Cooperation with the Divine Weapon Pavilion

"Third Master..."

No sooner had Chen San spoken than a sturdy man in black battle attire silently entered the courtyard.

An expert!

Lin Changqing's pupils contracted sharply as he looked at the man in battle attire.

The man felt like a ferocious beast lying in wait, his body concealing startling baleful energy that made one's heart tremble.

The Three Body Cultivation Realms, Ninth Rank: Body Tempering, Blood Changing, Qi Refining.

This man was likely in the second realm, the Blood Changing Realm—at the very least, Sixth Rank in martial arts.

Though the Divine Weapon Pavilion was backed by the Chen Family, it certainly would not be easy to make such a martial arts powerhouse serve them.

It seemed Chen San held no ordinary status within the Chen Family.

"Xu Zhan, go... bring that bastard Liu Yantao to me..." Chen San snarled through gritted teeth, his face so dark it seemed water could drip from it.

Having been played like a monkey by a subordinate, there was no way he could swallow this grievance.

Unless he subjected Liu Yantao to the Thousand Cuts Torture and tore him limb from limb, the hatred in his heart could never be appeased.

"Yes, Third Master..."

After the man named Xu Zhan answered, he glanced at Lin Changqing before turning and leaving the courtyard.

Lin Changqing watched it all with a calm expression.

Using his Spiritual Power to observe Chen San's expressions and reactions, he judged whether the man truly knew nothing or was merely putting on a show.

Chen San's scalp prickled under Lin Changqing's gaze.

He immediately gave a bitter smile. "Young Master Lin, I truly knew nothing about this matter. That bastard Liu Yantao deceived me."

"Yes, I admit it... I did send Liu Yantao to investigate you."

"But I only wanted to find the Divine Weapon Forgemaster behind you and invite him to our Divine Weapon Pavilion. I absolutely had no other intentions."

Lin Changqing said nothing, merely staring directly at Chen San.

In truth, he already believed Chen San's words. Though he had not used his Spiritual Power to hypnotize Chen San, he had influenced him with it.

What Chen San had just said was the truth in his heart, drawn out by Lin Changqing's Spiritual Power.

There could be no falsehood in it.

"Shopkeeper Chen, forgive my bluntness, but the Divine Weapon Pavilion has its own forgemasters. Why are you so fixated on the one behind me?" Lin Changqing asked coldly.

Since Chen San believed someone stood behind him, he would simply go with the flow.

This was a world where the weak were meat for the strong.

Sometimes, giving oneself a bit of backing was not such a bad thing.

"This..."

After hesitating for a moment, Chen San finally gave a bitter smile. "Young Master Lin, to be honest, something happened to the Divine Weapon Forgemaster of our Divine Weapon Pavilion.

"The Divine Weapon Pavilion currently has no Divine Weapon Forgemaster to oversee it.

"The divine weapons sold in the shop now are all old stock. Once that stock runs out, our Divine Weapon Pavilion will be in danger."

So that was it!

Lin Changqing nodded slightly, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.

Then he said in a deep voice, "The one behind me cannot possibly come to the Divine Weapon Pavilion, so Shopkeeper Chen need not entertain that thought.

"However... cooperation is not impossible..."

"Cooperation? Young Master Lin, how do you wish to cooperate?" Chen San was first stunned, then his eyes lit up as he hurriedly asked.

"It's simple. You and I will sign an agreement."

Lin Changqing gave a light laugh. "What your Divine Weapon Pavilion needs are divine weapons. I can provide you with one divine weapon every month..."

"This..."

Chen San fell into thought, weighing the matter carefully.

His original intention had been to invite the forgemaster behind Lin Changqing to the Divine Weapon Pavilion.

But it was now obvious that this was impossible.

He could only settle for the next best thing. If the person behind Lin Changqing could supply the Divine Weapon Pavilion with divine weapons over the long term, that was still a fine choice.

Though he would not have the person under his control, leaving him somewhat passive.

It was still better than having the supply of divine weapons cut off entirely!

"Young Master Lin, one divine weapon a month is too few. There must be at least three!"

Having made his decision, Chen San immediately began negotiating terms.

"Three is too many. That is absolutely impossible. At most, two per month—and you must provide the materials..."

Lin Changqing gave a Light laugh. "If Shopkeeper Chen agrees, I'll go back and speak to the person behind me.

"If not, then pretend I never said anything. Divine Weapon Pavilion can find someone else!"

"Fine, two it is..."

Chen San immediately nodded. "Young Master Lin, can you make the decision for the person behind you?"

"Hehe, whether I can call the shots depends on Shopkeeper Chen's sincerity."

Lin Changqing gave a Light laugh. "The person behind me has some ties to our Green Mountain Village. Eight uncles from the caravan died last night, and he is quite enraged as well..."

"Please rest assured, Young Master Lin. I absolutely will not let that bastard Liu Yantao off."

Chen San's eyes shifted, and he immediately understood Lin Changqing's intentions. He quickly said, "Chen is also deeply sympathetic toward your village's misfortune. After all, this matter arose because of my Divine Weapon Pavilion. Chen is willing to put up one thousand... no, three thousand taels as compensation..."

"Shopkeeper Chen is truly righteous. On behalf of the families of those eight uncles, I thank Shopkeeper Chen in advance." A broad smile immediately appeared on Lin Changqing's face.

"Not at all, not at all. It is only proper."

Chen San hurriedly waved his hands.

Yet inwardly, he cursed without end.

This little bastard really had thick skin. You just accepted it like that? Couldn't you at least play coy for a moment?

No matter what, you should have put on a show and declined first!

Lin Changqing sneered inwardly at Chen San as well. Decline... hehe, no chance. You already gave it to me—if I declined, wouldn't that be refusing to give you face?

Still, Lin Changqing had not expected Chen San to be so generous.

The moment he acted, it was three thousand taels.

With this money, added to the Fifty Gold he had taken out earlier, it would be enough for the families of the eight uncles who had died in the caravan to live out the rest of their lives in peace.

Of course, that was assuming they did not squander it. Otherwise, no amount of money would ever be enough to burn through.

"By the way, Shopkeeper Chen, are you familiar with the Yamen?"

Lin Changqing abruptly changed the subject and asked in a grave voice.

"The Yamen... somewhat. Young Master Lin, is there something you wish to inquire about?" Chen San frowned slightly and asked without betraying a thing.

"There is indeed something."

Lin Changqing nodded. "My father is the Blacksmith of Green Mountain Village. Over a month ago, he was conscripted by the Imperial Court. He still has not returned, and there has been no word from him. I wonder if Shopkeeper Chen could help look into it..."

"That will not be a problem. Rest assured, Young Master Lin, Chen has some connections in the Yamen. I'll inquire into it over the next couple of days. Once there is news, I'll notify you at once."

Chen San immediately patted his chest in assurance.

This was hardly a major matter. Naturally, he was happy to have Lin Changqing owe him a favor.

"Then many thanks to Shopkeeper Chen."

Lin Changqing smiled and cupped his hands in thanks. The reason he had agreed to supply Divine Weapon Pavilion was not only because he needed a steady source of income.

Another reason was that he wanted to use Chen San to find out where his father in this life had gone.

Chen San was a member of the Chen Family, and his status within the Chen Family was clearly not low.

Having him gather information would naturally be far more convenient.

No matter what, his father in this life had been missing without a trace for over a month. One way or another, he had to get to the bottom of it.

If alive, he had to see the man. If dead, he had to see the body.