130: Chapter 130 Ingratiating

When the shopkeeper held the jade tablet in both hands and presented it to Lin Tian, the entire weapons section seemed to have been struck by a paralysis spell.

Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun's hand froze in mid-air, her lips slightly parted, having forgotten to close them. Senior Brother Li's brows furrowed, and his gaze swept back and forth between the jade tablet and Lin Tian several times.

The few new Disciples even had their eyes wide open, like a flock of geese whose necks had been pinched.

Zhao Mingyang's expression was the ugliest.

When he had just spent seven thousand taels to buy a precious sword, the surroundings were filled with gasps of admiration, and that feeling of being looked up to had made him feel completely comfortable.

But now?

This Lin Tian, to whom he hadn't spoken a single word along the way and hadn't even looked at directly, had actually quietly obtained a VIP card from Wanbao Pavilion.

His chest felt as if it were blocked by a stone, stifling and uncomfortable.

Zhao Mingyue's reaction was even faster than her brother's. She stepped forward, her voice sharp as she broke the silence: "Why give him a VIP card? If you're going to give one, you should give it to us!"

Zhao Mingyang also reacted, quickly chiming in: "Exactly! We spent seven thousand taels of silver! Seven thousand taels! What is going on with your Wanbao Pavilion? He didn't buy anything, so on what basis does he get a VIP card?"

The two sang in harmony, their tone full of resentment.

The shopkeeper was not annoyed. He had been doing business at Wanbao Pavilion for decades; what kind of customers had he not seen?

He didn't know how many young Martial Artists like the Zhao siblings—those with good backgrounds, high Aptitude, and eyes growing on the tops of their heads—he had to receive each year.

He smiled and shook his head, his tone polite yet indisputable: "Young Master, Young Miss, Wanbao Pavilion's VIP card has rules. Only by spending twelve thousand taels of silver in a single transaction at this shop can one be granted a VIP card."

"The seven thousand taels from you both is indeed not a small amount, but according to the rules, you are still five thousand taels short, so it is impossible to process it."

He paused, turned to look at Lin Tian, and the smile on his face became a few degrees more sincere: "As for this Young Master, he just spent twelve thousand taels of silver at my establishment, so he naturally meets the rules and has become a VIP of our Wanbao Pavilion."

Twelve thousand taels.

These four words were like a basin of ice water poured over the faces of the Zhao siblings. Zhao Mingyang's mouth opened, but he couldn't say a single word.

Zhao Mingyue's face flushed red, not out of shame, but out of annoyance. She had just been questioning the shopkeeper, "He didn't buy anything," but it turned out he not only bought something, but he had spent five thousand taels more than them.

Several new Disciples gasped, and their gazes toward Lin Tian completely changed. Twelve thousand taels of silver was not a small sum.

Even if they pooled all their assets together, they probably wouldn't be able to scrape together that amount. Yet this Junior Brother Lin, who had been quiet all the way here, had brought it out all by himself.

Lin Tian, however, remained calm. He reached out to take the jade tablet, his fingers stroking the smooth surface of the tablet, feeling its warm and moist texture, and then tucked it into his robes.

"Many thanks."

The shopkeeper hurriedly waved his hand: "Young Master is too polite, it is only right, only right." He turned to the side and made a gesture of invitation: "Young Master, let me see you out."

As he spoke, he actually personally escorted Lin Tian to the entrance of Wanbao Pavilion.

Behind them, the Zhao siblings and the group of new Disciples looked at each other, their footsteps following along unconsciously.

Not until they walked out of the door of Wanbao Pavilion and the sunlight shone on their faces again did they seem to wake up from a dream, swarming up to surround Lin Tian.

"Junior Brother Lin, what did you buy? You spent twelve thousand taels!"

"Yes, let us have a look too!"

Lin Tian glanced at them, his tone flat: "I just bought a few weapons."

He did not take out the knife pouch to show them, nor did he offer any further explanation.

The thirty-two moyuan flying daggers were now securely hidden in his sleeves, pressing coldly against his skin, giving him an indescribable sense of reassurance. There was no need to take out such a trump card to show others.

Seeing that he was unwilling to elaborate, the few new Disciples found it difficult to press further, but the curiosity in their gazes deepened.

They gathered together, whispering, and from time to time took secret glances at Lin Tian.

Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun walked on the side, looked at Lin Tian, and suddenly laughed: "You don't need to guess; Junior Brother Lin is indeed quite wealthy."

