"Grandpa."
Su Qingjiu stood tall, looking at the fortune-telling elder with his seemingly kind eyes. "I don't want to cultivate, nor do I want to be a fairy. I just want to stay by Brother Lin Zhao's side."
Xiao Shitóu was very cautious, his brow furrowed and his fists clenched. Although he hadn't reached a high level, his entire being exuded the aura of someone who had practiced martial arts. "Old sir, Brother Lin Zhao will be back soon. If you have something to say... perhaps you could come back another time, or, could you wait outside for a while?"
The old immortal squinted at Xiao Shitóu and chuckled, "Little fellow, you're quite sharp. Good, good, you're teachable. But you've misunderstood. I'm not some rogue cultivator from the martial world. I am a true disciple of the Immortal Sect, officially registered with the Ministry of Mountains and Seas in the imperial court. If this young lady follows me, she will undoubtedly ascend step by step. With her talent, let alone reaching the Star River realm, she might even be able to glimpse the first realm of the Five Upper Realms, the Return to Truth realm."
Xiao Shitóu said, "Old grandpa, we can't decide this matter. Why don't we wait for Brother Lin Zhao to come back? It's almost dinnertime, and the patrol cavalry of the Tianchi Army will be passing by soon. You look quite frail, old sir. What if you get scared by the might of the patrol cavalry?"
"Hahaha~~~"
The old immortal reached out to pat Xiao Shitóu's head. "Little fellow, you're so clever!"
Xiao Shitóu tried to dodge, but couldn't. His whole body felt as if it were being pulled by something. He widened his eyes. "Old grandpa, what… what did you do to me?"
"What do you mean 'do'? This is immortal magic. Have you heard of the immobilization spell?"
A glint of murderous intent flashed in the old immortal's eyes. He seemed to be losing patience. He looked back at Su Qingjiu. "Little girl, I'll give you one last chance. Are you willing to cultivate with me? Just nod your head, and I'll take you away immediately. Although the Tianchi Army is strong, they don't have troops stationed in this small town. With my status as a seventh-realm cultivator, it's not difficult for me to take you away."
Su Qingjiu shook her head resolutely. "No, I want to stay by Brother Lin Zhao's side. You should leave, old grandpa."
"Hmph, always calling him Brother Lin Zhao. Who exactly is this kid?"
The old immortal gritted his teeth.
Just then, with a creak, the courtyard gate opened again. Lin Zhao entered the small courtyard, carrying a pile of delicious food. He wore new clothes from the Marshal's mansion, and having just entered the Bone Tempering realm, becoming a third-realm martial artist with a solid foundation, he appeared exceptionally radiant and full of vigor.
"Hm?"
Before entering, Lin Zhao had already sensed a powerful presence in the courtyard, so he almost rushed in. Seeing that Xiao Shitóu and Su Qingjiu were unharmed, he finally relaxed. He frowned and asked, "Old sir, who are you?"
"Brother Lin Zhao!"
Xiao Shitóu and Su Qingjiu were overjoyed and rushed over, hiding behind Lin Zhao.
"Oh, so you are the Lin Zhao the children speak of!"
The old immortal smiled slightly and stepped forward, cupping his fists. "I am a disciple of the Immortal Sect cultivating on Nanping Mountain, a seventh-realm cultivator. I happened to pass by here and found myself quite compatible with this little girl. Her talent for cultivation is quite outstanding, so I wish to form a good connection with her and take her as my disciple, bringing her back to Nanping Mountain to cultivate, so that she may ascend to immortality in the future. What are your thoughts, young hero?"
Lin Zhao frowned. "Xiao Jiǔ'er is still young and currently attending school. I'm afraid she's not suitable for traveling far. Moreover, her family has just experienced such a great upheaval. Old sir, I think this matter can wait. If you are truly sincere, perhaps we can agree on five or eight years, and then you can come back. If Xiao Jiǔ'er wishes to form an immortal connection with your mountain, I will certainly not obstruct her."
"Young friend Lin Zhao seems not to trust this old man!"
The old immortal stuck his fortune-telling banner into the soft earth nearby and chuckled, "Very well, very well. Since that's the case, this old man must show you something, so that young friend Lin Zhao knows I'm not lying."
With that, the old immortal took out a small sapling from his cloth bag and planted it in the nearby soil. Then, he chanted incantations, continuously pointing at the sapling with his finger. "Grow tall, grow tall, bestow wealth upon me, ward off disaster, money tree!!"
Lin Zhao narrowed his eyes. As a third-realm martial artist, he could already see some clues. He watched as the old immortal gently swayed his left fist, and wisps of spiritual powder, almost imperceptible to the eye, sprinkled around the sapling. Immediately, the sapling grew to about half a person's height at a visible speed, then flowered and bore fruit. The fruits were indeed copper coins swaying in the wind, clinking merrily.
Lin Zhao rubbed his eyes and confirmed again, understanding dawning on him. There were strands of golden thread connecting the copper coins and the sapling. These were spiritual power ropes, cleverly tied to the tree. It was an illusion, making it seem as if it had borne fruit. In reality, it was just some minor trick of the martial world. As for Lin Zhao, he couldn't see the specific technique, as he was only a martial artist, but he clearly saw the final result.
"Wow..."
Xiao Shitóu and Xiao Jiǔ'er were utterly stunned, their childish hearts filled with wonder.
