Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 44 Fengqi Mountain

"I am Shen Zhaochen, the head of the Shen family. I am deeply sorry for not welcoming you properly. Please forgive me."

Lin Jingchu quickly stood up and returned the greeting: "Greetings, Patriarch. I am Lin Jingchu, and I have come on the orders of my master, Elder Feng, to set up an array for the newly discovered spirit mine in your mansion. This is Fairy Song Yu of White Phoenix Peak, a highly accomplished disciple of Peak Master Song."

Song Yu took out a letter: "After Junior Sister Shen became a disciple of Master, she missed home and wrote a letter herself, entrusting me to deliver it to her."

Patriarch Shen hurriedly took the letter and said, "So it's from the esteemed disciples of Peak Master Feng and Peak Master Song. There's no rush regarding the formation. It's getting late, and you two have had a long journey. Why don't I prepare a welcome banquet for you to rest for the night, and we can discuss the details tomorrow?"

Lin Jingchu and Song Yu naturally had no objections. The head of the Shen family turned to a middle-aged man who looked like a steward who had just entered and whispered a few instructions to him. Then he led Lin Jingchu and Song Yu to an elegantly decorated small hall.

As soon as the three of them sat down, the servants brought out several plates of fruit and cold dishes, as well as spiritual tea and wine.

"Gentlemen, I have important matters to attend to later, so I can only offer tea instead of wine. I hope you will understand." The head of the Shen family raised his cup in a toast.

Lin Jingchu and Song Yu also poured spiritual tea: "It just so happens that neither my senior sister nor I like drinking alcohol, so the patriarch need not take offense."

After a few polite exchanges, Patriarch Shen inquired about his daughter's daily life in the sect. Song Yu took the opportunity to chat with him about trivial matters.

Lin Jingchu, without any hesitation, picked up his chopsticks and began to savor the spiritual fruits and cold dishes on the table, which were full of spiritual energy.

After exchanging toasts, Song Yu suddenly changed the subject: "My junior brother and I recently entered the city and encountered a woman in a red dress. Her cultivation was at least at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and she acted rather recklessly. I wonder who she is?"

Lin Jingchu paused slightly as he picked up some food.

The head of the Shen family thought for a moment and then smiled, "The one that Fairy Song is referring to should be the prodigy of the Qin family this generation, whom everyone calls Qin San Niang. She has been spoiled since childhood and has always had this temperament. Not long ago, she returned home from her travels with a cultivator surnamed Zhao from the Luanming Sect, who has caused quite a stir in the city these past few days. Could it be that she has offended Fairy Song? If so, this old man apologizes on her behalf."

Song Yu shook his head: "That's not true, I was just curious." After saying that, he changed the subject back to Luoyun Sect.

As they talked, servants brought out a steady stream of delicious hot dishes to the banquet.

After the guests and hosts had enjoyed themselves, the head of the Shen family ordered the steward to arrange a courtyard for Lin Jingchu and Song Yu to rest.

Night falls, inside a guest room at the Shen family home.

Upon seeing Song Yu push open the door and enter, Lin Jingchu raised his hand to set up a soundproof barrier and coughed lightly, "Senior Sister, now that we have set up the formation for the Shen family, we will immediately set off to return to our sect and will not linger here any longer."

Song Yu glanced at him and said, "That Qin San Niang's aura is off. When we brushed past each other just now, I sensed an unusual excitement hidden in her emotional fluctuations." Although she did feel slightly uncomfortable because the other party was looking at Lin Jingchu so openly.

Upon hearing that this was a serious matter, Lin Jingchu's expression also turned solemn.

"I just inquired with the servants of the Shen family. The ancestors of both the Shen and Qin families were Golden Core experts, and the Qin family ancestor was even at the peak of Core Formation. However, he has been in seclusion for many years and has not shown up."

"Do you think it's possible that she recognized the Azure Wing Boat as a top-tier magic artifact and, assuming we have an extraordinary background, is trying to win us over?"

Song Yu frowned and pondered for a moment: "We know very little about each other and cannot fathom her thoughts, so it is best not to have any contact with her."

Lin Jingchu nodded, then asked seriously, "Senior Sister came to my room so late at night just to talk about this, or do you want to continue dual cultivation?"

