35: Lin Chengyuan was slapped in the face.

Only the crisp, ear-piercing sound of the Spirit Stones rolling and colliding echoed madly in the deathly silent air!

It struck everyone's eardrums fiercely, like a ten-thousand-catty heavy hammer, slamming hard against Chen Biao, the Grand-Uncle's racing heart and Lin Chengyuan's suddenly frozen old face.

The sinister grin on Chen Biao, the Grand-Uncle's face completely froze and shattered!

His hand holding the "scorpion tail" poison dagger remained ridiculously suspended in mid-air, his knuckles white from gripping it, yet he couldn't stop it from starting to tremble slightly.

He stared fixedly and incredulously at the pile of shimmering Spirit Stones on the ground, which were almost blinding to the eye.

His leopard-like eyes were wide open, his eyeballs nearly bulging out of their sockets!

His Adam's apple bobbed several times before he squeezed out a distorted, out-of-tune roar from the depths of his throat, filled with horror and absurdity:

"This... this is impossible! You... you brat... where... where did you get these Spirit Stones?"

A mere low-level ant at the Qi Refining Second Layer!

Destitute!

Both parents dead!

In just a short three or four days!

From nothing, he had earned a full fifty Spirit Stones!

How is this possible?

This is absolutely impossible!

This completely exceeded the limits of his and Lin Chengyuan's most absurd imaginations. In their script, Lin Jingyu should have been a pathetic wretch with no way out, kneeling and begging for mercy!

As for Lin Chengyuan, his old face, which had still held a trace of hypocritical "heartache" and total control, now seemed as if it had been thrown into an ice cellar, turning dark in an instant.

It was as dark as the gloomiest sky before a storm, filled with dark clouds, lightning, and thunder!

The fingers he used to pinch his beard suddenly tightened!

"Riiip—!"

He actually forcefully ripped out several strands of his carefully maintained greyish-white beard from his chin!

A few strands of broken beard drifted down, yet he was completely oblivious!

His cloudy old eyes were now filled with shock, fury, malice, and disbelief, staring fixedly at the pile of Spirit Stones that was so dazzling it caused him chest pains and difficulty breathing!

That light was like countless red-hot steel needles, stabbing fiercely into his pupils!

Immediately after, his gaze, filled with extreme malice, snapped toward the youth in the courtyard who appeared humble but was actually in control of the entire situation.

From beneath Lin Jingyu's slightly raised eyelids, he clearly captured a deeply hidden, bone-chilling disdain, as well as an undisguised, naked mockery.

His face suddenly felt as if it were being repeatedly slapped back and forth by countless invisible palms using all their strength!

A burning, stinging pain spread instantly, making his entire head buzz!

The withered hand beneath his sleeve trembled violently due to extreme anger, humiliation, and the frenzy of his plan's total failure! His nails dug deep into his palm!

"Whoosh—!"

After a brief deathly silence, the surrounding crowd erupted like a boiling pot!

Exclamations and discussions that had been suppressed to the limit burst forth like a flash flood!

"Fif... fifty Spirit Stones! My God! Just like that... he just took them all out?"

"Family heirloom? Lin Jingyu's branch has been destitute for how many years? Even if their ancestral grave smoked with luck, they couldn't have saved up such a fortune!"

"Hiss... look at the Third Elder! His face is completely red! He's also happy for the lad Jingyu! Look how excited he is!"

"Happy? Why does it look to me like... he's red with anger?"

"Shh! Quiet! But... this kid Lin Jingyu... he's really hidden himself deep..."

Countless looks of suspicion, inquiry, disbelief, realization, and schadenfreude converged like a storm of invisible arrows onto the youth standing tall in the courtyard.

Regarding a clansman being able to miraculously produce Spirit Stones and resolve this life-and-death crisis, most people still felt a flicker of instinctive joy in their hearts.

After all, when the rabbit dies, the fox grieves; one feels for one's own kind.

Lin Chengyuan felt that those gazes being cast his way instantly turned into countless red-hot branding irons and thorny brambles!

They burned him with stinging pain and whipped him until no part of him was left unscathed!

He stared fixedly at Lin Jingyu's face, which seemed submissive but was actually inscribed with victory. His sinister eyes were like poisoned knives, wishing to cut the other party into a thousand pieces and eat his flesh raw!

"You... good... very good!"

Lin Chengyuan felt a surge of wicked fire mixed with endless frustration rush straight to the crown of his head like volcanic lava!

Blood and Qi surged in his chest, and he was so stifled he almost vomited blood on the spot!

His chest heaved violently, like the pumping of bellows!

He suddenly kicked a sharp, half-buried stone fragment near his foot!

"Bang—!"

The stone fragment shot out like a cannonball from a barrel, letting out a shrill whistling sound as it tore through the air!

It slammed heavily into the wicker fence outside the courtyard!

In a thunderous boom, it forcefully smashed a hideous hole the size of a washbasin!

Wood chips flew everywhere!

This sudden, violent action left everyone dazed for several breaths.

The inside and outside of the courtyard instantly fell back into a deathly silence.

Everyone looked at each other, unable to understand what the Third Elder meant by this.

Could it be some... unique way of expressing extreme happiness?

"Let's go!"

Lin Chengyuan's roar of extreme frustration finally squeezed out from between his teeth, as if if he stayed for even a moment longer, he would be completely ignited by this endless humiliation and rage, blown to smithereens!

He suddenly flicked his wide sleeves, his movements as stiff as a rusted iron puppet.

He turned and walked away with hurried steps!

That grey-robed back was hunched and stiff; every step he took was laden with heaven-toppling rage and unspeakable embarrassment, stepping heavily on the ground as if he wanted to crush the bluestone slabs!

In Lin Jingyu's all-seeing eyes, filled with a victor's calm, Lin Chengyuan's wretched figure looked like a defeated rooster fleeing in panic.

He was seen pushing through the crowd in a sorry state, carrying an aura of malice that was almost tangible.

Lin Jingyu spoke up, continuing to add fuel to the fire:

"Take care, Third Elder. Oh, and you don't need to pay for the fence you kicked; I'll fix it."

The airy voice pierced into Lin Chengyuan's ears, making him stumble and nearly fall to the ground.

However, for Chen Biao, the Grand-Uncle,

The primary goal of this trip—getting the Spirit Stones—

was unexpectedly achieved with "Perfection."

Although the process was completely unexpected and filled with dramatic reversals.

He didn't mind the dirt on the ground and quickly bent down.

Like a hungry wolf pouncing on its prey, he nimbly picked up the scattered Spirit Stones that still shone with an alluring light, one by one.

After a careful count, there were neither more nor less—exactly fifty stones!

A complex expression mixed with greed, confusion, and the relief of a survivor appeared on his face as he quickly stuffed them into his Storage Pouch.

Then, he like throwing away trash, he casually tossed the forged promissory note toward Lin Jingyu.

The paper drifted down onto the dust-covered bluestone slabs.

Chen Biao, the Grand-Uncle smiled sinisterly, his triangular eyes scanning Lin Jingyu back and forth like a venomous snake examining prey it temporarily couldn't bite:

"Hehe, kid, you're damn capable! You're quite good at 'earning' Spirit Stones..."

He deliberately emphasized the word "earning," filled with malicious speculation.

"However..." He changed the subject, his gaze becoming even more dangerous and greedy, as if he had discovered a new Treasure Trove.

"Your parents... spent quite a long time in the Black Wind Stockade back then..."