Better Safe Than Sorry
"Wood Plant City", south of the city, Jin Mansion.
It was Ah Lai who opened the door again. After not seeing Ling Yi for several years, he immediately called him "Young Master Yi" upon seeing him.
"Long time no see, Ah Lai. How have you been lately?" Ling Yi stepped forward and patted Ah Lai on the shoulder.
Feeling Ling Yi's concern, Ah Lai welled up with tears. Her lips trembled as she hurriedly replied, "Okay, okay, thank you... thank you for your concern, Young Master Yi..."
Ah Lai was so excited that he even choked up a little.
"You..." Ling Yi patted the other person's shoulder again helplessly, then asked, "Is Master here?"
"Yes, yes, Master is home!" Ah Lai nodded vigorously, then, just like in the old days, bent down and stretched out his arm, gesturing towards the courtyard. "Young Master Yi, Master should be having tea in the backyard at this time, just like he has for the past two years..."
Accompanied by Ah Lai, Ling Yi stepped into the Jin residence.
In the backyard, Old Master Jin sat leisurely in a recliner, holding the small purple clay teapot that Ling Yi had given him years ago in his right hand, taking sips from time to time.
Four or five meters ahead, in front of an open-air furnace, fourteen-year-old Jin Hua, shirtless, was intently observing the gradually softening metal ingots inside.
Two halos emanated from beneath his feet, one pale yellow and the other bright yellow. His right hand was encased in a silver-white metal gauntlet that extended all the way to his elbow.
Four years ago, when Ling Yi left the Water Wood Duchy, Jin Hua had just broken through to the level 10 Soul Scholar. At Ling Yi's suggestion, Old Master Jin did not insist that Jin Hua stay for a period of time to continue to hone and refine his physique. Instead, he directly hunted for Soul Ring and broke through to the One-Ring Soul Master.
Now, four years later, Jin Hua has become a level 22 Grand Soul Master, which is considered quite outstanding among his peers.
Just as Jin Hua's eyelids twitched, and he held the fire tongs in his left hand, grasping the red-hot metal ingot in the furnace, preparing to grab it onto the anvil beside him, he suddenly heard a familiar shout.
"Master! Master—!" The doorman, Ah Lai, called from the front courtyard, "Young Master Yi is back! Young Master Yi has come to see you—!"
Young Master Yi?... Ling Yi... Brother Yi?!
Jin Hua's eyes lit up at the sight of the flames, and without even looking at the metal ingots that had been smelted to their best condition, he immediately turned around and looked at the doorway leading from the front courtyard to the backyard.
Beside him, Old Master Jin displayed a dexterity beyond his years, straightening up from his recliner, spilling a considerable amount of warm tea from the small teapot in his hand.
Under the expectant gaze of the grandfather and grandson, Ling Yi stepped into the backyard, his demeanor graceful and his appearance elegant.
"Ah Yi—!" / "Brother Yi—!"
Old Master Jin and Jin Hua called out in unison and strode forward to greet them.
Young people are quick, Jin Hua ran up to Ling Yi Ling Yi, looking at him excitedly, wanting to say something, but for a moment he forgot how to start.
Just like when he saw Ah Lai before, Ling Yi reached out and patted Jin Hua on the shoulder, laughing loudly, "Jin Hua, long time no see! You've grown quite a bit taller—and quite a bit stronger too!"
As he spoke, he raised the hand that was resting on Jin Hua's shoulder, clenched his fist, and gently punched the other man's chest.
"Hey, Brother Yi, long time no see," Jin Hua said, scratching his head and grinning foolishly.
Ling Yi casually put his arm around Jin Hua's shoulder, leading him around to face the approaching Old Master Jin. Withdrawing his hand, Ling Yi stepped forward past Jin Hua, bowed deeply to Old Master Jin, and respectfully said, "Master, I'm back."
"Good, good... It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..." Old Master Jin stepped forward and helped Ling Yi up, saying with some excitement.
