Chapter Forty-One: You Think You Are the One in Control

Angel moved quickly and arrived just ten minutes later.

Her slender shoulders bore a large suitcase, completely ruining her goddess-like aura and making her look more like a tomboy.

“Mr. Lin, here are the items you requested,” Angel said as she set the suitcase down.

“Thank you for your trouble,” Lin Yi nodded.

Angel, somewhat flattered, quickly shook her head. “It was no trouble at all, not in the least.”

Lin Yi smiled faintly and stepped forward to open the suitcase, revealing it was filled to the brim with jade.

This was just one batch; there were three more suitcases in the trunk of Angel’s car.

“Mr. Lin, do you intend to craft all this jade into magical artifacts?” Angel inquired cautiously.

Lin Yi picked up a piece of jade and replied, “It might look like a lot, but whether it’s enough for even one artifact is still uncertain.”

“Oh,” Angel was surprised. Even with jade worth over a billion, it might not suffice for a single magical artifact.

Lin Yi did not explain further. What he intended to forge was not an ordinary magical artifact, but something of a much higher grade—a spiritual weapon.

A spiritual weapon possesses a soul; it can automatically protect its owner and absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to replenish itself, making it far superior to regular magical artifacts.

Angel brought in the remaining jade and, just as she was about to leave, Lin Yi called out to her. “Help me investigate Miao Caifeng of Miaojiang and her disciples.”

“I’ll see to it at once,” Angel responded with a solemn nod, then sashayed away.

Lin Yi sat in his room, picking up a piece of jade, a small black flame swirling in his palm.

Unlike the violet flame used for alchemy, the black flame could refine all kinds of materials.

A fist-sized piece of jade was reduced to a single, transparent drop the size of a fingernail in less than three seconds.

Half an hour later, over a thousand drops of jade essence hovered before Lin Yi.

“Congeal!”

A golden glint flashed in Lin Yi’s eyes. The droplets, as if drawn by an unseen force, rapidly clustered together, forming a transparent orb the size of a basketball.

At the same time, Lin Yi’s fingers moved swiftly, imprinting golden runes upon the orb.

With each rune, the orb shrank in size.

When he etched the final rune, the orb had shrunk to the size of a thumb and was densely covered with golden markings.

“That was close—almost not enough,” Lin Yi murmured, shaking his head slightly before beginning the final carving.

In a flurry of motion, a lifelike, tiny bean appeared in the palm of his hand.

“Let’s test its power.”

Lin Yi infused a trace of true essence into the spiritual weapon and, at once, a faint golden protective barrier formed around it.

Though the shield looked insubstantial, it was strong enough to withstand an attack from a grandmaster.

After a round of testing, Lin Yi dispelled the shield, estimating it could endure a grandmaster’s assault for ten minutes.

“It’s a pity these are just ordinary gems. If they were rare stones of heaven and earth, even a cultivator of the Golden Core stage would find it impossible to break,” Lin Yi sighed, feeling a hint of regret. But such stones were rare and could only be encountered by chance.

Stowing away the spiritual weapon, Lin Yi went to the living room and called for Dou Dou.

“Lin Yi, what did you call me for all of a sudden?” Dou Dou asked.

“I have a gift for you,” Lin Yi replied.

“A gift?” Lin Dou Dou’s eyes sparkled.

Lin Yi took out the tiny bean-shaped spiritual weapon. “Drip a drop of your blood on it, then give it a name.”

“Blood?” Lin Dou Dou looked puzzled. “Lin Yi, have you been watching too many TV dramas?”

“Just trust me. Try it and you’ll see,” Lin Yi answered with a mysterious smile.

Lin Dou Dou carefully pricked her finger with a needle, and a drop of blood fell onto the little artifact. There were no dramatic signs of bonding, but she immediately felt a strange connection with the spiritual weapon, as if she could summon it back from a thousand miles away.

She quickly put the thought aside and beamed, “Lin Yi, is this little bean you carved supposed to be me? It’s so pretty!”

“Give it a name,” Lin Yi reminded her.

“I’ll call it Little Bean. I’m Big Bean, and this is Little Bean,” Lin Dou Dou said excitedly.

Lin Yi shook his head with a smile. With this magical artifact, he no longer needed to worry about Dou Dou’s safety.

…

The next day.

Lin Yi set out on foot for Yang Yujia’s house. As he passed by a bar, he suddenly spotted a somewhat familiar figure standing at the entrance.

“Chu Na,” Lin Yi glanced at her, but didn’t intend to greet her.

