Cultivation: Being Immortal

"Taoist Friend Lin, this is your stall. For the next five years, this stall belongs to you. But if you don't set up your stall for three consecutive months, we will come to visit you. If you are still not here, we will reclaim this stall and the money will not be refunded."

The Yunzhong City staff responsible for managing the vendors at West City Market said to Lin Jiang. Now his name is Lin Yang, anyway there are many people with the surname Lin in Yunzhong City, he is not worried about being exposed.

"Understood. Although I am new to Yunzhong City, I have already inquired with people."

Lin Jiang said with a smile. He had completely abandoned his identity as Lin Yu, and the same went for Star Gathering Tower, all to be prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

A newly rented house, a newly rented stall, Lin Jiang is ready to continue his old profession. In fact, besides drawing symbols, Lin Jiang doesn't know how to do much else. He is good at cooking, but as a Qi Refining Period cultivator, he can't handle high-end restaurants. If it's about setting up a stall, then forget it, the prices are too low. Many things are calculated using spiritual beads, how much can be earned to make a spirit stone?

After handing over to the management staff, Lin Jiang immediately took out a special amulet to sell, but there were no customers. Among the three major markets in Yunzhong City, West City Market is the smallest with only a few thousand stalls, so naturally there are also the fewest customers.

However, Lin Jiang is not worried about business. His skill in making amulets may not be the best among cultivators of the same level, but he is definitely in the top ten. With a little more time, he will surely stand out.

Now, Lin Jiang's skill in making amulets is excellent. He can create over thirty types of high-quality amulets, and the success rate of each one is above ninety percent, almost one hundred percent successful.

When four hours pass, Lin Jiang closes his stall and leaves. He still has money in his storage bag, so he doesn't urgently need to make a profit from selling the amulets.

Back at home, Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao rushed towards Lin Jiang, looking hungry and chirping, wanting to be fed. Lin Jiang took out some jerky and threw it to them.

After advancing to the second level, the appetite of Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao increased once again. They can't be satisfied with anything less than fifty to sixty pounds of jerky every day, which makes Lin Jiang feel overwhelmed.

It used to be most cost-effective to let them go hunting, but Lin Jiang is still worried about what happened with He Yunwei. The He family is still very prominent in Yunzhong City, and no one knows if they still remember that incident.

So, the first thing Lin Jiang does in West City is to get food for Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao. He goes fishing at Yuntuo River, his old profession. Now he has three storage bags full of dried fish, totaling more than a hundred thousand pounds, enough to sustain Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao for a while.

However, fishing is actually just a cover. Lin Jiang's real goal is to go treasure hunting. When Lin Jiang saved Liu Siyu and Liu Dong, it wasn't solely out of kindness, but also because Liu Hui mentioned the hidden treasures of the Liu family to them.

After Lin Jiang left without saying goodbye, he also paid three years' rent for Liu Siyu and them, plus other things, with a total value of about twelve or thirteen thousand spirit stones, so he couldn't afford to make a loss.

A few days ago, Lin Jiang used fishing as an excuse and, following the instructions on Liu Hui's map, he really found a lot of spiritual herbs. These herbs were not grown by the Liu family themselves, but were wild ones they discovered. However, they didn't hand them over to the Trident Fish Gang but kept them hidden, to be picked when needed.

Liu Hui and the others had been doing this for decades, picking many spiritual herbs intermittently. However, they left behind even more, mainly because many of the herbs didn't meet the required age and were picked prematurely, greatly reducing their value.

Lin Jiang did the same. He picked over ten herbs, with a total value of no more than three thousand, but as long as the remaining herbs weren't picked by others prematurely, breaking even would be a simple matter.

"My biggest advantage is time. If I have a fixed residence and plant advanced spiritual herbs there, I could make a lot of money after a few hundred or thousand years. Unfortunately, the housing prices in Yunzhong City are too expensive."

Lin Jiang sighed. He even thought about settling in the Yunzhong Mountain Range and building his own cave dwelling, so he could continue farming.

After careful consideration, Lin Jiang rejected the idea. The Yunzhong Mountain Range is too dangerous. Independent cultivators flock there, and countless people die daily in territorial conflicts. It's simply not sustainable. Going to the Yunzhong Mountain Range would easily expose his secret.

"In the blink of an eye, I've been in Yunzhong City for almost fifty years. I really want to go out and explore."

Sometimes, Lin Jiang also wants to go out and see the world. It's so vast and wonderful, with so many stories and landscapes waiting for him to experience. Unfortunately, his strength is too low and the risks of going out are too great, so he can only give up.

·······

"Taoist Friend Lin Yang"

One day, Lin Jiang came to the stall again and a nearby old man greeted him.

"Taoist Friend Xu, you're here early."

"Come early and make a deal. Would Lin Yang's friend like a basket of dumplings?"

The old man said to Lin Jiang. His stall sells dumplings, and it has been passed down for hundreds of years, a family tradition.

"Okay, but no fish meat. I want monster meat, any kind of monster will do."

"Then it's the Golden Horned Bull. My family's Golden Horned Bull meat dumplings are the most famous."

"Sounds good."

"Here, have some beef soup."

"Thank you, Taoist Friend Xu."

Lin Jiang expressed his gratitude, accompanied by an old man named Xu Wei. He had a grandson with him, a young man in his late teens, who was only at the second level of Qi Refining cultivation. He was also helping with making dumplings.

The Xu family could be considered indigenous to Yunzhong City. Their ancestors arrived in Yunzhong City over three hundred years ago and the family has been passed down for seven or eight generations. They were truly considered locals.

