Chapter 33: The Deal Is Done

“The wine is here…”
With a shout, Thin Bamboo Pole carried a large wine jar straight into the hall, delighting the old man greatly as he praised the young man for his cleverness.
In fact, among Wang Liu Zi and the other four, Thin Bamboo Pole was the duller one. But after doing so many remarkable things with Lin Dong, even though he was dull, he knew the shopkeeper would never suffer a loss.
Although he didn’t understand Lin Dong’s intentions, it didn’t stop Thin Bamboo Pole from cheerfully scooping out a large jar from the 30-year-aged wine storage.
Taking a deep sip, the old man closed his eyes and indulged fully in the taste. Soon, his eyes sparkled intensely as he slammed his palms on the table, causing the jar to rise into the air before tipping over.
The crystal-clear liquid, filled with a fragrant aroma, poured down, making the glow in the old man’s eyes even stronger.
“Never mind! If I’m going to die, I’ll die quickly. There’s no limit of ten pounds today—let’s drink to our heart’s content!”
With a loud shout, the old man opened his dry mouth wide. The wine, flowing like a waterfall, seemed to find great appeal in his mouth full of yellowed teeth, suddenly rushing in like a long dragon. Meanwhile, an invisible hand seemed to hold the jar suspended in midair.
Lin Dong and Thin Bamboo Pole stared in awe, feeling envy—such drinking capacity was truly unmatched!
Bang!
With a crisp sound, the jar suddenly fell vertically, shattered by the old man’s punch.
“Delicious! Great wine!”
Lin Dong came back to his senses and shouted, “Bring more wine!”
“Please wait a moment, sir. The good wine will be here soon.”
Thin Bamboo Pole rushed off with a smile. This jar weighed twenty pounds—equivalent to twenty taels of silver. Given the shopkeeper’s habit of never losing out, he would surely extract another hundred or eighty taels from them.
In just a short while, Thin Bamboo Pole returned, carrying another jar. Before the old man could speak, he asked, “Is this jar enough? If not, I’ll get more.”
“Not enough, not enough…”
The old man slammed the table again, lifting the jar into the air as the crystal-clear liquid poured down like a waterfall.
Three jars, four jars, five jars!
After placing the fifth jar of 30-year-aged thyme on the table, Thin Bamboo Pole’s eyes were filled with joy.
Uh…
After burping and shattering the fifth jar with a punch, the old man glared at Thin Bamboo Pole with his cloudy eyes, “Why is there only half a jar left? Did you steal some?”
“No, no,” Thin Bamboo Pole shook his head repeatedly.
“Then bring more!” the old man waved his hand.

“There’s none left… the next one is the ten-year-old thyme.” Thin Bamboo Staff spread his hands, seeing that the old man had drunk so much in one go. Reason told him not to drown the old man, otherwise all their efforts would be in vain. After all, ten-year-old thyme only cost a hundred coins per pound, and ten jars were equivalent to one jar of thirty-year-old thyme.

“Ten-year-old…” The old man hesitated. Accustomed to good liquor, drinking inferior stuff would be a waste of what he had enjoyed before.

“I think that’s it! If you want more, I’ll find a way to get it.” Lin Dong finally spoke up.

“Okay!” The old man gritted his teeth and agreed.

“Bamboo Staff, settle the bill!” Lin Dong gave him a signal.

“Sure!” Thin Bamboo Staff bowed to the old man. “Thirty-year-old thyme, 86 pounds, that’s 86 taels of silver in total.”

“Huh?” The old man was stunned, blinking rapidly. Seeing Lin Dong’s calm expression, he quickly realized what was going on.

“You little rascal, are you trying to trick an old man?”

“Not at all. I’m not forcing anyone to buy anything. Thirty-year-old thyme costs one tael of silver per pound— isn’t that a fair price?” Lin Dong said calmly. “Selling it for ten taels per pound, even real connoisseurs would think it’s worth it.”

“That’s true. To an old man like me, your liquor would be worth ten thousand taels per pound.” The old man nodded in agreement.

Lin Dong was speechless. Only this old man would think it was worth that much, as he had never considered paying at all.

“Let’s settle the bill and then leave!” Seeing the old man try to slip away, Lin Dong didn’t chase after him. Instead, he said leisurely, “It doesn’t matter if you refuse to pay. It’s just a small inn. I wouldn’t dare argue with you. After all, with one punch of yours, you could destroy my inn.”

