Chapter 93: The Grand Elder of Tongquan Sect

The fierce horse neighed loudly, and the middle-aged man’s clothes swelled as he struggled desperately, yet he still couldn’t stop himself and the horse from slowly rising into the air.
“Come down!”
Elder Ding’s gaze sharpened slightly as he clenched his right hand. In midair, the middle-aged man and the horse seemed to be pulled down by an invisible rope.
Boom…
Two thunderous noises echoed, mixed with the horse’s pitiful neighs and the man’s muffled groans, creating a rather harsh sound.
With its head tilted, the horse finally couldn’t withstand the heavy fall. Its limbs twitched a few times, its large bell-like eyes refused to close, and dark red liquid slowly flowed from its mouth.
Compared to the horse, the middle-aged man also crashed heavily to the ground, even more violently. Yet his resistance was clearly much stronger than that of the horse. After groaning, he suddenly sprang back up, his sharp eyes filled with wariness and terror.
In such a small city like Xilan, someone could control their own actions!
As the dust settled, the middle-aged man dared not move. His gaze shifted between Lin Dong and Liu Xiu before finally fixing on Elder Ding. A look of surprise appeared on his face—why did this old man seem so familiar?
“Not bad strength—survived the fall!”
Elder Ding stretched lazily, a glint flashing in his cloudy eyes. The next moment, he raised his right arm slightly.
“Please forgive me, elder!” The middle-aged man didn’t hesitate and quickly knelt on one knee.
“Forgive you? If you dare to act recklessly based on your strength, why can’t an old man kill you with his own strength?” Elder Ding sneered. “Consider yourself unlucky. I’m in a bad mood today—not only will you die, but you’ll die painfully.”
Lin Dong clicked his tongue. That was quite domineering.
The middle-aged man was terrified. He lowered his head slightly and said respectfully, “I am Liu Lixiong, the Grand Elder of Tongquan Sect. I came into the city on horseback because of some troubles at my family’s home. Please forgive me, elder.”
The Grand Elder of Tongquan Sect? Lin Dong looked at the middle-aged man in surprise.
“A sect I’ve never even heard of, and you dare to use it to intimidate an old man?”
Elder Ding dismissed him with disdain, raising his right arm and slightly opening his fist. Liu Lixiong’s neck seemed to be squeezed by an invisible hand, sinking slightly as his body slid uncontrollably toward Elder Ding.
Liu Lixiong was in agony. He tried to beg for mercy, but only a faint gurgling sound came from his throat.
“Hmm… How should I make you die?” Elder Ding grabbed Liu Lixiong’s throat and raised his left hand, scratching his head.
Those casual words sounded like thunder to Liu Lixiong.

“Take your time, there’s no rush. Pay for the carriage first,” Lin Dong said with a smile. “Liu Xiu, take off his storage spirit ring.”
Liu Xiu nodded and stepped forward to grab Liu Lixiong’s hand, pulling off the dark ink-colored storage spirit ring from his fingers before handing it to Lin Dong.
After weighing it, Lin Dong passed it to Old Ding. “We need to erase the ownership mark first.”
Old Ding nodded, releasing Liu Lixiong immediately, took the storage spirit ring, and a faint glow emanated from his palm, flowing into the ring.
Trying to escape would only lead to a faster death. Begging for mercy would anger the old man, resulting in a swift death as well. Liu Lixiong was filled with regret—how could a high-ranking elder of the sect die over such a trivial matter? There was nothing more humiliating than this.
But who could have known that in a small county, one might encounter someone capable of easily killing a sect elder?
While Liu Lixiong was terrified, Old Ding had already erased the ownership mark from the ring. Lin Dong didn’t reach for it but instead said with a smile, “Give it to Liu Xiu!”
Old Ding handed the ring back to Liu Xiu.
“No, no—there might be some elixirs the shopkeeper also wants. How can I take them?” Liu Xiu waved his hands repeatedly.
Old Ding said nothing, grabbed Liu Xiu’s arm, and forced the ring into his hands.
“The shopkeeper…?” It seemed as if he wasn’t holding a treasure but a hot potato. Liu Xiu was flustered and unable to control himself.
Lin Dong shook his head. “Take it! It’s just a small favor. If you have the chance to visit us, bring some good wine.”
“That’s a good idea. The capital has the most fine wines,” Old Ding agreed.
Meanwhile, Liu Lixiong’s face turned ashen. His belongings were being passed back and forth—clearly, he wasn’t treated as a human being!
Wine? Fine wine?
Liu Lixiong sniffed. Faintly, the scent of wine reached his nostrils. Staring at Old Ding, a memory buried for over thirty years flashed through his mind like a shooting star.
Overjoyed, Liu Lixiong realized why it felt so familiar!
As Old Ding raised his arm again, he knelt down with a thud.
“Elder Wine Master, it’s Xiao Liu!”
This sudden change surprised Lin Dong and the others.
“Xiao Liu?” A flash of murderous intent appeared in Old Ding’s eyes before he said gravely, “What Xiao Liu?”

