Chapter 53: Artifact Spirit Lin Rongting

At this moment, a weak but clear fluctuation of consciousness emanated from the Thunder Horn.

Lin Changqing was unprepared and got a fright; what was this? He slowly intruded his Divine Sense into the interior of the horn and discovered a weak consciousness inside.

The moment Lin Changqing's Divine Sense made contact, that consciousness immediately coiled around him, transmitting waves of dependent emotion, like a child seeing its parents, yet it seemed to understand nothing, appearing completely blank.

Could this be the Artifact Spirit he had nurtured last night? Could it be that the vast majority of the Spiritual Energy and Magical Power he had previously input into it had been intercepted within the Thunder Horn to nurture this Artifact Spirit?

Lin Changqing remembered Xiao Ma from the Wanbao Pavilion saying that this was made from the horn and Inner Core of a Second-Rank Top-Grade Swift Thunder Beast, intended to be refined into a Second-Grade Top Quality Spiritual Tool.

Could it be that the people of the Duanbao Sect had performed beyond expectations, refining it into a Third-Stage Magical Treasure without even realizing it themselves? And furthermore, managing to nurture an Artifact Spirit out of it.

But that couldn't be right; if it were a Third-Stage Magical Treasure, Lin Changqing wouldn't be able to drive it! So it must not be a Magic Treasure.

It should still be a Second-Grade Top Quality Spiritual Tool, but because it had nurtured an Artifact Spirit, it now possessed the potential to ascend into a Magic Treasure.

Since he was the one who nurtured it, it was equivalent to his own child; he should give it a name first!

According to the Lin family's Generation Order, "Fan Mao Chang Rong Sheng," Lin Changqing's son should belong to the Rong Generation; how about the formal name Lin Rongting, and the nickname Baibai, since Lin Changqing bought it for eight hundred Spirit Stones.

Good, let's settle on that! Lin Changqing began using his Divine Sense to teach Baibai some common knowledge bit by bit, such as calling Lin Changqing "Father," and calling Lin Changqing's parents "Grandfather" and "Grandmother," and so on.

Because the communication was via Divine Sense, it was fast and accurate; Baibai learned very quickly, remembering everything once learned; this learning ability was truly off the charts.

However, considering it had just been born not long ago, he only taught it for a short while before letting it rest.

Lin Changqing decided that in the future, he would set aside a little time every day to teach Baibai some knowledge.

The sky had already brightened; he should complete today's basic Cultivation first! Cultivation requires perseverance and unremitting effort; sooner or later, there will be rewards!

He went out the door and flew straight toward Aoyun Peak; although the Spirit Field was still in its recovery period, the Purple Crystal Scorpions were still in the Spirit Insect Bag, so he needed to go to Aoyun Peak to release them for free-range raising, making it convenient for them to bask in the sun.

Chu Yi had already flown back to Aoyun Peak yesterday; today, seeing Lin Changqing approaching, it immediately flew over to welcome him, ready to play with Lin Changqing.

One person and one bird chased each other at high speed around the mountain peak for several laps; after playing for a while, Lin Changqing and Chu Yi landed in the Courtyard.

Today he had come to feed Chu Yi Vermilion Fruits; after thinking it over, he decided to let Chu Yi choose for itself whether to consume two Vermilion Fruits at once; just because the Purple Crystal Scorpions could withstand it didn't mean Chu Yi could.

He took out two Vermilion Fruits and placed them before Chu Yi; it immediately realized what was happening and launched a barrage of acting cute and coquettish behavior toward Lin Changqing; seeing Lin Changqing remain silent and unmoving, it anxiously bumped its head against him.

He smoothed its Feather, cut open one Vermilion Fruit, and fed it to Chu Yi; seeing it still showed no intention of falling asleep, he cut open the second one as well; only after eating them all did it sink into slumber, fully satisfied.

Carefully, he placed Chu Yi back into its nest.

Lin Changqing found the spot where the Purple Crystal Scorpions often basked in the sun, released the scorpion swarm, and then fed them the prepared Demon Beast Meat and the final portion of Red Flame Crystals.

Seeing that there were no problems, he flew toward the Scripture Pavilion to report his safety to Second Grandfather and, while he was at it, borrow back the Jade Slip containing the "Shuowen Jiezi."

He believed that one day in the future it would definitely prove useful, so Lin Changqing had always persisted in studying Golden Seal Script.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion, he saw Second Grandfather lying in his rocking chair as usual, drinking tea and reading a book.

He hurried forward to perform a bow and offer greetings.

"Second Grandfather, I have returned from the Market," Lin Changqing said respectfully.

The Second Elder glanced at him. "Did you encounter any trouble on the road?"

