In order to protect himself, Lin Yun had already planned to sell out Wang Wanqiu, but since the Righteous Path was so powerful, a direct betrayal would likely lead to a reckoning in the future.
Therefore, after drugging her, he "accidentally" consumed it himself and caused a bit of an uproar. Not only would this make him favored by the Red Lotus Demon Lord and taken as a disciple, but it would also alert her to someone targeting her, prompting her to be cautious in advance.
And the Righteous Path wouldn't be able to blame Lin Yun. How could they? Could I possibly know that I am an Immortal Body?
This move is called "Teflon".
Even though I messed things up, WHO can say it was my fault?
Brilliant!
The once hopeless situation was now revitalized, and Lin Yun's mood was incredibly uplifted. Indeed, to be an undercover agent, one must rely on their wits.
He couldn't help but recall the days when he played spy games, ruthlessly cold as he was, never hesitating to shoot even his "wife" in the game.
Now, it was the same, betraying his teammates without a second thought.
To avoid arousing Wang Wanqiu's suspicion, Lin Yun refrained from asking for more details, such as how the formation was set, the cultivation level of the assassin, or the number of people involved.
He now acted very much like a disciple loyal to his sect, asking what should be asked and remaining silent on what shouldn't be.
After eating, Lin Yun took his leave and even strolled around Qinghe City for a bit. He had once dreamt of traveling the world with a sword in his youth, and now that he finally had the chance to buy one, of course, he wanted to have some fun with it.
Unfortunately, he didn't have enough money.
Indeed, Green Lotus was a stingy ghost.
Feeling dejected, Lin Yun returned to Green Bamboo Villa and started cultivating out of boredom.
He remembered the cultivation techniques, and the Formless Transformation Method also allowed him to channel Spiritual Energy into his body and guide it.
However, such cultivation could only be done for one hour each day.
Otherwise, if cultivation was such a fun activity, Lin Yun wouldn't get so bored that he shut himself away.
Cultivating at dusk was the most efficient, and Lin Yun didn't know why, but it just felt right to do it at that time.
Guiding the sparse True Qi through his meridians, Lin Yun's consciousness followed the flow of the Qi, experiencing a mysterious sensation.
At that moment, he suddenly felt something in his Dantian, and this thing seemed to have its own consciousness.
Was this the Azure Dragon Gu Worm?
Lin Yun found it quite horrifying.
Thinking about something alive inside his body was far more terrifying than a parasite.
However, this consciousness conveyed a sense of kinship to Lin Yun.
"Well, it's only meant to monitor me and lacks higher intelligence. Green Lotus wouldn't let an important pawn die by accident, and to harm me with the Azure Dragon Gu Worm, she would probably need to give a direct order."
While Lin Yun speculated, he suddenly wondered if he could possibly win over the Azure Dragon Gu Worm since it had its own consciousness.
Lin Yun himself realized the idea was a bit naive, but with no other means to eliminate the worm, as long as it remained, he would be under Green Lotus's control.
So, no matter how fanciful the method might seem, he wanted to give it a try.
Lin Yun began to attempt communicating with the Azure Dragon Gu Worm, wondering what it might need, and to his surprise, it actually responded.
It wanted to consume True Qi.
That was no problem; since he was planning to disperse his powers anyway, he might as well feed them all to the Azure Dragon Gu Worm to curry its favor. Whether the worm could be fully tamed remained to be seen.
"All for you, is a day's worth of cultivation enough?"
The Azure Dragon Gu Worm couldn't communicate with Lin Yun, but it conveyed emotions of joy and gratitude to him.
Good, this creature was responsive.
He hoped it possessed a higher intelligence, ideally understanding gratitude. If it could learn to repay kindness, that would be perfect.
With this ray of hope, the days quickly passed, and ten days went by in a blink.
During these ten days, Lin Yun would go out for a stroll every day, wandering around until evening when he would begin cultivating, but he fed all the Spiritual Energy he cultivated to the Azure Dragon Gu Worm.
