Chapter 4

### Chapter 4: Incubation

The oval egg-shaped pendant placed on the grass instantly scorched the surrounding grass, causing it to wither. More astonishingly, it then emitted a faint red light, which quickly caused the grass within a meter to wither and dry up. The red light grew stronger, but strangely, it was not blinding. Lin He was startled, unsure of what this object was, but since he felt no discomfort, he steeled himself and continued to observe.

With a crack, the oval egg split open, and the crack emitted an even brighter red light. The air around it also warmed up, and the grass and plants within five meters continued to wither and dry up.

Lin He still felt no discomfort, but he had a strong feeling that the thing inside was communicating with him, as if it were a part of his life. When this feeling reached its peak, like an egg hatching, the oval egg split into two halves, and the top shell was pushed aside, revealing a thumb-sized, furry head. Its eyes were already open, staring at Lin He as if carefully examining him, like a child waiting for its mother's embrace.

Lin He examined it closely and found that it was a miniature tiger, but with white fur, unlike the tigers in the mountains. Instinctively, Lin He extended his hands, and the small creature shook its fur, slowly crawling out of the shell and onto Lin He's palm. It wrinkled its nose a few times, as if confirming the scent, then climbed down from his palm and stared at the spatial bag on Lin He's waist, as if something inside was attracting it.

Lin He was completely charmed by the creature's cuteness. He reached into his bag and pulled out a gourd, shaking it a few times. The small creature's eyes instantly narrowed, and it held out its hands as if ready to catch something. This tiny creature, no bigger than a human thumb, was so adorable that it made Lin He want to hold it.

He placed a Juyuan Pill on his palm, and the small creature, with astonishing agility, jumped onto his palm. It tightly hugged the Juyuan Pill, which was almost as big as its body, and actually lay on top of it. A surprising scene unfolded as the small creature quickly nibbled away at the pill. The Juyuan Pill, which was the size of a thumbnail, was completely consumed in just a minute. After eating, the small creature closed its eyes, its belly bulging, and crossed its legs, falling asleep on Lin He's palm.

"You little thing, in this world full of danger, you actually fall asleep in someone's palm without any caution. Aren't you afraid of being roasted and eaten as a snack?" Lin He said with a smile. The small creature seemed to understand, opening its eyes and giving him a glare before continuing to sleep with its legs crossed.

Lin He was speechless. He couldn't abandon this creature, which was related to his own background, so he carefully placed it in the pocket on his chest, even using a handkerchief to make a small nest for it to sleep in.

What exactly was this little creature? Lin He felt he needed to find out. It was unrealistic to inquire at the Wanxiu Sect, as his current status gave him no chance to access higher-level jade slips. He could only try his luck at the black market, hoping to find related jade slips.

By this time, it was already noon, and Lin He was hungry. He released a kite, set its direction, and it began to ascend. In the forest, it couldn't fly low, as there was a risk of hitting trees. At a height of a hundred meters, he looked down at the mountains, which were lush and green as far as the eye could see. Streams trickled down from west to east, eventually converging into the Black Water River.

The black market near the Wanxiu Sect was in Black Water Town, named after the Black Water River that wound eastward. There was a black market near almost every major sect, and the people who did business there were of all kinds.

After flying for about an hour, Lin He saw Black Water Town and quickly landed. He couldn't fly directly into the town, as this seemingly ordinary town had many taboos. Even the experts of the Wanxiu Sect had to stop at a distance of five hundred meters and walk into the town. No one dared to break this rule, and Lin He, seeing the world as full of danger, certainly didn't dare to either.

The town was very peaceful, and from the outside, it didn't seem strange at all. The people in the town were ordinary, and they had various occupations. Standing in the town and looking back at Wanxiu Mountain, one couldn't see the YunTai Peak in the south or the Penholder Peak in the north, as if these peaks didn't exist. Lin He knew that these peaks were surrounded by restrictions, and ordinary people couldn't see their true form. Only by entering the restricted area could one see their true appearance.

Since he often came to Black Water Town to trade excess pills and buy things he needed, Lin He was familiar with the town. To find jade slips, he needed to go to the Zhenpinzhai.

Zhenpinzhai was a two-story wooden building. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary small shop. When he entered, a shop assistant greeted him with a smile, asking, "Sir, would you like to go upstairs or downstairs?"

Downstairs were common items, and the things in the counters wouldn't cost more than fifty spirit stones.

