39: Chapter 39 Resource Channels

Lin Qing, dressed in a black cloth robe, walked slowly to the grand entrance of the Wang Family manor. Facing the two guards on duty, he spoke in a calm tone: "Please inform Young Miss Wang Qingwan that Xie Chen from the Zhenwu Division is here to visit."

The gatekeeper recognized him as the Xie Chen who had helped the Wang Family investigate a case a few days ago and who was highly respected by the eldest Young Miss of the household. Not daring to be negligent, he quickly bowed and replied:

"Young Master Xie, it is truly unfortunate, the eldest Young Miss has just gone out. Word came today that Lord Ye Lingchuan has returned from Qingyang County. Lord Ye had previously rescued the Young Miss from danger on the official road. Upon his return this time, the Young Miss specially prepared a generous gift and went to his residence to express her gratitude."

Lin Qing was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then nodded in understanding.

Back then, when Wang Qingwan went to Qingyang County to purchase supplies, she encountered fierce bandits on her way back to Yunlan County. At the critical moment, it was the passing Ye Lingchuan who intervened to resolve the crisis.

It seemed he would not be seeing Wang Qingwan today. He did not linger, bid farewell to the gatekeeper, and turned to leave.

Cultivation could not wait. Lin Qing found a Vicious Beast meat shop and bought a few catties of Second-Order Vicious Beast meat to solve his immediate needs.

A day passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was evening.

The setting sun hung low over the western mountains, and the sky was filled with golden-red clouds. The piercing glare of the intense sun had already faded, leaving behind a gentle and warm sunlight that spilled into the courtyard of blue bricks and black tiles, coating everything in a warm golden edge.

Lin Qing leaped up and landed lightly on the roof of the small courtyard.

He sat down casually and quietly gazed at the distant sunset. The evening clouds shifted, light and shadow changed, and the afterglow of the setting sun layered upon itself, turning from brilliant gold to orange-red, and then slowly into a dark crimson.

Half an hour later, the last trace of the sunset's glow completely vanished beneath the western mountains. The brightness of the world slowly receded, dusk swept across the land, and the hazy night began to envelop the entire county city.

Lin Qing focused his mind and opened the panel. The Solar Visualization Method had indeed been successfully recorded, and the proficiency requirement was 10,000 points, the same as the Lunar Visualization Method.

Lin Qing calculated silently in his heart. Since he was free tonight, he could test the proficiency growth efficiency of the Lunar Visualization Method.

Just as he was thinking, a series of crisp knocks on the door rang out, breaking the silence of the small courtyard.

Lin Qing gathered his thoughts and leaped down from the roof, landing soundlessly. He walked to the courtyard gate and reached out to pull open the wooden door.

The evening breeze was blowing outside as the moon began to rise. Wang Qingwan, dressed in an elegant white dress, stood gracefully before the door, her posture gentle and her features refined. Beside her was her personal maid, Yuaner, the one who had scolded Lin Qing on the official road before.

Seeing Lin Qing open the door, Wang Qingwan's eyes curved slightly, and she spoke in a gentle and polite tone: "Young Master Xie. I heard from the servants that you came to my home to find me today. I wonder if you have something important to discuss?"

"I didn't expect Young Miss Wang to visit in person; it's quite a surprise," Lin Qing said with a slight smile, stepping aside in an inviting gesture. "The night wind is getting chilly outside. Young Miss Wang, Miss Yuaner, please come in and have a seat."

Wang Qingwan nodded slightly and led Yuaner slowly into the courtyard.

The bluestones in the courtyard were clean and tidy, and a stone table with several stone stools sat to the side, perfect for casual conversation. Once the two were seated, Lin Qing sat on the opposite stone stool. Without unnecessary pleasantries, he said directly:

"Young Miss Wang, to be honest, I visited this afternoon because I truly have a favor to ask."

Lin Qing's expression was calm and his tone sincere: "My usual Cultivation is special, and my demand for Vicious Beast meat is extremely high. If I frequently purchase in large quantities from shops in the city, it will easily attract attention and cause unnecessary trouble. As a prominent Family in the county, the Wang Family has a stable source of goods. I wonder if you could privately supply me with Vicious Beast meat?"

He deliberately left some room, only saying his demand was extremely high without revealing the specific consumption amount, planning to see Wang Qingwan's attitude first before deciding whether to disclose everything.

Hearing this, Wang Qingwan did not hesitate in the slightest. Previously, Lin Qing had braved the pressure to seek justice for the tragically killed Wang Xiaolong and had rooted out the hidden danger in the Family. She had always kept this kindness in her heart.

She spoke softly, her voice gentle yet incredibly firm: "Young Master Xie sought justice for my younger brother. For such a small favor, this humble one will naturally do my utmost to help."

Pausing for a moment, she looked at Lin Qing with sincere eyes and added solemnly: "Rest assured, Young Master. Since you do not wish for outsiders to know, I will certainly keep my lips sealed and will never reveal a word to a third person. How much Vicious Beast meat do you need daily? I can provide it to you for free to repay your great kindness."

Seeing Wang Qingwan's open and firm expression, Lin Qing decided to trust her.

