Ch190 – Not Afraid of Losing Face

“Because of that Divine Firminia Simplex forged engraving pen ah.” Lin Xuanzhi said happily, “The Divine Firminia Simplex itself is a rare magic weapon; the spiritual Qi of the world contained in it is completely incomparable to that of top-grade forged stones, so using it during the crafting process could easily upgrade mere magic tools.”

Duan Yuyang was stunned for a short moment before vigilantly sweeping a glance around him. After realising that there weren’t any irrelevant people around, he stared at Lin Xuanzhi accusingly, as if he had just been deceived.

“Isn’t that considered cheating? And I even believed in your dishonesty!” Duan Yuyang grit his teeth, then shifted over to ask in a soft voice, “Don’t tell me all those top-grade magic tools were made by that forged engraving pen too ba?”

“It naturally played a role.” Lin Xuanzhi admitted calmly.

Duan Yuyang looked speechless as he stared at him.

“Also, I don’t like what you said. How could this be considered cheating?” Lin Xuanzhi said calmly, “There’s no rule in the competition that states that craftsmen can’t use good forged engraving pens. Forged engraving pens are a part of a craftsman’s crafting ma. Ah Hen, am I right?”

Yan Tianhen didn’t feel like it was inappropriate at all and nodded solemnly. “Dage’s right. It’s like how when we’re fighting, it’s not like there are rules forbidding the usage of magic treasures and talisman ma.”

Duan Yuyang, who was used to utilising magic treasures and talisman to crush his enemies to death, felt deeply hurt. “…”

Duan Yuyang rolled his eyes. “Then why don’t you dare let people know that you had received supplementary assistance?”

“I’m not a fool. This sort of item must be hidden, it’s enough for me to know about it.”

Duan Yuyang, “…”

“Okay then, you’re always right.”

Yan Tianhen frowned as they walked, “Dage, did that pupil from the Bai family really make a mistake because he wasn’t paying attention?”

One must know, when he saw the broken knife and forged stones filled with spiritual force fly toward Lin Xuanzhi, his heart almost stopped beating.

Yan Tianhen could not feel at ease even after Lin Xuanzhi averted the disaster. He was always worried about whether there would be a second accident, and he was constantly on edge as he watched the whole crafting process.

Lin Xuanzhi narrowed his eyes and responded vaguely, “You’ll have to ask the craftsman who caused the accident about that.”

Duan Yuyang’s eyes twinkled. “It’s fortunate nothing happened to you. You probably don’t know this, but when you flung that pot away, it made everyone so shocked that their jaws dropped to the ground. Your control over the situation then was really excellent!”

Lin Xuanzhi said rather meaningfully, “In a life and death crisis, one must be excellent.”

Yan Tianhen was so amused by Lin Xuanzhi’s words that he couldn’t help laughing.

After arriving at the foot of the mountain, Duan Yuyang said, “The competition for alchemists is tomorrow afternoon. Ah Hen, do you want to consider participating in it?”

Yan Tianhen thought for a bit and couldn’t stop himself from shrinking back. He scratched his head. “I don’t think I’ll go ba, so many people will watch me. I’m scared.”

Lin Xuanzhi instantly felt like his heart was getting squeezed when he heard him and couldn’t stop it from throbbing.

It was probably because Yan Tianhen had suffered from way more disdainful and contemptuous gazes than warm ones from others because of his special appearance and physical disability ever since he was a child, such that it had imperceptibly influenced Yan Tianhen to feel a sense of inferiority over time.

Although this sense of inferiority was not usually apparent, it would always be reflected in his actions when he had no choice but to expose himself in front of a crowd.

Yan Tianhen did not want other people to see his face, and he didn’t want to hear others talk about him or gesticulate at him either.

Although he always said that he doesn’t care, and he was used to not taking the unpleasant words of others to heart, how could he really be completely numb to it all?

Lin Xuanzhi immediately made a decision. “Ah Hen, you’ll participate in the alchemy competition tomorrow.”

