Chapter 123: Simply Because My Fists Are Bigger Than Yours

Sun Hongyi heard the voice and hurriedly turned around to see a young man. It was Lin Yi.

"Mr... Mr. Lin." Sun Hongyi’s eyes widened, his legs trembling slightly. It was no wonder, as Lin Yi’s track record was far too brutal. In this age of information, any movement among martial artists spread rapidly. Just yesterday, Mr. Lin had gone to the Northern Province to slaughter a Spirit Venerable. As a Grandmaster who specialized in poison—someone who was only good at backstabbing people—facing Mr. Lin was equivalent to an old man hanging himself because he felt he had lived too long.

Lin Yi ignored Sun Hongyi and turned his gaze toward Feng Gaozhuo and Feng Yi. Both men felt cold sweat trickling down their backs, never having expected Lin Yi to appear here. However, when Feng Gaozhuo saw Feng Yuling following behind Lin Yi, he immediately understood what had happened; there was no need to guess—this girl must have reported them.

"Mr. Lin, why are you here?" Feng Gaozhuo asked cautiously, quickly pulling up a chair for Lin Yi.

After Lin Yi sat down, he didn't speak, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. This silence only made Feng Gaozhuo feel more uneasy. Gritting his teeth, he said tremblingly, "Well, Mr. Lin, I was just about to report to you that we have discovered a large number of spirit stones inside this jade mine."

Feng Gaozhuo dared not treat Lin Yi as a mere youngster; Lin Yi’s methods, strength, and temperament were far beyond his years.

"Mm," Lin Yi nodded indifferently.

Feng Gaozhuo and Feng Yi exchanged a bitter look. Although they had anticipated this outcome, they hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. Still, it was for the best; even if Lin Yi were to blame them, it would be much lighter now. Since the truth was out, Feng Gaozhuo didn't hold back, continuing, "However, Mr. Lin, there is a pangolin living in the mine. It has become a spirit beast and is incredibly powerful; even Grandmasters cannot break through its scales."

"A pangolin, interesting." A hint of interest appeared in Lin Yi’s eyes. "Let's go. Take me to see it first."

"Yes," Feng Gaozhuo nodded.

As Lin Yi passed Sun Hongyi, he suddenly stopped. Sun Hongyi was pale with fright, bowing his head, not daring to utter a single word.

"I do not wish for news of this to spread for the time being," Lin Yi said coldly. Simultaneously, a wave of pressure descended upon Sun Hongyi, making him feel as if he were carrying a mountain, his body drenched in sweat.

"Understood, understood," Sun Hongyi nodded repeatedly.

"Then get lost," Lin Yi said.

"Yes, yes, I'm leaving right away." Sun Hongyi scrambled out of the tent, abandoning any pretense of being a dignified Grandmaster.

Feng Yuling watched Lin Yi’s retreating back. Instead of feeling happy, she felt a growing sense of sorrow. This was the benefit of strength. With strength, even a Grandmaster could be dismissed with a single word from Mr. Lin. Without strength, one was merely meat on the chopping block.

Ye Shuang’er’s eyes brightened slightly. Fortunately, she hadn't had a major conflict with Lin Yi back at Feng Mountain; otherwise, the Ye family might have already vanished from this world.

Lin Yi walked out of the tent, following Feng Gaozhuo toward the mine shaft. Before long, the group arrived. Outside the entrance lay over twenty corpses, many with their bellies torn open and organs missing; it was clearly the work of the pangolin.

"Ugh," the two girls felt a wave of nausea at the sight. Even Master Du’s expression shifted slightly.

"Mr. Lin, the tunnel is quite narrow. It might be better for me to lure the pangolin out," Feng Yi suggested.

"Mm," Lin Yi nodded.

"Granduncle, your arm..." Feng Yuling finally noticed that Feng Yi was missing an arm.

"It's nothing, that beast bit it off," Feng Yi said with a bitter smile.

"That must have hurt so much," Feng Yuling said with heartache; her granduncle had always doted on her.

"It hurt, of course; I'm not made of iron. As long as I'm alive, it’s fine," Feng Yi joked lightly.

"Then let me go and lure the monster out," Feng Yuling said, gritting her teeth.

"Nonsense," Feng Yi scolded, his face stern. "That pangolin is something even I had to flee from. You are only at the Innate stage; don't make things difficult." With that, Feng Yi strode into the mine.

As soon as he entered, he froze. Three meters inside, a pair of scarlet eyes were glaring at him. It was the pangolin! Feng Yi was shocked; he hadn't expected the creature to learn how to lie in wait.

*Roar!* The pangolin lunged at him with incredible speed. Feng Yi didn't hesitate to turn and run. Fortunately, he wasn't far from the entrance and leaped out in one bound.

"Mr. Lin, strike now! The pangolin is out!" Feng Yi shouted as he ran.

