Fatty Lin's Invitation

Early the next morning, when Yi Xuan woke up and pushed open his door, he found Liang Shi already sitting at the stone table in his courtyard, assembling grenades.

Looking at the hardworking young man, Yi Xuan nodded in satisfaction. He patted Liang Shi on the shoulder and thanked him for his hard work.

Liang Shi was so excited by Yi Xuan's concern that he sprang to his feet, unsure where to put his hands. "It's no trouble. It's what I should do."

Yi Xuan hadn't expected a casual word of concern to draw such a big reaction. He could only reach out and press Liang Shi back onto the stone stool before opening the courtyard gate and heading toward the street.

Although Yi Xuan disliked how stiff and nervous Liang Shi was around him, he seemed to have discovered the pleasure the bosses from his previous life had enjoyed.

With an employee who wanted nothing in return and worked tirelessly without complaint, all he had to do was show a little concern, and the man would be moved to tears of gratitude.

The feeling gave Yi Xuan a deep understanding of his bosses from his previous life. It really did feel great!

Still immersed in that pleasurable feeling, Yi Xuan failed to notice the people standing at the entrance to the alley.

"Immortal Master Yi? Immortal Master Yi?"

Only when a voice called out did Yi Xuan wake from his reverie. He glanced at the people before him and discovered that the one standing closest was Lin Er, a servant from Fatty Lin's household.

"Oh, it's you, Lin Er? What brought you here?"

Delighted that Yi Xuan had called him by name, Lin Er bowed and replied, "Immortal Master Yi, my master has something he'd like to discuss with you. He wanted to come in person, but there really is something at home that needs his attention, so he sent me to invite you over!"

Yi Xuan curled his lip. "Something at home? That damn fatty is just lazy. How come every time he wants to see me, something just happens to come up at home?"

Lin Er stood beside him with an apologetic smile, not daring to say anything.

Though Yi Xuan was displeased, Fatty Lin surely had something important to discuss if he had sent an invitation. So Yi Xuan had Lin Er lead the way and followed him to Fatty Lin's residence.

They entered the Lin residence without hindrance and made their way to the reception hall, where Fatty Lin had long been waiting for Yi Xuan.

Yi Xuan stepped into the hall and pointed at Fatty Lin. "Damn fatty! Every time, you say something's come up and make me come to your house. Tell me, how many times have you been to mine? Do you even know where I live?"

Fatty Lin chuckled. "Brother Yi, calm down, calm down. You're a distinguished immortal master. Why fuss over it with mortals like us?"

Yi Xuan was so angry he laughed. "Oh, you do know I'm an immortal master? Why do I feel like I rank below your servants? Have you ever seen an immortal master have to go to a mortal's house to see him?"

Yi Xuan was about to say more when he saw a chubby little boy run out from the inner courtyard and come to Fatty Lin's side, looking at Yi Xuan with some fear.

"Uh! Who's this?"

"My son!"

"You have a son?" Yi Xuan asked in surprise.

The two had known each other for nearly twenty years. After all that time together, Yi Xuan wouldn't claim to be a roundworm in Fatty Lin's belly, but he did know his family circumstances inside and out. So he asked, "All these years, you haven't even had a wife. Where did this...?"

Yi Xuan realized it wasn't appropriate to say that in front of the child, so he fell silent. Fatty Lin didn't answer either. Instead, he nudged the little boy beside him. "This is Uncle Yi! Say hello!"

At Fatty Lin's words, the chubby boy looked fearfully at Yi Xuan and said in a low voice, "Uncle Yi!"

Now that the child had addressed him, Yi Xuan couldn't very well offer nothing in return. He rummaged through his Storage Bag and found an Iron Man figurine he had made for practice while refining artifacts more than ten years ago.

Yi Xuan handed the figurine to the boy, rubbed his head, and answered, "There you go!"

Fatty Lin had someone take the boy away. When he turned around, he saw the questioning look in Yi Xuan's eyes and had no choice but to explain.

The child was indeed Fatty Lin's. Many years ago, Fatty Lin had spent a drunken night with a singing girl at a restaurant.

When the singing girl discovered she was pregnant, she could no longer make a living by singing, so she had to use her savings to give birth to the child. Afterward, she didn't go looking for Fatty Lin. Instead, mother and son went to the countryside, where they depended on each other to survive.

Who would have thought that the child's mother would fall gravely ill and die half a year ago?

Before she died, she entrusted the child to someone from the same village, hoping they could take him to find his birth father. Fortunately, Fatty Lin had felt indebted to the singing girl after their drunken encounter and had left her a pendant as an apology. She had kept it safe all these years, and it was thanks to the pendant that they had been able to find Fatty Lin.

After hearing him out, Yi Xuan looked at Fatty Lin and said, "Just look at what you've done!"

At the same time, Yi Xuan felt full of sympathy for the chubby boy he had just met.

Fatty Lin was likewise downcast as he said, "Sigh! I never thought something like this would happen either. Heaven has been kind to me. I never imagined that at my age, I'd actually have a son of my own!"

Yi Xuan nodded as well. "Then treat your son well. He's already suffered so many years. Don't let the child suffer anymore!"

Fatty Lin nodded in agreement.

"By the way, what exactly did you call me here for? It can't be just to show off your son, can it?"

Fatty Lin shook his head. "Of course not. I really do have something important to discuss! I heard that a treasure called a grenade has become very popular among the Azure Cloud Sect's low-level disciples lately. I heard it came from your hands!"

"Oh? Word travels fast, doesn't it?" Yi Xuan said in surprise.

"What? You really made it? How could you not think of me when you had something so good? Sigh, I guess that's all our friendship amounts to." With that, Fatty Lin actually pulled a handkerchief from his robes and began wiping his eyes.

Yi Xuan knew that since the fatty had heard about the grenades, he would surely want to obtain the rights to sell them from him.

"Fatty! It's fine to leave things like fans and air conditioners to you, but if you really dare touch grenades, there's only one word for you: death!"

Fatty Lin said rather dismissively, "It can't be as scary as you say, can it? Death... d-death..."

When Fatty Lin's gaze met Yi Xuan's, he saw how serious Yi Xuan looked and began to stammer.

Yi Xuan didn't want to keep anything hidden and damage their friendship, so he spoke frankly. "Do you know who I'm partnering with in the grenade business?"

"Who?" Fatty Lin asked, somewhat curious.

"Li Jingming!"

"Who's that?" Fatty Lin thought for a long time about all the bosses he knew, but couldn't remember any such person.

Yi Xuan continued, "Let me ask you something. Who's in charge of the Azure Cloud Sect now?"