Chapter 9: The Swift Array
Customers came and went until night fell, and the hall was empty for over half an hour before Bai Jingtai entered the inn with Bai Qi, accompanied by two guards.
As Wang Liuzhi had said, despite the dim candlelight and the distance between the counter and the door, Lin Dong could immediately see the gloom on Bai Jingtai’s face. Bai Qi beside him wasn’t much better—her pale face was covered in a frosty expression, and she was muttering something, her expression seemingly that of someone cursing.
Upon seeing Lin Dong, Bai Jingtai froze for a moment before forcing a smile. “I’ve been wanting to have a drink with Manager Lin, but I never managed to meet you. It was only after asking the staff that I learned you’ve been practicing in seclusion lately. It’s really rare to see you today.”
“There was no choice,” Lin Dong said with a laugh. “After being bullied too much, I had to pick up my old practice again. I stayed in the hall this late because I was specifically waiting for Boss Bai.”
“Waiting for me?” Bai Jingtai looked puzzled.
Lin Dong stepped out from behind the counter and nodded. “Didn’t you hear some time ago that Boss Bai was trying to buy Tongjing Dan? I wanted to ask if you’ve managed to get it.”
Bai Qi frowned, her expression growing even darker. Bai Jingtai gave a wry smile. “Don’t even mention it. We had already reached an agreement to pick up Tongjing Dan this noon. But unexpectedly, the young master of the Liu family took a liking to my Bai Qi. You’ve been in Xilan City for so long—there’s no need for me to explain who the Liu family’s young master is. How could I possibly let Bai Qi date him just for a pill like Tongjing Dan, only to end up failing the deal?”
Lin Dong felt pleased inside, but his expression remained unchanged. He asked, “Is there no way to turn things around?”
Bai Jingtai sighed. “We can only try again in a few days. After all, my demands are high. If everyone calms down, there’s still a chance of reaching an agreement.”
Lin Dong felt helpless. The hidden task could only be carried out after the inn’s guests were at a loss—so it would have to wait a few days. Of course, he still needed to inform Bai Jingtai about the method he had, otherwise, if Bai Jingtai was stuck and he happened to need to leave, taking Bai Qi with him would leave them in a difficult situation.
“Boss Bai, I used to…”
Before Lin Dong could say more, Bai Qi cut him off rudely, “Why so many words?”
“Bai Qi!” Bai Jingtai’s expression darkened.
“That’s exactly it! He’s just an innkeeper. You treat him as a friend, and he still dares to show up?”
Bai Qi didn’t bother to care whether Bai Jingtai’s face would be saved in front of old friends. She was already full of anger. Although the Liu family wasn’t as wealthy as the Bai family, they were still a clan where everyone practiced martial arts, and since they were on their territory, she had to hold back her anger. The two guards were used to being scolded and remained calm no matter how often they were berated for causing trouble. Faced with Lin Dong, who stood in the way of her returning to her room to practice, how could Miss Bai not take the chance to vent her anger? Bai Jingtai was red-faced with anger but couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh. He could only take several deep breaths and force a smile at Lin Dong, saying, “Shopkeeper Lin, my daughter has been spoiled since childhood. Please don’t take it personally.” Lin Dong shook his head. From start to finish, Bai Qi hadn’t existed in his eyes at all. It was annoying to be interrupted by someone who didn’t exist, but since it came to Bai Jingtai’s face, he had to give in. “Boss Bai, when I ran an inn in Qiufeng City, I took in an elderly man in his eighties. Before he passed away, he taught me a few spirit arrays, one of which is called the Spirit Speed Array. Practicing it can speed up the flow of spiritual energy through the meridians. Based on my understanding of spirit arrays, I can probably set up one that doubles the speed.” “Really?” Bai Jingtai was overjoyed. Bai Qi was stunned for a moment before sneering, “If you could set up spirit arrays, why would you run an inn? Wouldn’t it be better to just sit around counting silver?” Lin Dong ignored Bai Qi’s skepticism as if it were just a breeze passing by and said calmly, “Setting up a spirit array requires quite a few spirit stones and rare materials. If Boss Bai trusts me, he can ask me to give it a try.” “I trust Shopkeeper Lin’s character completely! How could I not trust him?” Bai Jingtai nodded eagerly, looking as if he was willing to give Lin Dong everything he had. Lin Dong smiled and said, “It will take a total of 100 first-tier spirit stones. As for the rare materials… I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose that. A hundred taels of silver should be enough. Also, I’ve never tried this spirit array before. It will take six or seven days to complete, and success isn’t guaranteed. Boss Bai had better not neglect either aspect—he still needs to work hard on the Meridian Unblocking Pills.” “Alright, I’ll follow Shopkeeper Lin’s advice. I only left a little spirit stone for Bai Qi to practice with. I’ll go to the antique shop to buy more tomorrow morning. If both attempts fail, it can only be blamed on my daughter Bai Qi’s bad luck.”
Bai Jingtai also returned filled with anger, but now his face was lit with joy. One hope had turned into two, and if one of them succeeded, it would almost double his daughter’s natural talent. This sense of turning around from darkness to light made even his fatty body tremble.
The family founder—this was his greatest wish in nearly a decade. As long as Bai Qi could enter the Gu Huan Clan, this wish would take a huge step forward.
“100 spirit stones per level, 100 taels of silver—add up to just 200 taels of silver…” Bai Qi sneered again, “Just cheating for such a small amount of silver. How useless.”
“Shut up!”
Bai Jingtai was truly angry. What were a few hundred taels of silver? Thousands or tens of thousands? If Lin Dong asked, he would agree without hesitation. Over the years, he had often mentioned in front of Bai Qi how this savior had refused his gratitude. Yet this daughter remembered nothing of what he had said.
Even if she didn’t remember, as a father’s friend, did she have the right to mock him?
Even if they weren’t friends, it was better to assume goodwill—someone who might greatly help him. Before it was clear whether they were real or not, and since he wasn’t short of money, could she afford to mock him?
“You… you’re attacking me for some unrelated swindler?” Bai Qi stamped her foot suddenly, drew the sword at her waist, and pointed it at Lin Dong. “Damn swindler! I’ll kill you…”
Slap!
Bai Jingtai slapped Bai Qi hard in the face, leaving five prominent finger marks.
“Go back to your room!”
With a pale face, Bai Jingtai stared straight into Bai Qi’s confused eyes, his voice leaving no room for argument.
For the first time, Bai Jingtai regretted spoiling his daughter too much. She was so unreasonable. If she really entered the Gu Huan Clan and her family background didn’t help, who knew what disasters she might cause.
With a thud, Bai Qi saw her sword fall to the ground. She covered her face and rushed upstairs.
A moment later, the loud sound of a door slamming came from the hall.
Bai Jingtai took a deep breath and said gravely, “Manager Lin, I’m sorry…”
Seeing Bai Jingtai’s state, Lin Dong gave up the idea of inviting him for a drink to improve their relationship. Shaking his head, he said, “After knowing each other for so many years, Boss Bai can’t think of Lin Dong as a petty person, right? Go and talk to her. It’s not really her fault. If anyone’s to blame, it’s you. Take your time—she’ll understand your good intentions eventually.”
“I’m sorry for embarrassing Manager Lin,” Bai Jingtai nodded.
“By the way!” As Bai Jingtai was heading upstairs, Lin Dong called him back, glancing at the two bodyguards. “Carrying treasure invites trouble. Please keep the matter of the spirit array a secret for me, Boss Bai.”
Bai Jingtai was a smart man and naturally understood Lin Dong’s concerns, so he nodded solemnly.