Cultivation System: Stronger with Age
Chapter 32 - 28: Leader of Forty-Two Lanes, The Miraculous Effects of Turtle Lingzhi (Seeking Follow-Up Reads)_2

Chapter 32: Chapter 28: Leader of Forty-Two Lanes, The Miraculous Effects of Turtle Lingzhi (Seeking Follow-Up Reads)_2

Additionally, the territory Steward Ma assigned to Lin Xuankong was very much to his liking. It included Wutong Village, Cow and Horse Street, Yangchang Street, and the Five Streets and Forty-Two Lanes—right near Lin Xuankong’s home!

Being the ’big boss’ of the Five Streets and Forty-Two Lanes near his own home was certainly a good thing!

After finishing his errands, the sky had already grown somewhat dark. Lin Xuankong arranged with Bald Li Er, Yang Mountain, Guo Yun, and others to meet the next day at his Steward station on Cow and Horse Street. Then, he carried a wooden box containing a new Daoist Robe, a Sandalwood Token, medicinal herbs, and other items, and headed towards Wutong Village.

At the street entrance, he looked up and saw Old Zhang, who sold leek pies, still busy. He walked over and said, "Give me eight leek pies."

Seeing it was Lin Xuankong, Old Zhang’s expression changed. "Brother Lin, you didn’t get into trouble? Today you were recklessly saying you wanted to join the Yin Talisman Sect; I was really worried you’d get into trouble!"

Old Zhang had no idea that not only had Lin Xuankong avoided trouble, but he had also become the big boss of the Five Streets and Forty-Two Lanes. The Martial Cultivators and Yin Talisman Disciples, whom Old Zhang usually held in high regard, would now have to respectfully call him ’Steward Lin’ when they saw him!

Lin Xuankong, however, had no interest in showing off in front of this poor pie seller. He smiled and said, "Nothing happened! But it’s getting late. Why are you still working, Younger Brother Zhang?"

Old Zhang scrutinized him for a moment. Seeing that Lin Xuankong was indeed fine, he sighed and said, "I have no choice! After my son was devoured by a Demon, only my wife, daughter-in-law, and two little grandsons were left at home. If I don’t earn some extra money, how can I support them all?"

Lin Xuankong was somewhat surprised. "Younger Brother Zhang, you live in the Outer City? How could you encounter a Demon there?"

He had never heard of any Demons near Wutong Village!

Old Zhang sighed. "I live on Sishui Street in the West City. We’d never encountered Demons before! My son was a fisherman, usually safe working on the Sishui River. Who could have thought that a Fish Demon would sneak in with the current a while ago? Sigh!"

Lin Xuankong’s heart skipped a beat. Yangchang Street, under his jurisdiction, was not far from Sishui Street and near the Sishui River...

"What happened next? Did they catch that Fish Demon?"

Old Zhang shook his head, a trace of hatred in his eyes, and lowered his voice. "Sishui Street is Black Tiger Gang territory. They sent people to search haphazardly once and didn’t catch the Fish Demon. It hasn’t appeared again, so they’ve given up. But my son and the other fishermen lost their lives in vain! Sigh, let’s not talk about this. Brother Lin, your pies are ready!"

As Lin Xuankong took the pies, he thought to himself, Since the Fish Demon hasn’t appeared again, it must have escaped the city! And it’s impossible for me to be so unlucky that I’d encounter the Fish Demon just after becoming the Steward of Yangchang Street!

「When he arrived at his wooden house」

He set aside his worries, and a smile of anticipation appeared on his face. I’ve joined the Yin Talisman Sect as I wished and was the only one among over a hundred Martial Cultivators to be promoted to Chief Steward. I wonder if my little foodie will be happy with this news?

He pushed open the wooden door, entered the outer room, and looked up to the second floor. "I’m back!"

The second floor was silent.

Lin Xuankong, somewhat surprised, went up to the second floor. He pushed the door open and found that Lii Xiaolan wasn’t in the room. Looking around the backyard, he saw the Old Willow Tree swaying in the wind, but the yard was empty!

Where did this little foodie run off to?

Lin Xuankong frowned and headed towards the staircase. He stopped in his tracks when he saw an oil lamp lit on the table in the outer room. The Young Lady was standing there watching him, with eight meat dishes spread out on the table, including steamed carp and braised pork...

"Chief Steward Lin, you’re taking office tomorrow, and yet you didn’t think to treat me, your lady master? Hmph, these eight dishes cost three taels and four maces of silver, all on your tab!"

Lii Xiaolan, standing by the oil lamp, pouted, looking very dissatisfied. However, when Lin Xuankong looked at the dishes in surprise, she couldn’t stifle a chuckle and burst out laughing.

Seeing the Young Lady’s beaming smile, Lin Xuankong felt a little proud. "You knew already?"

Lii Xiaolan gave him a sidelong glance. "Don’t be conceited. If I had gone, I could probably have gotten a Steward or even Grand Chief Steward position!"

