I Can Recognize Everything, But the Information is Wrong

"You are not Zhai Xingzi!"

As the woman spoke, the toes revealed above the edge of the boat were still dripping water.

Obviously, she had been walking on water over to the boat.

"Of course I'm not Zhai Xingzi. Who might you be?"

"That Night Patrol Deity just now was too weak. If it were Zhai Xingzi, he wouldn't be so disheveled, nor would he have been dragged so deep into the water."

She spoke to herself, looking at Tian Lin who had boarded the small boat across from the large ship, and sneered:

"What's more important is that you indeed have only the cultivation of the early-stage Foundation Establishment; this cannot escape my eyes. Hence, you cannot possibly be Zhai Xingzi."

Hearing her prattle on so much, Tian Lin, who was on the small boat, replied straightforwardly:

"Miss is correct, I am indeed not Zhai Xingzi, nor have I ever impersonated Zhai Xingzi. Therefore, I am quite perplexed as to why Miss has sought me out."

Tian Lin was outwardly baffled, but the image of Tong Shisan flashed through his mind.

Obviously, the woman on the opposite large ship had no interest in explaining to Tian Lin.

She smiled, withdrew her sleek right leg from the boat's edge, and whispered: "Calling me 'Miss' this and 'Miss' that, you really don't show much respect."

After finishing her words, her smile suddenly turned cold, and with her right hand, she lightly stroked the plum blossom mark on her forehead, pulling seven petals adorned with spiritual energy fluctuations from the mark that appeared like colorful paintings.

Tian Lin on the small boat felt his heart sink, and he subconsciously started channeling his Buddha and Demon Freedom Skill.

But the seven plum blossom petals in the woman's hand were not aimed at Tian Lin, instead, they were cast towards the roaming souls and evil spirits beside him.

With the passage of the seven petals, patches of roaming souls and evil spirits were scattered.

After the petals flew seven to eight zhang away, they exploded automatically.

A roaring sound reverberated as seven waves suddenly erupted seven zhang behind Tian Lin.

These waves, flying four to five zhang high, crashed onto Tian Lin's small boat and the large ship where the woman was.

Tian Lin's small boat shook with the impact of the waves, while the large ship remained stationary.

Both on the large and small ships, Tian Lin and the woman were already protected by True Qi when the waves hit, and remained perfectly dry.

Only the sword holder, who had passed out at an unknown time, got washed by the water and slowly came to consciousness.

"Let's leave it at that for now. Next time remember to call me 'elder sister'!"

The woman finished speaking, flicked up the white split hem of her dress, and vanished over the water's surface with light steps.

Tian Lin watched the woman disappear, frowning slightly.

He had a vague hunch about the woman's identity but was still unsure.

It seemed as though she suddenly appeared just to confirm whether he was Zhai Xingzi or not.

"How utterly baffling!"

Tian Lin thought to himself, already taking out the soul-gathering bead from his Storage Bag, and absorbed all the residual souls still lingering on the sea surface into the bead.

The tiny soul-gathering bead now seemed as if it would burst from the mist inside, slightly larger than it was at the beginning.

Tian Lin put the chilly bead back into the Storage Bag, then asked the sword holder on the large ship: "Can you row the boat back to shore now?"

The sword holder hurried to his feet and said, "Daoist Tian, please come aboard, and I shall take you back to shore right away."

Tian Lin didn't refuse; he put away his small wooden boat and boarded the bow of the large ship. While the sword holder was rowing, Tian Lin asked her:

"When did that fairy come just now, did you see her?"

The sword holder hastily replied, "After Daoist Tian fell into the water, I was already unconscious from the wounds caused by the Night Patrol Deity. As for when that fairy arrived, I have no idea."

Tian Lin stopped questioning and focused on dealing with the approaching roaming souls on the sea.

Within half an hour, the woman had rowed to the nearshore area.

Tian Lin also finally saw Gao He and his wife, worried sick, and the Tribute on the small wooden boat.

Gao He and his wife beamed with joy when they spotted Tian Lin.

The Tribute, feeling inferior, folded his hands and said to Tian Lin:

"Daoist Tian empathizes even with the lives of ants, showcasing the heart of a Bodhisattva; it puts me to shame—had I known Daoist Tian's cultivation was so formidable, I wouldn't have had to run."

Tian Lin smiled and looked toward Gao He and his wife.

Gao He's face was slightly red; he usually called himself the big brother—but what kind of big brother flees at the first sign of danger, abandoning those who he shared life and death with?

"It's good that you're back, little brother. Your sister-in-law and I were about to lead a rescue team for you."

Gao He's face only reddened momentarily before returning to normal, as he stepped forward to take Tian Lin's hand with a look of concern.

Without waiting for Tian Lin to speak, he seemed a bit angrily said:

"It's not for a big brother to criticize you, but even if you are eager to do good deeds, you shouldn't risk your life recklessly. Tell me, if something had happened to you, wouldn't I, as your big brother, have been ashamed for the rest of my life?"

Tian Lin was startled and speechless. After Gao He said this, it seemed like the one who should be apologizing was himself?

"Gao big brother is right; I was impulsive and too confident. Fortunately, that Night Patrol Deity was not very strong."

"It's all that wretched girl's fault. If it wasn't because of her, why would you, Tian, have taken such a risk?"

The sword holder from the Tribute forces immediately knelt down, and Tian Lin stopped the Tribute who intended to punish the sword holder, saying:

"Taking the risk was my own decision. It has nothing to do with her. There's no need for the Tribute to vent his anger on her."

