Chapter 22: Departure
The Green Rock Pill brought by Lin Ying provided the perfect cover for Lin Jiang. Together with the previously used Appearance Fixing Pill, and the purposely grown sideburns, he was able to appear as a middle-aged man.
Time passed quickly like a flowing river. In the tenth year of guarding the tomb, Lin Jiang bid farewell to Lin Hai, the fifth elder. Lin Hai was six years older than him, and he passed away at the age of 92, which was considered a long life. After all, there was not much difference in lifespan between cultivators in the Qi Refining Period and ordinary people. It was just that cultivators had a happier old age, as their bodies had been nourished by spiritual energy, making them less prone to various illnesses.
In the fifteenth year, the seventh elder Lin Feng also passed away. He was a few months younger than Lin Jiang and nearly 90 years old.
In the eighteenth year, at the age of 94, Lin Jiang finally reached the seventh level of Qi Refining, advancing to the later stage of Qi Refining.
From this year on, Lin Jiang began preparing to leave the Lin family. He bought many Inedia Pills at the Lin family market, which were pills that could keep a person from feeling hungry for a month. They were essential for traveling cultivators. He also bought many other things.
Most importantly, Lin Jiang shared his last wish with many people. He wanted to see the vast world. Several people agreed with his wish.
Mortals in this world spent their entire lives within a hundred-mile radius of their birthplace. Cultivators could venture further, but most Qi Refining Period cultivators in the Lin family only traveled within a radius of a thousand miles. Places further beyond that were too unfamiliar and dangerous for them.
However, they knew that this world was vast. Just in Yun State, there were areas tens of thousands of miles in size. And beyond Yun State, there was the Immortal Cultivation Realm. These distant places enticed cultivators to explore.
At Lin Jiang's age, there was nothing tying him down anymore. It was a bold thing to see the outside world before dying.
After another year had passed, when Lin Ying was in seclusion, Lin Jiang went to the Lin family's ancestral hall. His appearance quickly caught Steward Wu's attention. Steward Wu was also old.
"Sixth Young Master"
"Steward Wu, I came to say goodbye."
"You're not going to tell Miss Ten?"
"If she knows, she won't let me go."
"Yeah, at the end, you are braver than me."
Steward Wu nodded, impressed with what he had heard about Lin Jiang going outside.
"I want to take my Soul Lamp with me."
"Sixth Young Master, it's not necessary."
"Yes, I don't want Lin Ying to know that I am dead. She can't see the Soul Lamp, so she will always hold on to the hope that I am still alive, that something extraordinary happened to me. If she sees it, she will be very sad, and I don't want to make her sad."
Lin Jiang said, silently apologizing in his heart. He was now deceiving people, deceiving the person closest to him.
"I understand. I will support you. Do you want to go see your father?"
Steward Wu fell silent for a moment, moved by Lin Jiang's heartfelt sincerity. At this moment, he was still thinking about his own sister. This kind of bond was powerful enough to move mountains.
"No, as a father, I don't want to see my son die in front of me. It's a tragic event where the older generation buries the younger generation. No one wants to see that."
"The head of the family can live for a long time."
Steward Wu thought for a moment and blurted out, "Lin Batian has a golden core cultivation level, which allows him to live for five hundred years. He is only in his early two hundreds now, so he can live for another three hundred years, much longer than you."
"It's just an example, but the principle is the same."
"Yes, I had a son who passed away two years ago. I was heartbroken for a long time."
"Please fulfill my request, Steward Wu."
"Alright, I will get it for you."
Steward Wu nodded and finally agreed, personally handing over the Soul Lamp to Lin Jiang.
"Father, I haven't been filial. I didn't have the chance to take care of you in your old age."
Lin Jiang knelt in front of the temple, bowing three times heavily. He wanted to perform the play perfectly. Steward Wu was very moved by this.
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Secretly leaving the Lin family's entrance, Lin Jiang called out Big Shadiao from the Spirit Beast Bag. He climbed onto Big Shadiao's back and commanded it to fly higher. Big Shadiao, who was in the later stage of the first rank, spread its wings and soared forward like a lightning bolt. The Aurora Falcon was truly living up to its reputation.
Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao took turns carrying Lin Jiang and flew north, passing Anhua City. They continued flying onwards as Anhua City was too close to the Lin family and not Lin Jiang's destination.
Lin Jiang's destination was Yunzhong City, the largest city in Yun State. Yunzhong City was more than 100,000 miles away from the Lin family. It was considered the shining gem of Yun State, the brightest one.
According to the information Lin Jiang gathered, Yunzhong City was located downstream from the Yuntuo River. It was an extremely large city with over a million cultivators. The Qi Refining Period cultivation level in this city was not worth much. Even Golden Core cultivators were common here. It was the absolute center of Yun State.
After traveling for almost a month with many stops along the way, Lin Jiang finally arrived outside Yunzhong City. He looked at the city and felt the awe-inspiring grandeur.
"Big Shadiao, your good days are over. Come inside."
Lin Jiang put away Big Shadiao and placed it into the Spirit Beast Bag. Until now, Lin Jiang had never restricted their movements; they were always free to play around. But from now on, it would not be possible. There were so many cultivators in Yunzhong City, and if they were released without control, they might be killed and eaten. From now on, most of the time, they would have to stay in the Spirit Beast Bag.
