cultivation aura on him. He couldn't help nodding slightly and said with a smile, "My Lihuo Sect also has certain vassal families and industries in Yunzhou, and I often travel across Yunzhou to temper myself. If Fellow Daoist Lin has anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me."

The aura on Lin Shen's body was extremely extraordinary.

Both were at the Qi Refining Peak, yet Sun Liancheng felt a sense of oppression from Lin Shen.

His intuition told him that the Lin Shen before him was by no means an ordinary person, and his combat power at the Qi Refining Peak Realm must far surpass ordinary people.

Such a person must have a rather noble status and position within Chiyun Valley, and breaking through to Foundation Establishment in the future was definitely a certainty.

Because of this, upon hearing movement outside and sensing the aura emanating from Lin Shen, Sun Liancheng warmly greeted him.

If it were someone with ordinary cultivation and no identity background, he wouldn't be willing to waste his breath.

"Oh? Fellow Daoist Sun, please come inside!"

Hearing Sun Liancheng's words, Lin Shen—who was previously rather cut off from most news in Yunzhou—instantly lit up. He warmly invited him on the spot, "I have two pots of top-grade spiritual wine here. Meeting you is fate; why don't we have a good, hearty chat?"

"Fine wine? Hahaha, in my life I have two loves: first the sword, and second wine. Both are my lifelong loves. It seems Fellow Daoist Lin is also a kindred spirit; in that case, I won't decline!"

Hearing Lin Shen's invitation, Sun Liancheng let out a loud laugh, readily agreed, and strode into the courtyard following Lin Shen.

Lin Shen's warm invitation played right into Sun Liancheng's hands; how could he possibly refuse?

Originally, Sun Liancheng's intention was to befriend Lin Shen, this Prodigy from Chiyun Valley, so that they could mutually expand their network of connections.

The concept of human connections was still quite important.

In case he broke through to Foundation Establishment in the future and traveled to even more distant places, arriving within Chiyun Valley's territory, having this relationship with Lin Shen would make things much more convenient to handle.

And it was the same for Lin Shen. Befriending him and mutually expanding connections meant that when Lin Shen reached his Lihuo Sect's territory, likewise, having this relationship and status would make things much more convenient to handle.

If he and Lin Shen truly were that kind of kindred soul and confidant, if they discovered some ruins in the future, they could also share what they had and join forces.

This was what Sun Liancheng was thinking in his heart.

Ever since breaking through to the Qi Refining Peak, he had been traveling across various parts of Yunzhou.

On one hand, he wanted to increase his own knowledge and accumulate his Foundation through traveling in all directions.

On the other hand, he wondered if he could encounter any Opportunity in the outside world to help his cultivation advance further and break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

After all, the Lihuo Sect was powerful. Although he could be considered to have the status of a True Disciple, the internal competitiveness was also extremely immense.

Simply closing doors to Cultivate alone within the Lihuo Sect was simply unviable; the resource competition was too great. Without a foundation establishment pill, he could only search externally for that trace of an Opportunity to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Through his travels outside over the past few years, Sun Liancheng naturally understood the importance of human connections when out and about.

Thus, he developed the intention to befriend Lin Shen.

Warmly inviting Sun Liancheng into the courtyard,

sitting beside a stone table in the courtyard, Lin Shen took out two pots of top-grade spiritual wine from his Storage Pouch.

This wasn't actually something he had prepared himself, but rather a harvest along the way, obtained from the Storage Pouch of some blind Loose Cultivator.

Pouring a cup of spiritual wine for Sun Liancheng, Lin Shen warmly chatted with him about his insights along the way.

He also listened to some of Sun Liancheng's insights and sharing. Both gained a lot from it, gaining a bit more understanding of this vast world of immortal cultivation.

After three rounds of drinks, seeing that the timing was about right, Lin Shen then spoke with a smiling expression: "Along my way coming from Chiyun Valley, I've experienced quite a few events in Yunzhou. Among them, there is one matter that has made me rather curious..."

"Fellow Daoist Lin, please speak. As long as I know, I will tell everything."

Downing the spiritual wine in his cup in one gulp, Sun Liancheng spoke with a smile.

Through his communication with Lin Shen just now, he also knew that Lin Shen, like himself, was a Sword Cultivator.

Moreover, his talent in the Sword Dao was quite astonishing, often causing his previous doubts regarding the Sword Dao to suddenly become completely clear just because of a single sentence or insight.

This couldn't help but make Sun Liancheng value Lin Shen even more, and his desire to befriend him grew increasingly intense. Right now, facing Lin Shen's confusion, he naturally kept nothing back.

Hearing Sun Liancheng's words, Lin Shen finally stated his true purpose: "When I entered Qingfeng County, I heard some things about the Qin Family and the Li Family. Among them, it seems Li Yifan of that Li Family has disappeared for two or three years, hasn't he? I wonder if that is true or false..."