Liu Lixiong hurriedly explained, “Thirty-two years ago, Xiao Liuzi fought with disciples from another sect outside Qiufeng City. Not only did you step in to save him, but after learning that our sect’s cellar contained dozens of jars of fine wine aged over a hundred years, you asked Xiao Liuzi to show you the way. Along the way, you even taught him a seventh-level spiritual technique.”

The old man Ding tapped his head, seemingly recalling something.

Liu Lixiong pressed on, “Also, once we arrived at Tongquan Sect and explained our purpose, you sat quietly at the entrance. The former sect leader didn’t recognize your identity and tried to send people to chase after you, even deploying deadly formation spells. In an instant, you destroyed our sect’s main hall with a single palm strike, allowing us to obtain those century-old wines.”

“It seems there was indeed such an incident,” the old man Ding nodded, looking hesitant. In his prime, he wouldn’t have feared others knowing his whereabouts, but now… Although Liu Lixiong had some connection to him, not killing him would only bring greater harm.

“Elder Wine Lord, it was thanks to your guidance that Xiao Liuzi’s strength improved rapidly, and his status in Tongquan Sect kept rising. You have done me a great favor. Over these thirty-two years, I’ve constantly prayed to the heavens to let me see you again.” Liu Lixiong kowtowed repeatedly, crying uncontrollably. “If Elder Wine Lord wishes to kill me, I won’t dare complain at all. I only ask that you allow me to live a few more days so I can bring all the fine wines I’ve collected over the years to offer to you as tribute.”

Lin Dong felt a stir in his heart. At nearly fifty, this man could still call himself Xiao Liuzi—he was quite astute about timing.

As the old man Ding remained undecided, Lin Dong whispered, “Is the old man worried that he might reveal your identity?”

The old man Ding nodded.

As long as he gathered enough Wind Spirit Grass, his injuries could be fully healed within a year, and enemies coming after him wouldn’t be a big deal. After some thought, Lin Dong said softly, “He still remembers events from over thirty years ago. Your strength must be firmly etched in his mind, so I doubt he would dare say too much.”

The old man Ding was stunned for a moment before smiling and saying, “You plan to have him do your work?”

Lin Dong nodded. Tongquan Sect was located on Qingmei Mountain, just over twenty miles from Qiufeng City, and its strength ranked among the top three of all sects on that mountain. After moving the main inn to Qiufeng City, if they didn’t use the old man Ding as their secret weapon, even with the cultivation advantages of the Guhuan Sect, it would be difficult to ensure that Lin’s Inn could withstand any threats in Qiufeng City in the short term, let alone without a fully formed guard team.

If they could establish a relationship with Tongquan Sect, it would serve as a good shield before the Guhuan Sect grew stronger.

“Fine, you decide then! Anyway, you can’t escape if you cause big trouble.”
Elder Ding ignored him and took out the dark red small porcelain bottle that Lin Dong had given him in the carriage.