Dou Qi-Absorbing Ring! Please Keep Reading! Please Vote!

"Y-You are?"

In the Xiao Family's rear courtyard, Xiao Yan, who had just been called down from the back mountain, felt his eyelids twitch as he looked at the burly black-robed man standing in his little courtyard.

Jiang Lin turned around, removed his hood, and revealed his true face.

"It's you. We met a year ago. I never expected you to be the Young Qilin Artifact Forger!" Upon seeing Jiang Lin's face, Xiao Yan did not forget his name this time and directly called him by it.

Clearly, with ten Dou Artifacts appearing in Wutan City every three months, forty Dou Artifact weapons had emerged in the city over the course of a year. That was already a rather astonishing number, and it had successfully etched the name Young Qilin deep into the minds of Wutan City's three great families.

"So... did you come to laugh at me?" As though he had thought of something, Xiao Yan gave a bitter smile.

Jiang Lin shook his head. "I happened to hear the news when I came into town today, so I came to take a look."

Jiang Lin sized up the youth before him, and his gaze finally settled on Xiao Yan's chest. At such close range, Jiang Lin could use his Spiritual Sense to tell that there was nothing wrong with Xiao Yan's body. Yet all the Dou Qi in his body was slowly gathering toward his chest. If one did not look carefully, this gradual movement of Dou Qi would have been difficult to notice.

Jiang Lin opened his mouth to say something, but a light, girlish voice sounded from behind him. "Brother Xiao Yan! Huh? You're here too?"

The two turned around and saw a girl who looked as though she had stepped out of a fairy tale walking briskly toward them from afar.

At the sight of Xiao Xun'er, delight flashed across Xiao Yan's face before it was replaced by complicated emotions. Jiang Lin, meanwhile, simply raised an eyebrow.

"Jiang Lin said he heard about me outside and specifically came to check on me." Xiao Yan forced a smile at Xiao Xun'er. This was the most difficult period of his life, and he had even been avoiding Xiao Xun'er lately, especially in front of the girl he liked.

"Huh? Do you wear armor whenever you go out? No wonder you've gotten so much bigger." Xiao Xun'er looked Jiang Lin over, and a trace of surprise flashed through her cyan-gold eyes.

She had heard Ling Ying's report that the genius Artifact Forger had come to the Xiao Family. How could Xiao Xun'er possibly remain calm upon hearing that? What sort of person could be called a genius Artifact Forger? In the early stages, genius Artifact Forgers and genius Alchemists referred to the same kind of people—those born with exceptionally powerful souls. And a powerful soul also meant exceptional perception.

Moreover, Ling Ying had been watching Jiang Lin's bargain-hunting antics in Wutan City all along! Although Ling Ying did not know exactly what Jiang Lin had found, the brat came every six months without fail. Each time, he headed straight for the Magical Beast Market and bought things that ordinary people could not make head or tail of.

The first time, Jiang Lin picked up a pile of iron scraps—Dou Artifact blueprints. The second time, he picked up a pile of poor-quality materials—second- and third-tier materials. The third time, he picked up a piece of beast hide. Ling Ying did not need to think hard to realize that Jiang Lin had awakened some absurdly powerful talent for finding bargains!

Then, when he discovered that this little rascal had come to the Xiao Family, his heart tightened. Oh no, he had come to hunt for bargains in the Xiao Family!

No, wait! Even if you wanted to hunt for bargains, you could not do it in someone else's home!

Ling Ying immediately reported the news to Xiao Xun'er. When she heard it, she was instantly alarmed. Oh no, that scoundrel Jiang Lin had come for her Brother Xiao Yan!

So Xiao Xun'er did not hesitate and immediately headed for Xiao Yan's courtyard to stop Jiang Lin's bargain-hunting scheme.

Naturally, Xiao Xun'er knew why Xiao Yan's Dou Qi had been inexplicably declining over the past year. Given how much she cared about Xiao Yan, there was no way she would not have sent Ling Ying to investigate the cause.

