Chapter 24 The City Lord's Covetousness
Shi Lin continued to stroll around the square, hoping to find out if there were any other talented individuals. After all, Shijia Village only had a limited population, and without outside talent, Shi Zhen couldn't possibly develop the village on his own.
But after browsing for two hours, Shi Lin hadn't found anything.
Most of the trainees here are boys who do physical labor and girls who sell their bodies; there isn't a single decent person among them.
This left Shi Lin feeling quite helpless.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Being able to snag a food-type Soul Master is already a great blessing; one can't expect to encounter any other geniuses.
"Brother An, let's go back." Shi Lin said to Shi An beside him, and then prepared to turn around and leave.
But at that moment, a young man, about twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in luxurious blue and white clothes and wearing a wolf head mask, stopped them.
Shi An immediately thought of protecting Shi Lin behind him, but Shi Lin stopped him.
Shi An immediately understood Shi Lin's meaning and stood quietly behind Shi Lin.
Shi Lin was also startled by the sudden appearance of the young man, but this was Notting Junior Academy, and the young man's clothes and demeanor were not simple, so he probably wasn't here to beat him up.
"You must be Uncle Shi Zhen's son from Shijia Village. Hello, I am Xiao Chenyu from the City Lord's Mansion!" The young man took off his mask and smiled at Shi Lin.
Upon hearing Xiao Chenyu's name, Shi Lin was visibly taken aback. He hadn't expected to run into the son of the Lord of Notting City while simply strolling through the market.
Shi Lin came to Notting Junior Academy mainly to learn knowledge, and also to find a quiet place to refine Gu worms.
Therefore, Shi Lin had no intention of getting involved in the battle between work-study students and these self-funded students.
In Shi Lin's eyes, this was just kids playing house.
Therefore, Shi Lin had never actively provoked Xiao Chenyu and his group, but since he had encountered them today, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and have a chat.
"So it's Brother Xiao! My father often mentions you, telling me to learn from you and work hard to break through to the Soul Master realm as soon as possible." Shi Lin quickly flattered Xiao Chenyu, after all, he was the city lord's son, and he had to give him face.
"My father often talks to me about you. I never expected that you would be so good at raising pigs at such a young age. My dad said he's thinking of inviting you and your father to the City Lord's Mansion for dinner soon." Xiao Chenyu said to Shi Lin with a warm smile on his face and a gentle voice.
Upon hearing Xiao Chenyu's words, Shi Lin immediately frowned slightly.
Hearing Xiao Chenyu's words, Shi Lin had a bad feeling.
Could it be that the City Lord's Mansion is planning to target their own property?
But that makes sense, the Shi family's business is huge, and it's one of the largest in Notting City.
So the City Lord's Mansion died of greed?
He needed to go back and discuss this with his father.
Shi Lin quickly sized up Xiao Chenyu in front of him. Despite his young age, he gave off a respectful and humble impression, which suggested that the Lord of Notting City valued Xiao Chenyu highly.
However, this method was not very useful to Shi Lin.
"Are you interested in joining the ranks of self-funded students? I can personally guide your cultivation," Xiao Chenyu said enthusiastically to Shi Lin, even taking Shi Lin's arm.
The Shi family is wealthy and does need a powerful backer, but the Xiao family of the City Lord's Mansion has an insatiable appetite. Several merchants who sought refuge with the City Lord's Mansion before couldn't even last a month, and their businesses all became the property of the Xiao family.
If the Shi family were to pledge allegiance to the City Lord's Mansion, within a week, the character "Xiao" would be prominently displayed on Shi Lin's pigsty.
Shi Zhen knew that the City Lord's Mansion was unreliable, so he always maintained good relations with the Spirit Hall and would regularly offer some gold soul coins to the Spirit Hall. Therefore, the City Lord's Mansion could not directly plunder the Shi family's wealth because of the Spirit Hall.
