Chapter 10: The Stranger's Arrival (Part 1)

  It's not that Qin Yifan didn't make sense, it's just that Lin Qiulü had always thought her cultivation was pretty good, but she had overestimated herself. Getting injured twice in a row while practicing in her own courtyard, especially the second time when she was fully prepared, dealt a huge blow to Lin Qiulü.

  Although she was very reluctant to admit it, the fact told her that at least her cultivation, or rather her willpower, was temporarily unable to adapt to the aura of evil and violence here. Next time she wanted to cultivate, she needed to go to a place farther away first. According to Qin Yifan's words, slowly adapting and slowly approaching this place would be more feasible. The elders were unable to determine where the center of the land of evil was, but it should also be not far from here.

  If it's this inn, then being self-inflicted might not be unjust. After making up her mind, Lin Qiulü began to quietly formulate her future cultivation plan. The first step of the plan was to find Qin Yifan, who was most familiar with this place, to understand the situation here.

  It cannot be denied that Lin Qiulü is an intelligent person when she calms down, and soon associates many related things. Soon after that day's ambiguous and embarrassing memories, Qin Yifan found that he could use martial arts here, while the great general who returned to Beijing to report his mission became like a seriously ill person after secretly discussing with the emperor, lingering in bed for a long time.

  "After the general returned to Beijing, he was seriously ill for a period of time. Is it related to this place?" After resting for a day, Lin Qiulü sat in front of Qin Yifan, who was cutting wild game meat and preparing to cook, first carefully admiring Qin Yifan's fine knife skills before asking for guidance.

  He glanced at Lin Qiulü and smiled. He found it a bit amusing that she was only asking this now, but he nodded in response: "That's right, he's showing off his skills here, I reckon he's had a tough time." With a few quick movements, he tidied up the things on his hands, and the kitchen knife seemed to be dancing in his hand. The wild game quickly transformed into uniform thin slices, waiting to be cooked.

  "How long has he been lying there?" Qin Yifan asked while washing the super sharp knife in his hand. The fancy moves of his hands indeed made Lin Qiulü, who had never seen him take action before, dizzy, but in her mind, she regarded him as a skilled chef.

  "It's been almost a month." Lin Qiulü didn't hide it either, originally it was she who brought up the topic. Although when facing Qin Yifan, she would occasionally think of that night's events, as his bodyguard, she should still try her best to stay by his side. Biting her lip, Lin Qiulü asked: "A great general like you, with such martial arts skills, just came here for a few days and then went back to rest for a month. How long did it take you to move freely around here?"

  Finally getting to the point, Qin Yifan wiped and put away the kitchen knife, and started cooking the wild game. The weather here isn't very hot, but the wild game can't be stored for too long, it can only be pickled in salt or cooked and stored. As he worked with his hands, he replied, "It's been a long time, about four or five years."

  "Are you injured?" These are naturally asked the clearer the better. Although Qin Yifan was just a martial artist, he would also be affected here, at least in terms of feeling, and many things could be learned from his experience.

  "Hurt?" Qin Yifan muttered to himself, a smile spreading across his face as he seemed to flash back to his life over the past few years: "Of course, what do you think I've been studying acupuncture for?"

  Imagine Qin Yifan's deftness with the needle that day, although still a bit shy, Lin Qiulü also knew it wasn't something achieved overnight. As a martial artist and chef, Qin Yifan might learn some basic first aid, but he wouldn't have mastered medical skills on his own. The way he worked so smoothly was clearly due to having practiced many times on himself. This also indirectly revealed how many injuries Qin Yifan had sustained over the past few years.

  For a moment, Lin Qiulü really didn't dare to believe that such a small place of evil would cause so much trouble. Thinking back, she had been injured only twice and was somewhat disheartened, and when facing Qin Yifan, she was indeed a bit ashamed. Fortunately, Qin Yifan did not know that she had thought this way, otherwise it would have been a loss of face.

  Qin Yifan is an ordinary martial artist, not even touching the edge of cultivation, yet he can adapt to the harsh environment here. Moreover, due to his frequent injuries during the process, he has become a skilled doctor. This determination alone is admirable. How could I, having only been injured twice, already feel disheartened and start complaining about heaven and others?

  There was a Lin Qiulü who thought that someone inferior to herself had succeeded first, and Lin Qiulü gradually established her confidence in success. At least, she couldn't be protected by someone she wanted to protect, she had to do better than Qin Yifan.

  I don't know if cultivators also have the spirit of not admitting defeat, but Lin Qiulü is now holding back a breath. First, she was injured due to underestimating her opponent, and even after being fully prepared, she still got injured, making her extremely resentful towards this unknown monster. Additionally, Qin Yifan's carefree appearance here also stimulated her.

  You must cultivate a good reputation here, otherwise not only will you waste your time, but also tarnish the name of your sect. At first, I followed Qin Yifan's suggestion and went to a place far away, slowly adapting before gradually approaching the center.

  Lin Qiulü was a person who had been subjected to the constraints of the royal forbidden army, and the execution of this plan was almost immediate. On the second day of formulating the plan, he began to ride his horse to a distant place at a fixed time to slowly adapt.

  Of course, at the beginning, it was impossible to determine where her limit was, so a process of exploration was still needed. According to Qin Yifan's words, she should start from the county town and move along the official road, slowly operating her skills, looking for a suitable place for herself, which is a safe way. But Lin Qiulü, this stubborn girl, seemed to think that this was somewhat losing face, and did not take it seriously, but instead went in the opposite direction, starting from the inn and slowly searching for her own limit.

  Watching Lin Qiulü ride away, Qin Yifan couldn't help but shake his head. A cultivator, how could they still have such a competitive mindset? It really wasn't right. However, he didn't consider things from Lin Qiulü's perspective. Even if the concept of winning and losing wasn't deeply ingrained among fellow cultivators, if one couldn't even surpass an ordinary person, it was truly too much.