With the help of his sword, Rin struggled to stand. His breathing was still heavy from the serpent's crushing grip, and his body trembled slightly as he forced strength back into his legs.
When his vision finally cleared, he saw a woman who appeared to be in her sixties standing before him.
The enormous serpent that had nearly crushed him to death only moments ago was now peacefully bowing its massive head before her.
The old woman gently patted it.
"You are lucky that Xiao Cai didn't take you seriously, or you would have ended up dead."
Rin looked at the enormous serpent before turning toward the old woman. He cupped his hands and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for saving me."
The old woman looked at him calmly.
"You need to be careful in Jianghu. Along with martial arts knowledge, you must have knowledge of other things too, or you will end up dead."
Rin lowered his head slightly.
"I will be careful in the future, and I apologize, as I tried to take the Purple Cloud Ganoderma."
A faint smile appeared on the old woman's wrinkled face.
"I like polite and honest people."
She casually raised her hand.
With nothing more than a simple gesture—
Whoosh!
The Purple Cloud Ganoderma tore itself free and flew through the air, landing directly in her palm.
Rin's eyes widened in shock.
Object manipulation!
His expression immediately became serious.
She must be at least at the Unrestrained Stage.
The old woman glanced at the spiritual mushroom before casually sending it toward Rin.
Rin instinctively caught it.
"If the Matriarch sent you here, it means she wants you to have some treasure from this garden. Have this Ganoderma."
Rin looked down at the precious spiritual medicine in his hands before bowing again.
"Thank you."
The old woman turned around.
"Follow me."
Rin hesitated.
The old woman noticed his hesitation without even turning around.
"No one will dare hurt a Tang Clan guest within the Tang Clan, so don't worry."
Rin remained silent for a moment before following her.
The massive serpent followed as well.
As they walked deeper into the forest, Rin's eyes gradually widened.
The bushes moved aside.
The tall grass bent away from the old woman's path.
Even the weeds seemed to retreat before her feet.
Everything around her appeared to be under her control.
Rin watched silently for several moments before finally asking, "Can you tell me, Elder, who you are?"
The old woman continued walking.
"I'm just an old soul lurking inside the Tang Clan."
Rin stared at her back with a confused expression.
An old soul lurking inside the Tang Clan?
He couldn't understand what she meant.
After another moment, his attention shifted toward the enormous serpent slithering beside them.
"Can you tell me what kind of snake this is? Its skin is harder than iron."
The old woman replied calmly, "It is a Nine-Colored Serpent."
"Nine-Colored Serpent… hmm."
A smirk appeared on the old woman's face.
"This is one of the Ten Poisonous Creatures. Its poison can melt your veins from the inside, and if you are a martial artist, it can also damage your Qi center."
Rin's expression stiffened.
"It can also release poisonous mist from its mouth, which can melt your skin and disrupt your Qi circulation and breathing."
Rin's eyes widened in shock.
Slowly, he turned his head toward the serpent.
Xiao Cai was already looking at him.
Their eyes met.
Rin immediately avoided eye contact.
The old woman noticed and said, "Don't worry. Xiao Cai only uses poison on worthy opponents."
Rin cautiously asked, "What kind of worthy opponent?"
"Someone like a Peak Unrestrained Stage or Void Stage master."
"…"
Rin became completely quiet.
After a few moments, he muttered, "Well… now I'm not even strong enough to fight a snake."
"Don't be discouraged, brat," the old woman said. "For your age, and as a man, you have quite an achievement. You have already reached the Master Stage."
Rin remained thoughtful as they continued forward.
Soon, the dense vegetation suddenly opened into a large barren clearing.
In the middle of it stood a simple hut.
The old woman invited Rin inside.
Before entering herself, however, she made a small gesture with one finger.
A pill suddenly flew out from a nearby pot.
The pill floated through the air toward Xiao Cai.
The enormous serpent immediately opened its mouth.
Gulp.
It swallowed the pill.
The old woman nodded.
"Okay, Xiao Cai. Go back to your lair."
The serpent looked visibly happy before turning around and disappearing back into the dense forest.
The old woman entered the hut and sat down on a chair.
Her gaze settled on Rin.
"You are one of the Sima Clan, ha?"
"Yes," Rin answered.
He had already predicted that someone at the old woman's level would easily be able to see through his martial arts.
The old woman sighed.
"Sima Clan, ha…"
A distant look appeared in her aged eyes.
"Your grandmother was someone under my unit. She was quite helpful to me during wartime."
Rin remained quiet.
The old woman looked toward the Purple Cloud Ganoderma in his hand.
"Before eating this medicine, let me see your martial arts."
Rin looked confused.
"What?"
The old woman sighed at his expression.
"What do you think? That you can consume this spiritual medicine on your own? You need someone who can help you direct the spiritual Qi toward your Qi center."
Rin glanced at the mushroom.
"Is something wrong with this mushroom?"
The old woman sighed again.
"Why do people call spiritual herbs 'spiritual'?"
Rin thought for a moment.
"They work better than normal herbs."
"Yes," the old woman replied. "But the most important thing is what kind of herb it is."
She pointed toward the mushroom.
"The herb you have is Purple Cloud Ganoderma. It contains an immense amount of Qi. You need to be at a higher stage of martial arts to control this much Qi."
Her expression became serious.
"With your level, if you directly try to absorb it, the Qi will go berserk, and you will enter Qi deviation. So, you need someone with immense Qi to direct that Ganoderma's Qi toward your Qi center."
Understanding finally appeared in Rin's eyes.
He respectfully lowered his head.
"Thank you for the enlightenment."
The old woman waved her hand.
"Quickly, show me your martial arts."
Rin stepped into the open space.
He took a breath.
His posture changed.
Then he began performing his martial arts.
His feet swept across the ground as his body moved with controlled precision. His sword followed the movements of his Qi, each technique flowing into the next.
The old woman watched without interrupting.
After some time, Rin completely demonstrated his martial arts.
The old woman nodded.
"Good. You have quite an understanding of martial arts, and you have unique martial arts too."
She studied Rin for another moment.
Then, without changing her expression, she said, "How about it? You are beautiful and have deep knowledge of martial arts. You can marry my granddaughter and become part of the Tang Clan."
Rin immediately declined.
"I'm not ready for marriage."
The old woman stared at Rin for a while.
Rin remained firm.
Finally, she said, "If that is your wish."
She then instructed Rin to sit on the ground with the Purple Cloud Ganoderma.
Rin sat cross-legged in a cultivating position.
The old woman moved behind him and sat down as well.
She placed both hands against Rin's back.
A profound stillness descended upon the hut.
The old woman's expression became focused.
"Now eat the Ganoderma, and then start channeling your Qi."
Rin looked at the Purple Cloud Ganoderma in his hands.
Then—
He ate it.