"By the way, Lin Feng, here are your spirit stones. This is our haul from yesterday. I won't go into the specifics, but this is your share… Oh, and this is for Brother Zhang and your three friends."
Zheng Kai produced several spirit stone pouches, handing them to Lin Feng and Zhang Fangzhou's trio.
"Oh, alright." Lin Feng accepted without ceremony, giving his pouch a quick glance. He was surprised to see over two thousand low-grade spirit stones inside. While a small sum to him now, considering the original team had seven members, this implied yesterday's haul had been substantial if evenly split.
"Hehe, thank you, Young Master Zheng!!"
Unlike Lin Feng's calm, Zhang Fangzhou and his brothers were visibly excited. They'd been eagerly awaiting this. They snatched their pouches, peeking inside, and immediately beamed with delight.
"Speaking of which, Lin Feng," Zheng Kai continued after Lin Feng stored his pouch, "I just heard from Brother Zhang that you're also an Honorary Artificer for the Myriad Treasures Building? You really kept that quiet! Couldn't you have 'boasted' a little and told us? I'd heard the Myriad Treasures Building recently recruited a Level 4 Artificer, so it was you all along… Heh, given our friendship, how about a thirty percent discount when I bring artifacts for repair?"
Lin Feng chuckled. "Discount? Forget thirty percent… it's free! Though… you'll have to cover the material costs yourself… haha!!"
"..."
The conversation flowed easily, and before they knew it, noon had arrived. Zheng Kai suggested everyone head to the Zhenwei Restaurant for a feast. The group then trooped out of the house and made their way towards the renowned establishment.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, I am Meng Sen. I nearly lost my life under that demon beast's claws yesterday. I owe you my deepest gratitude for destroying it."
A young man, his left arm still bandaged, approached Lin Feng. His expression was respectful, bordering on reverence, as he clasped his fists sincerely.
"Fellow Daoist Meng, you flatter me. Well… we're all residents of Qingyun City. Helping each other is only right." Lin Feng returned the gesture modestly.
After exchanging a few more words of thanks, Meng Sen took his leave. Lin Feng turned to find Zheng Kai and the others watching him with amused smiles.
Lin Feng sighed inwardly.
Since leaving his house and stepping onto the main street, barely twenty minutes had passed, yet nearly ten people had already approached him. All came to express gratitude for his 'heroic act' yesterday. Their words dripped with respect and admiration, bordering on worship. Several were female cultivators; two had even cast lingering, meaningful glances his way as they left…
Lin Feng was now fully aware of just how famous he'd become in Qingyun City overnight. He seemed to have transformed into a household-name hero.
While he'd experienced similar adoration back in Biquan City, the scale here was incomparably larger. Walking down the street, he felt the weight of countless eyes upon him—a sensation he found rather uncomfortable.
—Of course, beneath the discomfort, there was a faint flicker of enjoyment. At his age, a touch of vanity was inevitable. He even allowed himself a moment of smugness: 'Guess I have fans now, huh?'
Their arrival at the Zhenwei Restaurant caused another stir. Patrons here were predominantly cultivators. The moment Lin Feng was recognized, almost the entire crowd surged forward. Strangers greeted him with overwhelming enthusiasm. Many clamored to buy him drinks.
Lin Feng was swamped. Zheng Kai watched the spectacle for a while before finally stepping in, leveraging his status as a young master. "Lin Feng is my guest!" he declared authoritatively. This finally stemmed the tide of cultivators trying to 'claim' Lin Feng.
Eventually, after much effort, they secured a private room. To top it off, the owner of the Zhenwei Restaurant personally visited. The result? Their lavish meal was entirely on the house.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… Unbelievable… Lin Feng, you're now the most popular person in Qingyun City. Unprecedented for these parts, I'd say? Heh, I saw several female cultivators practically ready to pledge themselves to you… You don't have a Dao Companion yet, right? Why not pick a few?" Zheng Kai teased, grinning at Lin Feng.
"Oh, stop mocking me," Lin Feng groaned. "If I'd known it'd be like this, I should have worn a mask yesterday, or just pretended I didn't know you all, finished the fight, and bolted. Being an anonymous hero sounds pretty good right now…"
"Come off it! Don't pretend you didn't enjoy the perks," Zheng Kai retorted, his grin widening. "You looked rather pleased when that alluring female cultivator clung to your arm…"
"Uh…"
Amidst the laughter and banter, the group thoroughly enjoyed the exquisite spirit cuisine feast. During the meal, Lin Feng learned that Zheng Kai, Changgong Xiaojing, and Kou Tingting had each arrived today bearing an 'assignment'. Their respective family elders had instructed them to extend formal invitations to Lin Feng, asking him to visit their homes as a 'guest' whenever convenient. This was a clear gesture of goodwill, an attempt to foster ties and secure his favor.
