Chapter 167: Bathing in Golden Light, Refining the Essence
The sound of the sermon gradually grew clearer and louder.
But the language was so obscure and difficult to understand that it was like listening to gibberish to Lin Yi.
The white tiger next to him was sprawled out, fast asleep.
It seemed to have no interest in the Daoist voice whatsoever.
Suddenly, Lin Yi’s pupils constricted.
He saw that in the distant cosmos...
Countless stars outlined a human figure.
An old man in a Daoist robe was floating cross-legged high above the heavens.
His eyes were slightly lowered, possessing a natural, unforced authority.
His hands formed a Dharma Seal, and his body seemed to radiate dazzling golden light.
’It’s him again... this is the second time he’s appeared in the Star River.’
Lin Yi remembered the first time he had seen him.
He had been grievously injured, and the man’s appearance had helped repair the damage to his body.
After that, he had never seen him again.
Now, this Daoist had appeared once more.
He still had that same solemn demeanor, sitting cross-legged in the cosmos like one of the Immortal Gods looking down upon the nine heavens.
It stirred an inexplicable sense of reverence in Lin Yi’s heart.
He didn’t dare to look directly into his eyes.
Suddenly, the Daoist slowly opened his eyes.
A beam of golden light shot straight toward Lin Yi.
In an instant, Lin Yi was enveloped in the golden light. An indescribable coolness surged wildly through his body.
Then, a majestic voice once again reached his ears.
Lin Yi heard it clearly—it was the sound of the Dao, containing the very phenomena of heaven and earth.
It was just that at Lin Yi’s current level, it was difficult to comprehend its meaning.
But even if it was obscure and hard to understand...
...Lin Yi still benefited immensely.
He could feel the Qi inside him begin to boil.
It was as if it had undergone some kind of sublimation, elevating from simple Qi and Blood into pure Source Qi.
It then surged madly into the various acupoints of his body until they were completely filled.
At this moment, Lin Yi’s eyes were tightly shut.
He quietly savored the bath of golden light and the endless benefits it brought him.
The Qi and Blood transformed into Source Qi.
Becoming even purer...
’I get it. The Star River Qi Transformation Technique... so this is what it means?
To use the Power of the Star River to continuously purify the Qi and Blood in my body, thereby transforming it into Source Qi...’
Lin Yi’s eyes snapped open.
And he found himself still in the police car.
The two men from the Martial Arts Police Station in the front seats were talking.
Seeing that Lin Yi, who was in the back seat, had woken up, the man in the passenger seat smiled.
"You’re awake? Good timing, we’re back in Xinghai City. We’ll be at your building in about ten minutes!"
Hearing this, Lin Yi quickly glanced outside.
Sure enough, the police car was now driving on the streets of Xinghai City.
Since it was still daytime, there were quite a few pedestrians on the streets.
The traffic was heavy.
The hustle and bustle of the day was a stark contrast to the night.
Lin Yi smiled and nodded. "Thanks for driving me back!"
"Ah, no need to thank us. Just now, I was telling Old Li about what happened at Wushan last night!"
"It was truly tragic. So many people died in battle, and many more lost arms or legs. Some people weren’t even left with a complete body, just... just pieces..."
"That’s enough, Xiaohuang. Stop talking!"
Just as Xiaohuang, in the passenger seat, was rambling on about the tragic scene he had witnessed on Wushan, Old Li, who was driving, cut him off with a grim expression.
Xiaohuang nodded and quickly shut his mouth.
Although neither of them knew what kind of relationship Lin Yi had with their Captain Tang and the others...
...anyone who wasn’t a fool could see it.
Their relationship was far from simple.
It was possible that among the dead were his friends, relatives, or comrades-in-arms.
To bring up the tragic events of last night in front of him now...
Wasn’t that the same as pouring salt on his wounds?
Lin Yi didn’t answer, turning his head to continue looking out the window.
After his nap in the car and being bathed in that golden light from the Star River Qi Transformation Technique...
...Lin Yi no longer felt sleepy at all.
All his fatigue had been completely erased.
Only the hunger in his stomach grew more intense...
"Could you pull over up ahead?"
Lin Yi suddenly said to Old Li, who was driving.
The moment he spoke, both Old Li and Xiaohuang were startled and glanced back at him.