Yan Tianhen was stunned. He looked at Lin Xuanzhi, his clear pair of beautiful eyes appearing innocent. “Dage, it’s not that I don’t want to participate. I…I’m not proficient enough in alchemy yet, I’ll definitely embarrass myself onstage.”

“Don’t be afraid of humiliation.” Lin Xuanzhi said calmly, “You’re my younger brother. If anyone dares to mock you, I will never accept any crafting commissions from their family from then on.”

Duan Yuyang couldn’t help but click his tongue. “That’s quite amazing of you.”

However, Yan Tianhen couldn’t help but hesitate.

He was really a little afraid to appear in front of so many people and allow them to watch him.

Duan Yuyang’s eyes twinkled slightly. He patted Yan Tianhen’s shoulder and smiled, “Ah Hen, be a good boy. Do you know that there are benefits in joining either an alchemist or craftsmen competition in the Hundred Families Gathering?”

Yan Tianhe’s interest would naturally be piqued when benefits are mentioned. He couldn’t endure his curiosity and asked, “What kind of benefits?”

Duan Yuyang said, “No matter if you lose or win, and no matter if you’re strong or weak, you can use the materials and furnace they provide, and the medicinal pills and magic treasures that are refined in the end will all belong to you in the end. That’s practically a free lunch!”

Yan Tianhen’s eyes lit up in an instant– oh, right. If he refines a top-notch medicinal pill, then wouldn’t he be earning a lot?’

Yan Tianhen immediately nodded like he was a chick pecking rice. “Yuyang Gege, you’re so smart. Thank you for your reminder. I’ll definitely do my best in the competition tomorrow.”

“That’s right ma.” Old Duan Yuyang looked very comforted.

Lin Xuanzhi’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch as he watched from one side. He looked at Yan Tianhen helplessly. “Ah Hen, we’re actually not that poor. We can still afford spiritual plants for refining pills.”

“No, Dage.” Yan Tianhen shook his head. “The main thing is that I don’t even have a pill furnace now, and even if I did have one, I wouldn’t dare to use it now either. It just so happens that I can give it a try tomorrow– to see if exploding a furnace while I refine pills was just an accident or an inevitable occurrence.”

When Lin Xuanzhi thought about it, he realised that he was right. “You’re right. Blowing up the furnace provided by those families won’t hurt.”

Duan Yuyang looked like he couldn’t bear to look straight at them. He said sadly, “One of you is already a renowned craftsman, while the other is a rising alchemy star who’s destined to soar in the future. Don’t you guys feel any shame for worrying so much about just one pill furnace?”

Lin Xuanzhi and Yan Tianhen nodded at the same time. “We naturally feel no shame.”

Duan Yuyang, “I really like how you guys can be so shameless and brazen this openly.”

After Yan Tianhen decided to join the competition, he immediately went to look for someone from the Huangfu family who was responsible for the Hundred Families Gathering this time to register.

When he went to register, the young man in charge chuckled as he looked at Lin Xuanzhi, asking quite meaningfully, “May I ask what Craftsman Lin plans to do with that sword?”

Lin Xuanzhi said calmly, “I’ll naturally be passing it to someone who’s fated.”

The one in charge smiled. “That sword is a treasure that our family’s young master carried around with him since he was a child. Other people weren’t even allowed to touch it. It’s just that it broke by accident later on, which was why it was left idle elsewhere, but he still couldn’t bear to throw it away.”

The one in charge paused, then said with some profound meaning, “Rules are rules, so that sword now belongs to Craftsman Lin. However, why don’t Craftsman Lin sell that treasure to our family’s young master as a favour?”

Lin Xuanzhi cast a glance at him. “Since it’s so valuable, it would have been better to keep it by his side. Why take it out for other people to refine? Since he had already taken it out and allowed others to refine it, it implies that this thing is of no value to him anymore.”

The one in charge choked.

