I Can Recognize Everything, But the Information is Wrong

Tian Lin said to send Cui'er over immediately, but in reality, she too waited until dawn before tearfully seeking out Zhong'er.

When Zhong'er heard that Cui'er was going to confess, she got so scared that her face turned pale.

Angry, she said to Cui'er: "It was you who begged me, only then did I take the risk to help you steal the Buddha and Demon Freedom Skill. If you confess now, aren't you dragging me down with you?"

"Implore your master to say, the Buddha and Demon Freedom Skill was stolen by me, so you had no knowledge of it."

"And what about your master?"

"The day the Buddha and Demon Freedom Skill was stolen, it was my own volition. It has nothing to do with my master."

It became clear to Cui'er that Tian Lin intended to make her take the blame, and she had also prepared for her death.

After all, as servants like them, from the moment they entered the household, they were incessantly reminded to be loyal to the Tong family and their masters—

From a young age, she knew that hers and her sister's fate was to one day take a knife for their master.

"Is this affair truly unrelated to your master?"

Zhong'er was somewhat skeptical, but then she heard Cui'er say:

"If it had not been for my own decision, my master would not have been angry, nor would he have voluntarily exposed this matter."

Her words made sense, and along with her solemn vow, Zhong'er really started to believe somewhat.

Embittered by her own involvement, Zhong'er said: "Really, what are you doing stealing the Buddha and Demon Freedom Skill without the Buddha Demon Pill?

Your master is such a pedantic man—even if it's something only he knows about and kept as quiet as ghostly whispers, what's the point of causing such a commotion?"

Cui'er said nothing, and Zhong'er knew she could not stop Cui'er.

She repeatedly warned Cui'er not to sell her out before finally seeing the Alchemy Master, who had just come out of the Alchemy Room.

The Alchemy Master seemed to have not bathed for days; apart from his precious garments which did not accumulate dust due to their material, his whole person was greasy, his hair also unkempt and disheveled.

Given his Foundation Establishment cultivation, he shouldn't have so much filth on him by rights.

Cui'er guessed that the Alchemy Master probably hadn't bathed or cleansed his face for over a year, otherwise it would be difficult to have such an effect.

Yet, she didn't find such an Alchemy Master repulsive; rather, it was people like Tian Lin who bathed every day but had no real ability that truly looked down upon in her heart.

"You're saying you stole my Buddha and Demon Freedom Skill?"

The Alchemy Master frowned and looked at Zhong'er with some anger: "Zhong'er, didn't I tell you to guard the Buddha and Demon Freedom Skill?"

Zhong'er immediately knelt down and said:

"Master, forgive me; when you ordered me to keep an eye on Tian Daoist to prevent him from stealing our Buddha and Demon Freedom Skill, I only watched that Tian Daoist, never expecting that this wretched maid Cui'er would steal it."

Thinking it over carefully, the Alchemy Master indeed had instructed Zhong'er to only be wary of 'Tian Daoist', never to be guarded against Cui'er, Yu'er, or Zhui'er and such.

So then, it seemed really not Zhong'er's fault?

He had been with Zhong'er for quite some years, treating her with unusual magnanimity, and in a flash, he found an excuse for Zhong'er.

But when he looked at Cui'er again, his eyes were much more severe:

"Do you realize that stealing someone else's Cultivation Technique is a major taboo? This is an enmity that cannot coexist under the heavens."

Zhong'er feared that if Cui'er were pushed to desperation, she would reveal her in order to survive, so she immediately pleaded on her behalf:

"Master is unaware; Cui'er stole the Buddha and Demon Freedom Skill actually for her own master. But who could have anticipated that Tian Daoist would not appreciate her painstaking effort, and even intended to execute her."

Upon hearing this, the Alchemy Master said: "Are you suggesting, now that she has stolen my property, that I should plead for her?"

Tian Lin did not know the situation in the adjacent courtyard; he sat upright in the main house, still holding a teacup in his hand.

Beside him, Yu'er's brow was slightly furrowed, not masking her worry for her sister at all.

Just as she was about to speak, Tian Lin suddenly stood up from his seat.

Not long after, the cook opened the door, and in came the Alchemy Master from outside, followed by Cui'er and Zhong'er.

With anger on his face, Tian Lin looked at Cui'er behind the Alchemy Master and then bowed in apology to him:

"I, Tian, have failed in discipline, resulting in a thief; Alchemy Daoist, rest assured, if Tian cannot give you a proper explanation, how can I have the face to stay in Pingyang City and be your neighbor?"

He had no intention of killing Cui'er and had prepared to compensate with Spirit Stones in installments.

But if the Alchemy Master demanded exorbitantly, Tian Lin would not agree.

"Humph, you know yourself that you failed in discipline, yet you push all the blame onto a servant girl, aren't you ashamed?"

The Alchemy Master snorted twice, and Tian Lin then asked him: "So, how does Alchemy Daoist wish to proceed?"

The Alchemy Master said: "In my view, although this girl made a mistake, she is rare in her loyalty to her master. Tian Daoist should not punish her; instead, you should reward her."

Tian Lin frowned, not sure what the Alchemy Master was getting at: "Reward her?"

"Your maid stole my Buddha and Demon Freedom Skill, I presume she's already shown it to you, has she not? Having acquired a Divine Skill for nothing, shouldn't you reward her?"

Tian Lin glanced at Cui'er behind the Alchemy Master, puzzled by what kind of enchanting potion she had fed to the surnamed Long.

Behind the Dragon Alchemist, Zhong'er stood with her chest puffed out, a smug expression on her face.

"She has made such a big mistake, you can't expect me to let her off lightly, can you? If word gets out, people will laugh at me for not understanding the rules."

Tian Lin tentatively stated, but the Dragon Alchemist was not in the mood to play mind games with him.

