28: Chapter 28 The Medicine-for-Purpose Contract and the Tactic of Using One Tiger to Devour Another

The afternoon of the next day, the sun was shining, but it could not pierce the dark and cramped alleyways of Liuyun Market.

Lin Chen stood once again before that dilapidated courtyard gate.

Today, he was still wearing the appearance of a Seventh Level of Qi Refining Loose Cultivator, dusty and travel-worn, but the fierce aura about him had been restrained, replaced by a sense of composure and focus.

He did not climb the wall; instead, he raised his hand and knocked on the rickety wooden door with his knuckles, neither too lightly nor too heavily.

"Knock, knock-knock."

The sound was exceptionally clear in the silent courtyard.

After a long while, a sound of light footsteps came from inside the house.

The courtyard gate creaked open just a crack, revealing Liu Ruxu's delicate yet vigilant face.

Seeing a strange, middle-aged Loose Cultivator standing outside the door, her eyes involuntarily tightened.

Her right hand quietly retreated into her sleeve, her fingertips already gripping a disposable sharp-thorn Talisman she had inscribed just last night.

Although its power was weak, at such close range, it could still make the other party suffer a minor injury.

Lin Chen's gaze passed over her shoulder, sweeping through the courtyard without any unnecessary movements.

He kept his aura steady and deliberately made his voice somewhat hoarse.

"Miss Liu, my name is Lin Qi, just a simple Loose Cultivator." He did not beat around the bush, his eyes fixed on her. "I heard your father needs a pulse mending pill, and I can provide one."

pulse mending pill!

The three words struck Liu Ruxu's heart like a heavy hammer.

Her pupils contracted sharply, and for the first time, violent fluctuations appeared on her face, which usually maintained a cold calmness.

Her hand in her sleeve clenched tighter, and her voice sounded tight from nervousness: "Conditions?"

She squeezed these two words out from between her teeth.

She knew too well that there was no such thing as kindness without reason in this world, especially in this cultivation world where human lives were as cheap as grass.

"Let's talk somewhere else." Lin Chen swept his gaze across the narrow alleyway and said indifferently.

Liu Ruxu's chest heaved violently; reason told her she should close the door immediately and ignore this man of unknown origin.

But the three words "pulse mending pill" were like a straw for her to clutch at, making it impossible for her to let go.

She stared fixedly into Lin Chen's eyes, trying to see even the slightest hint of greed or lust.

But in those eyes, there was only bottomless calm, like an ancient well, revealing no emotion.

After a silence of a full ten breaths, she finally gritted her teeth, turned sideways, and made way at the entrance.

"Come in."

She did not open the door completely, leaving only a gap wide enough for one person, and after Lin Chen entered, she only pulled the door shut without latching it.

This was the last line of defense she left for herself.

The courtyard was empty, and when the wind blew, the dilapidated window paper made a rustling sound.

Lin Chen walked to the center of the courtyard and stopped, keeping a distance of more than three steps from her.

He did not look at the room that exuded the smell of medicine, but took out an inconspicuous, ordinary jade bottle from his Storage Pouch.

He pulled out the stopper.

A faint yet vitality-filled medicinal fragrance instantly permeated the small courtyard.

This fragrance was not as overbearing as ordinary Medicinal Pill, but rather gentle like a spring breeze, drifting into the nasal cavity, as if even the fatigue in his limbs and bones was relieved a little.

Lin Chen tilted the bottle, and a cyan Medicinal Pill the size of a dragon's eye, with faint cloud patterns flowing on its surface, rolled into his rough palm.

Liu Ruxu's breathing became rapid the moment she smelled the medicinal fragrance.

Her gaze locked onto that Medicinal Pill, and her body trembled slightly from excitement.

She had once seen a precious healing pill from a distance through a magic barrier at "Baicao Hall," the largest pharmacy in the market, but the medicinal fragrance it emitted was far less pure and gentle than the one before her.