Firstly, over these days, he had gained some understanding of Wang Qingwan's character—gentle, upright, and grateful—she was likely not a person who would betray trust. Secondly, even if he were accidentally exposed, it would only mean the secret of his excellent Cultivation talent would spread, at most drawing the scrutiny and wariness of others.

But compared to the risk of attracting killing intent by frequently entering and exiting the black market, this hidden danger was entirely acceptable.

However, he would not take advantage of her for nothing.

Wang Qingwan had already given him a generous reward before, enough to support his short-term Cultivation. Moreover, his subsequent consumption of Vicious Beast meat would be massive. Taking it for free long-term would instead create a rift in their friendship and result in a debt of gratitude that would be hard to repay.

With this thought, Lin Qing immediately cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your kindness, Young Miss Wang, but free supply is absolutely out of the question. I am willing to purchase at market price. I wonder if the Wang Family has Rank Three Vicious Beast meat for sale?"

As soon as these words were spoken, a flash of surprise instantly crossed Wang Qingwan's eyes.

She had originally thought that Lin Qing's Cultivation consumption was only slightly higher than that of an ordinary Martial Artist. She never expected that he would actually require Rank Three Vicious Beast meat for his Cultivation!

Rank Three Vicious Beast meat contained extremely vigorous and mellow blood Qi essence. Generally, only Rank Three Martial Artists would use such high-level meat, yet Lin Qing was currently only Rank One. From this, it was clear that Lin Qing's Cultivation foundation and consumption had long since overturned common knowledge; his talent was terrifying, far exceeding her imagination.

After the shock, Wang Qingwan quickly gathered her thoughts and nodded without hesitation: "Yes. The Wang Family Merchant House has its own exclusive supply channels and can stably provide Rank Three Vicious Beast meat. How much do you need daily, Young Master Xie?"

Lin Qing pondered for a moment and stated his estimated amount: "One catty per day will suffice."

In fact, given his current situation, he didn't quite need one catty of Rank Three Vicious Beast meat daily yet. But his next plan was to go all out in Cultivating the other four Rank Two Stake Techniques, striving to reach Perfection in them in the shortest time possible.

According to the proficiency growth, Cultivating for six hours a day would yield 96 proficiency points. The remaining proficiency gap for the four Stance Trainings was around a thousand points. Excluding daily duties at the Zhenwu Division, he could Cultivate all Rank Two Stake Techniques to the Perfection Realm in half a month at most.

Previously, when he reached Perfection in all Rank One Stake Techniques, his daily consumption was one catty of Second-Order Vicious Beast meat. If he reached Perfection in Rank Two Stake Techniques, his daily consumption should be one catty of Rank Three Vicious Beast meat.

He simply ordered according to his future maximum demand to settle it once and for all, saving the trouble of repeated negotiations later.

After finalizing the quantity, Lin Qing then asked: "What is the price for Rank Three Vicious Beast meat?"

"Since it is the Young Master purchasing, I will settle at the cost price," Wang Qingwan smiled gently and said directly. "One hundred and fifty taels per catty."

Fearing that Lin Qing might find the price high, she explained carefully and patiently:

"Young Master may not know, but Yunlan County has no stable production of Rank Three Vicious Beast meat. All Rank Three Vicious Beast meat is transported from other counties or the border. The journey is long, so the cost remains high. The general market price is two hundred taels per catty. Since your required quantity is stable, I will give it to you at the lowest cost price."

Lin Qing nodded in understanding; this price was fair and reasonable.

Afterward, the two discussed the transaction details in depth. It was finally decided that Wang Qingwan would select reliable servants to deliver a sufficient amount of Rank Three Vicious Beast meat to the courtyard every five days. There was no need for Lin Qing to visit in person, making it a completely secret transaction to eliminate all risks of exposure.

Once all matters were settled, Wang Qingwan sat for a little longer before taking her maid and bidding farewell.

Watching the backs of the two women as they left, Lin Qing let out a long breath. The problem of Cultivation resources that had troubled him for a long time was finally completely resolved! With a stable supply of Rank Three Vicious Beast meat, he could sprint toward his cultivation goals without any reservations and quickly reach Perfection in all Rank Two Cultivation Techniques.

By this time, the night had grown deep. A bright, clear moon hung high in the night sky, its pure light spilling over the earth and illuminating the quiet courtyard.

It was the perfect time, in the dead of night, to test the proficiency growth speed of the Lunar Visualization Method.

Lin Qing sat upright on the stone stool in the courtyard again, looking up at the moon hanging high overhead.

The evening breeze was silent and the moonlight was soft. Half an hour later, Lin Qing focused his mind and opened the System panel again.

On the panel, the proficiency of the Lunar Visualization Method had increased by 6 points. An increase of 6 points in half an hour meant that it grew by roughly 1 point every fifteen minutes.

Having figured out the pattern, Lin Qing did not continue the visualization.

He was still quite a distance from the fifth rank. His current task remained to reach Perfection in the four Rank Two Stake Techniques as soon as possible to steadily improve his cultivation.

The night was deep and the moonlight was like water. Lin Qing turned and walked into the bedroom, extinguishing the lamp to rest.