Chapter 18 - 18 Guess What I Found
Chapter 18: Guess What I Found
In the hall on the cliff face, Lin Shiming released the Golden Winged Mantis.
As soon as the little mantis emerged, Lin Shiming used his body to block the Spirit Pool, to prevent the mantis from causing trouble there.
However, it seemed he was wrong. The Golden Winged Mantis fluttered its wings slightly and soared towards a stone wall that Lin Shiming hadn't noticed.
"Huh!" Lin Shiming watched in astonishment as the mantis crashed into a section of the stone wall, creating a concave that was actually a small stone door, or perhaps one could call it a secret compartment.
What was strange was that when Lin Shiming's Divine Sense swept over this stone compartment, it seemed to be blocked by something, vanishing without a trace and without any feedback.
If not for the Golden Winged Mantis, he truly wouldn't have discovered this secret compartment.
As the compartment opened, a rich aroma of Monkey Wine wafted through the air, rejuvenating Lin Shiming's spirit.
The Qi Cultivation of the fifth level within his body began to stir.
It was a subtle sign of an impending breakthrough!
Lin Shiming was stunned and then had a sudden realization.
This must be where the Red-haired Demon Monkey brewed the Monkey Wine, and it certainly was Second Rank Superior Grade or above.
It was just unknown how the Red-haired Demon Monkey had discovered this hidden compartment.
While Lin Shiming hesitated, the Golden Winged Mantis had already charged in and started feasting. However, after eating about two or three jin, the mantis emerged from the compartment gleaming in a golden brilliance, then wobbled onto Lin Shiming's shoulder.
After chirping for a long time, it lay down to sleep and no matter how Lin Shiming called, he couldn't wake it up.
Lin Shiming had no choice but to put it into the Spirit Beast Bag and walked over to the space in the stone wall, peering inside.
He saw a bowl-like stone plate inside, surrounded by the Spirit Grass that Lin Shiming had just collected. In the stone plate itself, there were about ten or so jin of red Spiritual Wine left.
The Spiritual Wine was so bright and inviting that it made one's mouth water at a glance, and its fragrance pervaded the air, causing Lin Shiming to involuntarily swallow his saliva.
At the bottom of the Spiritual Wine, there were several remnants of Spirit Fruits soaked in it.
The closer to the Spiritual Wine, the richer the fragrance and the more astonishing the concentration of Spiritual Energy.
After taking a deep breath, he felt that his Cultivation Level had made slight progress.
"Second Rank Supreme Grade Monkey Wine!" Lin Shiming confirmed in his heart.
He then took out a Spirit Vial and collected all the Spiritual Wine inside, including the remnants of the Spirit Fruits.
After collecting the Spiritual Wine, Lin Shiming also collected the yellow Spirit Grass one by one into his bag.
With the Monkey Wine gone, Lin Shiming finally didn't have to resist the aroma's temptation. After taking a few deep breaths, he removed the stone door. Although he didn't know what material the stone wall was made of, anything that could make Divine Sense disappear without a trace certainly had to be an extraordinary Spirit Material treasure.
Once back at Fangmu Mountain, Lin Shiming would certainly have to study more about the strange items and precious materials of the Cultivation World, so as not to repeatedly encounter treasures without recognizing them, suffering the loss of ignorance.
The stone door was light, with a touch as smooth as jade in his hand, but beyond that, it possessed no other particular characteristics.
Unable to deduce anything more about it, Lin Shiming collected the treasure, ready to explore the Peach Blossom Forest further.
Knowing that most of the Spirit Water he harvested would be given to the Golden Winged Mantis and the Red-haired Demon Monkey, and that the harvested Spiritual Wine would surely be turned in, he contemplated that the Supreme Grade wine could be key in healing the Great Elder.
Lin Shiming, of course, would not be shortsighted enough to drink the Spiritual Wine himself, knowing that for a family to develop securely, the strongest fighting force was the key.
Take the current situation of the Lin Family; if word got out that the Great Elder had unfortunately passed away.
It was certain that within three days, members of other families would be sitting in the Lin Family Council Hall, brazenly discussing how to divide the Green Lotus Spirit Pool and the Lin Family's territory.
In Lin Shiming's view, one could say the Cultivation World wasn't that cruel, since family still existed, with blood ties bonding hearts and minds together.