Song Yu's face flushed instantly, and he spat, "You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth." With that, he tossed out a few jade slips and turned to leave.

Lin Jingchu quickly caught it, smiling as he watched Song Yu's hasty departure. He had no such intentions; if he truly wanted it, he would wait until after the formal Dual Cultivation Ceremony.

He was a man who respected traditional culture, such as formal marriage, a grand wedding procession, and having multiple wives and concubines.

He just loved seeing Song Yu, who was usually so dignified and aloof, looking flustered and helpless, and he couldn't help but tease her every time.

Lin Jingchu put away his playful thoughts and probed the jade slip left by Song Yu with his divine sense.

The jade slips contained the cultivation techniques and secret arts of the cultivator couple. The first few slips were not very valuable, but after reading the last jade slip, his eyes suddenly narrowed.

"Soul Separation Technique" is a highly risky secret technique for controlling the soul.

The caster separated a wisp of their divine soul and parasitized the spirit of a demon beast, using the demon beast's soul power as nourishment. After a long period of growth, they finally completed the complete parasitism.

Once the secret technique is mastered, one can gain absolute control over the demon beasts and even perceive their rudimentary thoughts; and one can share a certain degree of the demon beasts' five senses and six consciousnesses.

This technique is exceptionally domineering, but its flaws are also extremely obvious:

Firstly, splitting one's soul is extremely dangerous; even a tiny fragment can easily damage one's very essence.

Secondly, the requirements for the target of parasitism are strict; the target must be a demon beast with relatively weak soul power and low intelligence or a young age.

Thirdly, if the spirit pet that has successfully parasitized is injured, the caster will also suffer a backlash.

"Finding a suitable spirit pet to cast the spell... is difficult." Lin Jingchu shook his head and tossed the jade slip back into his storage bag. This secret technique, like the "Netherworld Killing Technique," will likely remain sealed away for a long time.

Because he was in someone else's residence, Lin Jingchu did not guide Yuehua to cultivate, and slept until dawn.

Lin Jingchu opened the door and saw Song Yu already sitting cross-legged in the courtyard, his body radiating spiritual light.

The courtyard was surrounded by a simple protective and soundproof magic array, indicating that she had been cultivating for quite some time.

Lin Jingchu did not disturb them, but went straight out of the courtyard to find the steward of the Shen family.

When the banquet ended yesterday, the head of the Shen family had already instructed that the matter of the spirit ore array would be entirely handled by the steward.

The steward of the Shen family was a capable middle-aged man. Without saying a word, he immediately took a follower, and the three of them flew together on a magical artifact, heading straight for the north of the city.

To the north of Tiantong City lies the continuous Phoenix Perch Mountain, covered with parasol trees. The source of the Tongjiang River is located in this mountain, and legend has it that a phoenix once lived here.

The truth of the rumors is unknown; all that is known is that this mountain is rich in spiritual energy and contains a vein of spirit stones. The Qin family mines spirit stones here, while the Shen family cultivates a medicinal herb garden.

"This spirit mine was discovered by chance by members of the clan while they were collecting herbs. Because it is far from Tiantong City, we need to set up an array to prevent villains from sneaking in and stealing spirit stones," the Shen family steward explained as he rode his weapon in front of them.

Lin Jingchu: "The area surrounding Tiantong City is entirely controlled by the Shen and Qin families, yet someone still dares to try and seize it?"

The steward of the Shen family seemed to guess what he really wanted to ask, and said directly, "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, the ownership of this mine has been agreed upon by the Shen family and the Qin family."

Lin Jingchu was relieved to hear this. It seemed that as long as the magic array was set up, he could return to the sect smoothly.

The three flew for another half an hour on their flying artifacts when the Shen family steward suddenly announced, "We've arrived!"

He led the way and landed in a river valley.

A huge natural cave entrance is open in the mountain in front, and the river valley behind is deep and secluded, with the river surface being five or six zhang wide.

Enough said, let's set up a water-based protective array; it'll save time and effort. Of course, the specific layout will depend on the actual conditions of the mine.

The three of them stepped forward and disappeared into the dark cave.