Chapter 50: Lin Yuting

Wang Changsheng gazed at the Azure Cloud Shield, his face beaming with joy. Now that the Azure Cloud Shield was refined, it was naturally time to sell it.

He walked out of his room to the front desk, called Wang Changxing back inside, and took out the Azure Cloud Shield.

"Ninth Brother, you actually managed to refine a spirit artifact with just one set of materials. Is this truly your first time refining?" Wang Changxing's face was filled with shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Third Brother, let's go sell this Azure Cloud Shield! You're good at bargaining. Once it's sold, I'll give you some spirit stones."

Wang Changxing thought for a moment and said, "Where do you plan to sell the Azure Cloud Shield? Shops need to make a profit, so their purchase price won't be very high. To maximize our earnings, it's better to go to the market square and sell it to rogue cultivators at a slightly lower than market price. Defensive spirit artifacts are different from offensive ones; even the poorest rogue cultivators usually have an offensive spirit artifact, but not necessarily a defensive one. There will definitely be rogue cultivators who want to buy it."

"I thought the same thing, Third Brother. I've already decided: we'll sell this Azure Cloud Shield, exchange it for spirit stones, then buy more materials to refine, and sell those, repeating the process. Even if we can't sell them, we can keep them for ourselves."

Without further ado, the two brothers excitedly headed out.

Instead of going to the market square, they arrived in front of a three-story red pavilion.

The shop's name was "Hundred Weapons Pavilion," and as the name suggested, it specialized in selling weapons.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Changxing exchanged glances, nodded, and walked in together.

The main hall was bright and spacious, capable of accommodating a hundred people without feeling crowded. Around the hall were sections of counters made of golden nanmu wood. Behind these counters were rows of tall shelves, also made of golden nanmu, laden with all sorts of spirit artifacts. The eighteen traditional weapons—swords, spears, staves, and more—were all present, and there were even some unusually shaped, strange weapons.

"Oh, Cousin, are you here to buy weapons too?" A slightly joyful voice suddenly reached Wang Changsheng's ears. Before he could react, Zhao Ningxiang walked up to him.

Today, Zhao Ningxiang was wearing a green lotus dress, and two adorable dimples appeared on her beautiful cheeks, making her utterly charming.

Wang Changsheng smiled faintly at Zhao Ningxiang and said, "Cousin Ningxiang, why are you alone? Where's Cousin Ningxuan?"

"My brother went off somewhere. Cousin Changsheng, I want to buy a high-grade spirit artifact, but no matter how much I tried to bargain, they wouldn't lower the price. I'm short five spirit stones. Could you lend me five? I'll pay you back as soon as I meet up with my father." Zhao Ningxiang's beautiful eyes were full of expectation.

"Five spirit stones? Yes, I have them!" Wang Changsheng didn't hesitate, taking out five spirit stones and handing them to Zhao Ningxiang.

Zhao Ningxiang's face lit up with joy. She quickly walked to a counter, took off the storage pouch from her waist, and poured out over two hundred spirit stones from it. After the attendant confirmed the count, he collected the spirit stones and took a green short sword from the shelf. It was about two feet long and an inch wide, with a crescent moon pattern carved into its hilt.

Zhao Ningxiang took the green short sword and couldn't help but give it a light swing. The sword swiftly cut through the air, producing a crisp ringing sound.

Wang Changxing couldn't help but exclaim, "What a fine sword! Ninth Brother, this must be Cousin Ningxiang, the one you mentioned! I think Cousin Ningxiang is much prettier than you described."

Hearing this, a faint blush appeared on Zhao Ningxiang's fair face. She asked, "Cousin Changsheng, who is this...?"

"This is my Third Brother, Wang Changxing. You can call him Third Cousin."

"Are you here to buy spirit artifacts? The Hundred Weapons Pavilion's spirit artifacts are indeed good, just a bit expensive. What kind of spirit artifact are you looking for? I can help you with some recommendations; my eye for these things is quite good." Zhao Ningxiang said with a cheerful smile.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Changxing just wanted to inquire about the price of low-grade defensive spirit artifacts; they weren't actually planning to buy one.