Lin Zhao narrowed his eyes, gently clapped his hands, and smiled, "Impressive. Do you have any other tricks, old sir?"
"Hehehe~"
The old immortal smiled slightly and said, "Once this sapling is planted, it bears fruit every day, yielding about a hundred copper coins daily, enough for a family of ten to live on. However, since young friend Lin Zhao wishes to broaden his horizons, this old man will not hide anything. Come, come, let young friend have a look at another skill."
With that, the old immortal took out a rope from his cloth bag, dangled one end in his hand, and chuckled, "The Immortal Rope that everyone in the martial world dreams of. With the Immortal Rope, one can reach the Heavenly Court, commune with immortals, and even have a chance to obtain various immortal techniques. Here, this old man will demonstrate for young hero!"
He suddenly threw it, and one end of the rope shot straight upwards, like a spiritual serpent ascending into the sky, then disappeared into the darkness of the night. The entire rope was straight, like an iron cable. The old immortal leaped up, and his body followed the Immortal Rope straight upwards, disappearing into the darkness in an instant.
"Wow..."
Xiao Shitóu and Xiao Jiǔ'er were once again astonished by this magic trick.
Lin Zhao, however, narrowed his eyes and circulated his third-realm martial artist's power to observe carefully. He finally discovered the trick. It turned out that at one end of the so-called "Immortal Rope" was a golden flying ring. A barely audible "buzzing" sound came from the flying ring. It should be a flying artifact. What was truly flying was this flying ring, while the Immortal Rope was just an ordinary rope.
The old immortal indeed had his tricks and treasures, but unfortunately, he would never reveal them.
"Swish!"
The old immortal descended from the sky, clapped his hands, and the flying ring disappeared into his sleeve at a speed barely visible to the eye. The Immortal Rope then fell limply to the ground, coiling into a pile.
"How about it?"
The old immortal smiled slightly and said, "If this little girl follows this old man to cultivate on the mountain, this old man will naturally form a good connection with young friend Lin Zhao. This Immortal Rope, this money tree sapling, I shall gift them to you. They will be enough for you to live a life of wealth and without worry. Furthermore, I will teach you the incantations for the Immortal Rope. If you cultivate it diligently, once refined, you will be able to embark on the path of cultivation and even gain immense fortune. How about it?"
"Shameless, utterly shameless!"
Lin Zhao muttered to himself. This old cheat actually wanted to trade Su Qingjiu for a common sapling that grew with spiritual power, an ordinary rope, and a hundred copper coins. Where in the world could such a thing as getting something for nothing happen? Moreover, Lin Zhao could see greed and desire in the old man's eyes. This person was definitely not a good sort, and taking Su Qingjiu away was probably not as simple as taking a disciple.
"Young friend?"
The old immortal enticed him, "If you still feel it's not enough, this old man has a few more treasures. Would you like to take a look?"
"No need."
Lin Zhao smiled slightly and said, "It's best for Xiao Jiǔ'er to stay by my side for now. Please don't trouble yourself, old sir. We're about to have dinner, and we don't have any chopsticks prepared for you, so please leave quickly. Otherwise, I'll have to call the patrol cavalry. Then, a charlatan like you might not be able to leave even if you wanted to."
"What did you say!?"
The "old immortal" finally revealed his ferocious visage and sneered, "My tricks might be fake, but my realm is not. You little brat, not knowing your place, dare to speak to me like this. You truly don't know death!"
Saying that, he suddenly grabbed his fortune-telling banner and pointed with his hand. A golden light shot straight towards Lin Zhao. It was the golden flying ring!
"I knew you weren't a good person!"
Lin Zhao let out a low roar. While pushing Su Qingjiu and Xiao Shitóu backwards, he unleashed his true qi. Inside him, it was as if a fire qilin was racing through his meridians with his true qi, and a dense aura of boxing intent flowed around him. He directly struck out with a palm strike. With a loud bang, the old man's hasty artifact was split open by Lin Zhao's palm. Although his entire left hand was numbed by the impact and unusable for the time being, Lin Zhao's boxing intent surged again. Dragging his left hand, he attacked with his right fist!
Formation of Horse and Ship Style!
His first move was the strongest technique of the Farmer's Three Punches, a lightning-fast punch that landed on the old immortal's abdomen. It was blocked by the opponent's protective spiritual barrier, but the next second, Lin Zhao appeared behind the old immortal and delivered a fierce punch to his waist. As the old immortal waved his fortune-telling banner, summoning a fire dragon-like flame, Lin Zhao once again appeared beside the opponent like a gust of wind and delivered another fierce punch!
...
Thus, in a hasty exchange, a seventh-realm Void Opening realm rogue cultivator actually took several punches from a third-realm martial artist. Firstly, the old immortal was too arrogant and never expected Lin Zhao to attack first. Secondly, the third move of the Farmer's Three Punches, the Formation of Horse and Ship Style, pursued speed and the principle of a decisive blow. The punches were thrown without reservation, pushing his movement technique and strength to the extreme. Coupled with Lin Zhao's abundant true qi and the unusually fierce "fire qilin" within him, a third-realm martial artist employing the Formation of Horse and Ship Style was already exuding the power of a fourth-realm martial artist. It was precisely because of this that the old immortal suffered a disadvantage in the early stages of the exchange.