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It is said that the Immortal Cultivation World is extremely cruel, because many cultivators, for the sake of profit and the path to immortality, betray their masters and ancestors, rob and plunder openly, and kill people to steal their treasures!
Hence, power is the timeless truth.
Lin Shiming flew out of the cave and searched continuously within the Peach Blossom Forest.
The fruiting of the Spirit Peach Trees also signaled the withering of the peach blossoms; the pink beauty was temporarily gone, but the fragrance of the peach blossoms still filled the entire forest.
There was a sense of artistic conception that seemed to say: "Even as flowers fall and turn to dust, their fragrance remains unchanged."
At this moment, Lin Shiming's mindset was extremely relaxed, with the family elders guarding from the outside and fruitful gains inside, his eagerness to search for Spirit Grass and plants had waned considerably.
However, Lin Shiming's luck was still not bad, after searching for half an hour, he found two Second Rank Inferior Grade Spirit Grasses and a fifty-year-old Red Ginseng. The Inferior Grade Spiritual Medicine, known as Huangqi Grass, wasn't particularly valuable and was a main herb for Healing Pills.
The fifty-year-old Red Ginseng was much more valuable, equivalent to the highest-priced herb among Second Rank Intermediate Grade, and could sell for at least one to two hundred Spirit Stones. If it weren't for its age, it would be even more valuable!
"Little Seven, guess what I've found!" Lin Shiming encountered Lin Shiqi under a wide and unremarkable peach tree.
The latter ran over with a smile and even carried a Spirit Beast Bag, shaking it vigorously in front of Lin Shiming.
"I've got a Yellow-haired Demon Monkey cub, all covered in yellow fur, and it's extremely strong, definitely not worse than your mantis!"
As she said this, Lin Shiqi indeed took out the Yellow-haired Demon Monkey cub. This little cub was obviously born much earlier than the Red-haired cub Lin Shiming had, but even so, it was only about the same size as Lin Shiming's Red-haired cub.
"Then congratulations, Third Sister!" Lin Shiming congratulated her with a wave of his hand. The Yellow-haired Demon Monkeys, at their peak, could reach the later stages of Second Rank Demonic Beasts, and their combat power was also extremely strong; they were suitable for raising as Spirit Beasts.
Therefore, Lin Shiming's congratulations were genuine.
However, Lin Shiming's heart was still somewhat proud; these Yellow-haired Demon Monkeys, not to mention compared to the Golden Winged Mantis, even compared to the Red-haired Demon Monkey, were more than just a bit inferior.
But he did not show it, for with Third Sister's temperament, if she felt unhappy, she would later say he had to help her keep a secret, and that would be unbearable for him.
"Let's go, we've searched enough, let's meet up with Grandpa and the others!" Lin Shiming suggested, and Lin Shiqi readily agreed.
Together, they headed towards the tree of the Second Rank Superior Grade Spirit Peaches.
Along the way, Lin Shiming also encountered Lin Shijie and others. The three had split up to search and were now gathering together, each with a pleased expression on their faces, yet they were holding back from showing it.
Lin Shiming also understood that his own ability to obtain Red Ginseng meant that the others mustn't be doing badly either.
There must also be many who had managed to acquire Yellow-haired Demon Monkey cubs.
Lin Shiming saw Uncle Thirteen Lin Houwei under a peach tree.
The latter had a flushed face, seemingly drunk. Upon seeing Lin Shiming, he greeted him, and finally even asked if Lin Shiming noticed anything unusual about him!
Lin Shiming and the others naturally replied with a smile that there was nothing wrong!
Only the smiling expressions made Lin Houwei suddenly feel very embarrassed.
Soon enough, everyone reached the Second Rank Superior Grade Spirit Peach Tree, where all the elders were also gathering.
"Father, Great Grandpa, Second Grandpa, Third Grandma, Fourth Grandpa, Sixth Uncle!" Lin Shiming greeted each in turn, and the other people also paid their respects to their elders.
"You're here; how did it go, did you find anything good?" Lin Houyuan asked the crowd.
Immediately, everyone began to chat simply, but Lin Shiming noticed that the Great Elder, Second Elder, and others did not look too pleased.
Even his father, beneath his smile, seemed to harbor a tinge of bitterness.
"Father, I have an important matter that I need to report to you and the Elders!"
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