Chapter 277 - 263: [Building Mode — Activated]
"These are some early trinkets I got from missions back in the day."
"Most magical treasures need a cultivator to power them, but these two are different. They can store Spiritual Power, so even mortals can use them."
"This one is called the Mirage Gauze. If you fill it with Spiritual Qi, it can create a field that conceals you and everything within a hundred meters. While its main strength is concealment, it can also serve as a makeshift shield. It can block several attacks from the Foundation Establishment Realm."
"This is the Heart Guarding Pendant. It’s for single-person use. Its concealment and protection functions are charged separately, and the power sources aren’t connected."
"The power reserve for the concealment is smaller, so if you use both functions at once, the concealment will probably fail first. But its shield is decent. As long as it’s not out of Spiritual Power, it can even take one hit from a Core Formation expert."
"I don’t have anything else on me that mortals can use. These two are the only decent ones. As for recharging them, you can figure that out yourself."
After speaking, he took a pill bottle from his robes and tossed it to Su Ling’er. "And this. It can extend your life a bit. Better than that one you have."
The pills in the bottle were pitch-black and gave off a burnt smell, looking just like poison. But Su Ling’er knew that pretty much all the pills her Eldest Brother refined looked like this.
She listened to Lin Qingfeng casually toss out words like "early trinkets," "decent ones," and "junk."
’If this was "junk," then she was willing to be a junk collector for the rest of her life!’
’The Guixi Sect is a demonic sect, and Eldest Brother is a demon lord... But...’
The Mirage Gauze, the Heart Guarding Pendant, and especially that Jade Pendant which could withstand a Core Formation attack—for her family, these were nothing short of life-saving treasures!
Yet he had given them to her just like that. Su Ling’er’s heart was in turmoil. She began to uncontrollably recall everything that had happened on her journey.
At the Guixi Sect, she had witnessed what it meant to be cruel, what it meant to be insane.
But in the canyon, the one who had truly tried to kill her was the Sect Leader of Qingxu Temple, a man she once deeply respected. And the one who saved her, who saved Xiedi, was this "demon lord" Eldest Brother whom she had been so wary of.
’Why would he do that?’
’I’m just a disciple with a Pseudo Spirit Root. In the eyes of a Core Formation Stage Cultivator like him, I’m no different from an ant. He has absolutely no reason to offend a massive sect—one that even Nascent Soul elders are dispatched to on missions—just for my sake.’
’And my younger siblings are just mortals; to Eldest Brother, they’re even more worthless.’
’Why would he bestow such precious Protective Magical Treasures?’
’If he were truly a demon lord, he could have just threatened me directly, used my family’s lives to force my complete submission. That kind of domineering "submit and prosper, resist and perish" attitude would be far more in line with a demon lord’s style.’
’Could it be... that Eldest Brother... is actually a lone hero, standing in the darkness but with a heart that yearns for the light?’
’Could his seemingly cynical, even crazed, behavior be a disguise? A form of camouflage to survive in this den of demons?’
She recalled Eldest Brother’s seemingly insolent behavior toward Mr. Qian during the sect’s celebration.
’At the time, she only thought he was arrogant, but thinking back now, could it have been a silent provocation against the true powers behind the sect?’
’Was he using this insolent manner to express his defiance?’
’Eldest Brother... Just how much weight are you carrying? This debt of gratitude... it’s too heavy.’
She faced Lin Qingfeng, clasped her fists solemnly, and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Eldest Brother!"
"Eldest Brother’s great kindness... I... I will never forget it for as long as I live!!"
"Alright, alright. I was just rewarding you for being so well-spoken earlier. Besides, it’s all junk I’m giving away, so you don’t need to make such a big deal out of it. What’s with all the ceremony? Go on, go on, get back and get some rest." Lin Qingfeng waved his hand dismissively and turned to enter his room.
Despite this, her Eldest Brother was still in a demonic sect, and it wasn’t impossible for him to suffer a cultivation deviation due to his techniques. Plus, he seemed to enjoy stirring up trouble. So, Su Ling’er said, "Right, Eldest Brother... um... Anhe City is a small place. The houses are fragile, the ground is thin... it can’t take much of a beating."
"If you get bored tonight, or if your hands get itchy... could you... could you maybe hold back your Divine Techniques a little? I’m just afraid this mortal land won’t be able to withstand your earth-shattering ’Daoist arts’!"
"I hope that when I wake up tomorrow morning, this small city will still have the good fortune... of basking in Eldest Brother’s radiance, rather than being reduced to a pile of rubble... I’m begging you!"
