Chapter 372: Do You Remember the First Time We Met?
Finally, Fa Ma's face twitched slightly as he took the hint and excused himself with Gu He's disciple. Only then did Gu He slowly lean back against the sofa, crossing one leg, picking up the teacup on the table, and blowing gently on the hot tea. He then spoke, "Speak, what is it that even Fa Ma and the others cannot know?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Lin also leaned back into the soft sofa and, with a smile, looked at Gu He, who was elegantly drinking tea. "It's not that they can't know, but rather that they cannot know at this stage."
"Do you remember the first time you met me?"
"Oh? Are we bringing up old accounts? But speaking of old accounts, shouldn't I be the one bringing them up?" Gu He reflected on the experience in the Tagore Desert. He had long suspected that the alchemist who had attacked him was Jiang Lin from the Refining Guild, but he lacked concrete evidence, making it hard for him to act on it.
Even if he had acted, Gu He knew he couldn't take advantage of Jiang Lin. The unity of the Refining Guild was something he clearly understood, even if outsiders didn't.
This was also why, when the Refining Guild openly pointed out that Xiao Yan was the little thief who had stolen the Heart of the Earth Fire, Gu He didn't dare to make a scene.
Because Jiang Lin's timing with refining the different fire-based weapon, the Xuan Heavy Scepter, was simply too perfect!
During that time, Xiao Yan was shining at the Alchemist Conference, refining three-pattern Qingling Pills using Exotic Fire, while Jiang Lin, within the Refining Guild, was directly refining a sixth-tier weapon!
Had Jiang Lin been even a little slower, Gu He might have already been ready to pull Xiao Yan aside for a chat. But who could have predicted that, out of nowhere, Jiang Lin, with his superior fire weapon, instantly thwarted all of Gu He's plans.
Back when they were at Yun Lan Sect, Fa Ma had tried to persuade Gu He, but it was all in vain, as Gu He already understood—he couldn't take the Heart of the Earth Fire from the Refining Guild.
In a sense, Jiang Lin had disrupted Gu He's two chances at reclaiming the Heart of the Earth Fire.
This made Gu He, when facing Jiang Lin, start to harbor some strange thoughts. He felt Jiang Lin might just be his nemesis. All those smooth years he had, had only been because Jiang Lin hadn't been born yet.
"I still haven't figured something out. How did you convince Sect Master Yun Yun?" This had been bothering Gu He for a year or two. Given Yun Yun's speed, both Jiang Lin and Xiao Yan should have been unable to escape her notice.
"Well, that's not really a secret. Xiao Yan and I, by coincidence, saved Sect Master Yun Yun's life in the Monster Beast Mountain Range." Although Xiao Yan was the one who had physically saved her, Jiang Lin believed his impressive medical skills played a crucial role in that too.
"I see." Gu He's eyes flickered, and his fingers absentmindedly traced the rim of his tea cup, producing a crisp sound.
From the intelligence Gu He had, he vaguely understood where Yun Yun had encountered danger, as she had indeed disappeared for a while over a year ago. Though Gu He was curious how a weakling like Jiang Lin, who hadn't even reached Dou Wang, could have saved Yun Yun, he didn't press the matter further. It no longer mattered; from now on, he would be a ruthless alchemy machine.
Jiang Lin: "Ruthless alchemy machine? Well, in that case..." takes out a gourd "Gu He!"
Gu He: "Huh???"
"Let's get down to business. What exactly do you want to talk about?" Gu He felt a bit tired. He had never encountered a "life-saving grace" situation like this before.
"Do you remember the first time you met me?" Jiang Lin asked with a smile.
"…" Gu He didn't respond. He simply kept drinking his tea.
The familiar words made Gu He suspect that perhaps he had entered some time loop.
"I'm not joking, I'm asking about the real matter," Gu He said calmly.
"I'm not joking either. I'm talking about something serious," Jiang Lin couldn't help but chuckle.
"That energy arrow from before?" Gu He thought for a moment. The most concerning thing when he first encountered Jiang Lin was the energy arrow that had paralyzed his winged sheath.
"Ah, that was our second encounter," Jiang Lin shook his head and laughed. "The first time we met, you chased me for a long time. But back then, you couldn't see me. I was watching you from the shadows."
"Huh?" Gu He raised an eyebrow, suddenly thinking of something, his eyes flashing. "You're the alchemist who was refining things in the desert? No, wait, you're talking about that green light that shot up into the sky?"
Although Jiang Lin was tempted to make a joke about the green light being the manifestation of love, he refrained, as they were discussing serious matters. He simply nodded and said, "Exactly, which is why I say there's some kind of connection between us. Even the words I used to deceive you back then now seem to have a purpose. Once I succeed, you won't need to worry about those strange fires anymore."
Jiang Lin was referring to the colorless spiritual fire he was cultivating inside his body. This spiritual fire, in theory, could be used for both alchemy and weapon refining, but Jiang Lin needed to break through to Dou Wang and perform more experiments before drawing any final conclusions.
However, if Gu He wanted to cultivate the same colorless spiritual fire as Jiang Lin, it might not be as easy as capturing Exotic Fire . The one good thing was that cultivating this spiritual fire wasn't as dangerous as capturing Exotic Fire .
"I've discovered a completely new, though still not fully formed, flame. It may not have all the functions yet, but at least it can be used for alchemy. Anyway, since your main goal is to refine pills, and you're not looking to fight or die, you won't need the full power of Exotic Fire . It's better to give up early and wait for my good news," Jiang Lin said, and if he had the chance, he would create a technique to cultivate this colorless spiritual fire.
"…Is it similar to the Dragon Flame Qi in your Refining Guild?" Gu He fell silent for a moment, his face twitching slightly, but he still managed to control himself and not throw his teacup at Jiang Lin's head.
"Hey, if I tell you, you won't believe me. What I'm talking about is surely something revolutionary, but it's not ready yet. When I get it right, I'll be the first to let you know," Jiang Lin shrugged, a slight grin on his face.
"Is this the real matter you wanted to talk about?" Gu He's eyes flickered slightly. Though he was a bit skeptical, he was still willing to entertain Jiang Lin's words. If he had to invest in it, it wouldn't be impossible.
"No!" Jiang Lin shook his head firmly, "The spiritual fire was just something to tease you with."
Gu He: "…"
"What I wanted to talk about was the scene of our first meeting."
Gu He silently clenched his fists, and veins bulged on his forehead.
(END CHAPTER)
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