A Difficult Predicament

The destruction of the Lei and Xie Families had kept Green Sun Town buzzing for over a month before things finally quieted down.

During that time, the Lin Clan and the Mad Blade Martial Hall had also stayed behind closed doors, ignoring the gossip outside and focusing on their own affairs.

With the downfall of the Lei and Xie Families, their territory and businesses were divided up among all the major forces in Green Sun Town.

Luo Cheng was somewhat surprised by this. He had thought the Lin Clan would take over everything the Lei and Xie Families owned, but to his surprise, the Lin Clan had no interest in those things. They had only asked for a few medicinal herbs and some Pure Origin Stones.

Apart from taking over the two families' territory, the Mad Blade Martial Hall had also received a handsome amount of medicinal herbs and Pure Origin Stones, though it hadn't seized any of their businesses.

In the bamboo grove, Lin Ge hadn't stepped outside since that battle. He had stayed there the whole time, quietly cultivating.

"Lin Ge, let's go out for a walk today."

A woman in white appeared in the cottage, a smile on her face as she spoke.

Lin Ge seemed to have grown used to her visits. Without changing his expression, he said, "I still have to cultivate. Go by yourself."

These past few days, Qin Xue had come to sit with him every day. Lin Ge still wasn't used to it, and it had started to irritate him, so he bluntly rejected her request.

But Qin Xue simply ignored his refusal, dragged him out of the bamboo grove, and headed straight for the Trading Market.

Along the way, Qin Xue seemed like a different person, lively and cheerful as she looked here and there, delighted by everything.

"Did this woman really come from a great clan?"

Qin Xue's behavior left Lin Ge deeply doubting his own assumptions. Had he been mistaken at the time? Was she just some poor, homeless girl?

"Lin Ge, come take a look at this..."

Up ahead, Qin Xue called out excitedly, her face beaming with delight.

Lin Ge ignored her and looked toward a nearby shop, a flash of astonishment in his eyes.

The shop wasn't especially ornate, but business was extraordinarily brisk, with countless customers coming and going.

It was, of course, Li Quan's shop.

With the pills and medicinal liquids specially made by Lin Ge, along with Li Quan's business acumen, no shop in Green Sun Town could compare. Thanks to this, Li Quan had amassed a great fortune and become Green Sun Town's nominal richest man.

"Qin Xue, I have something to take care of. Go look around by yourself for now."

With that, Lin Ge took a Ghost God Mask from his Universe Bag, threw on a black robe, and strode toward the shop.

At that moment, the shop was packed with people. The shop assistants were sweating and struggling to keep up. But when they saw Lin Ge walk in, they all stopped in their tracks. The shopkeeper behind the counter hurried over to him and bowed respectfully. "You're here."

The shopkeeper's respectful greeting stunned the customers. They stared curiously at the short man wearing a Ghost God Mask.

Everyone knew that the only people in Green Sun Town worthy of the shopkeeper's personal attention were the leaders of the major forces and clans. But even they were merely treated as honored guests; none received the kind of deference he was showing now.

"Who's that?"

"Could he be the shop owner?"

"No way. Everyone knows the owner is Li Quan. How could it be him?"

All kinds of speculation spread through the shop, but Lin Ge paid it no mind. He glanced at the shopkeeper and asked calmly, "Is your boss here?"

The shopkeeper hurriedly nodded. "He is. He's resting on the third floor right now. I'll take you to him."

As he spoke, the shopkeeper turned and swept his gaze across the room. When the customers saw his look, they didn't dare meet his eyes and instinctively looked away.

"Please, this way."

The shopkeeper led Lin Ge leisurely up to the third floor.

As before, Lin Ge didn't stop along the way. He went straight to the last room on the third floor, the Jin-Character Room.

"What brings you here?"

When Li Quan saw who had arrived, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, and he couldn't help asking.

"I came out with a friend to look around, so I thought I'd stop by."

Lin Ge glanced at the shopkeeper, who understood at once and quickly left the Jin-Character Room.

"Perfect timing. I still haven't given you your share from the Blood Coagulation Powder last time."

As he spoke, Li Quan took out a Universe Bag and tossed it casually to Lin Ge.

Lin Ge didn't stand on ceremony. He simply tucked it into his robe.

"About what I told you last time—expanding beyond Green Sun Town and taking the business throughout the Great Yan Dynasty. How are the preparations going?"

At the mention of this, the smile gradually faded from Li Quan's face, replaced by an expression weighed down with worry.

"What's wrong? Have you run into trouble?"

From Li Quan's expression, Lin Ge could tell he must have hit a major obstacle. Otherwise, he wouldn't look so troubled.

"Yeah. To take the business nationwide, I first need to establish a foothold in Tiandu Prefecture."

Li Quan sighed several times before continuing. "But without a powerful backing, how could I ever hope to establish a foothold?"

"That's only natural. You're going to someone else's territory and taking their business. Do you think they'll just let you have it?"

Lin Ge had anticipated all this and wasn't surprised. He smiled as he spoke.

"Hm? You look like you've got a good solution." Seeing Lin Ge's expression, Li Quan realized he must have expected this and couldn't help asking.

"Of course."

Lin Ge nodded slightly and sat down casually. He took a light sip of the fragrant tea, then continued, "You said earlier that without powerful backing, you couldn't expand the business nationwide. That's true. So we need to create powerful backing of our own—something that will make those people wary, even afraid!"

"Create our own backing? How?" Li Quan frowned, puzzled.

"I'll handle that. But there's something even more urgent that you need to take care of." Lin Ge smiled.

"What is it?" Li Quan asked, momentarily taken aback.

"You need a more mysterious name, one that makes people see your shop is no ordinary place. That way, you'll avoid a lot of trouble, and it'll give more weight to what I'm about to do," Lin Ge said.

"A name?"

Li Quan's brow remained furrowed as he racked his brains...

Lin Ge couldn't help shaking his head at the sight.

This other world was vastly different from theirs, even in its culture. People here really didn't care enough about appearances.

A formidable shop needed a memorable name above all else. That was how customers would remember it—and feel tempted to step inside and have a look.

If you chose a completely ordinary name, who would bother to take a look?