Chapter 29: Spiritual Objects Needed by the Dao Tree

Actually, after Lin Jian hung up the phone, he also sensed that something was off. After all, not many people should have known about him saving someone today, right?

Furthermore, he hadn’t even stepped into the sales office, so how did they know his name and phone number? Everything reeked of fishiness. It seemed like a scam, yet at the same time, it didn’t.

Regardless of whether it was a scam or not, deep down, Lin Jian had no intention of accepting a house given by someone else. Saving someone was his instinctive reaction; it was the social conscience of a normal person. This had absolutely nothing to do with money. If someone had offered him money to save a person, he wouldn’t have done it in the first place.

Late at night, Lin Jian sat cross-legged on his bed and once again faded into Invisibility. Now, whenever he had free time, he would test his abilities. After repeated testing, he had basically figured out his current state.

He could maintain Invisibility for three minutes, and he could only use Invisibility twice a day, once every twelve hours. The detection range of his Thought was thirty meters; within this thirty-meter radius, nothing could hide from him. Although his Power hadn’t been tested by any specific instruments, Lin Jian estimated that he could knock down a cow with a single punch. Thus, it could be considered as having the strength of one cow.

As for the small tree in his mind, Lin Jian named it the "Dao Tree." For some unknown reason, the name "Dao Tree" had simply popped into his head. There were a total of ninety-nine fruits on the Dao Tree. Originally, there should have been a hundred, but one had fallen off. This fallen Dao Fruit was what gave him Invisibility, Telekinesis, and Power.

Therefore, if possible, his next step was to find a way to turn the Dao Fruits red. Once ripe, the Dao Fruit would naturally fall, and upon dropping, it would grant him even more Superpowers. This was only his own guess, but it was likely pretty close to the mark. He just didn’t know what could serve as nutrients for the Dao Tree. That was something he remained unsure of for now.

"Hmm, I need to do something. If I have all these skills and do nothing, how am I any different from a salted fish?" he mused.

In the dead of night, Lin Jian lit a cigarette and stood by the window, deep in thought. There was no need to quit his job as a security guard for the time being. For one, being a security guard offered a lot of freedom, providing at least half a month’s worth of rest days. Another reason was that it made Lin Jing happy. Even though it was a job at the very bottom rung of society, what Lin Jing wanted was for him to have a stable state and a peaceful life.

Today, Lin Jing had specially cooked a table full of good food for him and asked him all sorts of questions, looking even happier than he was. If he suddenly quit, there was no telling how heartbroken she would be. Therefore, he couldn’t let his mother down. So, without interfering with his security guard job, what else could he do?

"I definitely have to buy a house; I can’t accept one gifted by someone else."

Lin Jian finished his cigarette and ruthlessly crushed out the butt. Although he could now use Invisibility and Thought, he had pondered for a long time but surprisingly couldn’t come up with anything to do. He couldn’t exactly use Invisibility to go steal things, right? And he certainly couldn’t rob people, could he? Thus, he sadly realized that he was still a good-for-nothing.

"Huh? Someone’s there."

Just as Lin Jian was about to lie back down on his bed, he suddenly saw a dark figure outside the window walking briskly toward his building. After all, it was currently one or two in the morning; it was pitch black and completely silent outside. The person didn’t use a flashlight or any other lighting equipment, simply walking alone in the darkness. Out of curiosity, Lin Jian looked over using his Thought.

"It’s him?"

When he got a clear look at the dark figure, Lin Jian was taken aback. The person was the former bank manager of the Agricultural Bank. He was nearly seventy years old and used to live in the apartment right above theirs, but he had moved away after retiring. However, the apartment upstairs hadn’t been sold; it had remained empty the whole time.

The old bank manager couldn’t possibly be short of money, so he neither sold the old apartment nor rented it out. He was rich enough to do as he pleased. But his family had moved away over a decade ago. Why was he coming back in the middle of the night?