"Maybe," Lin Xuankong said, thinking of the Young Lady’s formidable martial prowess.

At that moment, a trace of tenderness appeared in Lii Xiaolan’s eyes as she looked at him closely. "Last time I came back from Demon hunting, you prepared so much food! This time, I bought these. Do they suit your taste?"

Lin Xuankong replied decisively, "As long as you prepared it, I’ll love eating it!"

"Liar! Don’t just stand there. Start eating, I’m starving!"

"Alright!"

"This braised chicken from Piaoxiang Tower really tastes good!"

"Wasn’t this prepared for me? Can you at least leave me a drumstick?"

Watching the Young Lady happily gnawing on the chicken drumstick, and then at the table full of dishes, a smile appeared on Lin Xuankong’s lips.

Life is gradually getting better! In the past, there were never eight hearty dishes on this table. Not only were there no eight hearty dishes, we didn’t even buy eight leek-stuffed pies!

I just don’t know if, when I take up my post tomorrow, those forty-odd senior disciples who have been at the Entry Level for years will obediently follow the orders of me, this aged and newly appointed Steward.

Also, I need to complete three tasks before I can officially start cultivating the Yin Talisman Technique. I wonder when those three tasks will be assigned and whether they will be dangerous.

Thinking of this, Lin Xuankong furrowed his brow.

But, when he looked at the smooth, plump skin of his own hands, a wave of boldness rose in his heart. With my "Vigorous in Old Age" Life Plate, my Cultivation Speed is much faster than others. Now there’s no need to worry about medicinal materials; reaching the Late Stage of the Second Layer is just around the corner! Other Cultivators of the Yin Talisman Sect can firmly hold the position of Steward, so why should I be so worried!

Why couldn’t Lin Xuankong be the master of these Five Streets and Forty-Two Lanes!

「...」

After dining with the Young Lady, Lin Xuankong told her about the illusions he encountered during the tests, trying to see if she knew what was going on.

But despite Lii Xiaolan being much stronger than him, she clearly had never encountered such a situation before. Her little face was full of surprise and confusion!

Lin Xuankong had to suppress his doubts and see if he could subtly inquire about it from other Yin Talisman Disciples in the future.

However, Lii Xiaolan had heard of the Turtle-Poria Elixir from the Yin Talisman Sect.

According to her, the Turtle-Poria Elixir was produced only by the Yin Talisman Sect and was extremely famous in the dozens of cities within the Great Marsh Prefecture. Taking one pill could continuously replenish Qi Blood for dozens of days and was highly sought after by Martial Cultivators! Occasionally, if one made its way to the outside world, it often fetched over a thousand taels or more at auctions. It was highly rare; often, a single Elixir was hard to find!

After Lii Xiaolan finished speaking, she rubbed her full little belly, suddenly thought of something, and gave Lin Xuankong a sideways glance. "Humph, the Daoist Nun Chief Steward of the Yin Talisman Sect gave you such a precious Elixir upon your first meeting? She must be quite charming, right?"

Lin Xuankong, happy about the value of the Turtle-Poria Elixir, responded casually, "Charming? Her looks are just average! Actually, I was quite surprised when she gave me the Elixir!"

Just average?

Lii Xiaolan scrutinized him for a while. Seeing his innocent expression, she finally curled her lips into a smile.

"This Turtle-Poria Elixir is so miraculous. Young Lady, would you like to try some? How about we split it equally?" Lin Xuankong suggested.

Lii Xiaolan stared at the Turtle-Poria Elixir. "Humph, not interested! You eat it yourself. Just don’t choke on the little Daoist nun’s Elixir!"

Lin Xuankong was bewildered.

「Back in his little room」

Lin Xuankong carefully sniffed the fragrance of the Elixir, then quickly tossed the Turtle-Poria Elixir, worth several thousand taels, into his mouth.

The Elixir melted immediately upon entering his mouth, quickly transforming into a warm stream. This stream settled in Lin Xuankong’s lower abdomen and then gradually spread to his limbs and bones, nourishing every corner of his body, even warming the roots of his hair!

Soon, Lin Xuankong felt his Qi Blood gradually replenishing.

He thought to himself, According to the Young Lady, taking one pill is equivalent to taking a daily dose of Nine Revolutions Qi Replenishing Soup, and the effect lasts for dozens of days. If I could get a few more pills, I wouldn’t need to worry about medicinal materials!

But if this Elixir is worth several thousand taels, its cost-effectiveness isn’t very high! TSK TSK, several thousand taels could buy a thousand doses of Nine Revolutions Qi Replenishing Soup!

Just as he thought of this, he suddenly noticed that the two lines representing Lifespan and Qi Blood on his Life Plate were rapidly changing!

Lin Xuankong’s face lit up with joy. This Turtle-Poria Elixir not only replenishes Qi Blood, allowing me to cultivate without worries... could it also truly extend the user’s Lifespan?

Elated, he carefully sensed the changes in his remaining Lifespan!