"Many thanks, Lin Daoyou."
Ning Yue bowed slightly in a respectful salute.
"There's no need for such courtesy, Ning Daoyou."
Lin Jing wanted to reach out to help her up but suddenly remembered the propriety between men and women and stopped his hand in mid-air.
Then he quickly came to his senses.
"Ning Daoyou, I also have a favor to ask of you."
Ning Yue stood up and replied, "Please speak, Daoyou."
Lin Jing took out the Alchemy scripture he had gotten from Steward Li and handed it to Ning Yue, saying:
"Ning Daoyou, I acquired this Pill Scripture unintentionally, but during the process of refining Elixir Medicine, I found many mistakes and omissions in it."
"Could you please take a look and see if this Pill Scripture can still be practiced?"
"Is this the Pill Scripture you are currently studying?"
Ning Yue took the scripture but did not open it to browse through.
"Yes," Lin Jing replied.
"A Pill Scripture is the very foundation that an Alchemist relies on. You trust me so much?" Ning Yue looked seriously at Lin Jing.
"Of course, since Ning Daoyou has decided to teach me Alchemy Technique, why should I cling to this incomplete Pill Scripture?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Yue realized it made sense and without saying more, she started to flip through the Pill Scripture.
As she flipped the pages faster and faster, her frown deepened as well.
In just the time it took to brew a pot of tea, she had finished looking through it.
"Lin Daoyou," Ning Yue said, her brows still furrowed.
"Please speak, Ning Daoyou, can this Pill Scripture still be practiced?"
Lin Jing watched Ning Yue, waiting for her reply.
"I just glanced through it briefly, and the mistakes in this Pill Scripture you have are too numerous to count."
"Daoyou's rate of failure in Alchemy must not be low, I presume."
Lin Jing nodded and said:
"Just as Ning Daoyou stated, my rate of failure in Alchemy is indeed quite high, with a success rate of even less than ten percent."
"In that case, Daoyou should refrain from refining for now. When I have some spare time, I will help you correct this Pill Scripture. After you study the new one, you can start refining again."
"Thank you so much, Ning Daoyou."
He had been worrying about the Pill Scripture, and Ning Yue offered to correct it for him, which was exactly what Lin Jing desired. How could he possibly refuse?
Thus, Lin Jing quickly expressed his gratitude.
Afterward, the two left the house.
Luo Luo saw them coming out and hurriedly greeted them.
"Mother, Uncle Lin."
Ning Yue walked forward, then crouched down to straighten Luo Luo's clothes, then patted Luo Luo's head and said:
"Luo Luo, Mother will be busy for a while. During the day, I'll leave you in Uncle Lin's care, is that alright?"
Luo Luo first looked at Ning Yue, then turned to look at Lin Jing, who was smiling.
"Okay..."
"I know Mother is busy, and I'll be very well-behaved with Uncle Lin, I definitely won't cause any more trouble for Mother."
Luo Luo's understanding almost brought tears to Ning Yue's eyes.
But if she stopped refining for others, what could she and her daughter rely on for a living?
Ning Yue stood up and took out a stack of books from her Storage Bag, handing them to Lin Jing.
"Lin Daoyou, these books are ones I've collected myself. They include compendiums of Spirit Grass and Demonic Beasts, along with various secrets and anecdotes. Luo Luo loves reading these books. She gets so engrossed that she won't bother you."
"There are also some personal notes on my Alchemy insights that you can read in the meantime. When I get the chance, I'll help you mend the Pill Scripture."
"Alchemy insights?"
Aren't personal insights on Alchemy incredibly precious to every Alchemist?
She actually brought out her Alchemy insights—it seemed Ning Yue truly intended to teach him.
Afterward, Ning Yue departed.
Only Lin Jing and Luo Luo remained in the courtyard.
"Now that I can't refine pills, it's impossible to cultivate in a place where the Spiritual Energy is so sparse."
"Luo Luo."
"What is it, Uncle?" Luo Luo looked up at Lin Jing with her little face raised.
"Do you want to go out and play?" Lin Jing rubbed her little head.
"I do..."
It seemed she thought of yesterday's event, and Luo Luo hesitated.
"But I can't make Mother worry."
"It's okay, follow Uncle, with me to protect you, naturally, there is nothing to fear."
"Once we're on the street, I'll also buy you candied haws, how does that sound?"
Speaking of which, despite having been here for so long, aside from the time spent understanding the business alliance, I haven't really had a good wander around Fang Market yet.
With nothing pressing at the moment, it's the perfect opportunity to go out and truly experience the customs of this otherworldly place.
"Good."
Luo Luo happily agreed.
After all, children are naturally lively and aren't fond of staying in one spot for long.
The two of them left the house, and just as they exited the courtyard, they saw the gate of the neighbor's home on the other side flung wide open.
Luo Luo ran over with a 'thump thump thump'.
"Uncle Wei."
Lin Jing quickly followed.
Upon reaching the courtyard gate, the little girl peeked inside.
"Uncle Wei, are you home?"
A moment later, a young man dressed in black emerged.
He had a cold gaze and a frosty expression, which made him look rather difficult to communicate with.
Seeing this man come out, Luo Luo stepped forward and said:
"Uncle Wei, it's been so long since I've seen you, where have you been lately?"
"Uncle Wei had some matters to attend to and left for a while."
The man in black looked at Luo Luo, his icy gaze softening slightly.
Then, lifting his head to look at Lin Jing, his chilly gaze sharpened again, as though sizing up prey.
"Uncle Wei, this is Uncle Lin, he's moved here a while back."
"Why are you with him?" the man in black asked, looking at Luo Luo.
"Mother has been quite busy lately, so she's temporarily entrusted me to Uncle Lin's care," Luo Luo explained.
"Uncle Lin is a really nice person, he even saved Luo Luo yesterday."
"Uncle Wei, you don't know, yesterday when I was in the inn..."
The little girl recounted everything that had happened the previous day to the man in black.
After listening to her, the man in black looked at Lin Jing again, the coldness in his eyes slightly diminished.
"Wei Zhengqing, a friend of Luo Luo's father."
The man in black introduced himself, clearly having accepted the person in front of him.
"Lin Jing."
Wei Zhengqing nodded.
"Uncle Wei, we're going to wander around Fang Market, do you want to come with us?"
Wei Zhengqing shook his head and said to Luo Luo:
"Luo Luo, Uncle Wei still has things to do, you go ahead and enjoy the market, but remember not to stay out too late. You mustn't worry your mother."
"Mm-hmm, Luo Luo remembers, I definitely won't make Mother worry."
Then, Wei Zhengqing said to Lin Jing:
"Brother Lin, it's fine to roam within Fang Market, but don't go beyond it. The Demonic Beasts have been increasingly unruly lately, and some have even started attacking the edges of the market."
"The Demonic Beasts are still rampaging?"
Lin Jing said in surprise, as he had heard about the Demonic Beasts' rampage when he first moved here,
and he had thought the peace lately meant it was over.
"Not yet, the market has started to dispatch more patrols for now, so the problem isn't too serious."
"The rampage has gone on longer than usual this time, but I guess it will settle down after a while."
Although Wei Zhengqing said this, he was not certain himself; the ongoing rampage of the Demonic Beasts was indeed peculiar.
Since Wei Zhengqing had other business, the two didn't stay long and soon left.
Walking on the street, there was still a bustle of people. Calls from vendors never ceased, and the crowds seemed unaware, or perhaps accustomed, to the threat of Demonic Beasts.
After all, Fang Market is situated right next to the Night Mist Mountain Range.