54: Chapter 54 The Five Internal Organs

"At that time, Xie Chen did a sliding tackle..."

Inside the hall of the Yaojin Guild, Song Shiye was standing on a wooden table, vividly describing the scene of Lin Qing slaying the Vicious Beast that day, gesturing wildly as spit flew everywhere.

"Hiss—" The sound of gasping filled the air as everyone's eyes widened. They looked toward the direction of Lin Qing's courtyard, as if trying to see him through the many obstacles. Their gazes were filled with admiration and awe.

Inside the small courtyard, Lin Qing was practicing the Rank 4 Cultivation Technique he had obtained from the man in white—the "Gengjin Solemn Pillar."

The spoils from this trip had already been tallied: one Rank 4 Cultivation Technique and over three million taels in banknotes. There were also some silver and gold leaves, which he had wrapped up in a Martial Artist's robe.

After finishing his practice, Lin Qing decided to visit the Zangxiao Pavilion. Now that he held a massive sum of over three million taels, it was time to collect all the Rank 4 Cultivation Techniques.

Lin Qing walked to the entrance of the Zangxiao Pavilion. Before he could even step inside, a young servant immediately came forward to greet him. The boy appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen, wearing a green short-sleeved outfit with sharp, lively eyes. Upon seeing Lin Qing, a respectful smile immediately broke out on his face.

"Greetings, Young Master Xie Chen! The Pavilion Master has instructed that if Young Master Xie Chen arrives, you are to go straight to the second floor!"

Lin Qing nodded slightly and followed the servant to a more spacious and luxurious private room on the second floor.

The one receiving Lin Qing was the same elderly man from last time. His hair was gray and his face was lined with wrinkles, yet his eyes were exceptionally sharp.

Last time Lin Qing came here, he had worn a black robe that obscured much of his appearance. Today, however, he had traded the black robe for a moon-white long gown with a black jade belt tied around his waist, giving him a more refined and scholarly air.

He was likely the Pavilion Master the servant had mentioned.

Seeing Lin Qing enter, the old man slowly stood up and cupped his hands toward him, his tone peaceful.

"Young Master Lin Qing, I hope you have been well."

Lin Qing returned the gesture and got straight to the point. "The Pavilion Master is too kind. I have come today to ask for a favor."

The old man smiled slightly and made a "please" gesture. "Please, sit, Young Master. May I ask what brings you here today?"

Lin Qing didn't beat around the bush either. He pulled two Cultivation Techniques from his robes and handed them to the old man. "I wanted to ask if the Zangxiao Pavilion accepts Cultivation Techniques?"

The old man took the two manuals. He first flipped through the "Ronghuo Heart Pillar" and then carefully reviewed the "Gengjin Solemn Pillar," his fingers lightly brushing over the ink on the pages.

After a moment, the old man set the manuals down and looked up at Lin Qing, a hint of curiosity in his expression. "Young Master, this pavilion already has the 'Gengjin Solemn Pillar' in its collection, so we won't take that one. However, we can buy back this 'Ronghuo Heart Pillar' for three million. What do you think?"

Three million. It was more expensive than the selling price, but the Zangxiao Pavilion certainly wouldn't lose out; they wouldn't just sell it to one person.

Lin Qing didn't hesitate and immediately nodded. "That works."

Then he added, "I also came today to purchase a few Rank 4 Cultivation Techniques from your esteemed pavilion."

Hearing this, a trace of suspicion appeared on the old man's face. According to the information they had received, Lin Qing had already reached Rank 4. It was one thing for him to ask about Rank 4 techniques last time, but why was he still buying them now?

However, he didn't pry. Instead, he pulled a sheet of Xuan paper from a drawer under the table and handed it to Lin Qing. "Please take a look, Young Master. This is the catalog of Rank 4 Cultivation Techniques in our Zangxiao Pavilion."

Lin Qing took the paper and saw more than a dozen names of Rank 4 Cultivation Techniques written densely upon it, each followed by a brief description. He examined it carefully, his eyes scanning the names one by one.

He had already obtained two Rank 4 Cultivation Techniques, the "Ronghuo Heart Pillar" and the "Gengjin Solemn Pillar." Their names gave him an idea.

This time, he didn't want to pick five techniques as randomly as before.

