The fire burned for four or five hours!
By the time it was extinguished, all that remained of the smithy was a ground full of ashes and lumps of scrap iron burned into clumps among them.
The blacksmiths were covered in soot. Looking at the smithy burned to ruins, they turned man-eating gazes on Tang San.
The smithy owner rushed over in a few long strides, seized Tang San by the collar, and lifted him up.
His eyes were wide and bloodshot, and his spittle sprayed all over Tang San's face.
"You little bastard, pay for our smithy!"
Tang San was so hungry that his head swam and stars danced before his eyes.
Even back in Holy Soul Village, he had at least been able to drink some thin gruel. Yet after coming to Nuoding Academy, he had spent the day gnawing on carrots without so much as a mouthful of gruel.
"I... have no money..."
Killing intent stirred in Tang San's heart. Once he determined that someone had a way of courting death, he had to strike without mercy.
As long as he killed all these blacksmiths, there would be no living witnesses left to testify.
Tang San swept an icy gaze over all the blacksmiths, beginning to calculate whom to kill first and whom to kill next to ensure that he killed them all.
It was a lovely thought, but his ravenous stomach left him without the slightest strength in his hands.
The Silent Sleeve Arrow could only kill one person!
Whom should he kill?
Just then, the smithy owner flung Tang San away, sending him crashing heavily to the ground.
"If you have no money, go find your father! What's your name? What's your father's name? From your uniform, you're a student at Nuoding Academy. Don't force me to take this to Nuoding Academy. Let's see whether Nuoding Academy will pay for you."
The fall left Tang San dazed and reeling. With his skills, he should not have lost his footing, but he was simply too hungry.
Hearing the smithy owner's words, Tang San thought of his broken self and his paralyzed father. If this reached Nuoding Academy and the academy expelled him, how could he continue his studies?
"I'll pay!"
Tang San gritted his teeth as he spoke.
He had no money, so he could only reach for Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at his waist. His eyes were full of reluctance, but he had no other choice now.
After receiving compensation, the smithy owner was finally willing to let him leave.
Head lowered and utterly lost, Tang San walked toward Nuoding Academy with heavy steps.
The Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges belt was no longer around his waist.
Among the crowd!
Xiao Wu, who had dragged Li Jin out to play, held a pile of sugar-roasted chestnuts, candied hawthorns, sugar figurines, flaky pastries, and cakes in her arms. Her mouth was stuffed until her cheeks bulged like a little hamster's.
"Li Jin, look (chew, chew, chew), Tang San looks just like a dog now (chew, chew, chew)!"
Li Jin stood beside Xiao Wu, watching the direction Tang San had left with great interest.
Ever since he had begun sharing a bed with Xiao Wu, Tang San had disliked him. His subsequent refusal to take a master, along with the matter of the Soul Ring, had filled Tang San with malice toward him.
Tang San, it seems that even you, the chosen son of the Douluo Continent, can't withstand the backlash from my koi physique.
Since you've handed Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges over as compensation, don't blame me for pocketing it.
Li Jin took a sugar-roasted chestnut from the bag in Xiao Wu's arms, peeled it, and ate it.
"Xiao Wu, stay here and don't wander off. I'll be right back."
Xiao Wu was puzzled, but she nodded anyway.
Li Jin then headed into the ruins of the smithy and sought out its owner.
"Boss, sell me that belt you're holding."
Seeing that Li Jin was a child, the smithy owner initially did not want to pay him much attention. But when he saw his Nuoding Academy uniform, he patiently offered an explanation.
"Little brother, my entire smithy burned to ruins, and all I got in compensation was this belt. I'm planning to use it to recover my losses. How many Gold Soul Coins can you possibly offer?"
Li Jin had all of Yu Xiaogang's assets, along with dividends from the village's gold mine. He now had quite a fortune, and he said confidently:
"Boss, just name your price."
"Selling it to someone else is still selling it, and selling it to me is still selling it. Sell it to me sooner, and you'll get your Gold Soul Coins sooner."
The smithy owner glanced around at the surrounding ruins. He truly needed a large sum of money now to salvage as much of this mess as possible, so he gritted his teeth and named a price.
"Then... how about 3,000 Gold Soul Coins?"
Three thousand Gold Soul Coins for a Storage Soul Tool with twenty-four separate spaces was practically a cabbage price.
Li Jin immediately nodded in agreement. "Deal!"
He counted out 3,000 Gold Soul Coins from his Storage Soul Tool. "Boss, would you like to count them again?"
The smithy owner was already intimidated by the way Li Jin had so casually produced 3,000 Gold Soul Coins. Coupled with Li Jin's outstanding looks and distinguished bearing, he had to be some noble family's young master.
He politely handed over Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, then joyfully pocketed the 3,000 Gold Soul Coins.
Both parties were delighted!
Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges had a clean provenance. As soon as Li Jin bought it, he put it around his waist and poured in a trace of Soul Power. The belt automatically contracted, fitting snugly around his waist.
Li Jin returned to Xiao Wu's side, raised his arms, and turned in a circle. "What do you think, Xiao Wu? Does Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges suit me?"
Xiao Wu's eyes sparkled.
Li Jin was already handsome, with red lips, white teeth, an immortal's jade-like face, a tall, straight figure, and an imposing bearing. Paired with Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, he truly looked transcendent and untouched by the mundane.
"It looks good!"
Xiao Wu racked her brains for a way to describe it.
"When Tang San wore this belt, it looked like he'd stolen it. Now that you're wearing it, it looks like Tang San stole it from you and has now returned it."
Li Jin raised an eyebrow and smiled. Her words were crude, but the reasoning was sound. After all, with Tang San's dark, skinny appearance, even dressed in dragon robes, he would not look like a crown prince.
Ever since the nine-colored koi had swallowed Tang San's luck, the things that originally belonged to Tang San had been transferring to him, one by one.
"Haha, let's stop talking about that unlucky bastard Tang San. Xiao Wu, today I'll take you to eat something good."
At the mention of food, both of Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. Even though she still held a pile of delicious treats in her arms, she was already asking impatiently:
"What is it? Is it tasty?"
Li Jin thought about the original novel's description of whale rubber. "It might not taste that good, but eating it is good for our bodies. Trust me, I wouldn't lie to you."
Hearing that it did not taste good, Xiao Wu became less enthusiastic, but she still followed Li Jin.
Ten minutes later!
Nuoding City's largest pharmacy!
Li Jin entered and walked up to the counter.
"Shopkeeper, does your pharmacy have whale rubber?"
The shopkeeper had been smiling, but when he heard that Li Jin actually wanted to buy whale rubber, he looked at Li Jin, then at Xiao Wu following behind him. An inexplicable meaning appeared on his face, one that could only be understood, not put into words.
He deliberately lowered his voice.
"Little friend, are you sure you're the one buying whale rubber?"
Li Jin's expression did not change.
"Never mind that. Do you have it or not?"
Who opened a shop only to turn away business? Since a customer had come calling, the shopkeeper had no reason to refuse.
"Yes!"