This medicinal fragrance could not be fake!

The gentle yet resilient power of vitality contained within it was something she had never felt in the more than half a year she had been seeking medical treatment for her father.

"This Medicinal Pill is enough to stabilize your father's nearly shattered Meridians, help him initially reconnect them, and even restore part of his consciousness." Lin Chen held the Medicinal Pill in his palm, his voice steady. "But to fully recover, it will still require long-term recuperation with precious medicinal herbs."

After he finished speaking, he re-inserted the wooden stopper, and the alluring medicinal fragrance was immediately cut off.

Liu Ruxu struggled to move her gaze away from the Medicinal Pill and looked back at him: "My condition is this. You will enter into a Dao Companion contract with me, and bring your father to join my Family. The Family will provide an absolutely safe residence, as well as all the resources needed for subsequent healing. And you, you need to contribute your knowledge of Formation to the Family."

Dao Companion contract!

These four words were like a basin of ice water, dousing the fire of hope that had just ignited in Liu Ruxu's heart.

Her body trembled imperceptibly.

It was not just a title; it was a bond that bordered on personal attachment. Once a blood oath was made, she would be tied to this man and this so-called "Family" for the rest of her life.

She subconsciously looked back at the room where her father was; behind that tightly closed door was her only relative.

Her gaze turned back to the strange man in front of her. His aura was steady, his cultivation suppressed at the Seventh Level of Qi Refining, yet he gave her a sense of pressure far exceeding this cultivation level.

"Why... should I trust you?" Her voice was dry and hoarse. "The Zhao Family also promised they could save my father."

But the result was that they were plotting for the last Formation map of her Liu Family and forcing her to be a concubine.

Lin Chen seemed to have expected her to ask this, his expression unchanged.

"First, I can give you half of the Medicinal Pill now. Once you see the effect for yourself, we can discuss the rest." He tossed the jade bottle in his hand, his movements casual yet revealing absolute confidence.

"Second, I don't need your ancient Formation map." His gaze was clear and direct. "What I am interested in is you, and your father. A living, experienced Formation Master is far more valuable than a dead map that no one can understand."

"Third," he paused, his tone becoming more serious, "I already have a Dao Companion. She specializes in Alchemy and is currently at home. After you join, you will not be a servant, but a core member of the Family, enjoying corresponding status and resources. What we need is a partner who can build the Family together and resist external enemies, not a plaything or a slave."

Three sentences, each hitting the point Liu Ruxu cared about and feared most.

Lin Chen watched her rapidly changing expression and threw out his final bargaining chip: "You can go and ask around if there has been a Loose Cultivator named Lin Chen in Liuyun Market recently who disappeared safely after a conflict with the Wang Family disciples. That was me."

Liu Ruxu looked up sharply, her eyes full of shock.

She had, of course, heard about the Wang Family disciples having their cultivation crippled outside the market.

Rumor had it that the person who did it was a Senior with unfathomable strength, suspected to be at the Foundation Establishment stage!

She looked at Lin Chen's eyes again. Those eyes were steady and honest, without the disgusting lust and greed of Zhao Mingde.

She suddenly remembered that when Zhao Mingde was forcing her on the street yesterday, it seemed to be near the "Baixiao" shed not far away.

Could it be that he was watching at the time?

"I need time to think." Her mind was in a mess, but she forced herself to calm down. "And, I must verify the effect of the Medicinal Pill first!"

"Sure." Lin Chen agreed without hesitation.

He took out a sharp small knife from his Storage Pouch, and under Liu Ruxu's nervous gaze, carefully cut off about a quarter of that "pulse mending pill (imitation)," wrapped it in a clean piece of Talisman paper, and handed it over.

"Go ahead."

Liu Ruxu took the piece of Medicinal Pill; it felt warm to the touch, and the medicinal fragrance was pungent.

She took a deep look at Lin Chen and turned to walk quickly into her father's room.

