The Transaction Ends Here

"Young friend Lu Bai, is tomorrow at noon at Lingfeng Tower acceptable?" A man wearing a white long robe and sporting a white beard emerged from the crowd.

He was tall and possessed a radiant expression, looking every bit like a living immortal.

In terms of reputation, this man was indeed nearly synonymous with a living immortal.

Lin Haixian, a swordsman who had long been active in the Three Eastern Provinces, was essentially a synonym for a chivalrous hero.

It was precisely because of his existence that the Three Eastern Provinces were significantly more stable than other provinces and cities.

After all, no one knew when a peerless sword saint might pop out from the bushes while you were committing a crime and finish you off with a single strike.

Under such circumstances, everyone was extremely cautious when doing evil, not daring to make too much noise, and often choosing to abandon their plans altogether.

"Of course, no problem," Lu Bai said.

The aura emanating from Lin Haixian was incredibly subtle, even giving one the feeling of wild grass.

Therefore, even though this tall man had been standing in the crowd, few people had noticed his presence.

Wild grass seemed to be just like that—seen everywhere, yet no one would spare it a second glance.

However, the blades of wild grass were also sharp enough to cut people.

Upon facing this old swordsman, Lu Bai felt that subtle aura, one capable of severing everything.

Aura was difficult to fake; it was something that could only be exuded when one's body and mind were in perfect harmony.

Even in an environment like Earth, where internal energy was completely lost, this old sword saint would still be a top-tier martial arts expert.

Like those others, he had practiced martial arts to the point of achieving the miraculous.

I might not be his match, Lu Bai sensed clearly, making a rough estimate in his heart.

If it were a true life-or-death duel, his win-loss ratio against the opponent would be roughly three to seven.

If Lu Bai could survive Lin Haixian's first three strikes, his winning chances would rise to fifty percent.

If the opponent still couldn't take him down within ten strikes, the odds would shift to seven to three in his favor.

After all, the opponent was old, his physical condition far inferior to what it once was; the longer the fight dragged on, the higher Lu Bai's chances of winning.

Of course, this was only an estimate; the true situation was hard to predict.

After all, Lu Bai was still a beginner when it came to internal energy; perhaps reaching a higher level would yield some different effects.

After confirming the time and place for the duel, Lin Haixian left with a smile, followed by an unknown number of people from the crowd, some seeking to become his disciples, others trying to build connections.

In just a moment, they could no longer find a trace of Lin Haixian.

This technique belonged to the realm of the miraculous—within that category which was somewhat supernatural, yet not entirely so.

However, at this moment, a group of people approached.

Seeing that group, Luo Chuan's expression changed.

"Father!"

The person who arrived was the head of the Luo Family, though his expression was not particularly good at the moment.

His movements were visibly sluggish, clearly indicating that he was injured.

"Young Hero Lu Bai saved my son; this is a great kindness, please forgive my intrusion." The words of the Luo Family head were quite interesting, especially that bit about forgiveness.

Immediately, someone beside him presented a gift box. It was heavy; the servant holding it with both hands was trembling slightly.

"Chuan'er, come over here!" the Luo Family head commanded.

Luo Chuan was confused. He glanced at the smile on Lu Bai's face and then said, "Father, there's no need for this gift."

"Master took me in as a disciple, so we are practically family."

"Giving gifts like this makes things too distant."

Luo Chuan stepped forward, placing his hand in front of the gift box.

"Chuan'er!" the Luo Family head barked angrily.

"Family Head, there is no need for this," Lu Bai suddenly spoke up.

"Such a heavy gift is more than enough; the master-disciple relationship with your son was merely a transaction." Lu Bai took the gift box and opened it casually.

Inside were neatly arranged gold and silver bars.

"And now, the transaction ends here."

"Mas..." Luo Chuan looked at the contents, wanting to dissuade him, but in the end, he only bowed to Lu Bai: "Thank you."

Lu Bai waved his hand, picked up the gold and silver, and walked off into the distance.

The situation could have been predicted from the start.

The Luo Family was not a place where the head had the final say; the essence of the family was refined egoism.

They would compromise on anything that benefited the family.

If it were merely a confrontation with Lianwu Mountain, the Luo Family could hold their ground, but adding the Hundred Flower Grave behind them made the problem much more serious.

And Lu Bai's identity was that of a wanted criminal by the Hundred Flower Grave.

Resisting Lianwu Mountain could still be dismissed as past Resentment; after all, Lianwu Mountain was hardly a virtuous entity.

But to openly associate with Lu Bai was to show a complete lack of respect for Hundred Flower Grave.

Furthermore, if even Luo Chuan could think of using the popularity generated by the duel to expose a series of matters, then how could others not think of it, and perhaps even delve much deeper?

The pressure on the Luo Family would likely be even greater than before, and the attitude of the Luo Family head had been made clear from the start: he wanted Lu Bai to forgive them.

That gift box might even be a trap, and the servant holding it might have been thinking the same.

This attitude was, in effect, telling Lu Bai that the Luo Family did not welcome him.

It was to be expected that Lianwu Mountain would also take action afterward.

Most importantly, Hundred Flower Grave had to clear its name while simultaneously eliminating Lu Bai, the outsider.

Of course, a more critical point was that Hundred Flower Grave and the Traveler behind them, while belonging to the same faction, did not necessarily share the same goals.

Hundred Flower Grave naturally sought to replace the Holy Land and become the authority of the Martial Forest.

The Traveler behind them, however, might not have that same objective; they might simply be using this to sabotage the production sites of Tianwu Group.

Between any faction, any person, and any individual, there would always be a certain degree of fragmentation.

It was precisely this fragmentation that made worldly affairs difficult and caused eight or nine out of ten things in life to go against one's wishes.

Lu Bai had long since seen through this, which was why he had walked this path alone until now.

Luo Chuan's final display was decent, but it was only a fleeting moment.

Over the course of a month, he had developed a certain sense of gratitude and reliance toward Lu Bai, and his desire to stand up for him was merely a choice made in the heat of the moment.

Once he calmed down, he would be plagued by other emotions.

Being moved does not last.

Therefore, Lu Bai did not accept Luo Chuan's kindness, choosing instead to leave directly.

Of course, that was assuming the gift box truly contained a gift; otherwise, Lu Bai was not someone to be trifled with.

Lu Bai smiled and went straight to the agreed-upon Lingfeng Tower.

He slammed the box of gold and silver onto the counter.

"For the next two days, I'm booking this entire building."