Chapter 205: Returning the Tree

Upon arriving at the courtyard entrance, he took in the sight: the spacious yard was filled with people kneeling in rows. Right in front, Wan CuiLin, his face ashen, was shouting angrily at the servants and household staff.
“Step forward! All of you, step forward! Who exactly broke the branches of the Wan Hong Tree?”
“I’ve warned you time and again—high-grade spiritual materials must not be damaged in the slightest. Step forward! Tell me who did this!”
“If no one steps forward, don’t blame me for punishing you all as well…”
The servants trembled nervously, but none of them stood up.
“Dean Wan!”
At the entrance, Lin Dong called out loudly.
“Young brother Lin?” Wan CuiLin was startled. His ashen expression softened slightly as he asked in surprise, “How did you get here?”
“It’s still about those high-grade spiritual materials,” Lin Dong said with a smile as he stepped forward.
Wan CuiLin’s expression darkened, looking troubled.
Lin Dong glanced at the kneeling servants and deliberately asked, “Dean Wan, what are you doing?”
“Better not talk about it,” Wan CuiLin said, glancing at Yun Lan standing beside Lin Dong. Though he was secretly amazed by her elegance, he said with a grim face, “The Wan Hong Tree I’ve nurtured for decades… it’s ruined.”
“Well, if it’s ruined, so be it!” Lin Dong said nonchalantly. “That tree only matures once every seventy years. I heard the last time it matured was over a decade ago, meaning it will take another sixty years or so before it matures again. That’s quite a long time.”
Wan CuiLin’s expression grew even more troubled. He wanted to explain but lacked the strength to speak.
Sixty years before it matures—there’s indeed no hope of seeing it in this lifetime. But for those who truly love spiritual materials, it’s not just the harvest that matters; the process itself brings joy as well.
Seeing Wan CuiLin’s expression, Lin Dong realized his thoughts were correct. For Wan CuiLin, even if he couldn’t see the harvest of those high-grade spiritual materials, they still held infinite value.
“Young brother Lin, you and this young lady, go sit in the main hall first. I’ll join you later…” Wan CuiLin was about to ask the butler to take them there when his raised arm suddenly stopped. He then stared at Lin Dong sharply, “I thought all the servants and household staff in the estate had been gathered here. How did the two of you get in?”
“We saw no one opening the door, so we just came in by ourselves,” Lin Dong replied with a smile.
“Came in by yourselves?” Wan CuiLin was astonished. “There are quite a few spiritual arrays set up at the entrance. You…”
“Spiritual arrays? I don’t see any,” Lin Dong said, looking puzzled.

“There are indeed a few spirit arrays, but they’re not strong. The highest one is only a fourth-tier spirit array,” Yun Lan replied calmly and in coordination, adding, “I’ve already broken them along the way. You just didn’t notice.”

“Broken?” Wan Cui Lin stared at Yun Lan in shock. This meant that as they walked, this girl had effortlessly broken all the spirit arrays without pause, all while Lin Dong was unaware.

Such strength…

Wan Cui Lin frowned again, skeptical. “To casually break the spirit arrays in front of Wan Family’s estate requires at least a sixth-tier spirit array master. The girl can’t be very old, right?”

Yun Lan remained silent. A red porcelain bottle the size of a wine flask quietly appeared in her palm. Then, she turned into a white shadow and swiftly moved through the kneeling servants. Her speed didn’t slow down even for a moment, and the servants didn’t even realize anyone had appeared beside them.

When she returned, Yun Lan was as serene as a spotless snow lotus, while Wan Cui Lin’s skepticism had vanished, replaced by deep awe.

Such speed exceeded his understanding.

“Hey, what’s this?” Lin Dong suddenly exclaimed, as if he’d discovered something strange.

Wan Cui Lin followed his gaze downward. On the ground, long lines made of spirit stone powder crisscrossed to form neat patterns. Looking around the courtyard, everything was the same.

“A fourth-tier Gale Array!”

Wan Cui Lin stepped back in terror. He was all too familiar with these array patterns—they were among those laid out by the spirit array master he had hired from Tianwei Pavilion around the entire estate.

In just a short while, a Gale Array covering the entire courtyard had been set up. Wan Cui Lin couldn’t process this. He only knew that the spirit array master from Tianwei Pavilion was a fifth-tier master, and it would take at least ten days to set up a Gale Array of such scale.

“So this is what a spirit array is!” Lin Dong seemed to wake up from a dream.

Wan Cui Lin felt a strange mix of jealousy and envy toward Lin Dong. It seemed that ignorance truly meant fearlessness—something good after all.

“M-Miss, this…” Wan Cui Lin looked at Yun Lan, his heart filled with mixed emotions. At such a young age, she was already someone he could only look up to. Her future achievements would likely make him feel like an ant.

“The spirit arrays aren’t activated. Just find a few people to clean it up,” Yun Lan said indifferently.

Wan Cui Lin felt much relieved. Clearly, she wasn’t here to cause trouble at Wan Family’s estate.

“Dean Wan, could we talk in a quiet place?” Lin Dong suddenly asked.

“Sure, of course.” Wan Cui Lin nodded repeatedly. Though he was obsessed with cultivating spiritual materials, he understood that in this world where strength reigned supreme, when a distinguished guest arrived at the Wan family’s estate, one had to set aside even the biggest troubles unless they were insane.

The three entered the hall. Under Wan Cui Lin’s polite deference, Yun Lan sat first, while Lin Dong and Wan Cui Lin sat on either side of her. Seeing that no one else was around, Lin Dong spoke without hesitation, “Dean Wan, was the Wan Hong Tree damaged because three of its branches were broken?”