Lin Chen still stood in the courtyard, but his Divine Sense did not probe into the room at all.

This was respect, and also a gesture.

Inside the room, Liu Ruxu dissolved the Medicinal Pill in warm water and carefully fed it to her father.

The Medicinal Pill melted upon entering his mouth, turning into a warm medicinal power like a stream, slowly flowing into Liu Yuan's parched and withered limbs and bones.

She nervously held her father's cold hand, transferring her own already weak wood-attribute Spiritual Qi, carefully guiding the medicinal power to flow toward her father's most severely damaged Dantian and Meridians.

Time passed minute by minute.

Half an hour later, Liu Yuan, who had been in a deep coma with his brows locked, miraculously relaxed his knotted brows slightly.

The abnormal gray-black color on his face also faded a little at a speed visible to the naked eye, replaced by a faint flush of blood.

More importantly, his breathing, which had been so weak that it could be cut off at any time, became much longer and steadier.

Although he had not yet woken up, these tangible signs of improvement caused Liu Ruxu's nerves, which had been tense for half a year, to instantly collapse.

Tears welled up and slid silently down her pale cheeks.

It worked! It really worked!

She wiped away her tears with her sleeve, walked quickly out of the room, and stood in front of Lin Chen again.

She took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, and said solemnly: "I agree. But the contents of the contract must be clear: I will marry you as a Dao Companion; from now on, my father will be protected by the Family and be responsible for healing. I will study and set up Formation for the Family, never holding anything back. But the Family must not force me to do anything that violates morality or harms my father. If in the future... if in the future I want to leave, I must repay all the Family's investments and have your consent."

"Sure." Lin Chen nodded, crisp and decisive. "The contract can be made with a blood oath as proof. But now, you must leave here immediately. The three-day deadline the Zhao Family gave you is almost up."

Just as the two were discussing how to move secretly, a simple communication Talisman Lin Chen had left with Old Xu before he left suddenly heated up.

He took it out to see, and Old Xu's sloppy handwriting appeared on it: "The Zhao Family and the Grey Wolf Gang are in a standoff at 'Wild Wolf Slope,' thirty miles northwest of Luoxia Valley. Cause: The Grey Wolf Gang discovered a suspected Spiritual ore vein, and the Zhao Family heard the news and wanted to seize it. The Grey Wolf Gang leader, One-Eyed Wolf, is at the Perfection of Qi Refining, fierce, with over twenty subordinates. The Zhao Family dispatched two Ninth Level of Qi Refining managers, bringing over ten guards. Both sides have not yet started fighting, they are negotiating."

Lin Chen's eyes lit up instantly.

Wild Wolf Slope!

Wasn't that the direction Old Man Shi mentioned, close to the depths of the valley, where there were strange roars at night?

In an instant, several seemingly unrelated clues were quickly connected in his mind: the beast repelling powder and barrier-breaking Talisman that the Zhao Family bought at all costs; the so-called "Spiritual ore vein" discovered by that group of desperate Grey Wolf Gang members; the mysterious "roars" in the depths of the valley; and the periodic decay of the earth pulse Spiritual Qi sensed by Su Qingyao...

A bold and sinister plan quickly formed in his mind.

"No time to lose, at the Hour of the Rat tonight, I will come to pick you up." Lin Chen said quickly to Liu Ruxu, "Now, I need you to do one thing—use your fastest speed to draw a few of the simplest 'Spirit Gathering Talisman' and 'beast summoning talisman', using the special cinnabar I gave you for the Talisman core."

He took a small porcelain bottle containing diluted Earth Milk Spiritual Liquid from his bosom and handed it over.

Although Liu Ruxu was full of confusion, she had already regarded Lin Chen as her only reliance, so she didn't ask another question and immediately took out her treasured Talisman paper and Talisman pen and started drawing.

Her talent in Formation was truly amazing.

