55: Chapter 55 Recruiting

Its Aptitude cap had even broken through the original Rank shackles, reaching Heaven-Spirit High-Rank.

Compared to before, it was like night and day.

He reached out his hand, and Xiao Hei immediately nudged closer, rubbing its head against his palm, its tail wagging like a windmill.

Those dark golden eyes were filled with affection and reliance; where was there any trace of the majesty of an Abyssal creature left?

Lin Fan smiled.

"Alright, stop acting spoiled."

He stood up and looked at Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan was still standing where he was, his face deathly pale, lips trembling slightly.

His gaze was fixed on that Abyssal Shadow Hound, his pupils filled with disbelief.

"Boss Zhou." Lin Fan spoke up.

Zhou Yuan snapped back to reality and looked at him.

Lin Fan smiled and held out a hand.

"Five hundred thousand, thank you."

Zhou Yuan was stunned for a moment, then his face flushed red.

"Five hundred thousand?! Are you robbing me?!"

Lin Fan spread his hands.

"Boss Zhou, you know better than anyone what condition this Shadow Hound was in originally. Near death, festering all over, ninety percent of its Meridians destroyed, internal organs failing—it had less than six hours to live."

He paused, pointing at Xiao Hei by his feet.

"And now? Earth-Spirit High-Rank, Abyssal Bloodline activated, combat power far exceeding the same Rank. Can you find a second Abyssal Shadow Hound in all of Dongyun City?"

The surrounding crowd began to jeer.

"That's right! Five hundred thousand isn't expensive!"

"If this dog were put up for sale, people would pay five million for it!"

"Young Master of the Zhou family, don't tell me you can't even spare five hundred thousand?"

"You said you wanted to support his business earlier, now you want to welch on the deal?"

Zhou Yuan's face turned from green to white.

He certainly knew the value of this Abyssal Shadow Hound.

But he couldn't swallow this insult.

He had clearly intended to make Lin Fan embarrass himself in public, but instead, he had allowed him to steal the spotlight.

He glared at Lin Fan, the hatred in his eyes almost overflowing.

Lin Fan's expression remained normal; he even had the leisure to pat Xiao Hei's head.

"Boss Zhou, have you decided? If it's really difficult, installment payments are fine; I can accept that."

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd.

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and took out his phone.

The moment the transfer was completed, his face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

He shoved his phone back into his pocket, stared at Lin Fan, and said, word by word,

"Lin Fan, I'll remember what happened today."

Lin Fan raised an eyebrow.

"What? You want to come support my business again? You're welcome anytime, but remember to bring more money next time."

Zhou Yuan was trembling with rage, but he ultimately held it back.

He turned to look at the middle-aged man who had brought the Shadow Hound.

"Take the dog and leave."

He growled, then turned and walked away with the several burly men in black.

The crowd automatically cleared a path, watching them slink away into the night.

Then, cheers erupted once again.

"Master Lin is incredible!"

"An Abyssal Shadow Hound! It's the first time I've seen one in my life!"

"The Zhou family has lost all face this time!"

"Master Lin! Are you taking patients tomorrow?"

Lin Fan raised his hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet.

"The rules remain the same: every Saturday afternoon, limited to three cases. Let's call it a day."

Although the crowd wasn't quite ready to leave, they couldn't keep pestering him, so they gradually dispersed.

Ye Qing stood at the entrance, watching the backs of the people leaving, then looked at Lin Fan, her eyes shining brilliantly.

Lin Fan walked into the shop and collapsed into a chair.

Ye Qing followed him in and immediately burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, that was so satisfying! Look at Zhou Yuan's face; it was almost as pale as the bottom of a pot."

She looked at the three Armor Spirits lying at Lin Fan's feet and continued to herself,

"Lin Fan, your business is definitely going to explode from now on. Can you handle it all by yourself?"

Lin Fan was stunned for a moment.

That was indeed a problem.