He said, "I'm not pursuing the matter anymore, and who else would bother to if I don't? In any case, I'm interceding on behalf of your servant girl. Out of respect for me, please let her off.

If you think my face doesn't count for much, I can give you an Elixir in exchange for taking Cui'er off your hands, how about that?"

Tian Lin did not expect the Dragon Alchemist not only to refrain from asking for compensation but also seemed prepared to pay for Cui'er.

He decisively refused: "Since the Dragon Alchemist has pleaded for her, I naturally shall give him face. However, she is a servant given to me by the Tong Family, how could I simply sell her off?"

Having said that, Tian Lin turned to scold Cui'er: "I was going to kill you, to prove my innocence and the integrity of our family. But since the Dragon Alchemist has pleaded for you, shouldn't you thank him?"

Cui'er walked out from behind the Dragon Alchemist, knelt down and kowtowed to him in thanks. Yu'er stepped forward and kowtowed to him as well.

The Dragon Alchemist enjoyed the gratitude of others, feeling the satisfaction of having saved lives.

He stroked his beard and nonchalantly waved a hand: "I didn't save you for your thanks."

Then he clasped his hands towards Tian Lin and said, "The Dragon here is in a hurry to perform Alchemy. I've been delayed too long and will not stay here any longer."

Tian Lin saw him and his servant out of the house and turned to exchange glances with Yu'er.

He sent Cui'er back to her own room before saying to Yu'er: "What do you think? Could this Dragon Alchemist have an ulterior motive?"

Yu'er replied: "The Dragon Alchemist is only passionate about the Alchemy Dao, not concerning himself with people or things outside of it. What may be a big deal to master, to him it's just a minor annoyance delaying his Alchemy."

Tian Lin said, "No matter how passionate someone is about Alchemy Dao, they shouldn't be so magnanimous and selfless, right? Is there really such a good person in this world?"

Tian Lin was somewhat incredulous.

But from now on, at least he needn't worry about where the Buddha and Demon Freedom Skill came from or fear anyone asking after it.

After pondering, Tian Lin took out two Mid-grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag:

"For Dragon Alchemist asking me to reward Cui'er, you and she each take one of these Mid-grade Spirit Stones."

Yu'er immediately knelt down: "It was Cui'er who was wrong first, as long as master doesn't punish her, there's no need to reward her with Spirit Stones."

"I asked her to go to the Dragon Alchemist to ask for forgiveness, that was her punishment. She has earned the Buddha and Demon Freedom Skill righteously for me, that's her merit.

To tell the truth, giving her a single Mid-grade Spirit Stone would seem rather stingy. But I need the Spirit Stones urgently right now, so I can't offer more."

Two Mid-grade Spirit Stones for a copy of the Buddha and Demon Freedom Skill, truly an incredible bargain.

But in Yu'er's eyes, Tian Lin had only managed to get twenty-six Low-grade Spirit Stones after so many days of fishing.

She guessed that even if Tian Lin had saved some wealth, it wouldn't be much.

And Tian Lin, being such a stingy person, to reward two Mid-grade Spirit Stones already showed his generosity.

Yu'er quickly thanked Tian Lin and went out to arrange breakfast.

Tian Lin casually ate some Water Spirit Rice before leaving the estate for the Immortal Sinking Pond as usual.

The sun was shining high, but the Immortal Sinking Pond was already enveloped in dense fog.

Tian Lin was startled and asked Zhang Xiaoke, "It's only been one night, and the fog has already spread here?"

Zhang Xiaoke's face looked somewhat troubled, and he said with a worried expression:

"Yesterday, several of our boats followed Elder Feng out to the distant sea, and we lost several lives."

Tian Lin asked him, "Have you determined where this fog is coming from and what's in it?"

Zhang Xiaoke replied, "The fog is coming from the south and has already covered most of the Immortal Sinking Pond. Inside it, there are Resentful Souls that have not dispersed—

Our fishermen who fell ill and lost their lives were harmed by these Resentful Souls. Unfortunately, only using Spiritual Sense can one detect these souls, and Qi Refiners cannot project their Spiritual Sense outward.

Thus, even though we know there are Resentful Souls in the fog, we can't defend against them."

Tian Lin looked out at the fishing boats on the sea. If he wasn't mistaken, there were still some Qi Refiners on those boats.

Zhang Xiaoke noticed Tian Lin's confusion and said, "Those are Soul Cultivators, belonging to a notorious group just like the Blood Sect Devotees."

Tian Lin, surprised, said, "Blood Sect Devotees? That name sounds familiar."

Zhang Xiaoke laughed: "The elder may not know, but the Blood Sect Devotees were very active a thousand years ago. But then, somehow, they offended a man named Huang Ping'an from the Wendaos Sect—

This Huang Ping'an was originally just an Outer Disciple of the Wendaos Sect, yet his cultivation reached the Golden Core Realm. It was this Golden Core powerhouse who, with the forces of Wendaos Sect, wiped out the Blood Sect Devotees from both Tian Southern and Tianbei Counties completely.

Since then, no more Blood Sect Devotees have appeared in Tianbei County."

Tian Lin listened and became silent. He suspected that after Granny Yue Yue returned ashore, she betrayed her 'past companions' in Tianbei County to clear her own name.

"Since Soul Cultivators have as bad a reputation as the Blood Sect Devotees, why hasn't anyone risen up to attack them?"

After Tian Lin asked, Zhang Xiaoke replied, "The Immortal Gates have hunted the Blood Sect for years, but only that Elder Huang had some success.

Soul Cultivators are not inferior to the Blood Sect Devotees, and some people in the Immortal Gates also cultivate spells that seal souls and snatch spirits. Those Immortal Gate elders, how could they be so willing to cut off their own heads?"