Chapter 283: The Problem with Water

Chapter 283: The Problem with Water

Lin Nuo could no longer stay at the Lin family celebration. Originally, he had secured a corner seat designated for the servants, where he could peacefully enjoy free food until it was time to leave.

But oh joy, the worst possible situation had occurred.

Everyone was cursing him, and the icing on the cake was that an Immortal had flown from afar just to scold him, and not just once either—multiple times!

You might as well call it a cursing contest.

They even said they wouldn’t participate in the commoners’ banquet, yet here they were.

It was all a load of nonsense; believing these Immortals was pure folly.

As Lin Nuo dashed out of the Lin family estate, a servant asked where he was headed. He simply replied with one word: “Crawl.” To his surprise, they actually began to crawl on the ground, going several meters!

What a bunch of old geezers; they were professionals at this!

Seeing Lin Nuo bolt from the scene, several ladies still dining at the feast undoubtedly rushed out as well. However, Lin Nuo was like the wind—an independent man, he had vanished without a trace in a hurry.

Being followed all the time was a disgrace. It was late at night; Lin, the great villain, needed to take a stroll and return.

The night market in the city was bustling, with people coming and going amidst lively chatter.

To avoid any more cursing incidents, Lin Nuo thought it wise to disguise himself.

For instance, he could pose as a traveler by wrapping a cloth around his face, making it difficult for outsiders to recognize him.

The disguise worked well; after all, it was the Lin family celebration, so naturally, no one would suspect he was out and about.

Indeed, the outside world felt much freer.

Without the prying eyes spread throughout the Lin family estate, he no longer needed to be on high alert, constantly wary of whether anyone was watching him. It was a relief!

Under the sparse starry moonlight, many gathered to sit together, gazing up at the night sky and admiring the bright moon. Wanderers like him inevitably reminisced about their distant homes.

In the ancient world of spirit cultivation, the bright moon held a different significance for everyone.

Ordinary folk felt homesick; poets drew great inspiration and penned exquisite verses; cultivators absorbed the moonlight’s spiritual energy, reflecting inward to gain insights for their advancement.

However, for every blessing, there are hidden perils. While everyone praised the wondrous moonlight, a latent crisis lingered beneath.

In the heavens, shadowy black birds merged with the night, difficult to discern. Occasionally revealed by the moonlight, people thought little of it, merely noting the migratory patterns of birds returning home under the brilliant moon.

Of course, for Lin Nuo, the sentimental notions of returning home to the bright moon were utterly nonexistent.

Even staring at the pitch-black sky, he was acutely aware of that black bird’s presence.

“Again with that? Is it the same species?”

Noticing the bird, Lin Nuo muttered sarcastically but chose to disregard it.

He continued walking until he found a food stall, settling down to order some small dishes. The feast at the Lin family celebration had been overly loud; it wasn’t comfortable at all—this was much better.

His table was small, only enough for two people.

“May I sit here?”

Not long after he sat down, a veiled young woman took a seat across from him.

Lin Nuo instinctively looked up and quickly recognized her.

“What a coincidence, you’ve come to this city!”

“Yeah, really coincidental. Isn’t today the Lin family celebration? Why are you out here?”

“I don’t like it there, so I ran away. And by the way, don’t mention the Lin family feast; I really dislike hearing that.”

Lin Nuo had purposely chosen a tucked-away food stall where fewer people came at night, and the boss was nearly closing up. He just intended to grab a bite before heading back.

He hadn’t expected to run into a familiar face.

The girl sitting opposite him was none other than Mu Yiting, whom he had encountered in a nearby town before.

“How’s your situation going? Are they willing to help you over there?”

The “over there” referred to the Refining Demon Sect, for which he had previously written to Ling Meng to assist her.

Mu Yiting nodded:

“Everything’s going smoothly. She’s willing to help me, but she wants me to meet someone in the city and bring something back for her. After all, the Lin family celebration makes it inconvenient for them to enter the city.”

“That makes sense; at least you have your identity as a cultivator. Plus, you’ve been in the mountains for quite a while without exposing yourself. Did you manage to retrieve the item?”

“I did; I was just about to leave when I spotted you, so I came over to sit for a bit.”

As Mu Yiting spoke, she poured tea for Lin Nuo. There were some peanuts and other small dishes on the table, and Lin Nuo was munching on the peanuts.

Mu Yiting thanked him respectfully:

“Thanks a lot. At least with her help, my situation has improved. By the way, she asked me where her master is right now. I’m not sure, but you should know, right?”

“I don’t know.”

Lin Nuo dismissed the question. What did Wu Ying Ge have to do with him, Lin Nuo, if she was looking for Ling Meng’s master?

After Mu Yiting poured the tea, Lin Nuo raised the cup to take a sip, but suddenly froze.

“What’s wrong? Is the water hot?”

“No.”

“It wouldn’t be poisoned, would it?”

Mu Yiting suddenly became alert, pulling out a long needle used to test for toxins and skillfully inserting it into the tea.

From the long needle’s results, the tea showed no issues.

“This won’t work; mine is the real deal.”

At that moment, Lin Nuo pulled out another long needle from his pocket, which was made with far superior material and craftsmanship.

As a world-annihilating villain, his poison-testing tools had to be top-notch.

Needles could only test for poison, allowing one to identify its components and characteristics for targeting and recognition.

If they encountered strange poisons that hadn’t been seen before, they naturally wouldn’t be detectable.

Lin Nuo, being a reborn individual and a world-ending villain, had experienced many situations. Naturally, he had enhanced the existing poison-testing needles to detect all poisons.

He swiftly dipped his needle into the tea, waited a moment, and then pulled it out.

The needle was faintly red, and for the time being, it wouldn’t go back to normal.

“What is this?!”

Mu Yiting looked puzzled; why did her needle find nothing, while Lin Nuo’s did?

“Hm? I don’t recall this happening before.”

Lin Nuo stared at the faintly red needle, contemplating for a moment. Recalling his previous life, nothing significant had occurred in this city around the same time.

Yet now, it starkly contradicted the information he’d received.

Not scientific.

No, it should be scientific.

The butterfly effect, after all; history had been altered by him. Originally, Qin Shili and the others wouldn’t have attended the Lin family celebration, but here they were now.

And Ruo’er, who hadn’t set foot on the immortal path before, had now ventured into it.

Most importantly, he had once been mocked as an inconsequential weakling but had transitioned to being the defeated villain who was now being “cursed.”

Things had changed, increasingly departing from their original trajectory.

“Have you drunk the water here?” Lin Nuo asked Mu Yiting seriously.

“No, I’ve only been drinking my own water.”

“That’s decent enough; it’s probably within the last couple of days.”

“What exactly is going on?” Mu Yiting asked, anxious.

“Listen, you need to leave here immediately, or you’ll be in trouble.”

Lin Nuo continued, grave-faced:

“These waters have been cursed; it’s a kind of curse you’ve never seen before.”