Unexpectedly, Chu Na noticed him as well.

“Lin Yi, I can’t believe you haven’t changed a bit after all these years,” Chu Na called out.

Chu Na had been his high school classmate, close friends with Yang Mo, and through their connection, she’d gradually become acquainted with Lin Yi.

“That’s right, but you’ve gotten much prettier,” Lin Yi replied, deciding to return the greeting. He had found that this compliment tended to make most girls happy.

“Pretty? I’m worried sick these days,” Chu Na said, pulling a long face.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Yi asked.

“Yang Mo once told me she worked at Linda Group, but when I went there, she’d already lost her job, and even her backer had been toppled,” Chu Na explained.

Lin Yi nodded—he himself had been behind that incident.

Chu Na went on, “I’m just a graduate from a third-rate university. It’s so hard to find a good job.”

“It certainly is,” Lin Yi agreed.

Chu Na shot him a look. “Aren’t you going to ask why I’m standing here?”

“If you want to talk, you’ll talk. No need to pry,” Lin Yi replied coolly.

Rather than taking offense, Chu Na laughed. “You’re still the same as in high school—never interested in anything, yet seeming to know everything. So, what are you doing now?”

“I’m a private tutor,” Lin Yi answered honestly.

“A teacher?” Chu Na sounded disappointed. It’s true what they say—more friends, more opportunities—but even friends come in different classes.

At that moment, a chubby man in a white shirt came out of the bar, a thick gold chain hanging conspicuously around his neck, as if afraid no one would notice how rich he was.

Lin Yi recognized him as well. Another high school classmate, Fan Fei. With his wealthy family, even back then he’d been a minor tyrant.

“Chu Na, why are you still out here? We’ve been waiting ages. Don’t you want the job?” Fan Fei’s small eyes lit up when he caught sight of Chu Na’s delicate features.

Chu Na’s face changed, and she hurried to explain, “I just ran into an old classmate and stopped for a quick chat. Don’t be upset, Fan Fei.”

Only then did Fan Fei turn his gaze on Lin Yi. He thought for a while before recognizing him, though still uncertain. “You’re Lin Yi?”

“That’s right,” Lin Yi nodded.

He’d never liked being in the spotlight at school, choosing instead to keep a low profile. Other than a handful of friends, few even remembered his name.

After a brief acknowledgment, Fan Fei ignored Lin Yi and turned back to Chu Na. “Come inside. As long as you can drink with us and keep us company, you can have any position you want at Linda Group in Lancheng.”

“Really?” Chu Na was visibly excited.

“Of course. My dad’s a senior figure at Linda Group—getting you a job is nothing,” Fan Fei boasted.

Linda Group was a massive cross-province enterprise worth hundreds of billions—a true giant in the eyes of ordinary people.

Lin Yi hadn’t planned to interfere, but Linda Group was, after all, his own company.

“Fan Fei, your father is truly impressive,” Chu Na said, a note of envy in her voice.

“Naturally. Oh, and remember to dress a little sexier later,” Fan Fei said, licking his lips.

Chu Na’s expression shifted. She wasn’t stupid—she knew exactly what he was implying.

“Fan Fei, didn’t we agree it would just be drinking?” Chu Na said hesitantly.

“Of course, just drinking. But if you don’t dress up, how can we enjoy it?” Fan Fei replied suggestively.

Chu Na bit her lip, uncertain whether trading her body for a job was worth it.

Lin Yi suddenly spoke up. “If you want a position at Linda Group, I can arrange it.”

“You?” Chu Na looked at him doubtfully.

“Yes,” Lin Yi nodded.

“Lin Yi, stop messing around,” Fan Fei barked, glaring at him. He didn’t believe for a second that Lin Yi had any means of getting Chu Na into Linda Group. After all, the head of Linda Group’s Jiang Province branch had recently been dismissed, and the company was now under strict scrutiny.

But he was afraid Lin Yi might spoil his plans. From the moment he’d seen Chu Na, he’d been plotting how to get her for himself.

Now, just when he was about to succeed, this fool had to jump in.

Lin Yi ignored Fan Fei and continued, “I’m giving you an opportunity—it’s up to you to take it or not.”

Chu Na hesitated. She didn’t know whether to believe Lin Yi, but in high school he’d always meant what he said.

Fan Fei saw her wavering and immediately snapped, “Chu Na, look at this guy’s status before you start dreaming. An opportunity? What a joke. Do you really think Linda Group belongs to him?”