53: Chapter 53 Forcibly Cutting in Line
Zhou Yuan took a deep breath and forced a smile.
"Boss Lin, this dog cannot wait a week."
Lin Fan spread his hands.
"Then there is nothing I can do. Why don't you try another place?"
Another place?
If another place would take it, would he, Zhou Yuan, even need to come here?
The smile on Zhou Yuan's face gradually faded.
He turned his head and glanced at the middle-aged man holding the Shadow Hound.
He then glanced at the person in third place—a middle-aged woman dressed in plain clothes.
She was holding an Iron-Backed Turtle in her arms, looking over here nervously.
Then, he made a decision.
He gave a look to the few burly men in black.
The lead burly man understood immediately and strode toward the middle-aged woman.
"Get up."
The middle-aged woman was stunned.
"Wh...what?"
The burly man didn't say another word; he grabbed her arm and hauled her up from the chair.
"Ah! What are you doing!"
The middle-aged woman screamed, and the Iron-Backed Turtle in her arms nearly fell to the ground.
Another burly man walked over, snatched the Iron-Backed Turtle, threw it back into her arms, and then shoved her.
"Get lost."
The middle-aged woman stumbled a few steps and nearly fell.
She held the Iron-Backed Turtle, her face deathly pale and her lips trembling, but she dared not say a word.
The surrounding crowd stirred, but no one dared to step forward.
Those burly men were all thick-limbed and broad-waisted; it was clear they were not to be trifled with.
Who would dare to court such disaster?
The burly man moved the vacated chair in front of Zhou Yuan and set it down firmly.
Zhou Yuan nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Lin Fan, all smiles.
"Boss Lin, the third position is now vacant. You can take it."
The whole place went quiet.
Everyone's eyes were focused on Lin Fan.
Ye Qing was trembling with anger.
"Zhou Yuan! You have gone too far!"
Zhou Yuan didn't even glance at her; he just stared at Lin Fan.
Lin Fan set down his teacup and looked at Zhou Yuan.
His gaze was as calm as a deep pool of water.
"Boss Zhou, what a grand display of power."
Zhou Yuan laughed.
"Boss Lin, don't misunderstand. I just wanted to show you my sincerity. I've invested a fortune for this dog."
He pointed at the dying Shadow Hound.
"Now, the position is vacant. Boss Lin, you can take it now, right?"
Lin Fan was silent for a few seconds.
Then, he smiled.
"I'll take it."
He stood up and walked over to the middle-aged woman.
"Ma'am, please don't leave yet."
The middle-aged woman was stunned for a moment, looking at him.
Lin Fan took a business card out of his pocket and handed it to her.
"Come to the shop tomorrow morning, and I will take a look at it for you privately. No charge."
The middle-aged woman was stunned.
"Master Lin... this..."
Lin Fan waved his hand.
"Go on back, see you tomorrow."
The middle-aged woman's eyes turned red; she thanked him repeatedly and left with her Iron-Backed Turtle.
Zhou Yuan's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.
He smiled and clapped.
"Boss Lin has great spirit. However... are you going to treat this dog or not?"
Lin Fan turned around and looked at him.
"I will treat it."
He walked back to the small table and looked down at the Shadow Hound.
His left eye heated up slightly, and information appeared again.
"【Treatment Difficulty】: Cannot be treated by conventional means. Under conventional conditions, any Breeder would be powerless to save it."
"【Hidden Information】: This Armor Spirit conceals a trace of extremely thin Abyssal Bloodline within its body, but it has been completely suppressed by the rampant spiritual power, making it very difficult to activate."
Very difficult to activate.
Not impossible to activate.
Lin Fan took a deep breath.
He raised his head and looked at Zhou Yuan.
"Boss Zhou, I will treat this dog. But you must provide the Materials yourself."
Zhou Yuan was stunned for a moment.
"Materials?"
Lin Fan nodded and began to list them.
"A bottle of dark marrow crystal, fifty grams of Shadow Soul Stone powder, and three stalks of nether spring herb. Additionally, I need two stalks of moonlight herb, three Ice Heart Fruits, and a small bottle of Cold Dew."
He paused and looked at Zhou Yuan.
"Can you afford these Materials?"
Zhou Yuan's expression changed slightly.
dark marrow crystal, Shadow Soul Stone powder, nether spring herb.
These three items were rare dark-attribute Materials, especially the dark marrow crystal.
It is said that they can only be mined in underground caves rich with Abyssal aura, and they are rarely sold on the market.
These three items alone were worth nearly five hundred thousand.
The surrounding crowd also began to jeer.
"What? Are you afraid?"
"Didn't you say you were sincere? You're not willing to provide the Materials?"
"The young master of the Zhou family wouldn't be this stingy, would he?"
Zhou Yuan took a deep breath and forced a smile.
"Fine. I will provide the Materials."
He gave a look to the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man put down the Shadow Hound and left quickly.
About an hour later, he ran back carrying a package.
Zhou Yuan took the package, opened it, and placed the items inside on the table one by one.
Lin Fan glanced at them and nodded.
"Alright. Let's begin."
He walked to the small table and looked down at the Shadow Hound.
The Shadow Hound lay motionless, its breathing so weak it was almost imperceptible.
Its eyes were half-open, the pupils cloudy, and it twitched occasionally, proving it was still alive.
Lin Fan took a deep breath, placed his left hand on it, and extended his spiritual power inside.
As soon as it entered, he felt that destructive power.
The Meridians were over ninety percent damaged; there was hardly a single one left intact.
Multiple internal organs were failing; the liver and kidneys were on the verge of collapse.
The concentration of toxins in its blood was terrifyingly high, and it was continuously corroding the remaining healthy tissue.
The most lethal part was the rampant dark-attribute spiritual power, which was rampaging through the Shadow Hound's body like a wild horse off its leash.
Any other Breeder would shake their head immediately upon seeing this situation.
But the corners of Lin Fan's mouth curled up slightly.
Because in the information provided by his left eye, that hidden route was still lit up.
"【Hidden Evolution Route】: Abyssal Shadow Hound (Earth Spirit High Rank), Rank requirement 21, must activate Bloodline Power simultaneously, using dark marrow crystal as a primer, Shadow Soul Stone powder as a base, and nether spring herb as a supplement, to guide the Bloodline Power to reshape the Meridians."
"Success rate: 100% (Given the host's current spiritual power level, it can be fully controlled)."
Lin Fan withdrew his hand and raised his head.
Zhou Yuan stared at him.
"How is it? Can you treat it?"
Lin Fan smiled.
"Yes."
Zhou Yuan frowned.
He had originally thought Lin Fan would hesitate, haggle, or even find an excuse to decline.
After all, he had asked someone to look at the dog's condition—that Advanced Breeder had said personally that it could not be saved.
But Lin Fan said he could.
He said it so easily, so definitively.
He suddenly felt a bit uneasy.
But then he thought, he had seen the dog's condition with his own eyes; it was half-dead, rotting all over—how could it possibly be saved?
Lin Fan must be putting on a brave front.
Zhou Yuan sneered.
"Then please begin, Boss Lin. I will wait and see."
Lin Fan ignored him and began to make preparations.