Chapter 105: The Master of the Carefree Pavilion

In a single turn of his head, Lin Xiaobao saw three youths at the entrance—a young woman and two young men.
The girl wore blazing crimson. Compared with Yun Keke, her brows were a little less soft and a little more lively. Behind her, the two young men were also dressed in luxurious clothing; at a glance it was clear they were not from ordinary families.

What startled Lin even more was that, when he swept his spiritual awareness over them, he discovered all three had reached the fifth stage of the Spirit Path. It seemed impossible to him.
Though entering the Spirit realm had never been too hard for him, he had also seen how laborious cultivation was for the disciples of the Frost and Snow Pavilion. Yet in Bloodwind City, it suddenly seemed as if mastery of the Spirit Path had become cheap, as if any ordinary youth could walk around with that level.

“Miss Xia, Master Qi, Master Long!” The attendant, seeing who had arrived, bowed respectfully.

Xia, Qi, and Long—what are the chances? From the attendant’s reaction, Lin already guessed their identities: they were surely scions from three other great families on a par with the Yun household.

“Anqi, do you like this long sword?” Qi Junming, noticing that Lin currently stood at a postnatal fifth-stage level, quickly began ingratiating himself.

Xia Anqi did not speak, only nodded silently; she knew that was enough.

As expected, Dragon Xiuping—who had just been upstaged by Qi Junming—immediately went to the attendant and said, “I want that sword.”

The attendant nodded rapidly. In the Unknown Quarter, whatever came from it sold for the same price, and he dare not offend those three distinguished youths. He stepped to Lin and said, “Young master, the sword in your hand had been reserved in advance by Master Long.”

Since the Evil-Light Sword was obviously uncommon, Lin could not just hand it over. “If it had really been reserved, the Carefree Pavilion would not have put it on display. Now that it is in the showroom, that means it is still for sale. And now that it is in my hand, it is for me to decide whether to take it. What do you think?”

The attendant had thought he had already given Lin a way out, and in understanding the situation he should have withdrawn. But he did not expect the youth before him to be so tactless.

“Boy, don’t be so ungrateful!” Though spoken to the attendant, Dragon Xiuping took it as Lin showing him disrespect. As the Dragon Young Master of one of Bloodwind City’s Four Great Houses, how could he endure that tone? If not for Xia Anqi being present and demanding good manners, he might have already moved on Lin right then.

“Unappreciative of what, may I ask? I don’t even know him.” Lin had no wish to start trouble, but that was when his own interests were not at stake. Now this sword had caught Old Wu’s eye; it was no ordinary blade. He said to the attendant at once, “I want this sword.”

The attendant, seeing Lin extend the gold coins, did not dare to take them. He cast a pleading look toward Dragon Xiuping instead.

“All right then! I’ll show you today what ‘mettle’ truly means,” Dragon Xiuping said, and his fifth-stage Spirit Path aura immediately pressed in on Lin.

Though the Four Great Houses stood high in Bloodwind City, even they kept a measure of respect within the Carefree Pavilion. Dragon Xiuping did not dare to start a free fight inside it, and he believed that under his overwhelming pressure, Lin—only a postnatal fifth-tier—would be on his knees within a blink.

Reality did not follow the script in Dragon Xiuping’s mind. No matter how he intensified his pressure, Lin still stood there unmoving. Feeling himself humiliated, Dragon had already ignored one truth: if Lin truly had only postnatal fifth-tier power, how could he keep his face expressionless beneath such force? He felt he had lost face before Xia Anqi, and he meant to get it back at any cost.

“Boy, I never expected you to be a tiger in pig’s clothing. But today you’ll be the one hitting an iron plate!” Dragon Xiuping roared, and for once forgot the pavilion rule against violence. He charged at Lin in one savage lunge.

“Who are you saying played pig?” Lin was displeased by Dragon’s insult. In a flash he sealed the gravity formation bound to him and delivered an incredibly swift punch straight into Dragon’s chest.

With the gravity array sealed, Lin’s speed was astonishing. Dragon had been careless; caught off guard, he gave a muffled grunt and staggered backward. He managed to find his feet only after retreating four or five steps. “You—”

Only then did he realize this unremarkable youth might not be inferior to him in cultivation. “Who are you, exactly?”

At that moment, Xia Anqi and Qi Junming stood by Dragon’s side, as if fearing Lin might strike again.

“I want this sword!” Lin ignored Dragon and again offered the coins to the attendant.

“At the pavilion master’s side, salutations!” As the attendant was at a loss, Wen Hongcai, master of the Carefree Pavilion, emerged from the back hall. The attendant visibly relaxed all at once.

“What’s happening?” Though both Lin and Dragon had restrained their force so as not to damage anything in the pavilion, the scuffle had still reached Wen Hongcai’s ears.

“Honored greetings, Master Wen!” Seeing him, Dragon Xiuping and the others dared not swagger. To be exact, in Bloodwind City the Carefree Pavilion was no weaker than they, and this was only one branch of it.

“No need to be overly formal, esteemed nephews,” Wen said with restrained courtesy. The pavilion did not fear the Four Great Houses, but a business house survives on harmony.

Dragon Xiuping immediately glared at Lin, as if to remind him that he had backing, and said, “That sword in his hands is what I reserved yesterday. Yet now he tries to force a purchase. If it were not for Master Wen’s presence, I would have put this boy who knows no bounds to the ground already.”

“Thank you for your forbearance, Master Long,” Wen said, glancing at the three. He had already understood the gist. He was not a judge, nor did he need to reconstruct every detail. He only needed to ease this situation; for a man like Lin with no backing, a little yielding was all he could do.

That was not to say Wen had no principles. It was simply the way this world was arranged.

“Young master, this is most ...” Wen began to tell Lin to yield the Evil-Light Sword, when he suddenly noticed the Star-Peak Ring on Lin’s right ring finger. He froze.

The Star-Peak Ring, Chen Zhong’s personal item—everyone of rank on the Dragon-Soaring Continent knew it. Now it was on Lin’s hand. What was his relationship with Chen Zhong?

At that instant, Wen also remembered that Lin had appeared to wield genuine Spirit Path cultivation in the earlier exchange. At this age, at this level—could he be a disciple of Chen Zhong?