"Lu Bai, my young friend, would noon tomorrow at Lingfeng Tower work for you?" A white-haired man in a long white robe stepped out of the crowd.
He was tall, with a radiant expression. He looked like a living immortal.
And in terms of reputation, he really was every bit the living immortal.
Lin Haixian, the swordsman who had long been active in the Three Eastern Provinces, was practically synonymous with the word hero.
It was precisely because he was around that the Three Eastern Provinces were much more peaceful than other regions.
No one knew when a Sword Saint beyond anyone's ability to handle might spring out of a clump of grass while they were committing evil and kill them with a single stroke.
In such circumstances, everyone had to be extremely cautious when doing evil. They also dared not make too much of a fuss, and many would simply give up on their plans.
"Of course," Lu Bai replied.
The aura surrounding Lin Haixian was very subtle. It even gave people the impression of wild grass.
That was why, despite standing among the crowd earlier, the tall man had gone unnoticed by so many.
Wild grass seemed to be everywhere. No one would bother to look twice.
But its leaves could be sharp enough to cut you.
Now that he was facing the old swordsman, Lu Bai sensed that faint aura—one that could cut through anything.
It was difficult to fake an aura. It was something that could only be released when one's entire being was united as one.
Even in an environment like Earth's, where he had completely lost his Internal Force, this old Sword Saint would still be a top-tier Martial Path expert.
Like those others, he had trained until his martial arts had become extraordinary.
"I might not be his match." Lu Bai sensed it clearly and made a rough estimate.
If they fought a life-or-death duel, his odds against the other man would be about three to seven.
If Lu Bai could survive Lin Haixian's first three strikes, his chances would rise to fifty percent.
If Lin Haixian still couldn't defeat him within ten strikes, the odds would turn around, becoming seven to three in Lu Bai's favor.
After all, the other man was old. His physical condition was far worse than it had once been. The longer the fight dragged on, the better Lu Bai's chances.
Of course, this was only an estimate. No one could predict what would really happen.
After all, Lu Bai was still a beginner when it came to Internal Force. Perhaps mastering it would bring about some unexpected effects.
After confirming the time and place of their duel, Lin Haixian smiled and left. Who knew how many people followed after him, some hoping to become his disciples, others trying to build connections.
Before long, they could no longer find Lin Haixian.
That sort of technique was extraordinary, belonging to the realm of the somewhat supernatural, though not entirely supernatural.
But just then, another group of people approached.
Luo Chuan's expression changed as soon as he saw them.
"Father!"
The newcomer was the Luo Family Head, but his expression was not particularly pleasant.
His movements were stiff, making it obvious that he was injured.
"Hero Lu Bai, you saved my son. We owe you a great debt. Please forgive us." The Luo Family Head's words were rather pointed, especially the phrase "please forgive us."
Someone beside him immediately presented a gift box. It was very heavy; the servant holding it in both hands was trembling slightly.
"Chuan, come here!" the Luo Family Head called.
Luo Chuan was confused. He glanced at the smile on Lu Bai's face, then said, "Father, you didn't need to bring a gift."
"Master accepted me as his disciple, so we're practically family."
"Giving him a gift would only make things awkward."
Luo Chuan stepped forward and placed a hand in front of the gift box.
"Chuan!" the Luo Family Head barked angrily.
"There's no need for that, Family Head," Lu Bai said suddenly.
"This generous gift is more than enough. The master-disciple relationship between your son and me was nothing more than a transaction." Lu Bai took the gift box and casually opened it.
Inside were neatly arranged gold and silver bars.
"And now the deal is over."
"Master..." Luo Chuan looked at them, wanting to protest, but in the end, all he did was bow to Lu Bai. "Thank you."
Lu Bai waved a hand, picked up the gold and silver, and walked away.
The situation had been predictable from the start.
The Luo Family was not ruled by the Luo Family Head alone. At their core, families were simply refined self-interest.
They would compromise whenever it benefited the family.
If they only had to stand against Lianwu Mountain, the Luo Family could hold its ground. But with the Hundred Flower Grave behind it, things would become much more serious.
And Lu Bai was a wanted criminal of the Hundred Flower Grave.
They could claim that standing against Lianwu Mountain was about old grievances. After all, Lianwu Mountain was no good either.
But openly associating with Lu Bai would be a clear slap in the face to the Hundred Flower Grave.
Even Luo Chuan could see how the attention from the duel could be used to bring a series of issues to light.
How could anyone else fail to see it? They would only think further ahead.
The pressure on the Luo Family would probably be greater than before. The Luo Family Head had made his position clear from the moment he arrived: he wanted Lu Bai to forgive them.
The gift box might even have been a trap. The servant carrying it might have thought so, too.
That attitude was their way of telling Lu Bai that the Luo Family did not welcome him.
Lianwu Mountain would surely make its move next.
Most importantly, there was the Hundred Flower Grave. While trying to clear its name, it would also have to eliminate Lu Bai, an outsider.
More importantly, the Hundred Flower Grave and the Traveler behind it belonged to the same faction, but their goals were not entirely aligned.
The Hundred Flower Grave wanted to take the Holy Land's place and become the voice of the Martial Forest.
The Travelers behind it might have had a different goal. Perhaps they only wanted to use this as a means of sabotaging Tianwu Group's production facilities.
Every faction, every person, every individual was divided to some extent.
That division made the world difficult to navigate, and made it so that life rarely went as one wished.
Lu Bai had long since understood this, which was why he had come this far alone.
Luo Chuan had behaved well in the end, but that had only been a temporary reaction.
After spending over a month together, he had developed some gratitude and dependence toward Lu Bai. He had wanted to stand up for him, but it had only been an impulsive choice.
Once he calmed down, other feelings would come to plague him.
Gratitude never lasted.
So Lu Bai hadn't accepted Luo Chuan's goodwill. Instead, he had chosen to leave at once.
Of course, that was assuming the gift box really contained a gift. Otherwise, Lu Bai was not someone who could be trifled with.
Lu Bai smiled and went straight to Lingfeng Tower, where they had agreed to meet.
He placed all the gold and silver from the box on the counter.
"I'm taking this building for the next two days."
Before you continue