Just then, a joyful male voice rang out: "Cousin Ningxiang, so you're here! Your brother has been looking all over for you."

A young man, around twenty years old, walked in. He wore a blue scholar's robe and held a white folding fan. With red lips and white teeth, and handsome features, he exuded a unique temperament in every movement.

"Oh, Cousin Yuting, it's you!" Zhao Ningxiang smiled faintly and said sweetly.

The scholar-robed youth flashed what he thought was a charming smile and said, "Who else would it be but me? Tianhe City is our Lin family's territory. It's really not right that you and Cousin Ningxuan came to the Tianhe Minor Assembly and didn't even look for me. I know Tianhe City like the back of my hand. Let me take you around!"

Zhao Ningxiang was somewhat swayed. She pointed to Wang Changsheng and Wang Changxing and said, "Cousin Yuting, let me introduce you. These two are Wang Changsheng and Wang Changxing; they are also my cousins."

"We, Wang Changxing and Wang Changsheng of Green Lotus Mountain, greet Fellow Daoist Lin." Wang Changxing and Wang Changsheng clasped their hands in salute to Lin Yuting almost simultaneously, introducing themselves.

"Lin Yuting of Red Leaf Ridge. Greetings, Fellow Daoists Wang. Are you looking to buy spirit artifacts? I'm quite familiar with the Hundred Weapons Pavilion's shopkeeper. I can put in a good word for you and get you a slight discount."

"Oh, isn't it Young Master Lin? Coming to the Hundred Weapons Pavilion to flaunt your wealth and trick another young lady?" A teasing female voice suddenly rang out. No sooner had the voice faded than a young woman in her twenties walked in, gazing at Lin Yuting with a playful expression.

The young woman wore red combat attire. Her skin was like snow, and her sleeves bore a white cloud pattern. There was a rare, heroic air about her eyebrows.

"Ye Zhanling, you crazy woman, don't talk nonsense! Don't think I won't deal with you just because your mother is the Ye family head." Lin Yuting glared fiercely at the young woman and said coldly.

"Oh my, I'm so scared," Ye Zhanling said, patting her full chest with a feigned look of fear. She sneered, "If it weren't for the fact that your father is the Lin family head, I would have long ago broken your third leg for my sister, saving you from harming young ladies everywhere." She glanced at Zhao Ningxiang and said meaningfully, "Little girl, open your eyes wide. Don't be sold off and then help him count the money. Men with good looks are the most deceptive, especially to innocent young girls like you."

Zhao Ningxiang blinked, her clear eyes filled with confusion.

"Ye Zhanling, you're slandering me! I'll kill you!" Lin Yuting was furious. He slapped his storage pouch at his waist. With two whooshing sounds, two flashing red short swords flew out, slashing towards Ye Zhanling.

"Cousin Yuting, don't!" Zhao Ningxiang's expression changed, and she cried out in alarm.

Wang Changsheng's expression shifted slightly. He hadn't expected Lin Yuting to be so impulsive, ready to kill at the slightest disagreement. He wondered how his parents had raised him.

Ye Zhanling smiled calmly and remained still, seemingly with no intention of resisting. At this point, Lin Yuting also felt a twinge of regret. He certainly wouldn't dare kill Ye Zhanling in front of so many people. He hastily controlled the two flying swords, bringing them to a halt. The two red flying swords stopped abruptly right above Ye Zhanling's head, barely an inch away from her.

"Hmph, if you really dared to strike, I'd consider you a man. But I guess you're just a coward. I don't know how my sister was so blind to fall for a spineless wretch like you back then." Ye Zhanling said with a look of disdain, her beautiful eyes filled with contempt, and then she ascended the stairs to the second floor of the Hundred Weapons Pavilion.

Lin Yuting's face turned crimson with anger, rendering him speechless for a long moment. Then, as if remembering something, he quickly began to explain, "Cousin Ningxiang, don't listen to her nonsense. That crazy woman has a grudge against me; she's deliberately slandering me."