It really felt like working a job in the Cultivation World, except now he only had to "work" for two hours a day.
After being able to feed Spiritual Energy to the Azure Dragon Gu Worm, Lin Yun's cultivation time had doubled. Indeed, working overtime was a blessing. With Lin Yun's efforts, the Azure Dragon Gu Worm within him became more lively.
"Damn, when can I turn the tables and become the master!"
Green Lotus might have provided a guarantee for his personal safety, but the salary he offered was so meager that Lin Yun couldn't even afford a broken sword—capitalists truly have hearts of stone.
Fortunately, Lin Yun only complained in his heart, and just at that moment, Green Lotus happened to arrive at the training room.
Seeing Lin Yun cultivating, Green Lotus was also quite satisfied.
He could vaguely sense the growth of the Azure Dragon Gu Worm and figured that Lin Yun must have fed it a lot of Spiritual Energy.
Good, the more diligent his disciple in cultivation, the better his own life would be.
Keep it up, Disciple!
As a form of encouragement for Lin Yun, Green Lotus had also prepared some good things for him.
"Disciple."
Green Lotus woke Lin Yun from his meditative state.
Lin Yun, who was happily nourishing the Gu Worm, was like playing a game hatching a pet in the past—diligently giving the pet experience to level up and waiting for it to hatch and take him flying.
Interrupted by Green Lotus, although Lin Yun was displeased, he could only obediently call out, "Master."
"Seeing you cultivate so earnestly, as your teacher I've specifically brought you this Warm Jade Meditation Cushion. Sitting on it while cultivating will speed up your training pace."
"Thank you, Master."
Lin Yun's face showed emotion, but inwardly he cursed.
This cushion is so hard, doesn't he notice the pain when sitting on it?
To increase the speed of cultivation, isn't that just working for you?
"In three days, we will set out for Sunblaze Mountain to congratulate the Demon Lord on his birthday. You have fed all the Spiritual Power you've recently cultivated to the Azure Dragon Gu Worm, right? Better safe than sorry, lest the Demon Lord detects something unusual."
"Yes, Master. But won't the Demon Lord discover the Azure Dragon Gu Worm?"
"Rest assured about that. The Azure Dragon Gu Worm is the most adept at hiding among all Gu Worms. Unless it reveals itself actively, no one else would be able to detect it in your body with Divine Sense or Spiritual Power. This is also a means for you to protect your life. If one day you face danger, just seek help from the Azure Dragon Gu Worm, and it can assist you in concealing your whereabouts."
"I see. Thank you for your guidance, Master."
Lin Yun sighed with disappointment in his heart.
He had thought that becoming a disciple of the Red Lotus Demon Lord might lead to her scanning him as a welcome present, checking her disciple's body, and then naturally discovering the Azure Dragon Gu Worm's existence. With the Demon Lord's cultivation level, she might have a way to deal with it.
Now it seemed that this path was impassable.
Perhaps it was more reliable to start from the Azure Dragon Gu Worm itself.
"By the way, take good care of this Treasure Bead. I have received news that the Orthodox Sects will take action on the birthday of the Red Lotus Demon Lord. With your low cultivation level, you must be extra careful to stay hidden. This Treasure Bead can trap your enemy after you take an attack, giving you a chance to save your life.
Cultivation is full of trials and tribulations; a slight misstep could lead to fatal danger, so be cautious."
Lin Yun: "..."
Should he be touched? At least Green Lotus seemed afraid that he would die.
However, Lin Yun realized how chillingly unemotional he was. He didn't feel moved at all. The Righteous Path didn't care about his life or death; they probably felt that they couldn't resolve the issue with the Azure Dragon Gu Worm and, given that he was under someone else's control, it would be better to sacrifice this chess piece.
And Green Lotus cared about him because he was of exploitative value.
Since their relationship was utilitarian, there was no point in discussing feelings.
What Lin Yun cared about more now was something else.
He hadn't even snitched yet, so where did Green Lotus get his information?