Lin Yi’s gaze sharpened. The moment the pangolin emerged, a golden spear appeared in his hand. *Hum.* He flicked the spear, and it transformed into a streak of golden light, piercing the pangolin’s right eye, exiting through the back of its skull, and pinning it to the mine wall before dissipating into stardust.

Looking at the motionless pangolin on the ground, Feng Yi swallowed hard. Such a terrifying beast had been dispatched by Lin Yi with such ease.

"Granduncle, are you alright?" Feng Yuling ran over to ask.

"I'm fine," Feng Yi shook his head.

Ye Shuang’er pleaded, "Mr. Lin, could you sell some of the pangolin’s meat to me?" The beast was a spirit beast, and having been nourished in a spirit stone mine, its flesh would surely be rich in spiritual energy. In the Northern Province, due to the environment, there were many experts. Even with a few half-step Grandmasters, the Ye family was ranked quite low. Without a Grandmaster, they lacked the standing to even speak. She had visited Lin Yi in Lancheng partly to thank him for saving her life, and partly in the hope of purchasing some Mysterious Turtle meat.

"Mm, this pangolin, including its organs, weighs about two thousand one hundred jin. How much do you want?" Lin Yi asked.

"How do you intend to sell it, Mr. Lin?" Ye Shuang’er asked.

"This pangolin had the strength of a seventh-layer Grandmaster; its flesh is potent. How about this: one hundred jin for two spirit herbs. If you have spirit stones, five low-grade spirit stones per one hundred jin," Lin Yi stated.

"Our family doesn't have many spirit herbs, Mr. Lin. I can pay with spirit stones," Ye Shuang’er said.

"Mm."

Ye Shuang’er gave fifty low-grade spirit stones for one thousand jin of meat. The Feng family also spent fifty spirit stones to purchase the remaining thousand jin. As for the internal core, Lin Yi didn't intend to sell it; he planned to refine it into pills.

After the transaction, Lin Yi walked into the mine, his eyes narrowing slightly, emitting a faint golden light. The dark tunnel brightened instantly. About twenty meters in, he saw a few scattered low-grade spirit stones. He ignored them and walked a few more meters to a wider area filled with claw marks. This was clearly the beast's lair, where the bodies of miners had been discarded.

Lin Yi looked around and saw the walls covered with dozens of spirit stones. Unfortunately, they were all low-grade. Lin Yi wasn't short on low-grade stones; what he craved now were high-grade and top-grade ones.

Lin Yi released his divine sense, enveloping the entire mine. He was delighted to find it was a rich vein. Deep underground, about ten meters down, he spotted a top-grade spirit stone the size of a human head. He took out a pickaxe and began digging with immense speed. He could pass on other stones, but he had to have this top-grade one.

Soon, he broke through to the stone. Top-grade spirit stones usually had accompanying treasures, and beside this one lay a grey, fist-sized rock—it was an Earth Mother Stone. He had found one before in a stalactite cave; he hadn't expected to find another. The Earth Mother Stone could produce different spiritual liquids depending on the environment. This one was surrounded by a golden liquid known as Soul Fluid, which could nourish soul injuries and strengthen the soul over time.

Without hesitation, he filled three jade bottles with the fluid. With this, his soul could reach a new level. He then collected the top-grade spirit stone.

"Not bad," Lin Yi weighed the stone in his hand. At about ten jin, it was a priceless treasure. As for the high-grade stones in the mine, he wasn't in a hurry. He would return later to set up some defensive arrays. Anyone who dared to steal his stones would face his wrath.

When Lin Yi emerged, Feng Yi asked, "Mr. Lin, are the resources in the mine fairly rich?"

"Mm," Lin Yi nodded. "Rich" was an understatement; it was overflowing. If developed well, he wouldn't have to worry about spirit stones for a long time. "From now on, the Zhang family will oversee this mine. Don't worry, your share will still be given to you," Lin Yi said, his tone brooks no argument.

"Ah." Feng Yi smiled bitterly; he knew Lin Yi still held a grudge for their earlier deception.

Feng Gaozhuo, however, was dissatisfied. "Mr. Lin, we respect you because of your strength, but this jade mine belongs to our Feng family. Why should we hand it over to the Zhang family?"

Feng Yi and Feng Yuling were terrified; they never expected Feng Gaozhuo to openly challenge Lin Yi.

"Third Brother, what are you saying?" Feng Yi hissed. He was pained to lose control of the mine, but without Lin Yi, the Feng family would have lost it anyway. Even the pangolin alone was something they couldn't handle.

"Big Brother, I’m not wrong! We sacrificed so many people and so much wealth for this mine. Even your arm was taken by that beast. Why should we give up ownership?" Feng Gaozhuo gritted his teeth.

"Why?" Lin Yi glanced at Feng Gaozhuo and said indifferently, "Because my fist is bigger than yours. Is that reason sufficient?"