Chapter Sixty-One: A Stroke of Good Luck

Lin Yi glanced around and asked, “Do you have any medicinal herbs that are over a hundred years old?”

“Yes, we do,” the woman in the cheongsam replied softly.

“Bring them all out for me to see,” Lin Yi said.

The woman smiled, gesturing toward a certain direction. “Sir, please come this way.”

Following her, the two arrived at a counter. In no time, more than thirty stalks of century-old herbs were laid out before them.

“Oh?” Lin Yi’s eyes narrowed as he fixed his gaze on a ginseng tinged with purple hues.

Noticing his attention, the woman explained, “Sir, this is a mutated ginseng. According to our experts, its medicinal properties are several times stronger than those of other hundred-year ginsengs.”

Lin Yi nodded, though inwardly he found it somewhat amusing. This was no ordinary ginseng; it was a purple ginseng. Despite their similar appearances, the difference between the two was vast. Ginseng, even after a century, was merely a tonic, but purple ginseng was a spiritual herb, capable of being refined into spiritual elixirs.

He hadn’t expected such luck—finding a spiritual herb here.

“I’ll take all of them,” Lin Yi said calmly.

The woman was taken aback, confirming again, “Sir, are you certain you want all of them?”

Her surprise was understandable; this was a transaction worth tens of millions.

Though the hall saw substantial daily business due to the crowd, few customers bought dozens of century-old herbs at once, as Lin Yi was doing.

“Yes,” Lin Yi nodded, then asked, “Aside from this ginseng, do you have any other mutated herbs?”

“We do—there’s a lingzhi mushroom, but it’s only ten years old,” she replied, her demeanor now noticeably warmer.

“Bring it out.”

She retrieved a crimson lingzhi from the cabinet.

Lin Yi’s eyes lit up with delight—it was a fire lingzhi.

Fire lingzhi’s greatest effect was to neutralize hundreds of poisons, with the added benefit of enhancing beauty.

Lin Yi could use it for cultivation, or refine it into detoxification or beauty pills.

“This visit to the hall has truly been worthwhile,” Lin Yi thought. In the vast province, he had only found a few millennium-old ginsengs, but here, he had unexpectedly acquired two spiritual herbs.

“Wrap these up as well. Let’s tally the bill,” Lin Yi said with flair.

The woman replied, “Sir, this transaction is too large for me to authorize. I’ll call our manager.”

With that, she departed.

Soon, a middle-aged man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses approached, appearing refined and courteous.

He counted the herbs, adjusted his glasses, and said, “There are five century-old ginsengs, priced at four hundred and fifty thousand each, three polygonum roots at three hundred and sixty thousand each…”

Altogether, including the fire lingzhi, there were thirty-seven herbs, totaling eighteen million.

Lin Yi was not dissatisfied with the price; these century-old herbs were superior to those he’d encountered elsewhere and were worth it.

Most importantly, he had obtained two spiritual herbs—his greatest gain.

“Angel, pay the bill,” Lin Yi said.

The manager produced a POS machine, looking at Angel with admiration. “Is this lady Angel, the secretary of Linda Group?”

Angel smiled and nodded.

“I didn’t expect to meet Secretary Angel here; it’s an honor. Our hall has always cooperated with Linda Group. If you don’t mind, I’d like to invite you both to dinner,” the manager said with a smile, showing no disregard for Lin Yi’s plain attire.

After all, if Angel was personally settling the bill for this young man, he must be someone of significance.

Angel looked to Lin Yi.

“No need,” Lin Yi replied bluntly.

The manager took no offense and smiled apologetically. “Forgive my presumptuousness.”

Once the payment was complete, Lin Yi and Angel left the hall.

Angel carried two large bags filled with ornate boxes. She asked, “Mr. Lin, where shall we go next?”

“Let’s head back for now,” Lin Yi said calmly, satisfied with this fruitful outing.

***

The next day.

Lin Yi and Angel had just left the hotel when a black van pulled up before them.

The door opened, and a middle-aged man stepped out, dressed in a tailcoat, his complexion rosy, eyes fierce.

“You must be Lin Yi and Angel. Our young lady requests your presence,” he said.

“Is it Zhang Xinyi?” Angel didn’t need to guess.

“Yes. Our young lady said that if you refuse, we’ll bring you by force,” he continued, his aura suddenly surging.

Angel felt as fragile as a lone boat in a vast ocean, utterly powerless.

Lin Yi smiled faintly, and the oppressive force disappeared instantly, leaving Angel relieved.

“Thank you, Mr. Lin,” Angel said gratefully, cold sweat forming on her back.

This middle-aged man’s strength was likely at the half-step grandmaster level. Had Lin Yi not intervened, just his aura would have overwhelmed her.

Such pressure was a common tactic among those at the innate stage, often driving weaker opponents to surrender without a fight.

The man was not surprised, smiling, “Impressive. No wonder you could defeat Ling Yun.”

Lin Yi said, “Step aside. You’re not my match. If Zhang Xinyi truly wishes to see me, let her come herself.”

The man’s anger flared. Since reaching half-step grandmaster, few dared speak to him this way.

“You’re quite bold,” he said, forming a claw with his hand and lunging at Lin Yi’s chest.

Had it connected, even iron would have borne marks.

