chapter 3
3. The Eccentric Elder
“Protecting Junior Sister Bai… sounds like a troublesome task.” Lin Dongming muttered while calculating in his mind: Given Bai Zhiqing’s current favorable impression of him, this assignment would likely bring many complications.
But this wasn’t something he could refuse. He’d have to swallow this bitter pill.
“Also, give this to her.” Tuoba Wanyu tossed a jade pendant to Lin Dongming. “It’s inscribed with a formation that can protect her.”
“Yes.”
By the time he leisurely descended from Forging Peak, it was already getting a bit late. Lin Dongming flew by sword toward the Pill Pavilion.
“Since I’ve come out of seclusion, I should let Elder Yun Shuyingknow.” Pill Refining Elder Yun Shuying was Lin Dongming’s long-term client. She not only gave him handfuls of spirit stones but also various pills to aid cultivation, so she was a client he had to please no matter what.
After all, Lin Dongming’s goal was to cultivate to Unity Realm and then take it easy.
Unlike his previous life, in the cultivation world, those below Unity Realm couldn’t even sit at the table. Whether Nascent Soul or Golden Core, they were often forced into political marriages or sent on extremely dangerous or even suicidal missions for the sake of their families or sects. And these weren’t even the worst cases. Some people, knowing they would be refined into human pills, had no choice but to walk into the tiger’s den step by step to avoid implicating their loved ones.
But as a Unity Realm cultivator, even if there were still many constraints and limitations, at least one wouldn’t be treated as a pawn to be moved at will. When faced with real danger, if one was willing to let go and not get involved, they could hide in the deep mountains and old forests, and few could do anything about it.
The strength to defeat a Unity Realm cultivator, like a Tribulation Realm powerhouse, was reserved for critical situations.
As for why he acted like a bootlicker providing emotional value—it was purely because he had no other choice. When he first arrived at the Tianji Sword Sect, Lin Dongming was just an Qi Condensation stage outer disciple. The sect provided very limited cultivation resources to outer disciples, just a few low-grade spirit stones and substandard pills each month.
Only after breaking through to Foundation Establishment could one enter the inner sect and have more opportunities to advance. Otherwise, one remained at the bottom of the food chain, where a short life expectancy was unsurprising.
But Lin Dongming had calculated over and over that with this body’s aptitude and the resources provided by the sect, breakthrough was nearly impossible. And once breakthrough failed, it meant death and the dissolution of one’s dao, which Lin Dongming couldn’t afford.
Using this body and providing emotional value in exchange for cultivation resources was the only method Lin Dongming could think of at the time. If he hadn’t met senior sisters willing to buy his services then, he might still be a small Qi Condensation practitioner even now.
Emerging from a cloud bank, a stretch of connected peaks appeared before him.
The so-called Pill Pavilion wasn’t a grand pavilion but the Tianji Sword Sect’s pill refining faction. The peaks before him all fell within the Pill Pavilion’s domain.
Lin Dongming avoided the main peak and flew toward a quiet hillside. That was the residence of Pill Refining Elder Yun Shuying.
The transaction between Yun Shuying and Lin Dongming was very simple: take care of her food and daily needs, and manage her emotions.
As for why she chose Lin Dongming, he could guess: Yun Shuying enjoyed his praise.
Yun Shuying’s cultivation method was more like what was now a relatively uncommon path of mortal cultivation: experiencing mundane matters to break through mental states and drive cultivation breakthroughs. Perhaps Yun Shuying’s cultivation technique was of this type.
The advantage of mortal cultivation was a stable and clear dao heart, with extremely strong resistance to illusions and mirages, and formidable combat power due to rich experience.
The disadvantage was that tempering the dao heart took a long time, so cultivation progress wasn’t quick.
Yun Shuying’s Mortal Sword was famous throughout the Tianji Sword Sect, with countless admirers. But there were very few people who could speak knowledgeably about and praise the subtleties of various aspects like sword dao, pill dao, weapon refining, wine brewing, flower planting, and calligraphy and painting.
So after coincidentally praising Yun Shuying’s spirit wine and spiritual plants, Lin Dongming was hired to care for the spiritual plant garden and some of her daily life, while also providing emotional value.
What slightly surprised Lin Dongming was that Yun Shuying’s standards were quite strict, and her emotions somewhat mercurial.
Cold treatment was considered good; she often verbally abused or even physically struck him. Though without spiritual energy, there was no real harm, it was extremely insulting.