Lin Jian kept his Thought locked onto the old bank manager. However, as he continued to watch, Lin Jian noticed something amiss. The old bank manager was nearly seventy, yet his body was incredibly hale and hearty. He walked as swiftly as the wind, and navigating the dark streets without a flashlight, it seemed as if he could see perfectly well.

"He has Qi in him. Just like the Shandong master Ren Chunyu, there is an airflow within his body. But the old bank manager’s airflow is noticeably more abundant and stronger than Ren Chunyu’s," Lin Jian thought, his face filled with disbelief.

The old bank manager wasn’t a martial artist, was he? He used to practice Tai Chi, and his physical fitness was pretty good. But... how could he possibly have Qi inside his body? And this Qi was clearly the Inner True Qi spoken of in Inner Boxing, the breath cultivated internally, and also the Qi of Qi Cultivation.

The old bank manager was a Zhenren who hid his abilities. Moreover, the airflow in his body circulated up and down with a steady rhythm, seemingly nourishing the meridians within him.

At this point, the old bank manager reached the fourth floor, unlocked the door, and then turned on his flashlight. It wasn’t that he didn’t have a flashlight in hand; he had one but just hadn’t used it earlier. He first inspected the room, making a full circle, then moved to the sofa. Standing on it, he gently took down a mural from the wall.

Lin Jian’s eyes sparkled with excitement; the old bank manager’s home even had a Hidden Sect! However, that door wasn’t large, and inside, it only held a safe.

By this time, Lin Jian’s Thought had already probed into the interior of the safe a step ahead!

"Huh? No money?" he muttered.

Lin Jian was incredibly astonished because there was actually no money inside the safe. Instead, there were a few Scroll paintings and calligraphy pieces, along with two small jewelry boxes.

"Is there jade in the jewelry boxes? Why do I feel like this jade is giving off a warm, comfortable sensation?" he wondered.

At this moment, Lin Jian felt a bit bewildered. When his Thought probed the jade, his body grew warm, making his entire being feel exceptionally comfortable.

"No, it’s the Dao Tree!"

Just then, Lin Jian suddenly noticed that the Dao Tree had begun emitting a faint radiance at some unknown point. The radiance was very faint, but it was still different from usual.

Lin Jian’s eyes instantly lit up. It was the jade. The jade was causing the Dao Tree to emit a faint halo of light, and the Dao Tree’s halo, in turn, was making him feel warm and comfortable.

Did this mean that this kind of jade was the Dao Tree’s nutrient? Its nourishment?

As Lin Jian thought of this, his breathing grew heavy. At the same time, he recalled reading somewhere before about the concept of Jade Nourished People—that wearing it year-round could improve one’s complexion and even boost their immunity, among other benefits. So, this rumor was not completely unfounded; it was actually true, only ordinary folks just couldn’t sense it.

The old bank manager took another Scroll out from his pocket and placed it into the safe. Evidently, everything stored inside were his treasured collections, and no one else knew about them.

Lin Jian narrowed his eyes. Should he go upstairs and take those two jade pendants?

However, the moment this idea surfaced, Lin Jian immediately shut it down. Going upstairs to take the jade pendants would be stealing, and he absolutely could not do such a thing. If he wanted jade pendants, he could figure out a way to collect or buy them himself.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute."

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit Lin Jian. He remembered there was a flea market over by Wudaokou. He had heard that this market imitated the Ghost Market of the Capital City, and in the early hours of every Thursday morning, people would go there to set up stalls.

After all, Jiang City was the provincial capital of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Furthermore, Jiang City was an ancient city with thousands of years of history, which was why its antique market had been particularly booming in recent years. Although he knew nothing about antiques or collecting, he had still heard of the Ghost Market over at Wudaokou.

And today happened to be Thursday, meaning the Ghost Market was already open at this hour.

Thinking of this, Lin Jian hurriedly pulled a box out from under his bed and dug out a dozen or so cash bills. Throwing on a short-sleeved shirt, he climbed onto the window and leaped forcefully forward!

RUSTLE!

He landed on the camphor tree not far from his window, and then shimmied down the trunk like a monkey.