The Xu family has never produced any prominent figures. For seven or eight generations, none of them have reached the Building Foundation Period in cultivation, only reaching the Qi Refining Period. However, the Xu family has an inspirational achievement. They were able to buy a house in Yunzhong City through the accumulation of wealth from generation to generation.

Lin Jiang knew just how expensive the housing prices were in Yunzhong City. Being able to accomplish this was already quite remarkable. With a house, they were able to establish a firm footing in Yunzhong City, which was extremely advantageous for the development of their family.

However, the Xu family had some bad luck. Xu Wei originally had a son who was extremely talented and had already joined the Zhonghang Sect for cultivation. However, a few years ago, he tragically died during a mission, abruptly interrupting the Xu family's development.

"The skin is thin but the filling is abundant. The taste is still as good as ever. Xu family has a century-old reputation, and it's well-deserved."

Lin Jiang took a bite of the dumpling and immediately praised Xu Wei. Xu family's dumplings have a great reputation, and their business is booming. The taste is truly delicious.

"Taoist Friend Lin likes it, that's good."

"After that, I will rely on you for breakfast."

"Of course, I'll save whatever flavor Taoist Friend Lin likes for you."

"No fish or vegetables, just meat. Please save twenty for me every morning from now on."

Lin Jiang said. It hasn't even been a year since the war between the Trident Fish Gang and the Giant Wave Fish Gang ended. He dared not eat the monster fish from the Yuntuo River, nor did he like eating vegetarian buns. Men are meat-eaters.

"Thank you, Taoist Friend Lin, for taking care of this old man's business."

Xu Wei laughed. This was a big customer. The vendors at the big market were independent cultivators and didn't have much money. They wouldn't spend so much money on buns.

Their buns cost five spiritual beads each, so twenty buns would be one spirit stone. That's thirty spirit stones in a month, and that's quite a bit of money.

Lin Jiang didn't care about this. He didn't even pay attention to the expenses of one spirit stone. Ever since he started using the Spirit Gathering Formation for cultivation, he became addicted to the abundant spiritual energy. He could no longer bear the days without the Spirit Gathering Formation. It's hard to go from luxury to frugality, so he spends thirty spirit stones every day on the Spirit Gathering Formation.

Now Lin Jiang's daily expenses are nearly a hundred spirit stones. Even though his talisman-drawing ability has improved a lot, he still can't balance his income and expenses. He relies solely on his savings.

"Taoist Friend Lin, are you not eating?"

Xu Wei was surprised to see that Lin Jiang stopped eating after having eight buns.

"Put it back and eat. I'm lazy, too lazy to cook for myself."

Lin Jiang happily said, Xu Wei's bun is bigger than an adult man's fist, two of them weigh more than a pound. Eating eight already seemed like a lot, but if he could digest them, he could eat dozens more. However, no one would do that. With that money, it's better to eat a proper and delicious meal.

The buns he left were for Big Shadiao and Small Shadiao, to improve their meals. These two are hundred-year-old friends, we can't treat them poorly.

"I see."

Xu Wei said, he was worried that this big customer would leave. Eating like this could get tiresome in just three months. It seemed like he needed to spend more time studying the bun fillings.

The Xu family has been in West City Market for many years, with many regular customers. People come and go, some come to eat buns, some see Lin Jiang as a stranger and strike up a conversation.

Lin Jiang's social anxiety isn't too serious, and he hopes to make a few friends. So he quickly met a group of new friends, all vendors in the market with decent cultivation at the late stage of Qi Refining.

This is a matter of social circle. Lin Jiang has a cultivation level of nine levels of Qi Refining and is skilled in drawing symbols. Whether it's the dating market or making friends, he is considered high quality. So those people quickly accepted Lin Jiang. If Lin Jiang had a weaker cultivation level and wanted to blend into their circle, it would be impossible. They wouldn't even bother with him.

Among these friends, many have been in Yunzhong City for generations, almost like natives, but none of them have properties in Yunzhong City like the Xu family.

Most cultivators are like this, they invest most of their income into their practice. If their practice succeeds, then it's good. But if it fails, it's all in vain. And when it comes to practice, it's not about how much you invest, it doesn't guarantee how much you'll gain. Many things end up in vain.

"Sometimes I think that we cultivators are not as happy as ordinary people. Ordinary people spend their whole lives getting married, having children, enjoying their lives. But us, we run around for a little bit of resources and in the end, it's all for nothing."

"As Qi Refining cultivators, we are really not much different from ordinary people. The only difference is that our bodies are healthier, we don't get sick. Getting old is more comfortable. I regret entering the path of immortality."

Occasionally, when chatting together, many people have started to doubt the identity of cultivators. What are they practicing for?

Qi Refining cultivators are not much different from ordinary people. They don't live past a hundred years, but their lives are much harder than ordinary people. This doesn't refer to material things, but rather, it refers to their state of mind. Ordinary people don't have as many pursuits, so they are actually happier.

"Hope, that's what cultivating is all about. Breaking through the Building Foundation Period, living a hundred years, and standing at a higher position to observe all living beings."

Lin Jiang said, he often sighed about the ordinary cultivator's life. Out of one hundred Qi Refining Period cultivators, maybe only one person can break through the Building Foundation Period. Most of them end up with no results, like water pouring into a bamboo basket.

But in the end, is it not still hope? If people live just for basic necessities like eating, drinking, and sleeping, then it's too boring. What's the difference from being a salted fish?

(Translated by Gravity Tales 😘)

Lin Jiang can live for countless years, but he doesn't want his life to be limited to one city or a certain village. He hopes to travel through the mountains and waters of the cultivation world, living freely where no one can threaten him. That's his greatest motivation for cultivating.

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