Yuanwu Kingdom, Heavenly Star Sect Market.
A short, stout young man stormed into an artifact-forging shop with seven or eight members of his clan in tow.
Had Lin He been there, he would certainly have recognized him. This was the very same short, stout young man who had argued with an independent cultivator running a stall at the Yellow Maple Valley Market.
His surname was Liu, and his given name was Ming. Liu Ming led the members of the Liu clan into the shop, where there were only two people: a burly man and a ruddy-faced old man, none other than Xiao Hei and Old Xu.
Liu Ming strode at the head of the group and demanded, "Old Xu, did my younger brother Liu Qing come to your shop that day?"
Afraid Old Xu might not remember, Liu Ming had even brought a portrait of Liu Qing. Though Old Xu's cultivation was not high, his memory was fairly good. He recognized him immediately and made no attempt to deny it.
"Yes, he did come to my shop. He asked about this and that without buying anything, so I drove him out. What of it?"
"What of it? After my brother came to your shop, he vanished without a trace. My investigation led me here because witnesses saw my brother entering your shop."
"What a joke! Plenty of people come into my shop every day. If they go missing, am I supposed to take the blame for all of them?"
Old Xu bristled at his words and retorted bluntly, but Liu Ming had clearly come looking for trouble. "If it wasn't you, who else could it have been?"
With that, the group closed in, eyeing him like tigers watching their prey. Old Xu's temper flared as well, but he hurriedly retreated toward the rear courtyard. He was only at Qi Condensation and could not handle so many people. He was about to call out the grade-two Fire Crow in the courtyard.
Just then, a blue-clad figure suddenly entered the shop. The newcomer was handsome, yet he remained utterly composed at the tense scene and spoke without any haste.
"Old Xu, it looks as though you've run into some trouble."
"Oh, it's you, young friend Lin." Old Xu brightened at the sight of Lin He, then hurriedly said, "Just a moment, young friend Lin. Let me drive these people away first, then we can discuss artifact forging."
Lin He smiled. "There's no need for all that trouble. Let me take care of it."
Liu Ming frowned at those words. Lin He's tone was far too bold. He instinctively scanned him, and his expression changed abruptly. The seven or eight people behind him reacted the same way.
Even so, Liu Ming did not seem particularly frightened. He merely waved his hands hurriedly.
"Senior, please hold your hand."
Lin He paid him no heed. With a casual wave, he unleashed a powerful surge of Foundation Establishment magical power, blasting the seven or eight people outside.
Liu Ming landed in a dazed heap, while the others sprawled every which way. Lin He stepped out of the shop, intending to teach them a lesson, when a fat man with a fleshy face came forward. He was actually a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and at the middle stage at that.
"Fellow Daoist, I am Xu Yan of the Heavenly Star Sect, the warden of this Heavenly Star Sect Market. Fighting with magic is forbidden within the market. Please stop."
Hadn't this warden arrived rather too quickly? Though Lin He was suspicious, he naturally had no intention of continuing now that the warden was here. He briefly explained what had happened. Beside him, the utterly stunned Old Xu finally came to his senses and hurried over to corroborate his account.
Xu Yan nodded. "I see. You lot, get lost! If you dare cause trouble in my market again, I certainly won't let you off."
"Understood, Senior. We'll leave at once."
Neither Lin He nor Old Xu had expected Xu Yan to let them off so lightly. Liu Ming rose with a somewhat smug expression, cupped his hands toward Xu Yan, and quickly left with the seven or eight people behind him.
"Your face is unfamiliar, fellow Daoist. You're not from our Yuanwu Kingdom, are you?"
Xu Yan seemed curious about Lin He's identity and could not resist probing indirectly. But how could Lin He possibly reveal himself? He merely rambled from one subject to another, leaving the man unable to glean a single piece of information.
Helpless, Xu Yan gave Lin He and Old Xu a long, searching look before leaving.
Lin He patted Old Xu, who was still dazed. As though waking from a dream, Old Xu came to himself, and the two went into the rear courtyard together. Xiao Hei watched Lin He curiously from the side.
Old Xu looked Lin He over and hurriedly offered his congratulations. "Congratulations on successfully reaching Foundation Establishment, Senior Lin!"
Old Xu was already well advanced in years, but according to the rules of the cultivation world, he still had to address Lin He as Senior. Naturally, he felt rather glum about it.
As though understanding Old Xu's frustration, Lin He did not dwell on the matter. Instead, he took the Ink Flood Dragon materials out of his Storage Bag. "Old Xu, I brought some materials this time. Have a look."
At the mention of artifact forging, Old Xu seemed to become a different person. His earlier gloom immediately vanished like smoke into thin air, and he examined the materials before him with intense concentration. Soon, he seemed to recognize their origin and sucked in a sharp breath.
"A flood dragon? An entire flood dragon, at that? Could you have slain a vicious flood dragon single-handedly, Senior Lin? Truly unbelievable."
"All the better if you recognize it. Let me explain my requirements first. As for your fee, we'll follow our usual arrangement and deduct it from the materials from this flood dragon."
Lin He laid out several requirements. Old Xu listened with his face alight, handling the materials so fondly that he could not bear to put them down. The sight amused Lin He.
"Senior Lin, if you need them urgently, this old man can begin forging right away."
"There's no hurry. This isn't our first transaction. I'll leave the materials with you so you can familiarize yourself with them. I heard a Tea Tasting Room recently opened in this market. I'd like to buy a few packets of spirit tea to try."
"Hehe, so you've heard about it too, Senior. The spirit tea they sell is indeed good, and the shop isn't far from here."
Old Xu obligingly gave Lin He the spirit tea shop's address. Lin He nodded, then left the shop and headed toward it.
Watching Lin He's retreating back, Old Xu still wore an astonished expression. Who exactly is this Senior Lin? Not only did he reach Foundation Establishment so quickly, he even managed to slay a vicious flood dragon single-handedly! Never mind. None of that concerns me. As long as I have such high-grade demon beast materials to forge magical artifacts with, that's enough.
Meanwhile, as Lin He walked through the market streets, his thoughts were racing as well.
Leaving these Ink Flood Dragon materials to Old Xu is certainly a foolproof choice. But judging by the original story, the Blood Jade Spider and Golden-Backed Demon Mantis materials were all but ruined. It looks like I'll have to find another expert to forge these grade-four demon beast materials. What a nuisance.
It was not that Lin He had never considered forging artifacts himself, but his efforts were currently focused on forming his core. He really did not want to divide his attention by learning artifact forging. Even if he were to learn it, that would have to wait until after he formed his core.
With these thoughts, Lin He finally arrived
at the Tea Tasting Room. As soon as he entered the shop, he saw a blue-clad woman accompanied by a pretty maid, selecting spirit tea.