"Brother Xiao, my cultivation method is different from yours. I use insects to improve my cultivation. Look, Brother Xiao." Shi Lin frowned slightly, looking at Xiao Chenyu with some difficulty. Then he opened a bamboo basket at his waist, which was filled with countless white bamboo insects. Shi Lin showed the basket to Xiao Chenyu.
Even a normal person would vomit at the sight of it!
Xiao Chenyu was only twelve or thirteen years old and was still very afraid of insects. So after taking one look, he was so frightened that he took two steps back and then hurriedly left the place.
"Brother Xiao! Brother Xiao! Don't go! Play with me!" Shi Lin said to Xiao Chenyu in a high-pitched voice, like Shin-chan.
Watching Xiao Chenyu run away without looking back, Shi Lin shook his head with a smile. This young man still needs more practice.
"Young Master, you acted so well." Shi An looked at Shi Lin with a simple smile, scratched his head, and said to Shi Lin with a grin.
"What's the big deal? If the City Lord's Mansion were truly capable, it would be our first choice. Why would we go to the Spirit Hall?" Shi Lin looked at Xiao Chenyu's retreating figure, pursed his lips, and revealed an indescribable look in his eyes.
Of course. Shi An really didn't understand what Shi Lin was saying, and just scratched his head in confusion.
"Alright, let's go back to the dorm." Shi Lin snapped out of his daze, smiled, patted Shi An on the shoulder, and said to Shi An.
"Yes, young master!" Shi An replied, and then followed behind Shi Lin.
Shi Lin took Shi An back to his dormitory.
At this moment, Shi Lin's dormitory was filled with neatly arranged wine jars, so densely packed that there was no room to even step.
"Looks like I need to figure out a way to refine a Gu worm that can store things. It doesn't look right to have so many wine jars piled up in the dormitory." Shi Lin looked at the wine jars in front of him and stroked his chin as he spoke.
At this moment, Shi Lin began to ponder what kind of Gu worm could possess storage space.
"Young Master, should I clean this place up?" Shi An asked Shi Lin, frowning.
"No need, I'll pack up myself when you get back," Shi Lin said nonchalantly, waving his hand.
"Brother An, the main reason I asked you to come here is to ask you for a favor," Shi Lin said, sitting on the bed.
"Young Master, should we investigate Lin Yu's identity?" Shi An asked Shi Lin seriously, looking much more shrewd at this moment.
Although Shi An seems simple and honest, he was personally trained by Fugui, who taught him some methods to investigate other people's backgrounds, all in order to help Shi Lin.
"That's right, Lin Yu is very valuable. I need all the information about her and her family. Also, bring all the bitter wine from her family to the Academy." Shi Lin earnestly instructed Shi An.
"Yes, young master, I'll go right away." Shi An replied and turned to set off for Lin Family Village to investigate Lin Yu's situation.
"Brother An, wait a minute. It's not safe to be on the road in the middle of the night. Why don't you take the others and stay in Notting City for the night, and then go to gather intelligence first thing tomorrow morning?" Shi Lin quickly stopped Shi An.
Walking on an unfamiliar road in the middle of the night can easily lead to danger.
Moreover, the Shi family also has a courtyard in Notting City, which is enough for these people to rest and recuperate.
"Okay, young master, thank you for your concern. It's getting late, so we'll head back now. Please get some rest, young master." Shi An revealed a simple and honest smile, a stark contrast to his shrewd demeanor just moments before.
"Take your time on the way back," Shi Lin said with concern.
"Alright, young master!" Shi An left Shi Lin's dormitory and then left Notting Junior Academy with the servants who had helped carry the wine jars.
He planned to go to Lin Family Village near Notting City early tomorrow morning to personally investigate Lin Yu's situation.
After watching Shi An leave, Shi Lin sighed and then sat on the bed to begin cultivating.
Shi Lin had gotten used to replacing sleep with cultivation.
As for those wine jars, it's too much trouble to move them around, so it's better to leave them here.
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[end of the chapter]