"No, this time everything went quite smoothly," Lin Changqing answered with a smile.

"That's good; do you still need the Jade Slip?"

"Of course I do; I must master the Golden Seal Script," Lin Changqing said with a face full of determination. After hearing Lin Changqing's words, the Second Elder said happily, "Good lad, you have perseverance! Second Grandfather supports you; learning a little more will never hurt you!"

He took the Jade Slip out of his Storage Bag and handed it to Lin Changqing.

Lin Changqing solemnly put it away safely, then chatted with Second Grandfather for a while longer before taking his leave.

He flew toward Lin Zhanglian's home; Lin Zhanglian knew Lin Changqing would be coming today, so she had specifically waited for him at home.

Lin Zhanglian welcomed him into the living room to sit, served Spirit Fruit and Spirit Tea, and then began enthusiastically asking whether the date had gone smoothly, which young lady it was, and whether she was beautiful.

The questions made Lin Changqing's head spin; he quickly handed the Flying Boat Dharma Artifact to Lin Zhanglian, drank two sips of tea, and then took his leave and slipped away.

Grandfather was not at home, and no one was taking care of Baicao Garden; after leaving Lin Zhanglian's house, Lin Changqing flew straight to Baicao Garden.

Upon entering, he was surprised to see his aunt already busy tending to the Spirit Plants; Lin Changqing was overjoyed; his aunt had finally exited seclusion; they hadn't seen each other for over a year.

Overjoyed, he rushed straight up, hugged his aunt, and unleashed a barrage of flattery: "Aunt, I miss you so much; congratulations on your Spiritual Energy Transformation Success, gaining hundreds of years of lifespan, from now on ruling Pingyang Prefecture, forever guarding Nine Peaks Mountain, for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations, becoming an Immortal and an Ancestor."

This made his aunt burst into loud laughter; it took quite a while for her to recover.

She patted Lin Changqing's head and said, "We haven't seen each other in over a year, and you've grown taller than your aunt! Qing'er's auspicious words make Aunt happy to hear, but you can only say them at home; if outsiders hear them, they might think the Lin family intends to dominate Pingyang Prefecture!"

After speaking, she couldn't help but laugh again.

Lin Changqing said with a serious expression, "Then Aunt must strive hard in Cultivation; 'for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations, becoming an Immortal and an Ancestor' will definitely come true!"

After hearing this, his aunt couldn't help but laugh again. "Aunt just loves how you spout nonsense with such a straight face; even though I know you're just trying to make Aunt happy, I can't help but laugh."

"I'm telling the truth!" Lin Changqing couldn't help but reiterate.

"Alright, alright, alright, Aunt understands; I will strive hard in Cultivation; let's aim for the Purple Mansion Stage first!" his aunt said, suppressing her laughter.

"Qing'er, why don't you put your aunt down yet."

Lin Changqing had to let go of his aunt; observing that his aunt's Cultivation Base seemed to be at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, he surmised she must have mastered the Hidden Spirit Secret Method.

"Aunt, when did you exit seclusion, and why did you come straight to Baicao Garden?" Lin Changqing asked curiously.

"I returned home early this morning; everyone in the family was there, only you were missing, who knows where you ran off to, and you still have the nerve to ask me!" his aunt glared at him and said.

"I went to report my safety to Second Grandfather, then went to Fourteenth Uncle's house to find Twelfth Sister and return the Flying Boat Dharma Artifact to her," Lin Changqing explained.

"Aunt, will you participate in this Qingyun Sect conscription?" Lin Changqing couldn't help but ask.

"Probably not; the Clan Leader's intention is for us not to expose ourselves yet, to station ourselves at the Ancestral Mountain as a precaution; unless we reach a critical moment of danger, the fact that we have reached Foundation Establishment will not be revealed."

"That's good; I don't want Aunt to take risks either," Lin Changqing thought, having received a definite answer, feeling more at ease in his heart.

When the time comes, as long as he can protect the safety of his father and Second Uncle, and if he has the ability, try to reduce clan member casualties as much as possible.

The aunt and nephew worked together, and soon completed today's tasks in Baicao Garden.

It was almost New Year now; although the clansmen were highly vigilant and tense due to the Beast Tide, one could still feel the atmosphere of the New Year on the Ancestral Mountain.

As the aunt and nephew walked home, they saw a group of mischievous children, neither big nor small, making a ruckus; his aunt smiled and said, "Seven or eight years ago, you were just like them; now you've grown so big."

Lin Changqing felt a bit embarrassed and said with a red face, "Who hasn't had a childhood!"

His aunt burst into loud laughter upon hearing this, and Lin Zhangqing was laughed at all the way home; once they arrived, he immediately darted into his room.

(End of Chapter)