Golden Scale

Lin Heng went to the Money House at noon and exchanged all his Spirit Coins for Spirit Stones. Together with some gemstones he had sold off, he had a full one hundred and fifty thousand.

After the vendor finished counting, he was already drenched in sweat.

He had not expected that the young man before him could really produce this many Spirit Stones.

"Th-this... this..."

"Boss, what's wrong with you? These two green boys obviously don't know a thing about stone gambling. They're handing you money for free, so what are you hesitating for?"

Seeing the people around him begin to grow suspicious, the vendor had no choice but to hand the raw stone to the cutting master. "Cut it, cut it!"

Screech~

When the cutting saw had sunk no more than an inch into the outer layer, the head-sized raw stone actually began to split open on its own along the cut.

It was as if the inside had sealed away a full load of energy, and the moment a crack appeared, the balance within began to tilt.

Bang!

After a crisp crack, the surface of the raw stone shattered into pieces. Immediately afterward, rich elemental power erupted like a torrent, flowing along the air currents and surging in every direction.

The instant this aura appeared, it drew the attention of many people.

The surrounding spectators were directly stunned!

Holy shit!?

"Golden Scale! It opened up a Golden Scale!!"

"An Ancient Golden Dragon really did fall in the mountains of the Western Wasteland. The legend was true!"

Someone shouted, as if he had seen a ghost.

Lin Heng's eyes were sharp and his hands quick. With one lift of his hand, he retrieved the Golden Scale through the air into his palm, preventing the vendor from snatching it away.

It exploded!

It had simply exploded into a supreme treasure!

The Heavenly Chart recorded a total of thirteen peerlessly rare objects, and the Golden Scale happened to be at the very top.

The Golden Scale was a scale from the waist and spine of the Ancient Golden Dragon. Its unmatched metal attribute made it an excellent choice whether used to strengthen the physique or forge top-tier treasure armor.

Lin Heng had not expected a Golden Scale to burst from the raw stone. The vendor and that Black-Clad Youth had not expected it either.

They knew there was something good inside this raw stone, true enough, but they had never imagined a Golden Scale would appear.

"Young friend, I am willing to spend one hundred thousand Spirit Stones to buy this Golden Scale. Could you resell it to me?"

"Hold it! You want a Golden Scale for only one hundred thousand? This old man is willing to offer one hundred and fifty thousand!"

"Sorry, this Golden Scale is useful to me," Lin Heng refused.

Seeing several people blocking his way and refusing to let him pass, he said faintly again, "What? Could it be that you gentlemen still intend to openly rob me?"

"Boy, don't fail to appreciate favor. Keeping this item on you may not necessarily be safe. Be careful you don't end up losing both person and wealth in the end."

"This old man is a steward of Swallow Cloud City's Prince's Mansion. If you think it is too little, I can add another thirty thousand."

City Lord's Mansion, Wang Family.

Lin Heng sized up the old man from head to toe. The other party was nothing more than an ordinary person.

What?

Relying on the City Lord's Mansion behind him, he was threatening him into a forced buy and forced sale?

"Get lost."

Lin Heng spat out the words, then turned his head to look at the Black-Clad Youth beside him. "Brother, let's go."

"Huh? Go..."

The youth's gaze swept toward the vendor, whose face was full of hatred, and he immediately understood what Lin Heng meant.

It was obvious that the youth's act of pointing out the raw stone for him had already drawn the vendor's jealous resentment.

The old man who had suddenly appeared before them was using the City Lord's Mansion's banner to hold the field, and the vendor's silent behavior was just like a dog seeing its master and wagging its tail in peace.

After the two left everyone's line of sight, they followed North King Street eastward all the way and turned onto another street before stopping.

"Whew! Are all the businesses on North King Street under the City Lord's Mansion? There were so many eyes along the way."

Lin Heng muttered, then turned his head and cupped his hands toward the youth. "I am Lin Heng. Brother, your discerning eyes were like torches. You truly helped me pick up a treasure!"