Having already accepted an invitation to City Lord Lei's upcoming 'Victory Banquet', Lin Feng readily agreed to the invitations from the three great families. Now that his identity and capabilities were 'exposed', there was little point in excessive modesty or hiding. Building friendly relations with Qingyun City's most powerful factions offered only benefits.
The meal lasted well over an hour. As they left the Zhenwei Restaurant, Zheng Kai suggested continuing the outing for tea or opera. However, Changgong Xiaojing and Kou Tingting announced they needed to return home. Zheng Kai had to reluctantly abandon the idea. Lin Feng also had little interest in further leisure activities, so the group parted ways.
Zhang Fangzhou and his brothers mentioned wanting to browse the free market. Lin Feng told them to go ahead while he returned home alone to cultivate.
The following days settled into a rhythm of peaceful routine for Lin Feng. Aware that venturing out inevitably caused a commotion, he simply stopped leaving the house, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to cultivation. He even declined invitations from Zheng Kai to go out.
Fortunately, his home address hadn't been leaked, sparing him from visits by overzealous 'fans'.
Sustained by regular spirit cuisine meals, ample spirit stones, and the enhanced energy concentration of his Level 3 Spirit Gathering Array, Lin Feng cultivated under optimal conditions. His progress was tangible day by day, a source of deep satisfaction.
On the third day, a significant development occurred: Qi Minghe personally delivered the advanced materials required to repair the White Tiger Soul Flame Talisman. This brought Lin Feng considerable joy, though it also saddled him with a substantial debt of spirit stones—a sum unlikely to be repaid quickly.
That very night, Lin Feng attempted the repair. He poured all his true essence into the effort, yet succeeded in restoring only 5% of the talisman's structure. He wasn't discouraged; it simply meant the task demanded more time and energy. Exhausting his true essence through repair work before cultivating actually proved beneficial. Normally, he'd need to repair numerous artifacts to achieve this state; focusing on the White Tiger Talisman conveniently combined the two processes.
Another day passed, and Lin Feng finally received the formal invitation to the City Lord's 'Victory Banquet'. A grand celebration was held within the City Lord's mansion. The fully recovered heads of the three great families—Changgong Linglan, Zheng Changqing, and Kou Xuyun—were all present. Zheng Kai, Changgong Xiaojing, Kou Tingting, and even Zhang Fangzhou's trio joined the lively gathering. The atmosphere was one of shared joy between hosts and guests.
During the banquet, Lin Feng specifically approached Kou Xuyun, head of the Kou family who operated the Fragrant Elixir Workshop with extensive pill connections. He requested Kou Xuyun's help in procuring some Spirit Nurturing Pills (Lingyun Dan) and, crucially, the raw materials needed to refine them. Asking for both pills and materials was unusual, but Kou Xuyun readily agreed. He explained that the pills sold by the Kou family's workshop primarily originated from the Level 4 Pill Sect 'Lingyue Sect', located a staggering eight thousand li away. They arrived in Qingyun City only after passing through several cultivation cities. Securing Spirit Nurturing Pills was typically difficult, with only a small quantity available roughly once a month. However, Kou Xuyun assured Lin Feng he would exert every effort to obtain more on his behalf.
The subsequent days continued Lin Feng's undisturbed, tranquil existence. One notable change, however, was a significant increase in the number of damaged artifacts delivered by the Myriad Treasures Building. News of Lin Feng's status as their Honorary Artificer had also spread. Cultivators across the city, drawn by his reputation, brought their broken treasures to the Myriad Treasures Building specifically hoping for him to repair them. Lin Feng, of course, welcomed this development. Burdened by debt, earning extra spirit stones was highly desirable.
"Knock, knock, knock…"
One morning, as Lin Feng was diligently repairing the latest batch of artifacts delivered by the Myriad Treasures Building, a knock sounded at his door. He set down the artifact in his hands, stood up, and opened it. Standing there was Zheng Kai, his expression uncharacteristically glum.
"Lin Feng… there's something… I really need your help with this…"