If the medicinal effect had to double, then Lin Qinghen’s previous Red Round Wheat should’ve just about met this requirement, but it took him quite a while to study it. Now, with five types at once, how much more effort would this cost him?

Advanced tasks really weren’t like beginner ones at all.

Sure, he could use the Bee Crystal Butterfly now. The butterfly was indeed a handy solution; if the spirit plant required pollination by insects, this method could enhance its quality. However, the system clearly stated it wanted medicinal effect—not just quantity. The Bee Crystal Butterfly’s effect wasn’t powerful enough for that.

Lin Qinghen frowned and thought about it for quite a while but couldn’t come up with any ideas.

Yin Jiuxiao couldn’t see his system, but with his sharp senses, he’d noticed something when Lin Qinghen completed his task. He happened to be sitting beside Lin Qinghen, and suddenly, the grassy and herbal scent around Lin Qinghen intensified and became even more alluring.

Yin Jiuxiao glanced at him, wondering what he was thinking with that furrowed brow.

After a moment, Lin Qinghen suddenly asked, “Jiuxiao, what’s the current situation in Lei City? And what’s the general state of the Yin family? Tell me about it.”

It seemed about time. With his new task refreshed, Lin Qinghen needed to gather some insights.

He was planning to settle here for the long term, after all.

Lin Qinghen had finished reading the books about Beizhou, and Yu Yinyin had thoughtfully slipped in a few pages of information on the Yin family. But still, the written word wasn’t as helpful as firsthand accounts.

Lei City lay on Beizhou’s borders. When the Yin family was prosperous, it was the largest city in Beizhou. Now, however, it had faded, falling into disrepair alongside the family.

Yin Jiuxiao, still wondering about that intensified herbal scent around Lin Qinghen, had his curiosity piqued again when Lin Qinghen addressed him directly.

He’d been answering Lin Qinghen’s questions these past days, but suddenly, a bit of defiance crept in, and he felt like testing him.

“I told you everything I knew before,” he said, looking down with an innocent and clueless expression. “After I went blind at seven, I became a useless person, rarely leaving home. Even if I wanted to know about the outside world, I was powerless to learn. I’m sorry, but I really don’t know more.”

Lin Qinghen froze for a moment.

Yin Jiuxiao thought he’d finally put him off, but Lin Qinghen’s response surprised him. He reached over the small table, grabbing Yin Jiuxiao by the chin and turning his face toward him.

“Jiuxiao,” he narrowed his eyes, “we’re like two grasshoppers tied to the same string. After all this time together, you still don’t get it? Lying to me won’t do you any good.”

Yin Jiuxiao had told him before that he didn’t need to put up a front, so Lin Qinghen stopped pretending altogether. Now that they’d left the Lin family, no one knew about the birthmark on his face, so he didn’t bother with the grass-juice paste anymore, revealing his clear, sharp eyes.

Yin Jiuxiao’s gray eyes met Lin Qinghen’s gaze. His lashes fluttered slightly before he resumed his act. “Qinghen, do you doubt me? I’m like this…could it be…”

“These past five or six days, we’ve eaten and slept together. I know things others wouldn’t,” Lin Qinghen leaned in closer, his breath almost brushing against Yin Jiuxiao’s face. “Jiuxiao, you’ve never truly given up on cultivation.”

Lin Qinghen had checked Yin Jiuxiao’s spirit power, finding it chaotic and weak—truly a case of spirit power that had gone wrong and backfired on him.

Often, while Lin Qinghen read, he’d sense faint fluctuations of spirit power around Yin Jiuxiao. It was subtle, but only Lin Qinghen seemed to notice it, like the shadow Yin Jiuxiao sent to follow people—unseen by others, yet clear to him.

Yin Jiuxiao wasn’t the type to resign himself to fate.

What Lin Qinghen didn’t know was that when Yin Jiuxiao boarded the ship, he’d seized a moment to crush his jade pendant, absorbing the trace of demon essence within to merge it with his spirit essence. He planned to digest both gradually.

With his current skills, he could combine the two sources of power slowly, as his parents had intended. They’d chosen a gentler method for him, allowing the energies to fuse into a unique presence unlike ordinary spirit qi. Even if Yin Jiuxiao cultivated openly, ordinary people wouldn’t notice.

But Lin Qinghen did.

Yin Jiuxiao stayed silent, waiting for Lin Qinghen to finish.

“The Yin family members still call you the young master. I asked them about it. Though their attitude wasn’t great, I got the gist. Your uncle is the current family head, and he’s the one who’s defended your title as young master.”

“Jiuxiao, you put in the effort to cultivate every day. Even if you haven’t progressed much, it shows you haven’t given up on yourself.”

Lin Qinghen paused, sighed, and continued, “You also said we’re alike. If you were truly resigned to a mundane life, I’d believe you knew nothing. But if you’re like me, facing similar circumstances, you wouldn’t pass up anything that could benefit you.”

Living among the Lin family and surviving in the Yin family—neither was easy.