Everyone looked at her in unison.

Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun shrugged: "He is the only one who spent one thousand taels of silver to hire me for guidance. Other Junior Brothers, no matter how rich they are, wouldn't spend like this."

One thousand taels of silver to hire someone for a month of guidance. This price was indeed unique among the new Disciples.

When Junior Sister Zheng Xiaoyun first took this job, she thought this Junior Brother was a bit silly, but later realized that he wasn't silly; he was truly wealthy.

With this, the gazes everyone cast toward Lin Tian became even more complex. Before, they thought Lin Tian's Aptitude was poor—after all, he was someone the Peak Master had personally described as having "mediocre Aptitude"—and among this group of conceited new Disciples, poor Aptitude meant no value in befriending him.

But now it was different. Whether his Aptitude was good or not was one thing, but being wealthy was a solid fact.

Someone who could casually pull out over ten thousand taels of silver was definitely worth being a bit more enthusiastic about.

So on the way back, those new Disciples who had previously ignored Lin Tian began to take the initiative to strike up a conversation with him.

Some asked him what tasks he usually liked to do, some suggested going to the market together next time, and others asked in roundabout ways what his family did.

Lin Tian responded half-heartedly, neither cold nor warm.

The Zhao siblings walked at the very front of the group, never looking back from start to finish.

Zhao Mingyang's pace was much faster than when they came, and the precious sword at his waist swayed with his steps.

Zhao Mingyue pressed her lips tightly, the blush on her face had faded, but a trace of unwillingness remained in her eyes.

The group returned to the Qixia Sect just like this.

The mountain gate cast long shadows in the setting sun, and on both sides of the mountain path of Zixia Peak, the branches and leaves of the pine and cypress trees were dyed golden red by the evening glow.

Lin Tian separated from the group and turned into his own courtyard along a secluded path.

Closing the courtyard gate, the world became quiet.

Lin Tian walked into the room, took the exquisite wooden box out of his bundle, and placed it on the table.

Opening the lid, the thirty-two moyuan flying daggers were neatly embedded in the black leather knife pouch, their pitch-black blades almost invisible in the dimly lit room, with only the edges of the blades occasionally reflecting a thin, cold light.

He took out the knife pouch and fixed it to the inside of his forearm. There was a row of copper buckles on the edge of the pouch that could adjust the tightness; after tying it, it fit snugly against his arm, and it was completely invisible from the outside.

Lin Tian stood up and moved his arm.

The knife pouch clung to the inside of his forearm, neither too loose nor too tight, not affecting any movement.

He walked into the courtyard and stood still, facing the old pine tree that had been riddled with holes by his bamboo knife.

He gave his wrist a light flick.

A moyuan flying dagger slid from his sleeve to his fingers, the movement so light that it seemed as if the knife had swum over by itself.

His fingers gripped the blade, feeling that cold and smooth texture, and then he flicked his wrist violently.

The moment the flying dagger left his hand, it made almost no sound. It turned into an extremely thin black line, so fast that even the eye could not catch it.

With a light sound of "thud," the flying dagger nailed into the trunk of the old pine tree, penetrating three inches into the wood, the tail of the knife unmoving.

Lin Tian walked over, reached out to grasp the tail of the knife, and pulled it out gently. The flying dagger slid out from the trunk, the blade clean, without even a speck of wood shavings on it.

He scraped his finger pad across the blade, that slight stinging sensation being even clearer than when he tested the knife in Wanbao Pavilion.

Good knife.

He retreated to his original position and flicked his wrist again.

This time, he threw three knives in succession. The three flying daggers flew out from his sleeve almost tail-to-head, pulling out three parallel black lines in mid-air, "thud, thud, thud" sounding as one, all nailing into the tree trunk, lined up in a row, with the spacing almost identical.

Lin Tian walked over, pulled out the three flying daggers one by one, and inserted them back into the knife pouch. He lowered his head to look at his wrist, lost in thought.

The feel is right.

The proficiency of the Flying Knife in the Sleeve had already reached the Skilled Realm; the angle of the throw, the timing of the force, and the amplitude of the wrist flick—these basic skills he had already mastered.

But relying solely on self-practice, the speed of progress was ultimately limited. If he could see how people who were truly proficient in hidden weapons threw them, even if it was just once, it would be much more helpful to him than practicing by himself for ten days.

Unfortunately, no one on Zixia Peak cultivated hidden weapons.

