Master Yan

When he saw the Gray-robed Elder's action, Lin Dong instinctively tried to dodge, only to discover in horror that he could not move at all.

Not only Lin Dong, but even Lin Changqiang, who stood nearby, felt somewhat worried. If he had not read the original novel and known that this old man was rather kind and upright, he would not have been so at ease.

The old man's finger stopped at Lin Dong's brow. The next moment, he clearly sensed the unusually active Spiritual Power within the latter's mind, and a trace of delight immediately appeared on his usually stern face.

"Little fellow, are you interested in becoming a Talisman Master? I can take you as my Elite Disciple." The Gray-robed Elder spoke in an extremely calm tone, yet the Red-clad Girl and the man in brocade robes beside him were both left dumbfounded.

"A Talisman Master?"

Lin Dong froze. Although the respect shown by the others made it clear that this man was an influential figure in Flame City, Lin Dong had always been wary of strangers, especially when benefits were being handed to him so readily.

His fingers subtly rubbed against his palm. There lay his greatest secret, and he had no confidence that he could keep it hidden before truly powerful experts.

Although Lin Changqiang knew what Lin Dong was thinking and also knew that no one in the entire Great Yan Dynasty could see through the Ancestral Stone, he did not intervene.

"Thank you for your kind offer, sir. However, my current strength is still lacking. If I divide my attention to cultivate the talisman path as well, I fear I may bite off more than I can chew. I hope you can forgive me."

Lin Dong looked at the old man apologetically, but his words caused the expressions of those around them to turn strange. Did this fellow not know how many people in Flame City wanted to become the old man's disciple, only to find no way in?

The old man before him was clearly taken aback as well. Then he said with a cheerful laugh, "The path of a Talisman Master is not merely about engraving Runes onto objects. Truly powerful Talisman Masters can overturn rivers and seas with a mere wave of their hands."

Unfortunately, the more enthusiastic the old man became, the less Lin Dong dared agree. If he had no secrets, he would have gladly latched onto such a powerful figure. But unfortunately, he could not be sure whether the man before him could detect his Stone Talisman...

After considering it for a while, Lin Dong ultimately declined tactfully. "Sir, could you allow me to return home first and discuss it with my family before making a decision?"

"Very well, we'll do as you say for now. When you've made up your mind, bring this thing to the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce and find me. Besides, meeting is fate. I'll give this to you as well, so you can gain a better understanding of the path of a Talisman Master."

The old man was evidently somewhat helpless, but he said nothing more. He took a Talisman Token and a dry, worn booklet from his robes and handed them to Lin Dong.

"Thank you, sir." Lin Dong carefully accepted the two items and tucked them into the Cosmic Bag he had just bought. Seeing this, Lin Changqiang felt his heart heat up as well.

"Now then, it's time to discuss compensation for the damages." With that, the old man's expression became blank as he cast a sharp gaze toward the Red-clad Girl's side. On his way here, his Spiritual Power had already detected that they had struck first. "The losses incurred by the Curio Building today will be compensated by the side that started the fight—you people from the Liu Family. No objections, I assume?"

Hearing this, the girl finally came back to her senses and nodded with a dark expression. "In reply to Master Yan, we will deliver the compensation as soon as possible."

While they were talking, Lin Dong and Lin Changqiang slipped directly through the crowd and quickly left the Curio Building, then immediately ran back along the same route to the inn where the Lin Family members were staying.

Only after returning to the inn did Lin Dong finally let out a sigh of relief. He then looked at Lin Changqiang irritably. "You only needed to teach that guard a lesson. Why make such a huge scene? Good thing that old man was reasonable, or we might have been detained too."

"Because you're my dear big brother, of course~" Lin Changqiang gazed at Lin Dong with feigned affection and declared in a clear, resonant voice, "I thought, if I hadn't been there and the Curio Building didn't have that rule, wouldn't you have been beaten half to death? How could I possibly stand for that?"

Seeing Lin Changqiang's indignant appearance, Lin Dong was deeply moved despite knowing that he was deliberately making it sound overly mushy.

Just as Lin Dong did not know what to say, Lin Zhentian and the others, who had gone out earlier, finally returned to the inn.

"Father, how did it go?" Seeing Lin Xiao and the others return, Lin Dong immediately changed the subject.

"Not bad. Yang Yuan Stones will never lack buyers, and the price was fairly reasonable. Three hundred Yang Yuan Stones were exchanged for a total of thirty-two Yang Yuan Pills." Lin Xiao chuckled as he patted Lin Dong on the shoulder, while Lin Zhentian beside him wore a broad smile as well.

Only Lin Changqiang's heart was constantly bleeding. Three hundred Yang Yuan Stones—if all of them had been refined by Lin Dong using the Ancestral Stone, they could have been turned into a hundred Yang Yuan Pills! Of course, he also knew that was unrealistic. With Lin Dong's cautious nature, he would not easily expose what made him special.

As they spoke, the door was pushed open again. They turned around to see Lin Mang walk in with a gloomy expression.

"How did the Ironwood sell?" Seeing Lin Mang's expression, Lin Zhentian frowned, seized by a bad feeling.

"Damn it, the price of Ironwood was forcibly pushed down by thirty percent! It took me forever to find out that it was those bastards from the Lei Family using their connections to screw us over!" Lin Mang was so enraged that his nostrils flared, his breathing sounding like a bellows.

At this, Lin Zhentian and Lin Xiao's expressions also darkened slightly. It seemed the Lei Family was determined to make trouble for them.

"It's fine. Don't bother settling the Ironwood matter with them for now. Selling the Yang Yuan Stones is our top priority. We'll settle every other score with them later!" Lin Zhentian took a deep breath and ultimately swallowed his anger. So long as the mineral vein business succeeded, Ironwood would only be a minor matter.

"Mm." Lin Xiao and Lin Mang's expressions eased somewhat, and they nodded.

"Since everything has been taken care of, we should head back. We mobilized so many people this time, so it would not be wise to stay away for too long."

Naturally, no one objected. They immediately organized the convoy and set off from Flame City.

Meanwhile, in a room somewhere in Flame City, two figures sat facing each other. One of them was Lei Pi of the Lei Family.

"Thank you very much for this matter, Steward Hua An." Lei Pi beamed as he eagerly poured a cup of tea for the plump, greasy-faced Middle-Aged Man before him.

"Hehe, a small matter, a small matter~" The fat man shook his head with a smile. Then, stroking his beard, he looked at Lei Pi mysteriously. "However, according to the investigation conducted by my servants, the Lin Family actually went to two places on this trip. Selling Ironwood was only one of them~"

"Oh?" Lei Pi was startled. Seeing the meaningful smile on the other man's face, he immediately understood and readily took out five Yang Yuan Stones, handing them over. "Sorry for the trouble, Steward Hua."

Seeing how tactful Lei Pi was, the man immediately accepted the Yang Yuan Stones with a cheerful smile and said in satisfaction, "The Lin Family split into two groups. One group openly handled the sale of Ironwood, while another group secretly went to the Wanjin Chamber of Commerce and sold a large batch of Yang Yuan Stones!"

"A large batch of Yang Yuan Stones?" Lei Pi's expression immediately turned ugly.