Lin Xuanzhi said calmly, “If he wants it, then ask him to come find me personally for an exchange. This sword seems pretty good and I plan on keeping it for my younger brother’s use. If he’s really sincere and the price he offers is enough to move me, I won’t mind returning the sword to its original owner.”

After he spoke, Lin Xuanzhi left with Yan Tianhen.

Huangfu Jin walked out from behind the screen.

“Young Master, looks like he’s a stubborn one. He doesn’t know how to be flexible at all.” The one in charge said.

Huangfu Jin pulled a long face. “It’s not that he doesn’t know how to be flexible, he’s just very good at holding a grudge.”

“Grudge?” He didn’t understand what this meant.

“It’s nothing.” Huangfu Jin shook his head. He can imagine how dissatisfied Lin Xuanzhi must be because of how he targeted him in the past.

However, he couldn’t understand why Lin Xuanzhi knew that that sword was very important to him.

The one in charge said, “Young Master, since it’s an important treasure, you shouldn’t have taken it out to let others refine it.”

Huangfu Jin’s face turned even darker. “What do you know.”

Did he think that he was the one who wanted to take this broken sword out for other people to mend?

If it wasn’t because Leng Jixue said that he could find a craftsman to repair it and asked him for it, and if it wasn’t because that sickly young master from the Bai family went nuts and actually asked for that broken sword of his and even took it out for use as a test item in the Hundred Families Gathering, how could he, Huangfu Jin, look on helplessly as Lin Xuanzhi meddled around with his beloved possession?!

But Leng Jixue didn’t think much of it at all!

And it’s not like Huangfu Jin could cause trouble for Leng Jixue. He thought that after seeing this top-grade broken sword of his, Lin Xuanzhi would be smart enough to back off from the difficulty of the task, but he didn’t expect him to actually refine it! Not only that, he even took it away on purpose to provoke him.

Huangfu Jin grit his teeth secretly as he thought about how he could snatch his valuable sword back from Lin Xuanzhi. After registering for Yan Tianhen, Lin Xuanzhi and Yan Tianhen walked toward Yunlai Inn.

They had just arrived at the entrance of the inn’s room when Lin Xuanzhi saw Lin Zezhi, who was waiting there, as well as a very young craftsman who was about the same height as Duan Yuyang.

Lin Zezhi and Lin Xuanzhi greeted each other. “Xuanzhi Tangdi, this is the fourth elder of a direct line in the Bai family. He’s looking for you.”

Although Fourth Elder Bai was short, he had a very imposing presence. When he looked up at Lin Xuanzhi, it made others feel like he was looking down on the world.

Lin Xuanzhi took half a step back quietly, his eyes shifting down to look into Fourth Elder Bai’s eyes. He nodded. “Fourth Elder Bai. May I know what brings you here?”

Fourth Elder Bai stood with both his hands behind his back.

Although they had warned Lin Zezhi to dispel any grudges Lin Xuanzhi may hold against the Bai family, after thinking about it over and over, the four elders all agreed that that could not show how sincere they were.

Thus, Fourth Elder Bai decided to come over in person to meet Lin Xuanzhi.

Fourth Elder Bai nodded slightly. “If it’s convenient, let’s talk inside.”

Lin Xuanzhi extended a hand. “Please.”

Yan Tianhen followed in as well. The two tiger cubs that had already run in through the windows immediately rushed over to bite Fourth Elder Bai when they saw this stranger.

“Ah Bai, Hu Po!” Yan Tianhen called the two tiger cubs.

Ah Bai and Hu Po stopped immediately. They puffed their chests out and strode gracefully as they paced around the room, pretending as if the ones who wanted to bite someone just now weren’t them.

Fourth Elder Bai, “…”

Seems like he received a shock. He had just seen two actors after all.

Lin Xuanzhi said, “Fourth Elder Bai, please take a seat.”

Fourth Elder Bai didn’t take a seat and just lightly said straightforwardly, “I still have other matters to attend to, so I won’t take a seat for now. I came today to inquire about what Craftsman Lin intends to do in the future.”

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