90: Chapter 90: The Shen Family Investigates Lin Feng! The Shop is Booming, I'm Frenziedly Restocking

A black sedan drove into a luxurious villa district in the Eastern District of Donghai City.

Nestled against mountains and near water, the area was lush with greenery. Each villa occupied several acres and featured an independent swimming pool and garden.

Shen Yutang leaned back in the rear seat, his face so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.

He had already changed out of his white robe into new clothes his butler had prepared in advance.

However, the scar stretching from his shoulder down to his chest still throbbed with a dull ache.

That was left behind by Lin Feng's Sword Qi.

"Young Master, we have arrived."

The driver stopped the car respectfully.

Shen Yutang pushed open the car door and walked through the main gate of the Shen Family estate.

He crossed the front courtyard, bypassed the fountain, and entered the main building.

In the living room, a white-haired elder stood before the window.

He wore a deep gray Mao suit and stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the garden outside.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around.

His face bore a seventy-percent resemblance to Shen Yutang's, but it was more majestic and profound.

His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, as if they could see through a person's heart.

"You're back?"

Shen Tiannan's voice was low and resonant, carrying the unique pressure of someone who had long held a high position.

"Father."

Shen Yutang lowered his head.

Shen Tiannan walked up to him and sized him up.

His gaze fell upon the wound on his shoulder.

"Injured?"

"A minor wound," Shen Yutang gritted his teeth. "It's no matter."

Shen Tiannan nodded and sat down on the sofa.

"Tell me, what happened in the Secret Realm?"

Shen Yutang took a deep breath and began his narration.

From the moment he entered the Secret Realm, to falling into the illusion, to waking up and searching for treasures, and finally discovering Lin Feng and that ancient elemental tree...

When he mentioned Lin Feng, his voice became noticeably cold and dark.

"That Lin Feng killed the Multicolored Tiger guarding the ancient tree all by himself. I intended to... but he discovered me, and I nearly died at his hands."

Shen Tiannan frowned.

"You nearly died at his hands?"

"Yes." Shen Yutang lowered his head. "His strength... far exceeded my estimates. Moreover, he has a very strange sword with immense power."

Shen Tiannan was silent for a few seconds.

"That Lin Feng, what is his background?"

"I just had someone look into it," Shen Yutang said. "A Donghai City local. His parents went missing in a Dungeon six years ago. His Talent is F-Rank Fusion, and his Physique is the Radiant Solar Corona."

"F-Rank Talent?"

A flash of surprise crossed Shen Tiannan's eyes.

"An F-Rank Talent could nearly kill you?"

Shen Yutang's expression turned even uglier.

"His strength is completely inconsistent with his Talent. I suspect... he is hiding his true Talent."

Shen Tiannan pondered for a moment, then looked at the butler standing to the side.

"Old Wu."

A man in his fifties wearing gold-rimmed glasses stepped forward.

"Master."

"Go investigate this Lin Feng," Shen Tiannan said. "The more detailed, the better. Background, relationships, strength, recent activities—find out everything."

"Understood."

Old Wu turned and left.

Shen Tiannan looked back at Shen Yutang.

"What was your harvest in the Secret Realm?"

Shen Yutang was silent for a second.

"I obtained an Ice Lotus and some ice-element Materials."

He paused, his voice dropping lower.

"But that Lin Feng... he obtained an entire ancient elemental tree, along with countless fruits."

Shen Tiannan's brow furrowed tightly.

"An ancient elemental tree?"

"Yes." Shen Yutang nodded. "That tree was laden with elemental fruits, at least a hundred of them. He claimed them all for himself."

Shen Tiannan fell silent.

After a long while, he spoke slowly.

"A hundred elemental fruits... if he digests them all, his strength will skyrocket."

"Father, we can't let him get away with this!" Shen Yutang said urgently. "Those fruits should have been partially mine!"

Shen Tiannan glanced at him.

That look made Shen Yutang's heart tremble.

"Do you think we can touch him right now?"

Shen Yutang was stunned.

"He just came out of the Secret Realm, and the military has records of it," Shen Tiannan said slowly. "Furthermore, that girl Chen Ruoxi personally led the team, which shows the military values this mission. If anything happens to him now, the military's first suspect will be you."

"Then we..."

"Wait," Shen Tiannan said. "Wait for Old Wu to finish his investigation before making any plans."

He stood up and walked to the window.

"An F-Rank Talent who can nearly kill you and monopolize an ancient elemental tree... this person is not simple."

"Either he has had a fortuitous encounter, or he has someone backing him."

He turned back to Shen Yutang.

"Before we have everything clear, do not act rashly."

Shen Yutang lowered his head.

"Yes, Father."

...

Meanwhile.

On the other side of Donghai City, in an ordinary residential area.

A military off-road vehicle stopped downstairs.

Lin Feng got out of the car and waved to the driver.

"Thank you."

"Mr. Lin is too polite," the driver gave a salute. "Major Chen said that if you need anything in the future, you can contact her directly."

