Chapter 144: An Amateur

Seeing that Lin Dong seemed unwilling to take out his long sword, everyone glanced at him and suddenly understood. He hadn’t brought it with him! Apparently, he planned to deliver it the next day. If it were delivered tomorrow, Li Yunfeng would likely not be there. The shame would fall only on this shopkeeper Lin; Li Jiancheng, forced to retract his earlier claim because of a worthless sword, and now with just another ordinary sword, would likely take his anger out on Lin instead of Li Yunfeng, at most scolding her for making friends with all sorts of people. Instantly, many eyes turned toward Jin Furong.
When it came to cunning, Jin Furong was no slouch. Among those present, only she could use the Wulong Spear to divert Li Jiancheng’s anger toward Li Yunfeng. As Li Jiancheng hesitated, unsure whether to joke about the advantages of heavy weapons and find a way out, the still-alluring Jin Furong swayed her waist and stepped beside Li Yunfeng, smiling sweetly. “Yunfeng, you really are something. You hide such a good thing, forcing my cousin to show up with a worthless spear. Is Shopkeeper Lin’s long sword at the Cheng family’s residence?”
Li Yunfeng frowned and replied coldly, “Shopkeeper Lin is right. You really have poor hearing. Didn’t you hear him say it hadn’t been given to me yet? Besides, what does this have to do with you?”
Jin Furong didn’t seem upset but complained plaintively, “The guests you brought can offer precious treasures to our lord, while the guests I brought only bring a worthless spear. How could this shameful situation not concern me?”
“It is indeed a worthless spear. My friend forged a long sword that can surely split this spear in two with one strike,” Lin Dong said suddenly. “Don’t underestimate this Wulong Spear just because it’s heavy. My blacksmith friend told me that the heavier a weapon is, the worse it is. A top-quality weapon depends on the number of times it’s forged and its material. Some swords may seem light in hand, but with enough strength and high quality, they can definitely cut through a long spear.”
Laughter erupted immediately. Everyone now fully understood that this Shopkeeper Lin really didn’t know the difference between spiritual weapons and ordinary weapons.
“Is that so?” Jin Furong pretended to be even more ignorant. “I don’t believe Shopkeeper Lin really has a sword that can cut through the Wulong Spear. Heavy is heavy, light is light. I refuse to believe a kitchen knife can cut through an iron plate.”

Li Jiancheng immediately felt displeased. He had previously agreed to pursue a lighter approach, and Jin Furong’s words had once again trapped him. If Lin Dong lost face, he would have to suffer the same embarrassment as well.

Lin Dong shook his head. “Since this Wulong Spear was given to Lord Li by his cousin’s wife, it wouldn’t be good if it gets broken.”

Jin Taifu waved his hand nonchalantly and said casually, “It doesn’t matter, Shopkeeper Lin. If it really gets broken, I can just ask a blacksmith to forge another one.”

These words once again caused everyone to burst into laughter. Asking a blacksmith to forge another third-tier spiritual weapon—this cousin’s joke was indeed amusing.

“Really?” Lin Dong asked for confirmation.

“Of course,” Jin Furong replied immediately before turning to Li Yunfeng. “Yunfeng, would you mind taking out the gift meant for your father-in-law’s birthday so we can take a look?”

Cough, cough…

Li Jiancheng coughed a few times. His daughter-in-law was unconsiderate, so he could only hope his daughter would understand his awkward situation.

Jin Furong pretended not to hear. She knew such words would anger Li Jiancheng, but as long as Li Yunfeng agreed, that anger would undoubtedly shift to her. After all, she should be aware of the kind of person her friend was. If Li Yunfeng agreed, it would be as if she knowingly brought out a broken sword just to embarrass everyone.

Jin Furong believed Li Yunfeng wasn’t that foolish, but given her temper, she wouldn’t just refuse—getting angry would be entirely normal. With a few provocations, given her fiery temper, it was only a matter of time before she struck back.

This time, Jin Furong had decided to go all out. With her daughter-in-law being beaten in front of her, no matter how biased Li Jiancheng was, he would inevitably scold Li Yunfeng. Given Li Yunfeng’s temper, she would surely retaliate. Once Li Jiancheng’s anger was stirred up, at the very least, someone would have to drag Shopkeeper Lin outside and beat him to death.

This would intensify the conflict further. The least severe outcome would be Li Yunfeng turning around and leaving, not returning to the Li family for three to five years.