Lin Qinghen knew everyone in the Lin family inside and out. Given that the Yin family head still regarded Yin Jiuxiao as the young master, there were surely things he’d share with him. Even if he didn’t know the outside world, he’d at least be familiar with the Yin family’s internal matters.

It wasn’t a bad idea to fish for answers like this.

Yin Jiuxiao didn’t respond immediately, but Lin Qinghen saw a slight smile before he said, “Does Qinghen also have things hidden from me? We’re in this together; shouldn’t you share with me too?”

Lin Qinghen answered without hesitation, “I told you already—I’ll grow food and take care of you.”

Yin Jiuxiao chuckled.

These past few days, not only had Lin Qinghen tested him, but he’d been testing Lin Qinghen as well.

This man clearly didn’t have the essence of an alchemist and had weak spirit power, but there was something subtly different about him.

Finally, Yin Jiuxiao stopped holding back and shared the essentials.

These things were meant to be shared with Lin Qinghen anyway. This bit of hesitation had merely led them to exchange a few more cards than expected.

“The current head of the Yin family is my uncle, the last of my father’s generation. He still clings to his old promise and his lingering guilt, wanting me to inherit as young master, even though sometimes it’s a struggle for him to protect himself.”

Yin Jiuxiao continued, “My uncle’s swordsmanship has reached the eighth level, which, in spirit power terms, equates to Heavenly Level Six Star. But he’s injured, so he can never return to his peak, and he’s been unable to break through to the ninth level, which would open the door to the continent’s elites.”

“There are three remaining elders in the Yin family, just a bit weaker than the family head, though not by much. Elder Yin Miao, who traveled with us, is the weakest of them, at Heavenly Level One Star. He’s usually obedient, which is why he was sent with us. The other two elders are from outside families and generally don’t follow the family head’s lead. If my uncle ever falters, life at home wouldn’t be so easy for me.”

“Though the family was devastated over a decade ago, it still has a few strong Heavenly-level practitioners. But the infighting is fierce, and divisions are severe. Now, all we can do is hunker down in a small city like this. When we arrive, you’ll see for yourself who’s who.”

“As for Lei City’s situation, I don’t know much, but it’s poor. Very poor.”

At this, Yin Jiuxiao’s lips curved in a strange smile. “What will happen once you get there, I can’t say. Lei City isn’t a friendly place, Qinghen. Growing food for me here won’t be as simple as in Zhongzhou.”

He wasn’t lying.

In his past life, the Lin family annulled the marriage right after Lin Qingshuang’s grand party for her 18th birthday, just seven days after the marriage contract expired. They arrived in Lei City in less than two days and canceled the engagement on the spot.

In his past life, at this time, Yin Jiuxiao had been thrown off a cliff, his fate unknown. He didn’t know what would happen in Lei City in this timeline.

After all, when he returned years later, Lei City was in ruins, and the Yin family had been wiped out.

Lin Qinghen pondered for a moment, lost in thought. Yin Jiuxiao assumed the conversation was over until Lin Qinghen spoke again. “I see. Thank you for telling me.”

Lin Qinghen then took his hand, his tone earnest.

“As for your cultivation and your eyes, I’ll find a way to cure you.”

Yin Jiuxiao paused, caught off guard. “It’s been over ten years, and no cure’s been found.”

“There’s a cure for every ailment,” Lin Qinghen replied, recalling his own struggles. “Don’t worry; that day will come.”

Once he had enough money and power, the entire world would help him find a solution. If he could cure his own poison, he could certainly cure Yin Jiuxiao’s ailment.

After this conversation, Lin Qinghen felt they had drawn closer.

It was a rare feeling, being free from the Lin family’s constraints and more open with Yin Jiuxiao. Their shared hardships only seemed to deepen their bond.

Feeling light-hearted, Lin Qinghen playfully pinched Yin Jiuxiao’s cheek, grinning. “I really like you more and more.”

So, the promise to find him a cure was one Lin Qinghen intended to keep.

Yin Jiuxiao thought, Same here.

Lin Qinghen was even more suited to him than he’d imagined.

Sharp-witted when it counted, blunt and straightforward, with a temperament Yin Jiuxiao found immensely appealing.

He didn’t regret bringing this person here to take a different path than before.

In this new life, he felt like he had more to anticipate and many more possibilities to explore.

Once he fully merged his spirit and demon sources, it wouldn’t be long before no one in Lei City could challenge him.

Yin Jiuxiao thought lazily.

But no matter how well-prepared Lin Qinghen was, no matter how much information he’d gathered, the first thing that greeted him when he arrived in Lei City wasn’t peace.

Lei City was large—where the Lin family had once risen to prominence, though it seemed empty now.

The ship landed directly at the Yin family’s estate, and Elder Yin Miao led them to meet the family head. But before they reached their destination, Lin Qinghen heard the sounds of a quarrel in the distance.

“Xu Yaoyang, don’t push me too far!”

Accompanying the voice was a fierce sword aura, even from afar, Lin Qinghen could feel the impact of its power sweeping toward him.

Unfortunately, that sword aura seemed to lack follow-through, fading quickly.