Seeing that Lin Hong and his companion had gone far, Lin Xia finally walked over to Lin Dong's group and said with a smile, "Cousin Lin Dong, are you alright?"
"Yes, thank you, Sister Lin Xia." Lin Dong nodded. Lin Xia and her father had treated him quite well since he was a child, so the relationship between the two was fairly good. However, in recent years, Lin Xia had been solely focused on her cultivation, so they rarely had the chance to speak.
"Just now, I saw you exchange blows with Lin Shan. You must have reached the fourth layer of the Tempered Body, right?" Lin Xia said with some surprise. She knew that Lin Dong had actually been cultivating for less than a year. To reach the fourth layer in less than a year was already a relatively fast pace.
"Just lucky." The fourth layer of the Tempered Body was not easy to hide anyway, since it was manifested on the physical body. Therefore, Lin Dong did not try to conceal it and nodded immediately.
"It seems you've inherited your father's cultivation talent." Lin Xia giggled, then her expression turned serious as she said, "However, there is still a huge gap between you and Lin Hong right now. From what I know, he probably reached the sixth layer of the Tempered Body three months ago, and a Yuan Power seed has already formed in his body. So, you should try your best not to clash head-on with him, lest you suffer a loss."
"Yes, I understand." Lin Dong did not try to act tough. He was indeed no match for Lin Hong at the moment, but he was highly confident that he would surpass him!
"Hehe, then you should work harder. I have to head back now. The Family Championship in half a year is approaching quickly, so you must put in more effort. Your father actually places great importance on this upcoming championship." Lin Xia giggled and patted Lin Dong's head. After greeting Qingtan and the other person beside him, she turned around, tossed her ponytail, and walked away with an easy grace.
"Hehe, Sister Lin Xia is really impressive. Even Lin Hong doesn't dare to act arrogant in front of her. Grandfather dotes on her extremely, and sometimes even personally teaches her martial arts." Looking at Lin Xia's slender and beautiful figure, Lin Changqiang said with a hint of envy.
"That's just because you're lazy." Lin Dong rolled his eyes at him, then stopped lingering. He turned to leave with Qingtan. Lin Changqiang ran after them for a bit, but seeing that the sky was turning dark, he had no choice but to reluctantly take his leave.
"Brother Lin Dong, I'm sorry... I will never... secretly go pick herbs again..." As the two walked back home along the mountain path, Qingtan tugged at the corner of Lin Dong's shirt and said pitifully.
"It's fine. Once I become stronger in the future, I won't let anyone bully you." Lin Dong had originally wanted to scold her a little, but seeing the young girl's pitiful and lovely appearance, his anger dissipated. He shook his head helplessly, then patted his chest and said with a laugh.
"I want to cultivate too," Qingtan said suddenly, wrinkling her delicate nose.
"Didn't you say you were afraid that cultivation would make a person ugly?" Lin Dong teased.
"No way! Look at Sister Lin Xia, isn't she very beautiful? If I can be like her, that Lin Hong wouldn't dare to bully you, Brother Lin Dong." Qingtan stuck out her pink tongue, looking extremely adorable.
Lin Dong shook his head with a smile, tapped Qingtan's smooth forehead with his finger, and said, "Once we get back, don't mention what happened today, okay?"
"Ah..." Qingtan puckered her small face, her drawn-out voice echoing along the mountain path.
***
Although Lin Dong and Qingtan had not mentioned the afternoon's events, it was clear that this matter could not be hidden for long.
"Did you fight with Lin Shan and his brother again this afternoon?" During dinner, Lin Xiao set down his bowl and chopsticks, speaking in a flat tone.
Hearing this, Lin Dong and Qingtan's bodies instantly tensed up. Beside them, Liu Yan shook her head helplessly, giving them a stern look.
"Father, it has nothing to do with Brother Lin Dong, it was me..." Qingtan said fearfully.
Lin Xiao glanced at the two of them, his face showing little emotion. His gaze merely locked onto Lin Dong as he asked, "I heard you defeated Lin Shan?"
Lin Dong raised his head slightly, only able to nod with a wry smile.
"Give me your hand." Seeing Lin Dong nod, a flicker of emotion finally appeared in Lin Xiao's eyes. He reached out with his large hand, grabbed Lin Dong's arm, and gently tapped it. A hint of hard-to-conceal joy finally surfaced on his calm face. "The fourth layer of Body Tempering?"
"Yes." Lin Dong braced himself and nodded again.
"Haha, good!" Having received Lin Dong's confirmation, Lin Xiao finally burst into hearty laughter, his voice filled with joy and satisfaction.