Despite this, considering the substantial spirit stones, Lin Dongming still had to be subservient to her. And Yun Shuying seemed to enjoy this very much: she appeared to relish seeing Lin Dongming bow and scrape before her.
But after venting her emotions, Yun Shuying would feel she’d gone too far, then apologize to Lin Dongming, make amends, and even compensate him with pills and spirit stones. She was exactly like the abusers Lin Dongming had read about in social news from his previous life.
But Lin Dongming wouldn’t be moved by this. He was just an emotionless machine for earning spirit stones. In such situations, he would accept these spirit stones with a professional smile while inwardly cursing furiously.
—Sympathize with her? Me, a poor Golden Core cultivator, sympathizing with this Unity Realm capitalist? My brain must be broken.
Lin Dongming was very clear-headed. Once the transaction ended, they would be even, owing each other nothing.
“Here’s your spirit tea.” Lin Dongming skillfully handed Yun Shuying hot tea.
Having worked with Yun Shuying for so long, his client handbook had recorded all her preferences: she liked hot tea at night, preferably with osmanthus petals, especially in autumn and winter. She enjoyed plum wine, ideally with ice, but couldn’t drink too much or she’d become unruly when drunk.
Actually, at Yun Shuying’s level, she was no longer affected by heat or cold. Temperature didn’t mean much to her. Many habits were probably formed before her Golden Core stage but persisted even after she reached Unity Realm.
Thinking about it this way, Yun Shuying and Tuoba Wanyu led completely opposite lives.
Though both were brilliant Unity Realm cultivators, Tuoba Wanyu was a typical cultivation fanatic, single-mindedly pursuing breakthrough. She was quite indifferent to matters outside cultivation, with few hobbies. Gift-giving without error usually meant cultivation herbs or refining materials.
So there were all kinds of rumors circulating, claiming that Tuoba Wanyu’s innate aptitude was actually ordinary, and she only attained her current Unity Realm level through some special techniques or pills. But in Lin Dongming’s view, these rumors mostly couldn’t stand scrutiny—after all, if such techniques and pills existed, Unity Realm and Tribulation Realm cultivators would be fighting over them. After all, whose family didn’t have a doted-upon younger generation with mediocre aptitude?
But Yun Shuying was more like the genius people imagined. One born knowing.
Her cultivation rarely took wrong turns. Most of the time, she could choose the right path based on intuition alone. Rather, it was when hearing her master mention possible deviations that she would exclaim, “So that’s another way to think about it.”
So she also had more time to try other cultivation arts, and even things that would only interest mortals. She loved flowers, wine, and tea, enjoyed bustling crowds and getting drunk. But after all, she was a Unity Realm elder, so she had to maintain some dignity in front of others.
“Injured?” Yun Shuying took the spirit tea, her gaze lingering on Lin Dongming’s neck.
Lin Dongming only then realized he had a small bruise on his neck, probably from when the sword energy residue during his exchange with Tuoba Wanyu ruptured blood vessels beneath his skin. For cultivators, such injuries were no different from scratches and would heal quickly without attention. But for Yun Shuying, it was somewhat sensitive.
This woman could be extremely controlling at times.
“I didn’t control my spiritual energy well during cultivation and my body got a bit injured. I apologize.” Lin Dongming’s attitude was very sincere. After all, he was paid to perform, and an actor should play his part well.
Yun Shuying frowned slightly, releasing a healing technique with a flick of her finger. The bruise on his neck instantly healed: “Take care of yourself. Don’t harm this body.”
“Alright.” Lin Dongming nodded, while furiously complaining internally.
—Those in the know understand it’s about keeping appearances, but those who don’t might think you’re planning to possess my body someday.
“Also, I don’t want tea tonight. Bring wine instead.” Yun Shuying took a sip of spirit tea before tossing it aside, her brows clearly showing displeasure.
“…You’ve been drinking quite a lot lately. Even spirit wine can be harmful…”
“Why do you care so much? Aren’t you just here to drink with me? Getting cocky because I gave you a little face?” Yun Shuying grew increasingly displeased.
“Alright, I’ll get the wine.” Lin Dongming was completely unbothered by such remarks. Unlike Yun Shuying who was born into a celestial sect, he had heard far more malicious words as a mortal. He’d encountered people a hundred times worse than Yun Shuying.
But tonight was going to bring many more complications.