Liu Erlong's Gift, Causing Trouble for Flender

Seeing that Liu Erlong was interested in the Master's theories, Flender began to sing Yu Xiaogang's praises.

"Of course it's true! Not to mention the 'Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls,' this volume of the Rakshasa Meditation Method alone is worth a thousand gold."

Flender flipped to the page with the visualization diagram, and the malice radiating from the green-faced, fanged Rakshasa God hit them head-on.

Liu Erlong frowned slightly; she did not like the feeling.

However, the fact that it could affect her like this suggested that this book of martial soul theory did indeed have some value.

I wonder if Ling Feng would like this gift? Liu Erlong thought to herself.

Flender was adept at reading the room, and seeing her reaction, he quickly added, "If you are interested, My Lady, I am willing to part with this martial soul theory right now."

Yu Xiaogang had been disseminating his theories for nearly a year, and they had spread quite widely, so the item itself was not worth much.

But Liu Erlong, who had dropped out of school early, was unaware of this. She nodded and said, "How much for this book? I'll take it!"

Flender waved his hand dismissively. "What's with all this talk of money? If you're willing, just give me a few more of those Dragon Ganoderma Leaves!"

Liu Erlong shook her head. "No, I cannot give you those Dragon Ganoderma Leaves. I would rather pay you in money!"

Those Dragon Ganoderma Leaves were a gift from Ling Feng, and she intended to use them herself; how could she possibly trade them away?

"Oh? You aren't here to sell medicinal herbs?"

Flender was somewhat disappointed, but since there were many people around, he did not press the issue to avoid drawing unwanted attention.

"In that case, I'll sell you this martial soul theory for two hundred Gold Soul Coins," Flender said.

Liu Erlong took the book, paid the two hundred Gold Soul Coins, and headed toward the inn.

She actually bought it? Flender thought.

Although Liu Erlong's appearance was very tempting to him, achieving his dream was what mattered most.

He felt no guilt; instead, he felt that Liu Erlong was easy to swindle.

If he could keep meeting people like her, he would soon have enough money to establish his spirit master academy.

Ling Feng finished absorbing the medicinal power of the ten-thousand-year Spirit Ginseng rootlet and, hearing a knock at the door, immediately ceased his cultivation.

He walked to the entrance, and upon opening the door, he saw Liu Erlong standing there, dressed in a loose, cyan-colored long dress.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Liu Erlong said.

Ling Feng shook his head. "It is no matter. I was immersed in my cultivation and lost track of time."

Liu Erlong produced the martial soul theory she had just purchased and handed it to Ling Feng. "This is a gift for our meeting!"

Ling Feng was stunned for a moment before he understood her intention; she was returning the favor for his own gift.

What a serious-minded young woman, Ling Feng thought.

Liu Erlong likely had few friends and therefore did not know how to interact with them, appearing overly formal.

Nevertheless, Ling Feng was quite pleased and accepted her gift.

The Ten Core Competencies of Martial Souls? The Rakshasa Meditation Method? Why this? How unlucky!

Ling Feng paused for a moment, and Liu Erlong noticed his reaction.

"What is it? Is this gift not good?" Liu Erlong asked.

Ling Feng shook his head. "No, I am very happy to receive a gift from you, but may I ask where you acquired it?"

Liu Erlong was straightforward by nature and did not hide anything.

"I bought it at the trading market. The stall owner even said this martial soul theory was worth a thousand gold! I thought you would like something like this."

Worth a thousand gold? Ling Feng instinctively assumed Liu Erlong had been swindled.

Ling Feng quickly pressed, "Oh? What did that stall owner look like? Can you describe him to me?"

"He didn't look very pleasant..."

As Liu Erlong described the stall owner's appearance, Ling Feng found the description increasingly familiar.

Why does she make him sound so much like that profiteer Flender? Ling Feng thought.

Even as blunt as she was, Liu Erlong could see that Ling Feng's reaction to the gift was off.

"Is there something wrong with this martial soul theory?" Liu Erlong asked.

Ling Feng had not intended to say anything, but since she asked, he decided it was the perfect opportunity to sow some discord against Yu Xiaogang.

"To be honest, I happen to know who wrote this theory!"

"This martial soul theory was written by Yu Xiaogang, an outcast of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan who, after defecting to Spirit Hall, compiled it by copying from the archives of Spirit Hall."

Liu Erlong frowned at the mention of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

Her biological father hailed from that clan, and because of what happened to her mother, she held a grudge and disliked the family.

But it was still her father's clan, and hearing that Yu Xiaogang had defected to Spirit Hall made her feel uneasy.

"An outcast of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? This theory is plagiarized? Doesn't that make him a fame-seeking fraud?" Liu Erlong asked.

Ling Feng nodded and said, "That's true, but reading this theory to broaden your horizons is fine; just never treat it as an absolute golden rule!"

"Yu Xiaogang seems to be locked up by Spirit Hall right now. Who knows when he'll be released."

Hearing that Yu Xiaogang was imprisoned, Liu Erlong felt a bit better.

A traitor and plagiarist like that deserved to be locked away.

Ling Feng added, "This spirit theory has been circulating for nearly a year; it's worth a few Silver Soul Coins at most. It's impossible for it to be worth a thousand gold."

"How much did you pay for it?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Erlong's expression stiffened. This thing was only worth a few Silver Soul Coins?

She was naturally heartbroken over those two hundred Gold Soul Coins—that was her allowance for two months—but she was even more afraid that Ling Feng would look down on her because of it.

"I... I spent two hundred Gold Soul Coins!" Liu Erlong gritted her teeth and stammered.

Ling Feng said, "It's fine. A gift from a friend is precious, even if it's just a rock."

"However, that swindler cheated you out of your money, and I cannot ignore this!"

"Let's go, we'll find him, and we can grab a meal while we're at it!"

After saying this, Ling Feng headed toward the trading market Liu Erlong had mentioned.

Having made a living in the Sunset Forest, he was quite familiar with the area and didn't need Liu Erlong to lead the way at all.

Liu Erlong came to her senses and hurriedly followed Ling Feng.

"I cheated... earned over two hundred Gold Soul Coins today. The market is pretty good!"

"If I could earn this much every day, I'd have enough money saved in a year!" Flender thought to himself.

He packed up his stall, preparing to head over to the Mercenary Guild to see if there were any commissions looking for him.

Just as he walked out of the trading market, he saw a man and a woman standing not far away, seemingly waiting for someone.

The woman was Liu Erlong, who had just bought something from him; she was easy to fool.

The man was dressed in white as snow. Flender felt as though he had seen this person somewhere before.

Ling Feng was now considered a member of Spirit Hall. Spirit Hall had a clear hierarchy, and his strength qualified him as a White-Clothed Deacon, so he was accustomed to wearing white.

"Could it be that she changed her mind and intends to sell the Dragon Ganoderma Leaf to me?"

"Even if they are here to cause trouble, I'm not afraid! They're so young, how strong could they possibly be?"

"I am a powerful Soul Ancestor; why should I fear these two?" Flender thought.

Besides, once a deal is made, it's final. If they were swindled, they could only blame their own lack of experience!

For the sake of making money, Flender walked up to meet them.