However, after thinking it over again and again, Xiao Xun'er concluded that the Storage Ring absorbing Xiao Yan's Dou Qi was likely an enormous opportunity for him, and she should not interfere with it. After all, she could provide Xiao Yan with excellent cultivation resources, but given Xiao Yan's personality, he would not accept them.

(Jiang Lin poked his head out: Actually, if you asked me, I'd happily accept them!)

Besides, even if there was a problem with whatever was inside that Storage Ring, Xiao Xun'er had the ability to snuff it out before it could grow.

"It isn't safe outside. The armor is for protection." Under Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er's astonished gazes, Jiang Lin struck his own chest with his fist, producing a series of clanging sounds.

Jiang Lin's gaze lingered on Xiao Yan's chest for a moment before meeting Xiao Xun'er's eyes. In her gaze, he saw a hint of warning.

After giving it some thought, Jiang Lin realized that his purpose in coming to the Xiao Family had only been to satisfy his curiosity over why Xiao Yan had the same symptoms as Mr. Yao. But now it seemed that Xiao Yan had not been poisoned by any Mysterious Poison. Rather, something on his chest was absorbing his Dou Qi, which left Jiang Lin somewhat disappointed.

In Jiang Lin's view, if Xiao Yan had been in the same situation, he might have been able to obtain a solution from the mysterious Xiao Xun'er through him, even if he had to make a trade.

But unfortunately, that was not the case. Xiao Yan was perfectly healthy, without the slightest symptom of illness.

Since that was the case, Jiang Lin said to Xiao Xun'er, "Miss Xun'er, I'd like to speak with Xiao Yan alone."

Xiao Xun'er's expression sharpened. She quickly glanced at Jiang Lin, then smiled. "All right, then. I won't disturb you."

Xiao Xun'er had come quickly and left just as quickly. Xiao Yan, standing nearby, was left somewhat bewildered.

Clang!

Jiang Lin drew a Black Blade Dagger from beneath the black robe on his back!

Xiao Yan was instantly startled and took a step back. "Brother! What are you doing?!"

Even assassins did not operate like this, did they? You sent everyone else away, then immediately made your move??

Jiang Lin placed the ordinary Dou Artifact on the stone table in the courtyard. "I'm giving you a Dou Artifact for protection."

That confiscated Dou Artifact was very ordinary, merely a standard Yellow-grade mid-tier Battle Weapon. Jiang Lin had studied it for a few moments, understood its principles at once, and found it utterly uninteresting.

"You should've said so." Xiao Yan patted his poor little heart, which was pounding wildly from fright.

Within his Spiritual Sense, the Dou Qi inside Xiao Yan's body sped up slightly as it gathered toward his chest. At the same time, Jiang Lin noticed the cord around Xiao Yan's neck, and his conviction grew firmer.

So he directly told Xiao Yan, "To be honest, this is a gamble for you. Something on your body is absorbing your Dou Qi, and you should know what it is. If you want to recover your talent, you can take it off. If you want to gamble on the future, you can try filling it up. There may be a great opportunity inside."

With Xiao Xun'er watching over that ring, Jiang Lin could not take it anyway. But he had never intended to take it. His situation was worse than Xiao Yan's: an unfamiliar Artifact Forger had arrived in Qingshan Town and wanted to deal with him. To him, the Dou Qi-Absorbing Ring would only be a burden. And who knew how long it would keep absorbing? There was already an old man at home whose strength declined every day. If the young one started losing cultivation every day too, life would be impossible.

"I've given you the dagger. How you choose is up to you."

Xiao Yan looked at the Black Blade in his hand, then at Jiang Lin's departing back. What he really wanted to say was:

Big brother, I want armor for protection!!

"Let me see what's recorded on this soul beast-hide scroll."

"P-Puppet Technique?"

Thanks to reader 0378100 for the reward!

There was no way Xiao Xun'er could be unaware of Old Yao's ring.