He was still a student; he had to attend classes from Monday to Friday, and also go to the association for classes.

He could only handle shop business on Saturdays and Sundays.

Before, business wasn't busy, so he could barely manage.

But starting from today, the number of people coming for his reputation would definitely increase exponentially.

He really couldn't handle it alone.

Seeing him deep in thought, Ye Qing suggested,

"How about... hiring people?"

Lin Fan looked up at her.

"Hiring people?"

Ye Qing nodded.

"Hire a few Elementary Breeders to help you handle those routine evolutions. You can still handle the difficult and miscellaneous cases yourself, but the ordinary work can be left to them. That way, you can free up your hands to focus on other things."

Lin Fan thought about it and felt it made sense.

"Alright, help me scout around."

Ye Qing patted her chest.

"Leave it to me."

Over the next few days, it was just as Ye Qing had expected.

The name of Mo Fan Pavilion spread like wildfire throughout Dongyun City.

"Have you heard? That young boss of Mo Fan Pavilion evolved the near-death Shadow Hound brought by the young master of the Zhou family into an Abyssal Shadow Hound!"

"An Abyssal Shadow Hound? That's Earth-Spirit High-Rank!"

"The Zhou family spent five hundred thousand and still lost all face!"

"My neighbor's Iron-Backed Turtle was cured at Mo Fan Pavilion; Master Lin is truly amazing!"

"Where is his shop? I also have an Armor Beast I want to evolve..."

From morning till night every day, customers came knocking.

Some came to ask for evolutions, some for treatments, some to watch the excitement, and some even came to apprentice.

Lin Fan's rules were set—every Saturday afternoon, limited to three difficult cases.

But for routine evolutions, as long as he was in the shop, he could take them at any time.

Ye Qing was also an efficient person and quickly found three Elementary Breeders.

Two men and one woman, all in their early twenties.

This indicated that their Aptitude in cultivation was also of a high level.

Lin Fan also interviewed them personally; the three had solid foundations, and handling routine cultivation and evolution was no problem.

So, he kept them all.

With staff in place, the operations of Mo Fan Pavilion became much smoother.

From Monday to Friday, these three employees handled the routine evolutions.

When they encountered something they couldn't handle, they would call Lin Fan and wait for him to come over after school to deal with it.

On Saturday afternoons, Lin Fan personally sat in charge, treating difficult cases.

On Sundays, he would also be in the shop all day, dealing with some backlogged cases or important guests.

Business got better and better.

His reputation grew larger and larger.

Meanwhile, in the Zhou family's shop next door, business grew colder by the day.

Zhou Yuan stood by the second-floor window, watching the endless stream of people at the entrance of Mo Fan Pavilion, his face grim and terrifying.

He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Dad, that Lin Fan..."

On the other end of the line, Vice President Zhou Liangzhu's voice carried a hint of restrained anger.

"Useless trash, I couldn't even get you to handle a small matter properly! You let others take advantage of you for nothing!"

"Dad, I..."

"Shut up."

Vice President Zhou Liangzhu's voice was devoid of emotion.

"I sent you to smash his business, and what happened? Instead, you delivered yourself to act as a living advertisement for them! Five hundred thousand is a small matter, but you've lost all the face of the Zhou family!"

Zhou Yuan gritted his teeth, not daring to make a sound.

The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds; Vice President Zhou Liangzhu took a deep breath, and his tone softened slightly.

"Alright, don't take any rash actions during this time. As for that Lin Fan, I will find a way."

Zhou Yuan was stunned.

"Dad, you have a plan?"

Vice President Zhou Liangzhu sneered.

"What's the rush? Let him be smug for a few more days. A wet-behind-the-ears kid really thinks he can gain a foothold in Dongyun City? Just wait."

Hanging up the phone, Zhou Yuan watched the endless stream of people at the entrance of Mo Fan Pavilion outside the window, his eyes sinister.

Lin Fan, just you wait.