The painful topic came up again. Wan Cui Lin sighed heavily. “Indeed, three of its branches were broken. The Wan Hong Tree is a seventh-tier spiritual material—its delicacy is evident. There’s no way it could survive.”

Wait!

Wan Cui Lin suddenly glared at Lin Dong in surprise. “How do you know that three branches of the Wan Hong Tree were broken?”

Lin Dong replied calmly, “I broke them.”

Wan Cui Lin stood up abruptly, furious. “You broke them? It was you? No wonder Old Ren asked me to go to Qingmei Mountain to help him hunt spiritual beasts. So you two were in cahoots. Why? Why destroy my spiritual tree?”

“It’s not destruction, it’s transplantation,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “Dean Wan, do you remember what I said last time? If you lend me one of its branches, I can give you one or even two identical spiritual materials in return.”

“Are you crazy?” Wan Cui Lin roared. “Do you know that although a branch of a spiritual tree can be transplanted, the success rate is extremely low? By destroying one of my Wan Hong Trees, you won’t gain anything either.”

“Actually, I didn’t even want the Wan Hong Tree,” Lin Dong said, spreading his hands helplessly. “With my current strength, how could I possibly break through the spiritual array surrounding it? Let alone get a branch—how could I even create the conditions for it to grow? To be honest, I’m just doing labor for others.”

“You?” Wan Cui Lin glared at Yun Lan, unable to understand why such an extraordinary person would do something that harmed others without benefiting herself.

“It’s me!” Yun Lan said calmly.

“Why?”

Wan Cui Lin felt like he was going mad. Fury surged in his brain as he shouted, “Don’t think just because you’re strong I’m afraid of you. I, Wan Cui Lin, am a warrior loyal to the Great Han Nation, and I’m also the dean of the prefectural martial arts assessment institute. If you dare kill me, unless you’re a peak-level powerhouse, even if you have a major sect backing you, Tianwei Pavilion will never let you off.”

Yun Lan shook her head and said slowly, “It would be easy for me to destroy your dantian or ruin your manor. As long as I don’t kill you, with my strength alone, Tianwei Pavilion wouldn’t dare to pursue me rashly. Not to mention, I might have quite significant backing behind me.”
Wan Cui Lin’s face turned pale. He gritted his teeth but couldn’t utter a word.
“Dean Wan, actually…” Lin Dong smiled. “This should be good news for you.”
“Good news? You say that my little Wan Family Manor has attracted the attention of powerful figures, maybe even major sects or peak experts—this is good news for me?” Wan Cui Lin vented his fury at Lin Dong.
“Dean Wan must have forgotten,” Lin Dong reminded him again. “I said that if you lend me a branch of a high-grade spiritual material, I can return to you one or even two identical spiritual materials.”
“What… what do you mean?” Wan Cui Lin grew agitated. If it were only Lin Dong present, he would never believe such words even if repeated a hundred times. But there was also a young, seemingly impossibly skilled high-level spiritual array master present, which in itself was already an unbelievable fact.
Lin Dong took out a Wanhong Tree and placed it beside him, saying leisurely, “This is the Wanhong Tree I’m returning to Dean Wan.”
“Wanhong Tree?”
Wan Cui Lin looked at the small, fire-red tree that was only about 1.4 to 1.5 meters tall and suddenly exclaimed in shock. He rushed forward and grabbed the tree.
“That’s right, it’s a Wanhong Tree. Good heavens… why is there ordinary soil stuck to its fibrous roots? How could you put a Wanhong Tree in a storage spiritual ring…”
Wan Cui Lin held the Wanhong Tree like a child, unable to put it down, while continuously complaining to Lin Dong.
After Wan Cui Lin calmed down a bit, Lin Dong spoke up, “The ordinary soil on its fibrous roots is because we can’t transport the red soil from Qingbei County here for now. Putting it in a storage spiritual ring makes it easier to transport.”
“But in this way, the Wanhong Tree can’t survive,” Wan Cui Lin said in astonishment.
“I remember saying there’s a medicine that can make spiritual materials grow rapidly. With this medicine’s acceleration, there’s no need to worry about the special growth conditions of the materials either,” Lin Dong smiled. “The fact is right before your eyes. I think Dean Wan shouldn’t doubt it anymore, right?”
Wan Cui Lin stared at Lin Dong, his face full of shock. His mind was in turmoil.
“Is there really such a medicine? How is that possible? It can’t be.”
“Why not?” Lin Dong replied calmly. “Dean Wan, just like you couldn’t believe back then that that magical tree could move on its own, you’re now dismissing what you can’t believe as impossible.”

“B-but you…”
“I really can’t refine that kind of medicine,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “I’m just someone tasked with making contact with President Wan.”
Wan CuiLin immediately turned to Yun Lan. Before he could speak, Yun Lan calmly said, “The medicine is made from several ninth-tier spiritual materials. Even if I knew the method of refinement and told you, I doubt you’d be able to create it. Besides, we’ve left all matters related to Qiufeng Mansion to Lin Dong. I’m here today only as a guard.”
“Brother Lin, as long as you can help me cultivate a few more high-tier spiritual materials, no matter what the conditions, I, Wan CuiLin, won’t hesitate at all.”
Wan CuiLin turned to Lin Dong without hesitation, his eyes shining with fervor.
Lin Dong slowly said, “I want the high-tier spiritual materials from the Wan family.”
Wan CuiLin frowned deeply. Lin Dong’s first condition already forced him to break his promise.