Once she handed it to me, I nodded with a faint, unreadable smile. "Fellow Daoist, may I know your name?" My tone was sincere, as if I were discussing the Dao itself.
She nodded, her voice low and alluring, yet strangely solemn. "Call me Bai Lianhua." Her eyes softened with a sliver of sincerity that hadn't been there before.
I returned the nod, speaking in the same calm, peaceful tone. "Then call me... Li Qinghai."
She nodded again and walked away. Her movements were graceful—like a drifting snowflake with an attitude problem. Her back was straight, her presence cold, and the way her steps touched the earth made it feel like winter had taken a stroll. I shook my head in amusement and lay down in the grass, arms behind my head, letting the moment settle.
With a light smile tugging at my lips, I gazed at the clouds drifting lazily above. The world was vast—too vast. And right now, I was simply bluffing my way forward on the path of cultivation, one lucky moment at a time.
"In this life," I whispered to the wind, "I'll do whatever I want. Explore, eat good food, and be free."
The cold breeze brushed gently against my white robe, giving me the chills—though I pretended it was because I was deep and mysterious, not cold.
"Being a cultivator isn't so bad," I mused. "I don't need to eat, sleep, or do all those mortal things." I paused. "Still... I'll eat anyway."
Eventually, I got up and made my way to the small house nearby. Bai Lianhua was still near the pond, meditating while slowly healing herself. She looked like a painting—peaceful, but don't touch or it might explode.
I, of course, didn't care. I walked up to the wooden door and knocked. It took a few moments, but eventually she opened it. Her expression was guarded, but curious.
With a mysterious smile, I held out the object she had given me earlier—now modified. It looked like an old flute carved from bone. The moment she saw it, her eyes lit up like lanterns during a festival.
"It's a whistle," I said. "But not just any whistle."
She blinked, waiting.
"A Fox Whistle. A special artifact for summoning. Don't let the 'almost broken' look part fool you."
I waved my hand, signaling her to continue cultivating, and turned to leave. That's when the system's notification popped into my mind.
---
[Ding! You have gifted a Fox Whistle (Condition: Almost Broken) to your Disciple 1678x. As a return reward, you have obtained: "Dragon Flutes."]
[Dragon Flutes: Can summon a dragon with the strength of an early Divinity Transformation cultivator. Lasts one month. Usable three times.]
---
My heart skipped a beat.
A dragon!?
The thought of riding a dragon across the sky, robes fluttering in the wind while I shouted cool lines from the air... I mean, who wouldn't want that?
But then reason returned.
"Too flashy," I muttered, sighing. "That's how protagonists die in chapter 12."
Just as I was about to return to cultivating, I sensed two people flying toward me. One had the aura of the Core Formation realm. The other? Foundation Establishment.
Without hesitation, I changed my demeanor. Gone was the lazy cultivator. I now sat cross-legged, my eyes half-lidded, as if pondering ancient Daoist secrets. I even subtly messed up my hair to give that "I don't care about appearance because I'm enlightened" look.
The two cultivators landed and respectfully cupped their hands. "Junior greets Senior."
Bai Lianhua sensed them too. She recognized one of them—Xue Lian. A Qi Gathering disciple. Not worth much attention.
But what caught her eye was something else. Her gaze lingered on the young woman accompanying them. That body constitution... her eyes widened.
It was an incredibly rare physique, one even experts in the upper realms would fight over. But acting recklessly around this man's disciple would be foolish. She could tell—he wasn't simple.
Soon, one more cultivators approached. The aura were heavy—Nascent Soul cultivators.
My eyes twitched. "Who are these clowns?"
Bai Lianhua raised an eyebrow too. Clearly, they weren't her acquaintances.
Turned out, they were from Lu Clan—the Clan Head and an Elder. Their faces glowed like a pig seeing a spirit herb. They'd clearly heard rumors and now saw two Nascent Soul cultivators—me and Bai Lianhua. Jackpot.
They quickly pulled out their best gifts—mid-grade third-tier pills: Qi Nourishing and Recovery types.
The Clan Head first approached Bai Lianhua with a generous smile.
She looked at him as if he were a walking embarrassment. Then, she scoffed coldly, not even taking the pills.
He panicked slightly but didn't give up. He turned to me and presented the gifts again. This time, ten pills: five Recovery and five Qi Nourishing.
I accepted them with a calm nod. Their eyes sparkled. That meant I accepted the favor!
"Senior, please rest assured. That young woman, Xue Lian, is our servant. You may use her as you wish," they said, smiling with too much confidence.
Click. The final piece fell into place.
So that girl and the two brothers... they were sent by this clan. No wonder they were so polite.
I laughed heartily, then suppressed it behind my sleeve. I had plans.
Bai Lianhua glanced at me again, curious. She was starting to think this "Li Qinghai" was quite interesting. Accepting gifts meant accepting responsibility. And yet... he didn't seem like the type to be bound by such things.
At least, she thought, he hadn't taken advantage of her when she was weak. Most cultivators would have stolen from her. Some... far worse.
She closed her eyes and continued recovering in the pond, though now with a hint of trust in her heart.
Smiling faintly, I turned to the two clan elders. "Hmm… if you give me those two spatial rings, I might consider visiting your clan."
My voice was as sincere as a monk in prayer.
Their hearts pounded, and they handed the rings over instantly.
I nodded, appearing deeply satisfied. "Very well. I will visit soon. Perhaps I can help."
Their eyes lit up again, like dogs seeing their master smile.
After exchanging more pleasantries, they finally left, puffed up with pride, thinking they'd just secured the support of a Nascent Soul expert.
The moment they were gone, I chuckled under my breath.
"Idiots."
Inspecting the storage rings, I found one was a mid-grade artifact—quite decent.
Satisfied, I didn't disturb Bai Lianhua and quietly sat down to cultivate. For now, everything was going according to plan. And no one—not even the heavens—knew what I was really after.
[4 powerstone for extra chapters TvT]