Even though her Spiritual Qi was only at the Third Level of Qi Refining, her strokes were precise, and the structure of the Talisman was completed in one go.

When the "special cinnabar" given by Lin Chen fell on the Talisman paper, the Talisman actually faintly produced a trace of extremely weak affinity and resonance with the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

An hour later, three Spirit Gathering Talismans and two beast summoning talismans were completed.

Lin Chen carefully put away the Talisman and said to Liu Ruxu in a deep voice: "Wait for my signal."

Before the words fell, his figure flashed like a ghost, blending into the shadows of the alley and disappearing.

He did not go directly to Wild Wolf Slope, but took a big circle, relying on his familiarity with the terrain of Luoxia Valley, and quietly sneaked into the depths of the valley, approaching the edge of the area where Old Man Shi described the "strange roars."

Here, the miasma was getting thicker, the vegetation was sparse, and the exposed rocks were full of traces of weathering.

He chose three rock crevices that were dozens of feet apart and extremely hidden, buried the three Spirit Gathering Talismans in the soil, and only exposed a corner of the Talisman tail that was almost indistinguishable from dead leaves.

The effect of this Talisman was very weak, but combined with the Earth Milk Spiritual Liquid cinnabar, it was enough to form a "Spiritual Qi anomaly point" here that would last for about half a day, with a very small range, but which truly existed.

After doing this, he found two inconspicuous tree holes on the upwind side about a hundred feet away from these three Spiritual Qi points and stuffed the two beast summoning talismans into them.

The effect of the beast summoning talisman was also weak, and the scent emitted could only be smelled by first-order Yao Beasts that were extremely sensitive to Spiritual Qi by instinct.

Everything was arranged properly, and he quickly evacuated. The whole process did not disturb any living things, as if a fallen leaf had drifted by.

At dusk, Liuyun Market.

A vague piece of news was passed anonymously to the ears of the Grey Wolf Gang through Old Xu's channel: "Five miles east of the Wild Wolf Slope mine, there is a flash of Spiritual light at night, suspected to be accompanied by Spiritual objects, but there is an aura of Yao Beast guarding it."

Almost at the same time, another equally vague piece of news was "inadvertently" heard by the spies sent by the Zhao Family in the market: "The Grey Wolf Gang seems to have discovered something more valuable than the mine and is secretly gathering manpower, preparing to cast aside the Zhao Family and go it alone."

The night grew darker.

Inside the Grey Wolf Gang stronghold, the leader, One-Eyed Wolf, touched the scar on his face, his single eye flashing with greedy and fierce light.

In the temporary camp of the Zhao Family at Wild Wolf Slope, two managers were facing a simple map, whispering and arguing fiercely, their faces uncertain.

And in the deepest part of Luoxia Valley, those three weak Spiritual Qi points were like three invisible lamps, beginning to slowly and firmly play their role, attracting the already thin Spiritual Qi in the surroundings to form three tiny vortexes.

On the upwind side, the imperceptible scent of the beast summoning talisman mixed with the damp and cold miasma and drifted slowly toward the deeper part of the valley.

In a deep mountain crevice that no one heard, a low roar, more dull and with a trace of irritation from being disturbed than before, came vaguely, and then fell into silence.

Lin Chen stood on a mountain ridge in the distance, the night wind blowing his robes.

He calmly watched the valley shrouded in darkness below, and the few lights faintly visible in the direction of Wild Wolf Slope further away.

The bait had all been cast; it just depended on when those greedy fish would be unable to resist biting the hook.

He withdrew his gaze, stopped lingering, turned around like a ghost, and quietly sneaked toward the direction of Liuyun Market.

The Hour of the Rat was almost here.

The emergency evacuation of the Liu Family's small courtyard concerning the future was about to begin.

And at this moment, on the edge of Liuyun Market, in the midst of a dead silence, several black shadows were sneaking toward the dilapidated alley where the Liu Family was located.