Chapter 339: Leaving Again_2
Qin Xi went straight back to her cave dwelling, while Lin Tianming and his grandson visited Lin Shihua's cave dwelling for a gathering.
Before long, the grandfather and grandson, along with Lin Shihua, were sitting in the courtyard, drinking tea and chatting leisurely.
At that point, Lin Shihua asked, "Tianming, how do you plan to arrange this trip, and do you plan to pass through Qianchuan Market?"
Upon hearing the question, Lin Tianming started to ponder.
His goal for this journey was the Zhenyang Sect Mountain Gate in the Dragon Mountain Range.
In the Wei Kingdom's Cultivation World, the expanse of the Dragon Mountain Range is vast, ranking within the top three of all mountain ranges in the Wei Kingdom, and it is also the core territory of the Zhenyang Sect.
The Dragon Mountain Market is also one of the renowned markets in the Wei Kingdom.
Although the southern Qianchuan Market is also one of the medium-sized markets, it is far inferior to the Dragon Mountain Market.
And the destination of his journey was even farther than the Songling Mountain Range where Yuyao City was located.
However, Yuyao City and the Dragon Mountain Range are in the same direction, and with the Purple Gold Eagle advancing to the Second Order Middle Stage, its flight speed will definitely see a significant increase.
As such, if all goes well, it should take about a month to get there.
With nearly fifty days left before the time to converge, there was still plenty of time.
Thinking of this, Lin Tianming then said, "Twelfth Grandpa, my time is fairly abundant. If there are any instructions, it wouldn't be a problem for Tianming to delay for a few days."
Hearing this, Lin Shihua waved his hand and then laughed, "That's not necessary!"
"It's just that the family members stationed in Qianchuan Market have rarely come back this year. If time permits, it wouldn't hurt to bring a batch of supplies there."
"I see!"
Lin Tianming nodded in understanding and then said, "Heading north towards the Dragon Mountain Range doesn't exactly take us through Qianchuan Market, but a small detour won't cause much delay. I will take care of this matter."
"Good, since that's the case, I will have Xingcheng prepare the supplies immediately and hand them over to you before we depart the day after tomorrow!"
After responding, Lin Shihua then sent out several messages, clearly instructing his family members to prepare the supplies.
After taking care of this, Lin Shihua was in a good mood and proceeded to talk about family matters.
Shortly thereafter, Lin Tianming changed the topic and asked about the situations of Lin Shikang and Lin Shilu.
Upon hearing the question, Lin Shihua said, "Your Fifteenth Grandfather has been working tirelessly these past two years; I haven't seen him for nearly two years now!"
"Oh?"
Lin Tianming showed a look of surprise and then asked, "Even if Fifteenth Grandfather is immersed in Artifact Refining, surely he wouldn't stay secluded for two full years, right?"
Lin Shihua chuckled bitterly.
He then went on to explain slowly, "To allow your Third Grandfather to seclude himself as soon as possible, and to not delay your Secret Realm journey, Shi Lu indeed has not taken a single step out of his cave dwelling for the past two years."
"Even after he finished refining the Defense Artifact for your Third Grandfather, he had Third Grandfather fetch it himself, then he resumed his seclusion right afterward."
Hearing this, Lin Tianming could imagine how Lin Shilu had spent the past two years.
Clearly, the Lin Family was facing potential crises. To allow Lin Shikang to make an Impact on the Golden Core Stage, time was of the essence.
And his own journey to the Secret Realm was equally important.
On one side was the future of the Lin Family, and on the other was a step that had to be taken to face the crisis. Despite being exhausted, Lin Shilu had no choice but to grit his teeth and refine Defense Artifacts for them.
Remembering his first sight of a haggard Lin Shilu, Lin Tianming felt a pang of heartache and a surge of fervor within him.
Once he calmed down, Lin Tianming then asked, "How is the preparation of the Defense Artifact for Third Grandfather's Heavenly Tribulation going?"
No sooner had he spoken than Lin Shihua replied, "It's almost ready!"
"After Shi Lu finished refining your Defense Artifact, he has successively crafted two High-Quality Second Order Defense Artifacts over the past year. He plans to continue his seclusion for the following year, refining at least two to three more High-Quality Second Order Defense Artifacts to have some assurance of surviving the Heavenly Tribulation."
Lin Tianming nodded in agreement, not surprised by this information.
When Ye Pinghai faced his Heavenly Tribulation, he used up as many as seven or eight Second Order Defense Artifacts.