If she could make her temperamental sister-in-law unable to stay in the Li family, with such scheming skills, who else in the Li household would dare to provoke her?

It was worth taking a beating!

Li Yunfeng looked hesitant. She also understood why Li Jiancheng had just coughed, but she couldn’t figure out why Lin Dong would make such an outrageous claim.

In Li Yunfeng’s memory, Lin Dong was wise and gentle—he would never act so recklessly or speak such bold words. His behavior today was so abnormal; there must be a reason.

Could it be that Shopkeeper Lin really had a better spiritual weapon?

In Li Yunfeng’s mind, shrouded in thick fog, a bright light suddenly appeared. Since Manager Lin knew someone who could set up arrays and was himself a martial artist, how could he possibly not understand the difference between spiritual weapons and ordinary weapons? If that expert could help Manager Lin set up arrays, the possibility of him giving Manager Lin a spiritual sword was also high. Li Yunfeng gritted her teeth. “Jin Furong, today I’ll gamble with you—to see whether it’s me who loses face or you who ends up losing the Wu Long Spear and suffering in silence.” Looking up at the confident Jin Furong, Li Yunfeng resolutely said, “Since my second sister-in-law wants to see it, I certainly won’t mind.” Li Jiancheng felt a tightness in his chest—he had spoiled this daughter for decades for nothing. The others were stunned—could Li Yunfeng really be foolish enough to agree to humiliate herself? Jin Furong’s thoughts raced. In this case, Li Yunfeng would just lose face. No matter how dissatisfied Li Jiancheng was, he surely wouldn’t scold Li Yunfeng on the spot. But… Jin Furong couldn’t help but look at Lin Dong. She could first persuade Li Jiancheng to take out his anger on this seemingly noble but actually clueless manager. With the right words, it wouldn’t be hard to provoke their anger. After thinking this through, Jin Furong smiled wisely and said, “Manager Lin, our Li family has many fine horses. Let the guards take you there. If we’re quick, it should take about an hour to go and back—so it’s not too late.” “Thank you for your kindness, madam, but there’s no need for such trouble. The long sword is in the carriage. Shall I go get it now?” Lin Dong asked with a smile. Everyone was convinced by his words. They didn’t know how Manager Lin came up with such astonishing marketing tactics—first claiming his sword, forged by a blacksmith, was an elite weapon, and now acting as if it were something trivial, casually left in the carriage, and even saying so out loud… With that remark, Manager Lin could never expect to see Li Jiancheng’s favor again. Leaving a gift meant for oneself casually in the carriage—any elder would object to such behavior, let alone Li Jiancheng, who held great power in Autumn Wind City. Seeing no response, Lin Dong didn’t wait for an answer and left the side room. He found a quiet place, took out the Qing Hong Sword, and then returned to the hall. Glancing at the stunned faces around him, Lin Dong said with a laugh, “Um… could someone pick up the long spear? It’s hard to swing if it’s on the ground.” “Sure, of course!” Seeing Lin Dong’s lack of awareness of etiquette, Jin Furong ignored hierarchy and, before Li Jiancheng could speak, immediately ordered her maids to call two guards.

Once the guards picked up the Wulong Spear from both ends, Lin Dong waved his sword scabbard a few times, directing them to place the spear directly opposite Jin Furong. Just as Li Jiancheng could no longer bear it, a sharp noise erupted as a beam of green light suddenly cut through the dim lighting, held high above Lin Dong’s head. As spiritual energy from his dantian flowed into it, the dazzling green glow intensified rapidly. Lin Dong stared coldly at Jin Furong, his dark eyes seeming to contain a terrifying chill, causing an unexplained sense of fear to rise in Jin Furong’s heart. The disdain on his face gradually faded, replaced by a horrifying feeling as if he were in a deep swamp. As the dazzling green glow grew brighter, the air grew heavy, and the atmosphere in the hall became so oppressive that it was hard to breathe. No one could have imagined that a tavern owner could control the atmosphere of the hall merely with his gaze and presence. This feeling angered many present, especially the always-arrogant Li Jiancheng. He wanted to speak up in reproach, but under that dazzling green light, he simply couldn’t muster the courage to break the silence. At the peak of the green glow, Lin Dong suddenly swung his arm, and his Green Rainbow Sword, with its icy, piercing momentum, slashed downward.