In the first three miles of Yunzhong City, flying was not allowed. Lin Jiang walked obediently on the ground. There were many cultivators around, as well as some carriages pulled by giant beasts, which seemed to be some kind of merchant.
Lin Jiang followed the crowd and arrived at Yunzhong City's entrance. He spent five spirit stones to exchange for an identity token. With this token, he could live in the city. However, this token only allowed cultivators to stay in the city for one year. If he wanted a permanent token, he would need to have a fixed asset in the city, such as a house.
"Is real estate the end of the universe?"
After learning about the housing prices in Yunzhong City, Lin Jiang couldn't help but complain. It was ridiculously expensive! A small courtyard of about a hundred square meters cost over two hundred thousand spirit stones. It would be better to just rob someone.
After working hard for over forty years in the Lin family and with Zhuang Rong's inheritance, Lin Jiang now had just over fifty thousand spirit stones. He still couldn't afford a small courtyard. It was really frustrating. Even after transmigrating, he couldn't escape the housing market.
Upon entering Yunzhong City, Lin Jiang appeared extremely cautious. He found a cheap inn to stay in and spent the next half month wandering around the city, observing the situation.
Yunzhong City was like an enlarged version of Anhua City. They were not much different from each other. There were mature commercial streets and large markets, and not just one. There were distinct levels for different cultivation realms such as Qi Refining Period, Foundation Building Period, and Golden Core Period. Each cultivation realm had its own social circle.
After becoming familiar with the situation, Lin Jiang looked for someone to rent a house. The house was only about fifty square meters, but the yearly rent was four thousand spirit stones. Lin Jiang gritted his teeth and rented it. He had a secret with him that made staying in an inn not suitable.
After settling down, Lin Jiang had to consider his income. In the Lin family, he wasn't worried about income because he had a monthly salary from the family, although not much. He also had a Spiritual Peach Mountain Villa that generated an income of at least eight hundred spirit stones per year, which was enough for his expenses.
But here, all these incomes were gone, luckily he still had the skill of drawing symbols. Lin Jiang had been practicing symbol art for decades, and his level was far beyond comparison. He could already draw eighteen types of high-quality first-grade spiritual talismans, and the success rate was extremely high. At least eight out of ten could be drawn successfully.
The price of a high-quality first-grade spiritual talisman was not high. In the Lin family market, it was about three spirit stones, and in Yunzhong City, it was a bit higher and could be sold for five spirit stones. The cost was less than one spirit stone.
The cost of spiritual talismans mainly lay in the practice stage, with a large number of failures and the time spent. The actual material cost was not high.
"With my Qi Refining seven-layer divine sense and spiritual power, it's no problem to draw three high-quality first-grade spiritual talismans a day. After deducting possible failures and material costs, the profit is approximately twelve to thirteen spirit stones. Without resting for a month, that's about four hundred spirit stones. In less than a year, it's less than five thousand spirit stones. Damn it, the rent alone takes four thousand, I can't make a living."
Lin Jiang calculated and almost spat blood. It turned out that he worked his ass off and basically worked for the landlord. Just the rent alone took up ninety percent of his income.
After reaching the later stage of Qi Refining, Lin Jiang's expenses also increased a lot. Qi Gathering Pills were no longer useful for him, he needed to switch to a type of pill called Spirit Gathering Pill. One Spirit Gathering Pill cost ten spirit stones. Based on his previous cultivation habits, he used about six pills a month, which added up to over seven hundred spirit stones in a year.
In addition to Spirit Gathering Pills, he also needed to use Energy Nourishing Pills, which cost three to four hundred spirit stones a year. This didn't include other expenses. Altogether, he needed over a thousand spirit stones a year. His income was completely insufficient, he would end up with nothing.
"Yunzhong City, not an easy place to live in."
Lin Jiang sighed, he now doubted whether he came to Yunzhong City by mistake. With his level of expenditure, he simply couldn't save any money.
He needed to know there were many places where he would need money in the future. Once he reached the Qi Refining Grand Completion, he would have to find a way to buy the Foundation Building Pill. The Foundation Building Pill cost tens of thousands of spirit stones, which he could afford, but he also needed to find a place for quiet cultivation. It seemed he would have to go to an advanced cave dwelling, but the rent there was expensive.
Once he reached the Foundation Building stage, he would have to change his equipment. The equipment used in the Qi Refining Period was called a tool, while the equipment used in the Foundation Building Period was called a spiritual tool. The price of a spiritual tool was several times higher than a tool. To get a complete set of equipment, it would cost at least tens of thousands of spirit stones.
The pills used for cultivation in the Foundation Building Period were even more expensive. In Anhua City, a True Spirit Pill cost around thirty spirit stones. If he didn't save some money for the Foundation Building Period, what would he do when the time came?
"Never mind, never mind, I don't want to think about it too much. I still have enough savings for a few years. I should focus on improving my cultivation and skills. If I can draw first-grade premium spiritual talismans, I can sell one for ten spirit stones. Then I won't have to rely on my savings for a living."
After thinking it through, Lin Jiang shook his head and pushed away his distractions. He had already come this far and didn't want to keep running. He decided to settle down in Yunzhong City. If things didn't work out, he could figure it out later.