"Haha, my surname is Sun, single name Hao." The youth also introduced himself. "Brother, you overpraise me. I only happened to see it right."

Sun Hao...

Hearing this name, Lin Heng's heart trembled slightly.

Sun Hao? The cannon fodder whose father was killed and whose wife was stolen by Ye Tian?

Wait! This plot isn't right. I remember Sun Hao only became enemies with Ye Tian after I died. Why would he appear in Swallow Cloud City?

This was how that dog author arranged the plot.

As the first cannon-fodder villain, Lin Heng served in the early stage as the original protagonist's wingman for showing off. After Ye Tian took down Master and Senior Sister, Lin Heng would be forcibly written out.

After he was written out, the second capable cannon fodder appeared, namely this Sun Hao.

Not only was Dad killed by Ye Tian, but when Sun Hao was about to breathe his last, he could only watch helplessly as even his wife was taken by Ye Tian into the harem.

With the protagonist's halo empowering him and the lucky buff of more wives, more fortune in hand, what woman would not fall?

But it was undeniable that in the middle stage, Sun Hao was definitely someone who could arm-wrestle with Ye Tian.

Acting on the principle that the enemy of an enemy was a friend, Lin Heng immediately wanted to drag him off for a drink.

On one hand, it was to thank him for helping obtain the Golden Scale. On the other, it was to figure out what strength the other party had.

"Brother Lin, there's no need for wine, is there..." Sun Hao had not expected the other party to suddenly become this enthusiastic either.

"Come, come, come. When it comes to human relationships and social dealings, just listen to me. I can afford one round of wine."

Using gratitude as the excuse, the two went nearby to a Wine House.

After three cups of wine went down, the two became familiar through conversation.

"So your father is that famous Old Man of Black Mountain from Black Mountain? No wonder, no wonder..."

"Brother Lin, are you really a disciple of Green Pavilion Sect?" After Sun Hao heard him introduce his background, he immediately became wary.

"That's right. My dad is even the Sect Leader."

"Huh? Your dad is the Sect Leader?" Sun Hao was even more shocked.

"Just a cheap old dad. I'm not very close with him." Lin Heng mentioned it simply, then seeing his strange expression, he could not help asking, "What's wrong? Why have you become wary?"

Sun Hao put down his bowl, and his tone turned much colder. "I am somewhat curious. I just wonder what Brother Lin has come to Swallow Cloud City for."

"Me? Does that even need saying? Of course I came to attend this Auction Feast. Why are you asking this?"

Lin Heng sensed that the other party seemed to have something behind his words.

"To tell you the truth, my father and I lost a few things in Golden Horse City. The Bureau Chief of the Justice Bureau said that people from your Green Pavilion Sect had been there."

The implication was that your Green Pavilion Sect's people had taken them.

Lost things? What does that mean?

Could it be... there were things belonging to them in the Granary? Holy shit, they couldn't have chased all the way to Swallow Cloud City because of this, right!?

Without changing expression, Lin Heng raised his wine cup and took a sip. The clear, mellow peach fragrance brushed over the tip of his tongue, calming him quite a bit.

"Oh, now that you put it that way, I do remember. Green Pavilion Sect seemed to have issued a sect mission regarding Golden Horse City. It was my Senior Brother and Senior Sister who went, while I came directly to Swallow Cloud City."

"What did you lose?"

After thinking for a moment, Sun Hao replied, "A suit of armor. It was stored in the Granary under the City Lord's Mansion's jurisdiction. By the time we arrived, the thing was already gone."

Hearing the word armor, Lin Heng almost spat out a mouthful of wine.

What the hell? The armor was theirs?

Wait! Hasn't the opportunity come right to me!?

If I throw the blame onto Ye Tian, wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone? When it comes to dumping the pot, I'm a professional!

Lin Heng pretended to know nothing. After shaking his head, he said solemnly, "If you put it that way, then I really must talk about my Senior Brother Ye."