Lin Yi’s expression remained unchanged. He extended a single finger toward the man’s palm.

A trace of disdain flickered in the man’s eyes, but in the next moment, a sense of imminent death enveloped him.

He tried to dodge, but it was too late—Lin Yi’s finger was already upon him.

Bang.

The man staggered back several steps, his blood and qi tumultuous, veins bulging on his forehead.

He hurriedly swallowed a pill and sat down to regulate his breathing. After five minutes, he managed to suppress the chaotic energy.

“Such terrifying strength. If he hadn’t held back, that finger would have ended me.”

He opened his eyes to find Lin Yi and Angel gone.

The recollection of Lin Yi’s effortless strike filled him with dread.

“No, I must inform the young lady—Lin Yi is not to be provoked.”

He took out his phone and called Zhang Xinyi.

“Hello, Uncle Qi, did you bring them over?” Zhang Xinyi asked sweetly.

She was a spoiled princess to others, but to Lu Tianqi, she was a good child.

“No,” Lu Tianqi replied in a low voice.

“Uncle Qi, didn’t you see them?”

“I did, not only that, but I also fought Lin Yi,” he said.

“Then why didn’t you bring them back?” she asked, puzzled.

Lu Tianqi was a half-step grandmaster, even once surviving a clash with a true grandmaster, making him renowned among his peers.

Zhang Xinyi believed he could easily escort Lin Yi and Angel.

Lu Tianqi said gravely, “Miss, Lin Yi is very likely a grandmaster.”

Zhang Xinyi’s voice shot up, “Impossible!”

Her disbelief was understandable; according to her investigation, Lin Yi was just a young man in his twenties with little background—a minor figure. Though he’d had some opportunities, becoming a grandmaster was a tremendous challenge.

Even Lu Tianqi had lingered at half-step grandmaster for ten years, yet to break through.

“I can’t be certain, but there’s an eighty percent chance. Miss, he defeated me in one move,” Lu Tianqi admitted.

Zhang Xinyi gasped. The term “young grandmaster” carried enormous significance.

***

A grandmaster could roam unhindered within the province.

No wonder the Tong family had recently been destroyed, and no wonder Angel followed him so diligently—it was all because of Lin Yi.

Lu Tianqi, hearing no response from Zhang Xinyi, spoke again, “Miss, talents like Lin Yi should be courted with goodwill.”

Zhang Xinyi took a deep breath. “Uncle Qi, I understand.”

If Lin Yi revealed himself as a grandmaster, countless families across the province would seek him out.

Though she was spoiled and willful, Zhang Xinyi was far from foolish—she was shrewd.

“Uncle Qi, do you know where Lin Yi went?” she asked calmly, now more like an heir.

“I don’t. After he defeated me, I was sitting and recovering,” Lu Tianqi replied.

“I see. All right, Uncle Qi, come back first.”

She hung up, her beautiful eyes gazing into the distance.

She suddenly turned to Ling Yun. “Lin Yi may be a grandmaster.”

Ling Yun forced a smile; he had overheard the conversation.

He recalled bragging that he’d let Lin Yi have three moves, and now felt deeply embarrassed.

“Let’s go. We should seek out Lin Yi. Whether or not he’s a young grandmaster, befriending him is wise,” Zhang Xinyi said with a smile.

***

Lin Yi and Angel arrived at the Stone Forest, a place of jagged rocks and treacherous paths.

Fortunately, neither was ordinary, and the rugged terrain posed no challenge.

“Mr. Lin, ahead is the Stone Forest proper. I’ve heard there are bears here,” Angel remarked.

“Yes,” Lin Yi replied.

They continued on, when suddenly a wild boar charged out.

Angel’s brows knitted. With a stylish spinning kick, she struck the boar’s head.

Bang.

The boar staggered back several meters.

It shook its head, grunted, and charged again.

Angel kicked once more, this time under its jaw, sending it flying.

It landed, kicked its legs, and promptly died.

Angel glanced at the boar and asked, “Mr. Lin, wild boar is delicious. Should we take it?”

“If you like, take it,” Lin Yi said indifferently—he still had plenty of tortoise meat left.

“Never mind, we’ve just started out. Carrying it would be too much trouble,” Angel said, shaking her head.

Lin Yi smiled lightly.

He could see that Angel still wanted the boar; they say women are foodies, and it seemed true.

Angel had worked hard alongside him, so Lin Yi used his Qi transformation technique to store the boar.

“Thank you, Mr. Lin,” Angel said warmly, grateful.

She knew of Lin Yi’s ability, and envied it. If she possessed such a skill, traveling would be much easier.

Lin Yi smiled faintly, slipped on his ring, and took out a map of the Stone Forest.

The nearest stalactite cave was less than a kilometer away.

They walked for a few minutes and reached the first cave.

After a circuit inside, the ring was unresponsive, indicating there was nothing of value nearby.

“Let’s move on to the next,” Lin Yi said, undeterred. After all, it was only the first cave, and any treasures would likely have long since been taken.

By midday, Lin Yi and Angel had searched over thirty stalactite caves, but found nothing.

Suddenly, Lin Yi’s ring began to vibrate violently.

“There’s something here,” he said, quickly activating his spiritual sense to begin a mapped search.