Lin Feng nodded.

The driver drove away.

Lin Feng turned and walked into the old residential building.

He climbed to the third floor, took out his keys, and opened the door.

The familiar musty smell hit him.

"Still that same smell..."

He shook his head with a smile and walked into the room.

He closed the door and opened the windows for ventilation.

He plopped down on the sofa.

"Finally back..."

Xiao Jin jumped down from his shoulder and looked around the room.

"Zhi zhi!"

It let out two chirps and began exploring its new environment.

It climbed onto the table to look at the cups.

It climbed onto the bookshelf to sniff the books.

It climbed onto the bed and rolled around on the pillow.

Lin Feng watched it and couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't run around. I'll get you something good to eat in a bit."

Hearing "something good to eat," Xiao Jin's eyes lit up, and it immediately ran back to his side.

"Zhi zhi zhi!"

Lin Feng took out a few blue Spirit Stone fragments from his wanxiang ring and handed them to it.

Xiao Jin held them and gnawed away.

*Crunch crunch—*

Lin Feng leaned back on the sofa and took out his phone.

It hadn't been turned on for three days.

As soon as it powered up, message notifications started ringing incessantly.

He opened the "Equipment Shop Workers" group.

He scrolled up through the chat history.

[Pan Jingjing: Boss hasn't spoken for three days. I wonder how he's doing...]

[Li Xiaoyu: He should be fine, right? Boss is so powerful!]

[Li Xiaoyu: I'm just afraid he got backstabbed by bad people...]

[Pan Jingjing: Don't jinx it! Boss is definitely fine!]

[Li Xiaoyu: Right, right, right, Boss is definitely fine!]

[Li Xiaoyu: Mmhmm, I'm waiting for Boss to come back and pay our wages...]

[Pan Jingjing: By the way, we sold over thirty pieces of equipment today, both blue and purple! The turnover was over 800,000!]

[Li Xiaoyu: Wow! Sister Pan is so amazing!]

[Li Xiaoyu: There's a queue at the door every day. I'm almost dizzy from the work...]

[Pan Jingjing: It's a bit tiring, but there's money to be made! Boss will definitely be happy when he gets back!]

[Li Xiaoyu: When is Boss coming back...]

[Li Xiaoyu: I miss Boss...]

[Pan Jingjing: You two, stop being so lovestruck and get to work!]

...

Watching these chat records, the corners of Lin Feng's mouth couldn't help but curl up.

These three girls were actually quite reliable.

He typed a reply.

[Lin Feng: I'm back.]

Less than three seconds after the message was sent—

[Pan Jingjing: Boss!!!]

[Li Xiaoyu: Boss, you're finally back!!!]

[Li Xiaoyu: Waaaah, Boss, I missed you so much!!!]

The three girls popped up almost simultaneously, and messages scrolled by rapidly.

Lin Feng smiled as he watched them go crazy.

[Pan Jingjing: Boss, are you okay? Are you injured?]

[Li Xiaoyu: It's so good that Boss is back]

[Li Xiaoyu: Boss, have you eaten? Do you want me to bring you something?]

Lin Feng replied to them one by one.

[Lin Feng: I'm fine, everything went smoothly.]

[Lin Feng: This time was okay, the harvest was good.]

[Lin Feng: No need to bring anything, I just got home.]

[Pan Jingjing: That's good, that's good!]

[Li Xiaoyu: Boss, when are you coming to the shop? The stock is almost gone!]

[Li Xiaoyu: Yeah, yeah, so many customers are asking when the new stock will arrive!]

Lin Feng thought for a moment.

[Lin Feng: Tomorrow. I'm a bit tired today, so I'll rest first.]

[Lin Feng: I'll bring a batch of new goods over tomorrow morning.]

[Pan Jingjing: Okay, Boss! Get some good rest!]

[Li Xiaoyu: Good afternoon, Boss!]

[Li Xiaoyu: Have sweet dreams, Boss!]

Lin Feng closed the group chat with a smile.

He scrolled through other messages.

Chen Lin still hadn't replied.

The last message was one he had sent before entering the Secret Realm.

[Lin Feng: Are you there? The signal in the Secret Realm is bad, so I might not be able to reply for a few days. Don't worry.]

He still hadn't received a response.

Lin Feng looked at the chat box, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Chen Lin... what's wrong?"

He was a little worried.

But being thousands of miles apart, there was nothing he could do.

"Forget it, I'll wait until she's finished with her work."

He turned off his phone and began to get down to business.

...

Lin Feng stood up and walked to the center of the living room.

He began taking things out of his wanxiang ring.

*Clatter clatter—*

Piles of Materials filled the entire living room.

[Young Flood Dragon Scales (Purple) ×58]

[Young Flood Dragon Bone Spikes (Purple) ×32]

[Young Flood Dragon Pupils (Red) ×2]

[Young Flood Dragon Heart (Red) ×1]

...