"Let's go." Old Master Jin pulled Ling Yi's arm and walked towards the backyard, saying at the same time, "Tell this old man about your situation these past few years. Why have you been gone for so long—"
"Oh, right!" The old man, halfway there, seemed to remember something and turned to Jin Hua and Ah Lai, who had followed him, instructing them, "You two, go outside and keep watch. Don't let anyone in!"
Upon hearing the old man's words, Jin Hua and Ah Lai exchanged a glance. Ah Lai immediately nodded vigorously and loudly replied, "Yes!"
After saying that, he turned and ran towards the front courtyard.
Jin Hua glanced at Ling Yi, then at Old Master Jin, looking hesitant and reluctant.
Seeing this, Old Master Jin wasn't about to tolerate it. He immediately glared at him and said sternly, "Go now!"
"Oh~" Jin Hua replied listlessly, then turned and walked towards the back of the yard.
Watching Jin Hua walk away, Ling Yi did not stop him. Instead, he walked to a corner of the courtyard as if they were old friends, picked up two stone benches weighing over a hundred pounds each, and carried them to the center of the backyard, placing them next to the stove.
Seeing Ling Yi's actions, Old Master Jin understood perfectly. He silently walked up to Ling Yi and plopped down on one of the stone benches.
Smiling at Old Master Jin, Ling Yi continued his work, pointing to the Storage Soul Tool on his wrist and taking out a basket filled with bamboo sections.
He casually picked up two bamboo sections and threw them into the stove. Under the licking of the red flames, the bamboo sections soon began to make a "crackling" sound.
A copper kettle sits on the edge of the stove, and two white porcelain teacups are placed on a small bamboo-topped square table that has just been moved in. In addition, there is a large-mouthed bat statue.
And so, the master and apprentice sat by the fire, waiting for the water to boil so they could make tea.
After a while, the spout of the copper kettle began to whistle slightly rapidly. Ling Yi poured boiling water into the two teacups and then placed the copper kettle on the outer edge of the stove.
And so, the bamboo sections that had just been placed in the stove made a "crackling" sound, while the boiling water in the copper kettle kept "gurgling".
After Ling Yi presented a teacup to him with both hands, Old Master Jin, who had been silently watching everything, smiled and whispered, "You're still so cautious, kid."
As he spoke, the old man also reached out his hands and accepted the teacup that Ling Yi handed over.
"There's nothing I can do." Ling Yi sat down, picked up his teacup, glanced at the activated "Sound-Eating Bat Statue," then looked at the bamboo joints and copper kettle that were still making noise, shook his head and blew on the floating emerald green tea leaves, and replied in a low voice, "The abilities of Martial Soul are all kinds of strange and wonderful. Even so, I'm not really that confident."
"..."
Old Master Jin rolled his eyes at Ling Yi, speechless for a moment. "Even at this point, you still don't have much confidence? You might as well just establish a foothold outside and bring everyone over..."
"Hehe," Ling Yi smiled shyly at the old man, "I'm not trying to protect myself from the Grand Duke and the others, it's just a habit I've developed while out there... As you know, I always consider things from the perspective of maximizing the benefits..."
"You—" Old Master Jin shook his head, said no more, and took a sip of the clear tea.
Ling Yi also lowered his head and began to drink his tea.
For a moment, apart from the sounds of bamboo joints and copper kettles, no other sounds could be heard in the entire courtyard.
Ling Yi: "How many people within the association can be trusted?"
Old Master Jin: "Apart from Mu Li, Bai Zhong and Sun Bing are both our people. The blacksmiths we recruited in the past four years were all trained by Li Qiang and Fu Shan, so they can basically be trusted."
Ling Yi: "I'm not worried about the blacksmiths. The main concern is the trade caravan. How's the handover between Bai Zhong and Sun Bing and the two elder brothers, Long Ang and Qingqiu Li? Have their marquis fathers noticed anything?"
That's all for today. I'll write a little more before going to sleep. See you tomorrow night!