He remembered Sun Shaoping saying that Rank 4 was called the Five Viscera Realm. Now, he had the "Ronghuo Heart Pillar" which governs the heart and the "Gengjin Solemn Pillar" which governs the lungs. Naturally, he should choose techniques corresponding to the liver, spleen, and kidneys.

Soon, Lin Qing selected three techniques and told the old man. They were the "Peimu Spring Pillar," the "Houtu Town Pillar," and the "Mystic Water Abyss Stake." These three techniques perfectly corresponded to the three major organs: the liver, spleen, and kidneys.

The old man nodded and said, "Three techniques, totaling three million taels, which offsets the 'Ronghuo Heart Pillar.' Please wait a moment, Young Master, I will go and fetch them for you."

"Wait," Lin Qing said. "I also wanted to ask if you have any Martial Arts above the Profound Rank?"

The old man smiled. "Of course. Low-level Profound Rank is one hundred thousand taels each, and Advanced ones are five hundred thousand each."

Lin Qing asked again, "What about higher than that?"

The old man's expression turned serious. "Low-level Earth Rank Martial Arts are three million each. My Zangxiao Pavilion currently only has two."

Lin Qing nodded and said, "Show me the low-level and Advanced Profound Rank Martial Arts as well."

The old man took out a few more sheets of paper and handed them to Lin Qing. Lin Qing took them. Selecting Martial Arts wasn't as meticulous as selecting Cultivation Techniques. Before long, he had chosen ten: five low-level and five Advanced.

The old man said no more and turned to leave through a back door. A short while later, he returned with three Cultivation Techniques and ten Martial Arts manuals. Lin Qing took them, handed over another three million taels in banknotes to the old man, and then took his leave.

After this spending spree, Lin Qing's funds were nearly depleted again. However, he still had a Rank 4 Vicious Beast to process; that was his greatest source of confidence.

That Vicious Beast was massive and was currently being processed at the Yaojin Guild's butcher shop. Lin Qing would share some with Su Lan and the others, but even after that, he would have a guaranteed minimum of eight million taels. Such was the value of a Rank 4 Vicious Beast.

To ensure his future supply of Vicious Beast meat for cultivation, Lin Qing had specifically instructed them to keep at least four thousand catties of meat at the guild and not sell too much.

After finishing his business at the Zangxiao Pavilion, Lin Qing returned to the Yaojin Guild.

As soon as he stepped into the hall, he noticed that the atmosphere today was even livelier than in previous days. When they had brought back the Rank 4 Vicious Beast, the hall had been buzzing, but it was mostly with shock and awe. Today, however, the Martial Artists in the hall all had excited smiles on their faces, whispering and discussing things with a volume several times louder than yesterday.

Lin Qing stopped a passing guild member and asked, "Why is it so lively today? What happened?"

After asking around, he learned that the uncle Su Lan had mentioned before had returned. Furthermore, he had also brought back a Rank 4 Vicious Beast.

In just a few short days, the Yaojin Guild had harvested two Rank 4 Vicious Beasts in a row. This was extremely rare in the history of Yanguī City.

"No wonder it's so lively," Lin Qing thought to himself. He could imagine that before long, the Yaojin Guild's reputation would experience a massive surge.

However, Lin Qing didn't pay much attention to such matters. Chu Lingxi and the others would handle things like the guild's reputation.

After figuring out what was going on, Lin Qing returned once more to his small courtyard.

After first recording all the Cultivation Techniques and Martial Arts into the System, Lin Qing opened his panel with a thought.

[Host: Lin Qing]

Realm: Qi-Blood Realm (Breakthrough time: 340 days)

Fused Cultivation Techniques: Ronghuo Heart Pillar, Still-Standing Origin-Nourishing Stake (Expand)

Recorded Cultivation Techniques: Lunar Visualization Method (1563/6700), Solar Visualization Method (1241/6700), Gengjin Solemn Pillar (80/320), Peimu Spring Pillar (0/320), Houtu Town Pillar (0/320), Mystic Water Abyss Stake (0/320)

Body Control Rating: Advanced Yellow Rank

Recorded Martial Arts: Rock-Splitting Thunder-Running Blade (0/80)... Cold River Solitary Shadow Sword (0/300)

For the coming period, Lin Qing could focus on his secluded cultivation in peace.