The old man stopped, scratched his head, and turned back reluctantly. “You little brat, are you accusing me of bullying the weak?”

“I didn’t say anything,” Lin Dong replied nonchalantly, though he was overjoyed inside. He had feared the old man would just walk away. He had bet that although the old man was taking free food and drink, he would be willing to endure abuse as payment instead of just leaving after enjoying himself.

Fortunately, his bet paid off. If the old man really wanted to leave, he would have disappeared in the blink of an eye. There was no need for him to sneak away like a thief toward the door.

“Um…” The old man forced a smile, completely lacking the demeanor of a master. He said obsequiously, “Can I owe it for now?”

“We don’t know each other, so no credit!” Lin Dong replied bluntly.

“Then call Girl Yun over. She’ll settle the bill for me.” The old man waved his hand and casually returned to his table.

“Although Yun Lan is a friend, I run a small business. I can’t afford too much debt. I need cash this time,” Lin Dong said indifferently.
“Cash? I haven’t touched any in decades…” The old man narrowed his eyes and started to act stubbornly. “Hit me or scold me as you like. You can keep me here as long as you’re satisfied. But… you have to make sure I eat properly three times a day.”
Lin Dong simply sat down across from the old man, tapped the table, and said calmly, “Can you block Yun Lan’s attacks?”
The old man answered truthfully, “I can’t. With Yun Lan’s strength, only at the peak of my powers could I withstand her attacks. Now, I might not even be her match.”
So strong? Lin Dong was surprised. After all, the old man was once a peak warrior. Even if severely injured, he had claimed that no one in Qiufeng Mansion could deal with him. Who would have thought Yun Lan was even stronger?
Doesn’t that mean Yun Lan is virtually invincible in Qiufeng Mansion?
Within Qiufeng Mansion, there might not be any major sects, but there were plenty of smaller ones. Their sect leaders and elders were all quite powerful.
“Kid, you’re not planning to have Yun Lan take care of me, are you?” The old man sneered. “Don’t forget, I’m her elder.”
Lin Dong snapped back to reality and smiled as well. “Don’t forget either—you’re just her father’s friend, and not even a confirmed one. As for me, I’m her friend. Which is more important, you should understand by now.”
The old man was speechless. If Yun Lan had the same temper as her father, she might indeed do such a thing.
After a long while, the old man gave in. “Fine, tell me how you want me to repay the debt.”
“It’s simple!” Lin Dong perked up. “Ten or eight pills of rank eight or nine—any effect will do. And ten or eight spiritual techniques. I don’t need your best ones; anything above rank five will suffice.”
“You really know how to dream.” The old man waved his hands in front of Lin Dong. “See clearly? To be honest, I never carry anything with me. If it weren’t for maintaining some face, I wouldn’t even bother wearing clothes.”
Lin Dong was stunned. A peak warrior like him didn’t even have a storage ring?
Was it all for nothing?
Lin Dong was both amused and frustrated. After all this effort, spending hundreds of pounds worth of thirty-year-old rosemary, and getting nothing in return?
No, spiritual techniques don’t need to be stored in a ring.
Lin Dong’s face finally showed a hint of a smile again. “You’ve learned spiritual techniques, right?”
“Yes!” the old man nodded.
“Include your best ones. Write them all down for me.”
“Sure!” The old man agreed without hesitation.

Lin Dong was stunned. He had only made an outrageous demand, intending to wait for the old man to haggle before offering all the spiritual techniques other than his most precious ones. He never expected the old man to agree so readily.
These were the most valuable spiritual techniques possessed by a peak-level expert!
Lin Dong doubted, “So easily?”
“I’m not part of any sect, so there are no rules preventing me from passing on spiritual techniques. Besides, the old man doesn’t have much time left. It would be unfair to my mentor if I took all my knowledge to my grave. I’m not interested in teaching apprentices either. Even if a kid came to me asking for spiritual techniques, I’d give them all.” A sly glint appeared in the old man’s eyes. “If you can provide food and shelter and give me ten pounds of good wine every day, I think I can write faster. Of course, there’s no need for a master-disciple relationship, and don’t come to me if you have questions. The old man used to drive his mentor to the point of vomiting blood—I don’t want to suffer the same fate.”
Lin Dong was overjoyed and slammed the table hard.
“Deal!”