Tian Lin didn't want to get entwined in pointless disputes over this matter. He glanced at the sky, then at the people holding torches, and simply asked:

"Is it probably the second watch of the night now? Do Big Brother Gao and the Tribute plan to continue sailing or return home to rest first?"

The Tribute looked towards Gao He, who said with lingering fear:

"Judging from my multiple experiences exorcising evil in the Immortal Sinking Pond, the seas are probably not suitable for someone at the Early-stage Foundation Establishment like myself to stay anymore tonight.

For safety's sake, I think it's better to go back and draw some more talisman paper first, and then wait and see for a day or two before making a decision."

Cai Shu also told Tian Lin, "Little uncle, listen to your big brother. You've just killed a Night Patrol Deity, now is the time to rest."

"Alright!"

Tian Lin simply said, "Then Big Brother Gao and sister-in-law can go ahead and return, I will meditate here to restore my True Qi, and I won't join you."

Seeing this, the couple Gao He left some Spirit Rice and Spirit Meat for Tian Lin after going ashore.

The Tribute did not have a deep relationship with Tian Lin. He wanted to get closer to Tian Lin, but ultimately chose to give up.

However, though the Tribute left with his own sword holder, he left the stove he used for heating his meals to Tian Lin.

That night, not mentioning the residual souls Tian Lin gained, even the stove the Tribute gave him, along with the Spirit Rice and Spirit Meat left by couple Gao He, were worth quite a bit of Spirit Stones.

It was a pity that among the Spirit Rice and Spirit Meat, the Spirit Rice couldn't fetch much money, and the Spirit Meat was not the 'herbal ingredient' Tian Lin needed; and because they were leftovers, it wasn't appropriate to resell them.

He soon saw Yu'er and Cui'er who were setting up their stall, and as Tian Lin waved from in front of the teahouse, the two girls quickly packed their goods into their Storage Bag and ran over to him.

Yu'er thought Tian Lin was asking for Spirit Stones and hurriedly placed the Spirit Stones she had exchanged on the table.

Tian Lin glanced at the pile of Low-grade Spirit Stones on the table, judging there to be over forty.

He put all the Low-grade Spirit Stones into his Storage Bag, pushed the Spirit Meat towards the two girls, and only ate the Water Spirit Rice himself.

The Spirit Meat was far more precious than the Spirit Rice; Yu'er and Cui'er got to eat it only once or twice every year when the Tong Family celebrated the Spring Festival.

Although the meat Tian Lin gave them were leftovers, it was enough to surprise and delight them.

After all, even during the Tong Family's festival, the Spirit Meat they got was leftovers from the young masters and mistresses of the Tong Family.

"This stove is probably worth dozens of Mid-grade Spirit Stones, right?"

Tian Lin posed the question, to which Yu'er hurriedly asked, "Does Daoist Tian want to sell it?"

Tian Lin shook his head. The stove was said to be loaned to him by the Tribute, but in fact, it was a gift.

But how could Tian Lin so quickly sell such an item for money?

He was just confirming the value of the stove to see how much the Tribute was willing to invest just to curry favor with him.

"This stove would require a Top-grade Spirit Stone to exchange for it — it's just that because it's expensive yet not very useful, it's actually quite hard to sell."

Tian Lin nodded and said: "Indeed, this item is essentially just a small pot with its value lying in its storage capability. Calling it a regular pot, it barely qualifies as a storage-type Magical Treasure.

But if you call it a storage-type Magical Treasure, it can only contain some leftovers."

After finishing the rice in his hand, Tian Lin was curious to know if he had become well-known at the Immortal Sinking Pond —

Ever since Tong Shisan said 'I understand', some people looked at him with flattery and fear.

And now, after he had returned from killing the Night Patrol Deity, many people at the Immortal Sinking Pond stole glances at him with an 'I understand' expression.

Tian Lin did remember that barefoot woman asking if he was Zhai Xingzi, and he guessed that these people probably mistook him for Zhai Xingzi.

But such a matter was hard to explain, as even with an explanation, others might not believe it.

Moreover, besides that barefoot woman who directly asked him, no one else confronted him face-to-face to ask if he was Zhai Xingzi —

If he went out now to say he wasn't Zhai Xingzi, wouldn't that be like the saying 'a guilty conscience needs no accuser'?

"Does the master have anything else he wants to ask about?"

Seeing Tian Lin hesitate to speak, Yu'er couldn't help but ask.

Tian Lin thought for a while and decided to inquire privately after having the chance to return to the city.

He gestured for the Yu'er sisters to take away the dishes, then he left the teahouse, found a quiet place, and brewed tea to cultivate the Golden God Technique.

The 'Golden God Pill' was bitter to the taste and quite hard to swallow.

Tian Lin, with his Five Elements Foundation Establishment, found it easy to digest the Golden God Pill due to the Five Elements True Qi.

He meditated through the night, only opening his eyes when dawn arrived.

At this moment, as Tian Lin practiced the Golden God Technique, his fingertips looked as if they were coated in gold.

Tian Lin remembered Ninth Aunt's Golden God Technique; at this point, he had acquired some of Ninth Aunt's skills.

"The Golden God Technique can make one's body indestructible like Vajra, it's a fine Divine Skill —

Unfortunately, my physical body strength is already quite good. Therefore, reaching the Minor Success Realm in Golden God Technique does not significantly boost my power."