Zixia Peak was the territory of Sword Cultivators. The Disciples here practiced with the sword, used the sword, and thought about how to make the sword faster, more accurate, and more ruthless.

Things like hidden weapons were considered unorthodox and not presentable in the eyes of the Zixia Peak Disciples. Let alone practicing them, mentioning them would draw a scoff.

However, among the seven branches of the Qixia Sect, there was indeed one branch that specialized in hidden weapons.

Moxia Peak.

The Disciples of Moxia Peak acted secretly and were skilled in assassination, claw techniques, soul control, and hidden weapons. There was a saying circulating in the Sect: "Better to provoke Chixia, never provoke Moxia."

The people of Chixia Peak had violent tempers; if you provoked them, at most you would have a head-on fight. The people of Moxia Peak were quiet; you wouldn't even know when you had offended them, and by the time you discovered it, you might have already fallen into their trap.

Lin Tian stood in the courtyard, looking up into the distance.

The seven mountain peaks were shadowy in the twilight; Moxia Peak was on the most remote side, its mountain body shrouded in a layer of faint gray mist, looking as if it exuded a cold and sinister aura.

For a Zixia Peak Disciple to rashly run to Moxia Peak and say they wanted to see how they practiced hidden weapons—this was about the same as running into someone's house and saying, "I want to see your savings account." Being kicked out would be considered polite.

He needed to find an excuse.

Lin Tian thought for a while, and suddenly a person popped into his mind.

Elder Qian.

The old man Qian of Baicao Valley.

He had spent some time in Baicao Valley before and had learned a lot of knowledge about medicinal herbs from Elder Qian; the relationship between the two was quite good.

The old man Qian had been in the Sect for decades, had wide connections, many paths, and was very clear about the affairs between the seven branches. Asking him might lead to a solution.

Early the next morning, Lin Tian went to Baicao Valley.

Baicao Valley was in the back mountain of the Qixia Sect, a valley surrounded by mountains. Large swaths of herb fields were cultivated in the valley, planting all kinds of Spirit Medicine.

The morning mountain mist had not yet dissipated, the herb fields were a lush green, and the air was permeated with the unique bitter fragrance of medicinal herbs.

Elder Qian was crouching by the edge of the herb field, holding a medicinal herb in his hand, squinting his eyes to examine it.

Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw it was Lin Tian, a smile appearing on his wrinkled face.

"Yo, little Lin Tian. I heard you just returned from Yunzhou Prefecture? How was it, was Wanbao Pavilion good to browse?"

Lin Tian crouched down beside him and laughed: "It was pretty good. I spent quite a bit of silver."

"Spending money is good; earning money is just for spending." Elder Qian put the medicinal herb into the bamboo basket beside him and patted the mud off his hands: "You have something to ask me?"

Lin Tian didn't beat around the bush and told him about his desire to observe the Moxia Peak Disciples cultivating hidden weapons.

After hearing this, Elder Qian twisted the sparse hairs on his chin, his eyes squinting into a slit.

He thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh.

"What a coincidence. I happen to have a batch of medicinal herbs here that need to be sent to Moxia Peak; Medicinal Pills refined by Bixia Peak, ordered by Moxia Peak. I originally planned to have a medicine boy make the trip, but since you want to go, you go and deliver them."

Lin Tian's eyes lit up.

Elder Qian stood up, patted his shoulder, and smiled very slyly: "A delivery, after all; once you enter Moxia Peak, if you wander around a few extra circles inside, who would know if you got lost or were just watching the fun?"

Lin Tian also laughed.

Old ginger is spicier.

Elder Qian turned and walked into the medicine hut, and in a short while, brought out a square wooden box with a seal on the outside, stamped with the seal of Bixia Peak.

The wooden box was not big, but it felt heavy in his hand; he didn't know what kind of Medicinal Pill was inside.

"Take it. Just deliver it to the Affairs Hall of Moxia Peak and look for Deacon Sun. Remember, the seal cannot be broken; if it's broken, Moxia Peak won't accept it."

Lin Tian took the wooden box and nodded.

When he left Baicao Valley, the sun had already risen. The mountain mist had dissipated, and the seven mountain peaks presented their respective colors under the sunlight.

The rocks of Chixia Peak shone with a dark red, Zixia Peak was shrouded in a layer of faint purple Qi, while Moxia Peak remained in that gray, hazy appearance, as if it were forever covered by a layer of thin mist.

Lin Tian held the wooden box and walked along the mountain road toward Moxia Peak.