There were also countless monster Materials collected from the Secret Realm—Gargoyle cores, poison frog skin, venomous snake fangs, flame essence...

Red, purple, blue, and green, they were piled up like a small mountain.

Xiao Jin's eyes went wide at the sight of so many treasures.

It chirped "zhi zhi" and rolled around in the pile of Materials.

"Don't play around," Lin Feng picked it up. "These aren't for you to eat."

Xiao Jin looked at him pitifully.

"I'll leave some scraps for you later."

Lin Feng set it aside and began to work.

His goal was clear—fuse a batch of low-to-mid-grade equipment to restock the shop.

Mainly blue and purple, supplemented by green.

White? No, too cheap.

He picked up a pile of blue Spirit Stones and some ordinary monster Materials.

"Talent—Activate!"

*Hum—*

A pale golden light enveloped the Materials.

[Fusible items detected: Mid-Grade Spirit Stone (Blue) ×50, Gargoyle Core (Blue) ×10, Venomous Snake Fang (Blue) ×20]

[Equipment Fusion]

[Suggested consumption: 100,000 Mana]

[Fusion Direction: Standardized Equipment]

"One hundred thousand, I have enough!"

Lin Feng injected mana.

The Materials spun, fused, and took shape within the golden light.

Finally, they transformed into ten pieces of equipment.

Five pieces of blue Leather Armor, three blue longswords, and two blue bracers.

[Shadow Snake Leather Armor (Blue) ×5]

[Defense: 60-70]

[Effect: Agility +15, Poison Resistance +20%]

[Gargoyle Sword (Blue) ×3]

[attack power: 80-95]

[Effect: Strength +12, 10% chance to petrify target on attack]

[Venom Fang Bracers (Blue) ×2]

[Defense: 25]

[Effect: Physique +8, Attacks carry poison effect]

Lin Feng looked them over and nodded in satisfaction.

The stats were good; they could sell for at least tens of thousands of points each on the market.

He continued the Fusion.

Batch after batch.

Blue Spirit Stones combined with various monster Materials to fuse into all sorts of blue equipment.

Weapons, armor, accessories—everything was there.

Two hours passed.

He had fused over three hundred pieces of blue equipment!

They filled the entire living room!

[Obtained: Blue Equipment ×347 pieces]

"That's about enough."

Lin Feng wiped his sweat and looked at the purple Spirit Stones.

He thought about it and decided to keep them for his own use.

Purple equipment was too conspicuous; putting too many in the shop would easily attract trouble.

He would supply mainly blue for now.

Green equipment was also needed for lower-Rank Explorers.

He took out a pile of Low-Grade Spirit Stones and Inferior Spirit Stones, combining them with low-level Materials to fuse green equipment.

[Low-Grade Spirit Stone (Green) ×500]

[Inferior Spirit Stone (White) ×800]

[Assorted ordinary monster Materials]

Another two hours passed.

[Obtained: Green Equipment ×823 pieces]

The living room was completely submerged in equipment.

There wasn't even a place to step.

Xiao Jin lay on a pile of equipment, yawning lazily.

Lin Feng looked at the room full of equipment and nodded in satisfaction.

"Enough, this is enough to sell for a while."

He put all the equipment into his wanxiang ring.

The living room was finally empty again.

Lin Feng plopped down on the sofa, panting heavily.

Fusing continuously for four hours had consumed over a million mana.

Although he had the Source of Life passive to recover mana, he was still mentally exhausted.

"Rest for a bit."

He closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa.

Xiao Jin climbed onto his lap and curled into a ball.

One person and one insect fell asleep just like that.

...

Who knows how much time had passed.

Lin Feng was woken up by his phone ringing.

He picked it up and saw—Master.

"Hello? Master?"

"You're back?" Zhao Ritian's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Yeah, just got home."

"The harvest was good, right?"

Lin Feng smiled.

"It was okay."

"Okay?" Zhao Ritian snorted. "From your tone, I can tell you struck it rich."

Lin Feng didn't deny it.

"Come over tomorrow and tell me about the Secret Realm."

"Okay, Master."

"Alright, hanging up."

The call ended.

Lin Feng looked at his phone and smiled.

Master was still Master—not a man of many words, but his concern was always there.

He checked the time.

8:00 PM.

It was already dark outside.

"Tomorrow I'll go to Master's place and drop by the shop on the way."

Lin Feng stood up and stretched his muscles.

Xiao Jin was also awake and stretched on his shoulder.

"Come on, let's go to sleep."

He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

Today's plans flashed through his mind.

Shen Yutang would definitely seek revenge.

He had to be prepared.

"When soldiers come, I'll block them with a general; when water comes, I'll cover it with earth."

He murmured.

Then, he fell into a deep sleep.

...

Early the next morning.

Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains.

Lin Feng opened his eyes, feeling refreshed.

He washed up, changed his clothes, and headed out.

First, he would head to Master's place.