"Not going home? Captain Tang instructed us to make sure we dropped you off at Jingnan Hualu..." Old Li said, looking in the rearview mirror.
Lin Yi smiled and shook his head. "We’re already in Xinghai City, so I won’t trouble you any further. Besides, I’m a bit hungry. I want to grab something to eat. I’ll head back on my own after."
He hadn’t eaten all night, and it was almost noon now.
It wasn’t just Lin Yi who was hungry; the two of them were about to pass out from hunger as well.
Old Li didn’t say anything more and pulled the car over.
"Thanks for the ride. Why don’t you get out and grab a bite with me? My treat!"
Lin Yi smiled at the two police station officers in the front.
He wanted to invite them to eat with him.
They too had arrived at Wushan in the early hours of the previous day.
And had worked through the night.
Moreover, at the time, many of the police station personnel...
...couldn’t help but vomit violently at the sight of the carnage, emptying their stomachs completely.
They hadn’t rested during the day either, especially since they had then driven Lin Yi all the way back.
Lin Yi was hungry and tired, and they were naturally no better off.
However, both Old Li and Xiaohuang shook their heads and refused.
"No need. We can just eat at the station’s cafeteria. You go ahead. Make sure you go home after you’re done!" Old Li declined with a smile.
Lin Yi didn’t press them. He nodded, said his goodbyes, and left.
He waited until the police car slowly merged into traffic and gradually disappeared from view.
Lin Yi then walked alone down the street.
Passersby bustled around, brushing past him.
Suddenly, a familiar figure jumped into Lin Yi’s line of sight.
He quickly focused his gaze for a closer look.
’The old beggar?’
That was right. From his clothes to his silhouette...
...even his messy hair was exactly the same.
The most unmistakable thing was his talent tag: Nine-Bag Elder.
The moment Lin Yi noticed him...
...the old beggar seemed to notice Lin Yi as well.
He was holding a staff in his left hand and a broken bowl in his right.
He ambled toward Lin Yi with a wide grin.
"Young friend, have you been well?" he asked with a smile as he approached.
Lin Yi nodded. "And you, sir? Are you well?"
"Hahaha... Thanks to you, I won’t be dying anytime soon!"
"I see you’re not looking too well, young friend. Did something happen? Why don’t you buy me a meal, and I can help you sort things out?" the old beggar said with a smile.
As he spoke with Lin Yi, the people around them all walked away with looks of disgust.
Some even looked like they wanted to play the hero and tell Lin Yi to get away from him.
However, from the very first time he’d met him...
...Lin Yi had noticed that although the old beggar’s clothes were tattered...
...he didn’t have any strange smell on him.
No foul odor, no sour stench—nothing at all.
As for the passersby who kept their distance and pinched their noses...
...it was probably all in their heads.
Lin Yi nodded, completely ignoring the stares from others.
"Alright. I was just about to get something to eat myself and was hoping for some company. What would you like, sir?"
"Hmm... Come with me. I’ll take you to a good place. By the way, do you have enough money?" the old beggar asked with a twinkle in his eye.
Lin Yi was slightly taken aback and studied him for a moment.
"How much will it cost?"
"Not much, not much! Just the price of a bowl of noodles!"
"That’s enough then. Please, order whatever you’d like, sir!"
"Hahaha... Good! So young, yet so straightforward. Let’s go! I’ll take you to get those noodles!"
After the old beggar finished speaking with a laugh...
...he turned and walked ahead, and Lin Yi followed right behind him.
They didn’t walk far before they turned into an alley, one after the other.
They wound their way through the alley for another ten minutes or so.
Finally, they stopped outside the gate of a small courtyard.
"We’re here. This is the place!"
Lin Yi looked up at the courtyard. No matter how he looked at it, it bore no resemblance to a noodle shop.
Instead, it looked just like the courtyard of an ordinary family home.
He quickly asked, "Sir, are you sure this is the place?"
"Don’t worry, I can’t be wrong. I smell the noodles from this place every single day. How could I mistake it?
Let me tell you, for seasoned beggars like us, you can question anything about us, but you can’t question our keen sense for good food. That would be an insult to our profession! Come on, let’s go in and eat!"
Lin Yi: "..."