"Upstairs, I want to trade for jade slips," Lin He said. The assistant's smile grew even wider. Jade slips weren't cheap; even the most ordinary ones cost ten third-grade spirit stones. Moreover, Lin He said he wanted to trade, meaning he had something valuable to sell, which would result in two transactions, and the assistant would get a commission.

Upstairs were individual rooms, each serving one customer. The assistant stopped at the second floor and nodded to a young woman in palace attire, saying, "One customer upstairs, trading for jade slips."

The young woman's face was always polite, but when she saw Lin He, she couldn't hide her disappointment, though she still smiled. "Sir, can you tell me what you want to trade? If it's not important, you can trade downstairs." Her words implied that she didn't think Lin He looked like an expert, and if he wasn't an expert, he probably didn't have anything valuable.

Lin He, who had been looked down upon in the sect, didn't mind too much. He wasn't a handsome man and could only be considered average in appearance. It was normal not to be favored by beautiful women. He wasn't an expert either, and he couldn't get angry and regain his dignity. Dignity wasn't worth much to him.

However, Lin He wasn't one to be easily pushed around. He said coldly, "All customers are welcome, but it seems Zhenpinzhai treats people differently. Is this in line with the principle of harmony and prosperity?"

The young woman's face turned cold, and she said sharply, "Upstairs is serving important guests. If you don't have anything important, it's best not to go up. This is the rule, and we don't want to make things difficult for you."

Lin He sighed, "If I were the owner, I would fire you after seeing what I have." He sneered, "A first-level Qi Practitioner, what could you possibly have?"

As they were talking, the door of one of the rooms opened, and a slender, masked young woman walked out, accompanied by a middle-aged man who bowed and gestured for her to go first. Lin He thought this must be an important guest and stepped forward, saying softly, "Owner, a Foundation Establishment Pill for the jade slips I need. Is that enough to go upstairs?"

The young woman suddenly looked over, her eyes sharp. She quickly stood in front of Lin He and said, "You have a Foundation Establishment Pill? What jade slips do you need? I'll trade with you." Her voice was harsh and unpleasant. Lin He ignored her and coldly looked at the young woman at the entrance without speaking.

The middle-aged man, without a word, walked over and bowed to Lin He, "We have been rude to you, sir. Please tell me what you want, and I will do it. Even if you want this little wench to serve you for a few days, it's just a word."

Lin He examined the young woman in palace attire, completely ignoring the other woman's disdainful and contemptuous gaze. He finally shook his head, looking displeased, "I'm not interested in her. Let's talk business. I need jade slips about spirit beasts. Do you have them?"

In fact, Lin He was very interested in having the young woman serve him for a few days, but he was more worried that she would use a knife to cut him up after a few days. Between a few days of pleasure and his life, Lin He made his choice.

"Of course, if what you have is correct, our shop will meet your needs," the owner said, showing a bit of revenge for the earlier slight to the young woman.

"Since that's the case, I won't be polite. You, lead the way," Lin He pointed at the young woman in palace attire and continued to ignore the woman who wanted to trade for the Foundation Establishment Pill. Interestingly, the woman didn't get angry and stood silently on the side. Lin He followed the young woman in palace attire into a room and sat down, saying, "Let's see the jade slips first."

The masked woman also followed in, looking at Lin He, "Young man, you must know the saying, 'A man without virtue is not to be feared, but a man with virtue is to be feared.' With your cultivation, a Foundation Establishment Pill seems of little use." Lin He looked at the owner, who had a blank expression, as if he couldn't do anything about it.

Lin He was secretly surprised by the woman's background. She dared to threaten customers in broad daylight, and if it were at night, she might even kill to get the pill. The owner didn't dare to say anything, which was the nature of the black market. He sighed, "Of course, I know. I obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill by chance. I originally kept it for myself, but since my cultivation has been fruitless for many years, I now have to trade it for something useful, to learn more skills and have more ways to make a living. As for the earlier rudeness, it was to avoid breaking the rules of the shop. I hope you don't take offense."

Lin He's words were carefully chosen, calling her "young lady" to gauge her age. Seeing that she didn't correct him, he knew he was right. He then took out a porcelain bottle from his spatial bag and gently placed it on the table, "Young lady, if you can provide the jade slips I need, the Foundation Establishment Pill is yours."

Without a word, the woman waved her hand, and the owner left. He soon returned with a tray, scolding the young woman in palace attire, "A customer comes, and you don't even offer tea. You have no manners."

### End of Chapter 4

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**Note:** The text provided is a translation of the original Chinese text, maintaining the original structure and formatting.