In addition, quite a few Second Order Defense Talismans were consumed.
Only by relying on so many treasures was he able to survive the Heavenly Tribulation.
The same applied to Lin Shikang, who also needed to prepare several High-Quality Second Order Defense Artifacts.
After all, the more Defense Artifacts and the higher their quality, the greater the chance of surviving the Heavenly Tribulation.
Regaining his focus, Lin Tianming then inquired about Lin Shigong, asking whether the elixirs entrusted to Ye Pinghai had been refined.
Through Lin Shigong's explanation, these past two years, Ye Pinghai has been in closed-door cultivation, using the Spiritual Medicine Materials on him and the Spiritual Objects provided by the family to refine many elixirs for Lin Shikang.
During these two years, Lin Shikang had been preparing to impact the Golden Core Stage while refining the Defense Artifact that Lin Shilu had made.
Therefore, when he left the family to enter the Secret Realm, he had no time to gather with them.
This did not surprise Lin Tianming.
At present, each of the strong members in the family had significant tasks and were under time constraints.
Thus, not seeing Lin Shikang was within reason.
Regaining his focus, Lin Tianming no longer dwelt on this matter. After instructing the two elders, he then said his farewells and left.
After returning to his cave residence, Qin Xi had been waiting for him all along.
The couple sat together in the small courtyard, leaning against each other, while they admired the moonlight and chatted leisurely.
"Xi'er, I will be leaving the day after tomorrow. The journey should take about a year," he said.
"During this time, you can cultivate peacefully in the family. I have already instructed Mother and Grandpa; unless there's something important, they should not disturb you."
Upon hearing this, Qin Xi nodded and snuggled closer into his embrace.
"Ming, I won't say much else. Just remember to be careful. I will wait for your return here at the family," she said.
Seeing Qin Xi's hopeful gaze and hearing her heartfelt words, Lin Tianming's gaze became resolute. While patting her back, he replied, "Don't worry, Xi'er. Just wait for me in the family!"
The following day,
instead of continuing his cultivation, Lin Tianming took this free day to wander and enjoy the scenery with Qin Xi, treating it as a time to cherish each other.
On the morning of the third day,
as dawn broke, Lin Tianming bade farewell to Qin Xi and appeared in the Lin Family's main gate square.
After a short wait, Lin Shihua hurried over and landed next to him.
After exchanging greetings, Lin Shihua took out three storage bags and handed them to Lin Tianming.
Then, he instructed, "These three storage bags contain treasures that are meant for Luoyun Pavilion's supplies for the coming year."
"There are quite a few items, take them to Qianchuan Market and give them to Tianfeng."
Lin Tianming accepted the storage bags and nodded, "Twelfth Grandpa, rest assured, Tianming will remember!"
"Hmm..."
Lin Shihua smiled satisfactorily, then with a wave of his robe, a Jade Bottle appeared in his hand.
"This Jade Bottle contains three Nourishing Yuan Pills, which Elder Sea helped refine at the request of Third Grandfather."
"Your journey to the Secret Realm will also be fraught with danger. Having these Nourishing Yuan Pills should be of some help."
"Take them!"
After saying this, Lin Shihua handed the Jade Bottle to Lin Tianming.
Seeing this gesture, Lin Tianming was moved, thinking that though Lin Shikang hadn't seen him, he was always in his thoughts.
Knowing he was about to embark on a long journey, Lin Shikang had even instructed Lin Shihua to bring the Nourishing Yuan Pills, taking the trouble to aid him for his adventure in the Secret Realm.
To understand, these Nourishing Yuan Pills had excellent healing effects. Lin Shikang, himself in the process of assaulting the Golden Core Stage, also needed such elixirs.
Yet, even so, Lin Shikang had given priority to him with these pills.
Thinking of this, Lin Tianming was deeply touched and felt profound respect for his elders.
After some time, upon Lin Shihua's prompting, Lin Tianming finally accepted the Jade Bottle.
Then, after receiving a few more instructions, Lin Tianming took his leave.
Afterward, under Lin Shihua's watchful gaze, he walked out of the Protective Clan Formation.
Outside the Formation, he released the Purple Gold Eagle and then climbed onto its back.
As the familiar gateways receded, the Purple Gold Eagle understood his intentions. Carrying him, it soared into the clouds, heading northward.
In the blink of an eye, the man and the bird had disappeared into the horizon.
...