72: He Jingyao

Lin Feng initially didn't want to bother with these three people, and he ignored the questioning from the thin-faced Cultivator.

However, Lin Feng's yielding only encouraged the other party to push their luck. The guy actually pointed at Lin Feng:

"That kid is talking to you! Are you deaf?"

Lin Feng turned to glance at the thin man, a sneer on his face: "I haven't disturbed the three of you here, have I? If the three of you need teammates, you can find others. I have other matters, so I'll excuse myself."

Just as Lin Feng was about to leave, another man blocked his path. The man looked at Lin Feng with a fake smile:

"Fellow Daoist, don't be in such a hurry. My Young Master is the Third Young Master of the He Family in Shui Yun Country, and the Family Head is a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Fellow Daoist, you should consider this carefully, shouldn't you?"

Lin Feng didn't care about this person's threat; it was just a Foundation Establishment Family, and he, Lin Feng, wasn't afraid in the slightest. However, Lin Feng then had a thought: why not see what these three were really up to? He then smiled slightly and asked with a hint of apology:

"So it's the Third Young Master of the He Family. I am Wang Sicong. May I ask, Master He, what is the purpose of inviting me?"

Master He, dressed in brocade, saw Lin Feng's attitude suddenly improve upon hearing the He Family's name. He straightened his clothes and said with some pride:

"Fellow Daoist Wang is too polite. I am forming a monster hunting team in the Blazing Rock Cave. Because these two incompetent subordinates of mine found a place where Purple Mist Grass grows, I wanted to invite Fellow Daoist to join my team and go with me to harvest the Purple Mist Grass."

As an Alchemist, Lin Feng's heart stirred upon hearing "Purple Mist Grass." This Spiritual Plant is a favorite food of the Fire Beard Turtle. Although it's a Spiritual Plant used by Qi Refining Cultivators for Alchemy, it rarely grows alone; it's usually found in patches near magma.

Lin Feng had been searching here for a while, troubled by the lack of information about the Fire Beard Turtle. With this news, he decided it wouldn't hurt to play along and see if he could find the Fire Beard Turtle's whereabouts.

Lin Feng feigned a look of surprise and said to Master He:

"It's that grass! It seems there must be a considerable amount of this Spiritual Plant. Fellow Daoist, where is it? Could you take me to see it?"

Master He, at this point, seemed in no hurry. He waved his hand and said to Lin Feng:

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to rush. The three of us have already investigated this grass; it's in a very hidden location. If Fellow Daoist is willing to join us, we must first establish three rules!"

Seeing that Lin Feng was attracted by the news and willing to join, Master He began to put on airs.

Lin Feng wasn't in a hurry either. He had just arrived here and currently had no leads. He figured he might as well see if the information Master He had about this place would be useful to him.

Lin Feng cupped his hands at this point, a smile on his face as he asked:

"I haven't yet asked Master He for your esteemed name. It is truly an honor for me, Wang, to receive your favor today."

At this moment, the thin man saw that Lin Feng was willing to join, so his tone was no longer as arrogant, but there was still a hint of pride in his voice, as if he were the Young Master of the He Family.

"Listen up, kid! My Young Master's name is He Jingyao. It's your honor to be able to join our team today!"

Lin Feng didn't bother to argue with this guy, but this person was already on Lin Feng's kill list. Hearing this, Lin Feng repeatedly said:

"So the Young Master is He Jingyao, Master He! My apologies for not recognizing you sooner!"

Master He was clearly pleased by Lin Feng's words. At this point, he led Lin Feng to where his assembled team was gathering.

Lin Feng didn't refuse. This team was a Qi Refining Cultivator team assembled by Master He. Such Qi Refining Cultivators were nothing in front of Lin Feng. Lin Feng intended to use them to help him search for information about the Fire Beard Turtle.

Although Master He had an arrogant look on his face, he was still able to maintain some composure, unlike the other two. He said with a hint of arrogance:

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. I've assembled a five-person team, including two of my Junior Sisters. Although I was born into the He Family, I have already joined the Shuiyue Sect. I just wanted to bring the two of them here to have some fun, and seeing Fellow Daoist alone, I came to invite you. Fellow Daoist, follow me."

With that, he didn't even glance at Lin Feng, leading the way. The two followers of Master He waved at Lin Feng, signaling him to follow.

Master He clearly wanted to invite a few more people. Along the way, he kept looking for Cultivators with not-too-high cultivation levels, asking them to join the team. Under the half-threatening, half-coercive circumstances from He Jingyao's two subordinates, they managed to recruit two more Middle Stage Qi Refining Loose Cultivators along the way.

These two, recruited by He Jingyao, showed no signs of happiness on their faces. Unlike Lin Feng's calm expression, these two were clearly a bit dejected.

He Jingyao's two subordinates didn't care about their expressions. They kept flattering him the whole way, and He Jingyao was clearly pleased by their flattery, a triumphant smile on his face. As the team grew, He Jingyao's vanity was greatly satisfied.

He Jingyao, with his two subordinates and Lin Feng, along with the three newly joined Cultivators, arrived before two female Cultivators, his triumphant expression even more obvious.

The two female Cultivators were quite good-looking. One, dressed in pink, had a hint of arrogance on her face, as if she were the leader here. The other, dressed in green, stood timidly behind the pink-clad woman, seeming very afraid of her.

He Jingyao approached the pink-clad woman, a fawning look on his face, and said:

"Cousin, look, I've found you a few teammates today. This is Fellow Daoist Wang Sicong, a Late-Stage Qi Refining Cultivator with good strength. These two are Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivators who just joined our team. Hehe, with their addition, we'll surely be able to successfully harvest the Purple Mist Grass this time."

The pink-clad woman merely glanced indifferently at Lin Feng, as if he were nothing in her eyes. She then turned to the two Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivators who had just joined the team and said with a hint of arrogance:

"You two are too weak. Just try not to hold us back."

The two Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivators, hearing the pink-clad woman's words, showed embarrassed expressions. However, considering the power of the He Family, and as Cultivators of Shui Yun Country, they could only endure this humiliation.

Lin Feng, at this moment, merely watched everything unfold with a faint smile, as if it had nothing to do with him. However, a killing intent had already arisen in his heart towards this pink-clad woman.

A female Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator dared to be so arrogant in front of him. Lin Feng decided that after this Purple Mist Grass harvest was complete, and if he could get news of the Fire Beard Turtle, he would definitely teach this woman a good lesson, to let her know her place.

Meanwhile, the green-clad woman quietly said to the pink-clad woman:

"Cousin, don't say that. Two more people mean two more pairs of hands, and we'll be able to harvest more Purple Mist Grass this time."

The pink-clad woman snorted upon hearing the green-clad woman's words: "Those two good-for-nothings, it'll be good enough if they don't hold us back. Don't expect them to be of any help."

Lin Feng wasn't angry at this moment. He simply watched the woman before him with a faint smile, as if watching a clown.