Chapter 104 Picking Up a Treasure

Seeing that Yun Zhongtian had stopped his son, Yun Keke knew when to quit and immediately instructed Uncle Zhang, “Take Young Master Lin to a guest room to rest. If anyone dares show him the slightest disrespect, they will be executed without mercy!”

“This way, Young Master Lin!” Although Uncle Zhang didn’t understand why Yun Keke held this young man in such high regard, he still obeyed her command without hesitation.

Lin Xiaobao could sense that Yun Keke was eager to see her brother and was also unwilling to engage in pointless conflict with Yun Feiyang. So, he followed Uncle Zhang out without protest.

“Thank you, Young Master Lin, for resolving the situation.” Uncle Zhang was sincerely grateful that Lin Xiaobao had interrupted Yun Keke’s earlier order. He had no choice but to obey her, and under such circumstances, no one could guarantee that Yun Zhongtian wouldn’t intervene forcefully.

“How do you plan to thank me?” Lin Xiaobao immediately asked with a serious expression.

Uncle Zhang was momentarily stunned. It had only been a polite remark, yet Lin Xiaobao seized the opportunity to pursue it further. Uncle Zhang gave a wry smile, wondering how the young mistress could favor such a person.

No one in the Yun family knew that Yun Keke had already signed a master-servant contract with Lin Xiaobao. Seeing her defend him so fiercely, everyone naturally assumed she had taken a liking to him—or more accurately, that she had been bewitched by him.

“How about letting me explore Bloodwind City on my own as a token of your gratitude?” Lin Xiaobao suggested with a smile when he saw Uncle Zhang lost in thought.

“I’m afraid not. The young mistress only instructed me to take you to your room,” Uncle Zhang replied, carrying out Yun Keke’s orders to the letter.

“Is that so? Then I’ll have Keke talk to you.” With that, Lin Xiaobao used the bond of the master-servant contract to convey his thoughts to Yun Keke in the distance.

By now, Yun Keke had cultivated the Heart-Linked Art to the Mind-Reading stage, so the distance posed no challenge for her. She activated her heart technique and immediately instructed Uncle Zhang to follow all of Lin Xiaobao’s arrangements and to protect him at all costs should danger arise.

Suddenly hearing Yun Keke’s voice in his mind, Uncle Zhang’s expression changed dramatically. When had the young mistress’s Heart-Linked Art grown so powerful? He couldn’t help but wonder if her transformation was related to the youth before him. Although there seemed to be no apparent connection, the feeling lingered in his heart.

“May I go out now?” Lin Xiaobao asked with a smile.

“Please, Young Master Lin!” Having received Yun Keke’s direct order, Uncle Zhang dared not hinder him any further. Still, remembering her command to ensure Lin Xiaobao’s safety, he decided to shadow him from a distance without being discovered.

Leaving the Yun estate, Lin Xiaobao walked alone along the city walls of Bloodwind City. He was surprised to find that the Yun family’s vast grounds lay at the very center of the city, a fact that made him reevaluate their status within Bloodwind City.

Releasing his spiritual sense, Lin Xiaobao immediately detected Uncle Zhang tailing him from afar. He merely smiled, understanding this was Yun Keke’s doing. At the same time, he noticed that most of the city’s residents were ordinary people without any cultivation. Even those who had cultivated were only at the fourth or fifth rank of martial artists, which made sense.

After asking for directions, Lin Xiaobao headed toward the Free Spirit Pavilion. Although Yun Keke could have provided him with some financial support, he preferred to handle everything himself.

According to Yun Keke, the Free Spirit Pavilion’s auctions mostly offered items useful for martial cultivation. But who could say whether something extraordinary might turn up? Having more gold coins at hand could only be advantageous.

Strolling the bustling streets, Lin Xiaobao was in no hurry, taking in the sights of the imperial capital of one of the four great empires of the Longxiang Continent.

He had to admit, this was the most magnificent place he had seen since arriving in this world, both in architecture and sheer population density.

After a leisurely half-hour walk, Lin Xiaobao finally arrived at the Free Spirit Pavilion.

Three massive golden characters hung above the entrance, and within the spacious hall, every manner of resource was on display.

Weapons, elixirs, medicinal herbs… Lin Xiaobao swept his gaze across them one by one. However, they were all too basic to arouse his interest. Suddenly, he came upon a section marked “Unknown.”

“Has something here caught your interest, young sir?” At that moment, an attendant finally approached him.

“What does ‘Unknown’ mean?” Lin Xiaobao had already swept all the items on the counter with his spiritual sense. Though some of the blades, swords, ores, and plants were unrecognizable, they all seemed entirely ordinary. He was genuinely curious why the pavilion would dedicate a display to them.

Seeing Lin Xiaobao’s interest, the attendant explained, “These are items that even our owner cannot judge for value. They could be worthless, or they might be treasures. In fact, someone once bought a mid-grade spiritual artifact here for just a thousand gold coins.”

The attendant was skilled at salesmanship, first mentioning the possibility of junk, then enticing the customer with tales of unexpected fortune.

“I see. Let me take another look.” Lin Xiaobao quietly extended his spiritual sense once more, carefully sweeping over the displayed items, but still found nothing to surprise him.

Noticing Lin Xiaobao about to turn away, the attendant felt a pang of disappointment—after all, his commission was highest on items from the “Unknown” section.

“You rascal! Have all the things I taught you over the years gone to waste?” Just then, Old Wu scolded Lin Xiaobao, his tone full of exasperation.

“Is there really a treasure here?” Far from annoyed by the rebuke, Lin Xiaobao looked rather excited.

“Even a pig who cultivated Mind Wave would do better than you!” Clearly, Old Wu was deeply dissatisfied with Lin Xiaobao’s judgment.

Chastened, Lin Xiaobao swept his spiritual sense over the items on the counter once more. “There’s nothing unusual…”

He was puzzled.

“Tell me, what kind of ore in this world can block spiritual sense?” As a formation master, one must know the properties of all kinds of ores, just as an alchemist must be familiar with every kind of medicinal herb. Old Wu had specifically taught Lin Xiaobao this, but now the boy seemed to have forgotten it all at the critical moment.

“Demonlight Stone!” he answered reflexively, then seemed to realize something. “Let me see that slender black stone!”

He pointed to a long, greenish sword carved from Demonlight Stone.

The attendant promptly took out the sword and said, “Excellent eye, young sir. Though this sword is only average in hardness, its appearance is superb—an ideal gift for a lady!”

The attendant was adept at his craft, openly acknowledging the sword’s shortcomings to build trust, then smoothly highlighting its appeal. It was a clever sales tactic.

Taking the Demonlight Sword, Lin Xiaobao tried to probe it with his spiritual sense, but it was in vain. All he could do was buy it and study it further at home.