Watching Lin Xuan bend down to pick up the black stone, Lin Mo Chen's entire body locked up. It got worse when he saw him extend his hand to give it back.
Lin Xuan watched Lin Mo Chen with curiosity. He had come out of nowhere and was acting strangely. The most suspicious part was the way he looked at him. Seeing him accept the black stone with trembling hands, he couldn't help but speak.
"I've been trying to remember where I know you from. I finally remembered," Lin Xuan said quietly, looking straight at him. "You're the guy who spoke to me at the ceremony."
Hearing that, Lin Mo Chen's already tense body went rigid. If I keep this up, I'm going to have a heart attack... Do cultivators even get heart attacks? He wasn't ready for the next question.
"What is your name?" Lin Xuan asked casually, his eyes sharp. Lin Mo Chen had the feeling someone else besides him was watching.
He didn't want to answer. I'll make up a fake name and run. Never see this 'protagonist' again. But Lin Mo Chen knew that was stupid. Sooner or later Lin Xuan would find out he'd lied... and who knew what would happen.
With no choice, he forced the words out. "This humble disciple's name is Lin Mo Chen, Young Master Lin Xuan. I'm just an insignificant member of the side branch."
In the middle of the tension, Lin Yao Er watched her older brother curiously. She had never seen him talk this much to anyone in the Lin family besides their father or her.
So she spoke up while Lin Xuan stared thoughtfully at Lin Mo Chen. "Lin Xuan ge-ge, we weren't in a hurry." Hearing her, Lin Xuan pulled himself from his thoughts.
Lin Xuan lingered for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Perhaps we'll meet again. Until then." Without another word, he turned and left, Lin Yao Er following at his side. Watching their backs disappear, Lin Mo Chen let out a long, burning sigh.
The urge to collapse right there was overwhelming, but doing so in the middle of the market would make him look like a complete fool. Suppressing it, he clung to his dignity, cast a glance at the black stone, and walked away in the opposite direction from Lin Xuan.
By the time the sun began to set, Lin Mo Chen was still walking through the market. In his hand were two vials. Inside were six uneven little pellets — the best he could find.
After searching for a long time, he had spent 60 gold coins on them. They contained six Minor Qi Attraction Pills. They were far worse than the one his father had given him, but at his level, they were enough.
Sighing, Lin Mo Chen scratched the back of his neck. How is this possible? I'm poor and talentless. He looked at his black stone and raised his hand to throw it away, but frowned at the last second and lowered it.
People around him stared — a young Lin family member playing with a rock. He could feel a few older women laughing at him.
His face reddened and he lowered his hand. This thing cost me a gold coin. Even if it's useless, I'll give it to General Fatty. He slipped it into his pocket with an exaggerated motion and kept walking.
Passing through the main gate, he walked calmly down the corridors until he reached a dirt path. The occasional side-branch member or servant greeted him as he passed.
He wasn't important, but he also wasn't what they'd call cliché "trash." At this pace he would follow in his father's footsteps, and that was considered decent within the clan.
Lin Mo Chen smiled bitterly. What others call decent is the same as nothing. He knew that at the pace the plot was moving, if he didn't improve his cultivation, the peaceful life he had would be destroyed.
Maybe it was today's encounter, but for some reason he felt an urgency he hadn't felt before, especially after seeing Lin Xuan buying things at the market. I'm sure he was buying things his ghost master ordered, he thought irritably, kicking a stone.
It was easy to imagine how it would all unfold: Lin Xuan's stalled cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds, and at the coming-of-age ceremony a year from now, he would shock everyone.
He could already picture the ugly looks on their faces—the ones who wanted the cripple to suffer—each of them clawing for power within the clan.
Lost in thought, he didn't realize he'd already reached his house. He opened the door and shuffled inside, his face twisted like he'd bitten something bitter.
To his surprise, his mother was nowhere to be found. "Mother, I'm back!" Only silence answered. "Hm, maybe she went out..." He stretched his tense body until his bones cracked, then went into his room.
Inside, he saw his fat chicken sleeping on his bed like it owned the place and he was the servant. Great. Just what I needed: to be worth less than a chicken.
"Hey, General Fatty, do you know where Mother went?" The chicken simply opened one eye, looked at him for a second, and closed it again.
Seeing General Fatty's reaction, Lin Mo Chen's face twitched. Right... like a chicken's going to answer me. Resigned, he decided to go ahead with the plan he'd improvised.
He sat on his bed, shoving the chicken aside, and settled into a meditation posture. His hand paused halfway as he pulled one of the vials from his pocket.
Only a brief hesitation passed before he grabbed the vial. The stopper came free with a pull, and with a light shake, an earth-colored pill dropped into his palm. In every respect, it was far inferior to a First-Grade Spiritual Reunification Pill.
Without delaying further, Lin Mo Chen put it in his mouth. He swallowed hard and felt it dissolve in his stomach; his senses sharpened slightly. If before he could naturally draw in Qi the size of a silk thread, now with the pill he could draw in something the size of twine.
As he meditated to draw Qi into his fifth illusory fragment, he couldn't help but think: Even if the improvement is minimal, mosquito meat is still meat.
Slowly, his mind became as still as a calm lake. Tiny, indistinct particles of Qi were drawn toward Lin Mo Chen like a vortex, sinking into his body.
But for some strange reason, part of that energy veered off as if swallowed by something else. Lin Mo Chen dismissed it, assuming it was due to his terrible talent.
After what felt like hours, Lin Mo Chen exhaled a stream of turbid air. Frowning, he slowly opened his eyes. At this rate, even with the pills, I doubt I can condense my sixth fragment.
The coming-of-age ceremony was in a year. He was sure he could reach seventh-rank Ling Qi and avoid being sent to some rural village like trash, but that wasn't an optimistic goal.
"Ahh, damn it! I can't think of anything—what am I supposed to do to speed up my cultivation?" he shouted in frustration, raking his hair.
Whatever. Let tomorrow's Lin Mo Chen worry about it, he thought with resignation. His eyes opened as he remembered the rock in his pocket. He pulled it out lazily.
"Hmm, strange... it was always warm to the touch..." he murmured, squinting as he turned it over, looking for anything odd. I guess I'm going crazy.
Dismissing it, he tossed it beside him and lay on his back staring at the ceiling. The accumulated exhaustion made his eyes close on their own. "That's weird, General Fatty... I feel more tired than usual..."
Clack, clack! General Fatty turned his head without stopping his pecking at the strange black stone, which now held an unusual metallic sheen.