Lin Qingfeng leaned against the doorframe, his mouth twitching as he listened to her speech.
’This Junior Sister... You may be well-spoken, but I get the feeling you’re hinting that I shouldn’t stir up trouble!!!’
"What trouble could I possibly cause? You should be worrying about yourself. I have my own methods and my own path. External tribulations are easy to overcome, but a Heart Demon is hard to guard against. Your mind was in turmoil today. You should be more concerned with your own Dao heart, not the storms on my side."
’This Junior Sister worries for nothing. Worried I’m going to cause trouble? Of course I’m going to cause trouble!’
CREAK—
The door closed.
Su Ling’er stared at the closed door and let out a long sigh of relief.
’Eldest Brother didn’t agree outright, but since he’s willing to be reasonable, he probably... maybe... won’t act recklessly, right?’
’Eldest Brother, I’m begging you, please just be a quiet, handsome man!’
...
「Inside the guest room.」
Lin Qingfeng surveyed the simply furnished room and shook his head. ’They’re having me stay here? How boring.’
He held out his hand, and an interface screen appeared before him.
’Perfect. Let me help you expand your home a bit.’ He rubbed his hands together, a little excited. ’It’s been a long time since I built a house with my own hands.’ "It’s been a while since I’ve done any building myself," he said. "A good chance to practice."
He pressed the [Build Mode] button.
...
「In the wilderness, night deepened.」
A bonfire crackled, its light illuminating two pale faces. Li Chunfeng was lying sprawled on the ground, staring blankly at the lonely moon in the night sky.
He felt the whole world spinning. The moon sometimes split into two, then morphed into a whole string of moons, all while constantly changing color.
"Junior Brother... You... You’re really something else..."
Not far away, Wang Xiedi was clutching his stomach, his back against a large tree. His face was twisted in pain. His stomach was waging an epic battle.
GURGLE— He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the churning sensation in his gut, and retorted weakly, "I... I think... the problem might... not be my mushrooms..."
Beside the bonfire sat a broken pot containing the remnants of some indescribable stew, surrounded by a few scattered bones from some unidentifiable creature.
Just an hour ago, they had been proud of their wilderness survival skills. But the resulting stew... while a little strange, it had actually tasted pretty good!
They had downed bowl after bowl until the pot was empty. And then, retribution came.
First, Li Chunfeng felt the bonfire before him turn into a rainbow. Then, he saw a halo of Buddhist light sprout from the back of Wang Xiedi’s head.
He even saw the stars in the sky lining up to do aerobics for him. ’What is this? Am I going crazy?’
Wang Xiedi’s reaction was more direct: his stomach became a battlefield.
"And... and you still say it’s not your mushrooms!"
"I... I’m seeing... seeing lots of little people... dancing... in front of my eyes..."
"I... I think... it was that... that bird you caught..."
"That was a great restorative! Don’t you get it?!"
"I... I have to go again..."
Wang Xiedi really couldn’t hold it in anymore. He steadied himself on the tree and staggered deep into the nearby bushes. Li Chunfeng lay on the ground and closed his eyes. At least that way, the world would stop spinning.
’Forget it. In the future... I’ll just stick to eating Fasting Pills. No more messing around with this fancy stuff.’ Who knows how much time passed before Wang Xiedi finally stumbled back, leaning on the wall... no, leaning on the tree.
He was completely drained. He collapsed to the ground and began to circulate his Heart Method. A stream of Spiritual Power flowed through his body, dispelling the discomfort. He finally had the strength to speak.
"Definitely... We can’t just challenge fields we’re not familiar with... This is just asking for trouble..."
Li Chunfeng also managed to sit up, shaking his still-dizzy head.
"But... Junior Brother, this is a good thing in a way. At least... we didn’t eat something that would kill us outright, right?"
Wang Xiedi: "..." That made sense. He was speechless!
...
「Anhe City.」
[Build Mode — Activated]
Everything in his vision was overlaid with a pale blue grid. The wooden bed, the table and chairs, the walls—the edges of every object were highlighted with operable lines.
Lin Qingfeng looked at the ceiling of the guest room, selected it, and then clicked [Dismantle].
The roof tiles and beams broke down into raw wood and stone amidst a silent flash of light, automatically being stored in his temporary materials inventory. The dark night sky appeared overhead.
He encountered his first obstacle: insufficient space. The guest room was too small to serve as the foundation for a large structure. Insufficient materials. The wood obtained from dismantling a single guest room was just a drop in the bucket for his plan.
’Besides, if I make too much of a commotion and attract a crowd, how am I supposed to secretly amaze everyone?’