Seeing Lin Xiao laugh so happily, Lin Dong also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he wouldn't be scolded after all...
Sitting to the side, Liu Yan couldn't help but smile as she watched Lin Xiao laugh so joyfully, her eyes filled with affection as she looked at Lin Dong. She knew very well how much effort Lin Xiao had poured into Lin Dong. Back then, Lin Xiao felt that he had caused the Lin Family to lose a genius, thereby burying the family's hopes. Because of his stubborn nature, he had spent all these years wanting to return a genius to the Lin Family, and the genius he anticipated the most was, of course, Lin Dong.
"Didn't you just reach the third layer about ten days ago? How could it be so fast?" Amidst his joy, Lin Xiao suddenly asked with some suspicion. Going from the third layer to the fourth layer in just ten days was simply too fast. Moreover, Lin Dong had not relied on any spiritual medicine, so how could his speed be so rapid?
"I don't know either... Ever since I consumed that Red Ginseng last time, I feel like my normal cultivation has become much more effective." Hearing Lin Xiao's question, Lin Dong's heart skipped a beat. After a brief hesitation, he maintained a straight face and lied. For some reason, he felt that the secret of the Stone Talisman was best kept hidden; otherwise, it might bring disaster upon them.
"Oh?" Hearing this, Lin Xiao also frowned. Red Ginseng was merely a Grade One spiritual medicine; how could it have such a massive effect?
"Could it be that Dong'er's body has an exceptionally strong absorption rate for spiritual medicine? I've heard of some fortunate individuals whose bodies can absorb spiritual medicine several times better than ordinary people," Liu Yan said with a smile from the side.
"Yes, perhaps that is the reason." Lin Xiao nodded. He had also heard of such occurrences. However, if Lin Dong truly possessed such a unique constitution, then this kind of cultivation speed... was not completely inexplicable.
"It seems I was too negligent in the past. If Dong-er truly possesses this talent, achieving a good result at the Family Gathering is not an impossibility." Lin Xiao smiled with joy. He reached into his robes, fumbled around for a moment, and pulled out a cloth bundle. Carefully placing it on the table, he unwrapped it. Instantly, a rich fragrance wafted through the room, and a pale yellow, dried branch-like stalk appeared before their eyes.
The stalk was golden and translucent, yet beneath its glittering golden surface, a faint green liquid could be seen slowly flowing, resembling a kind of jade marrow.
"Is this... a Grade 2 Elixir, the Golden Jade Branch?" Upon seeing this golden stalk, Liu Yan immediately covered her mouth in astonishment.
"So this is a Grade 2 Elixir?" Lin Dong also cast a curious glance at the golden stalk. Then, a faint smirk played at the corner of his lips. Although this item appeared extraordinary, the spiritual energy contained within it still seemed inferior to the mysterious liquid that dripped from the Stone Talisman.
"Haha, I took a trip into the mountains yesterday and had quite a bit of luck to come across this. Liu Yan, tomorrow, brew this Golden Jade Branch for Dong-er to drink," Lin Xiao said with a chuckle. However, his laughter did not last long before his face turned slightly pale, and he began to cough violently.
"Father, I don't need it. You should keep it to treat your injuries," Lin Dong said hurriedly upon seeing this.
"It's nothing. When I was harvesting the herb, I ran into a troublesome beast. We clashed, and it merely agitated my blood and qi. It's of no concern. Besides, my injuries have lingered for so many years; these elixirs no longer have much of an effect on me." Lin Xiao waved his hand and said, "There are only a few months left until the Family Gathering. During this time, you must put all your effort into cultivating. As for the elixirs, I will find a way."
Seeing the smile on Lin Xiao's usually stern face, Lin Dong's eyes grew slightly red. He did not say anything more, merely nodding gently. In his heart, he whispered to himself, *Father, rest assured, I will not disappoint you.*
"It is getting late. Go and rest. You still have to cultivate tomorrow," Lin Xiao said, waving his hand.
"Yes."
Lin Dong complied, then left the dining table with Qing Tan. Even after they stepped out of the room, they could still hear Lin Xiao's hearty laughter echoing from inside. It had been a very long time since they had heard him laugh like that...
Clenching his fists slightly, Lin Dong turned his head, intending to tell Qing Tan to go back and rest. However, at that moment, he noticed that her delicate, porcelain-like face had suddenly turned a deathly, pale blue. A visible wisp of chilling frost slowly seeped out from her body, causing tiny ice crystals to form on the ground around her feet.
*Oh no... The chilling cold is acting up again!*
Seeing this sudden change in Qing Tan, Lin Dong's expression shifted drastically.