Chapter 24: The Gift
Seeing this situation, He Song nodded slightly in his heart, took the teacup, and placed it in front of him, but did not drink it.
At their first meeting, it was better to be cautious.
However, as He Song listened to Zhao Lin's words, he became somewhat interested in the way Zhao Lin and Meng Guan addressed each other.
In the small circle formed by He Song, Meng Guan, and Wei Fan, Meng Guan's nickname was "Old Meng," and both He Song and Wei Fan called him that.
Wei Fan did not have a nickname, so He Song and Meng Guan called him "Brother Wei."
As for He Song, due to his cultivation level and age, Wei Fan and Meng Guan both called him "Fellow Daoist He."
This was not out of distance, but because He Song did not like being called "Little He" or "Little Song," and the other two were older than him. After discussing it, the other two had always addressed him as "Fellow Daoist."
Now, hearing Zhao Lin call Meng Guan "Brother Meng," He Song immediately understood.
The relationship between Zhao Lin and Meng Guan was good, but it had not yet reached the level of entering their small circle.
However, it probably wasn't far off.
If Meng Guan hadn't suddenly left, perhaps in a few years, their small circle of three would have added one more person.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, He Song's hands moved swiftly.
He placed the talisman ink he had been carrying on the table.
He Song glanced at the messy desk in front of him and thought to himself that he had brought the right thing this time.
This cluttered desk seemed to be Zhao Lin's worktable for making talismans, as it was filled with various talisman-making tools.
At a glance, one could tell that the talisman brush was extraordinary.
There were also a few dishes of dark red, unknown talisman ink.
And scattered around were pieces of talisman paper.
The presence of these items made the table appear particularly chaotic.
"Forgive my abrupt visit. I had previously heard from Old Meng that Fellow Daoist Zhao is skilled in making talismans, so I brought some talisman ink with me this time. I hope you won't find it unworthy," He Song said as he pushed the talisman ink toward Zhao Lin.
Meng Guan's letter had indeed mentioned that Zhao Lin was skilled in talisman-making.
He Song had simply catered to his interests by purchasing some talisman ink from the market area.
It wasn't anything too valuable, but it was certainly better than showing up empty-handed.
"You've gone to too much trouble, Fellow Daoist. If you ever need talismans in the future, feel free to come to me. As long as I can make them, I'll ensure you're not at a disadvantage," Zhao Lin said, taking the talisman ink and glancing at it secretly. The enthusiasm in his eyes grew even stronger.
Although he didn't lack this talisman ink, there was a world of difference between buying it himself and receiving it as a gift.
Back when he was a spirit farmer, not only did no one come to give him gifts, but he couldn't even find a way to give gifts to others.
Now that He Song had come to visit and brought a gift, he felt genuinely delighted.
With the gift accepted, the two of them were now acquainted.
Recalling that Meng Guan had specifically instructed him to look after He Song before leaving, Zhao Lin began to speculate about the relationship between He Song and Meng Guan.
Perhaps He Song could shed some light on this for him.
As this thought crossed his mind, Zhao Lin immediately asked, "By the way, Fellow Daoist He, do you know why Brother Meng left so suddenly? I noticed he seemed to be in a hurry, as if something urgent had come up, but I was a bit dazed at the time and didn't ask for details."
At the end of his words, a hint of embarrassment flashed across Zhao Lin's face.
It wasn't that he was dazed and didn't ask—it was more that he was completely stunned by the sudden turn of events and didn't think to ask.
Before last night, he had never imagined that Meng Guan would suddenly leave and hand over his position to him.
As a result, he had been in a state of shock all night, and it wasn't until this morning that he began to recover slightly.
"This isn't really a secret, Fellow Daoist Zhao. You'll find out in a few days," He Song replied without answering Zhao Lin's question. Seeing that his purpose had been achieved, he had no intention of staying any longer.
After barely managing to respond to Zhao Lin's questions, He Song quickly took his leave.
The news about the Chiling Gold Mine wasn't exactly a secret.
But some insider information was something He Song definitely wouldn't share with a newly acquainted cultivator.
His information came from Wei Fan, and compared to ordinary cultivators, Wei Fan's sources were undoubtedly more accurate.
However, in a few days, the news about the Chiling Gold Mine recruiting rogue cultivators as miners would surely spread throughout the entire Immortal Market.
By then, He Song had no idea how the rogue cultivators and the internal cultivators of the Immortal Market would react.
At that time, Zhao Lin would naturally understand why Meng Guan had left.
There was no need for He Song to tell him in advance.
After bidding farewell to Zhao Lin, He Song spent a few minutes returning to his own doorstep.
Glancing at his neighbor's house, a thoughtful expression flashed in He Song's eyes.
In the Zhushan Immortal Market, He Song knew quite a few people.
But those who could be called close friends were extremely few.
Wei Fan, Meng Guan, and Lin Cong were the only close friends He Song had in the Zhushan Immortal Market.
Lin Cong was the burly man who lived next door to He Song.
As a rogue cultivator, he made a living by hunting demon beasts with partners, and his combat prowess was extremely strong.
He Song had once had to rely on Wei Fan, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, as a backer because of Lin Cong's fierce combat abilities.
Fortunately, Lin Cong didn't have any ill intentions.
Now, the two had known each other for over five years.
During these five years, their relationship had evolved from ordinary neighbors to close friends who could chat freely.
They often sat together to drink tea and share interesting stories from their experiences.
"It seems... it's been half a month since we last met," He Song thought to himself, recalling the last time he had seen Lin Cong.
Half a month might seem like the blink of an eye under normal circumstances.
But He Song clearly remembered that when Lin Cong had come to see him half a month ago, he had mentioned that he was about to break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining.
Now, after half a month, He Song wasn't sure whether Lin Cong had successfully made the breakthrough.
After staring at Lin Cong's house for a moment, He Song shook his head and decided not to disturb him.
If he went over now and Lin Cong happened to be at a critical moment in his breakthrough, it might affect their relationship, which would be counterproductive.
It wouldn't be too late to congratulate Lin Cong after he successfully broke through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining.
As He Song was thinking this, he was about to enter his house when he suddenly heard the sound of a door opening.
He turned to look and saw that it wasn't Lin Cong who had opened the door, but his other neighbor.
Lin Cong lived to the left of He Song's house, while this family lived to the right.
"Hello, Brother Song," a child's voice greeted He Song.
"Fellow Daoist He, just getting back?" An old man holding the little girl's hand smiled and greeted He Song.
This old man and the little girl had moved in two years ago.
The neighbor who had previously lived to the right of He Song's house had been somewhat acquainted with He Song, but two years ago, he had left in a hurry and never returned. Since then, He Song had never seen him again.
A month later, this old man and the little girl had moved in, and He Song had no choice but to accept the fact that he had suddenly gotten new neighbors.
As for whether his previous neighbor was alive or dead, He Song had no idea.
(End of Chapter)