38: Buying a horse unexpectedly, meeting a fellow villager

Putting the books into his Storage Pouch, Lin Yuan looked at the black horse's corpse not far away and sighed helplessly, "Without a means of transport, I can only walk home."

Although an Opening Meridian Realm Cultivator can scale walls and walk on roofs, it still consumes physical strength, and having a horse would certainly be much easier.

Because he had ridden for an hour before encountering Song Mian, this place was already some distance from the Sect. It was unrealistic to go back and look for a horse, so it was better to continue on his way and buy a horse when he reached the next city.

...

Half a day later.

Lin Yuan finally arrived at the nearest city. After entering the city gate, he asked a passerby for the location of the stables and immediately headed there.

"Shopkeeper, do you have horses for sale?"

Inside the shop, Lin Yuan asked directly.

The owner was a middle-aged man. Upon learning the customer's purpose, he said apologetically, "I'm sorry, young man, all the horses in my stable have been reserved. There isn't a single one left."

"All reserved?"

"Yes, that customer not only bought all the horses from my stable but also contracted all the horses from all the stables in the city, so even if you go to another stable, you won't be able to buy a horse."

"Ah?"

Lin Yuan frowned deeply upon hearing this.

Not being able to buy a horse here meant he would have to go to the next city to buy one. However, according to the map, this city was over a hundred kilometers away from the next, meaning it would take him at least two or three hours to reach it, and that was without resting.

"Going home once actually encounters so much trouble. Is my luck really that bad?"

Lin Yuan sighed.

"Shopkeeper, are the horses ready? I'm here to pick them up."

At this moment, a young man entered the shop and spoke.

"Alright, alright, I'll get them for you right away."

The owner said, then turned and entered the stable, preparing to lead the horses out.

Coincidentally encountering this major customer, Lin Yuan, with a mindset of giving it a try, stepped forward and asked, "Brother, I heard you contracted all the horses in the city. May I ask why?"

The young man turned his head. Seeing that the other party was neatly dressed and had an extraordinary demeanor, he thought that the other party might have some background, so he said gently, "Our Family has purchased a lot of supplies in nearby cities, and relying on manpower to transport them is too slow, so we bought some horses and plan to use them to carry the supplies."

Lin Yuan suddenly understood, "So that's it. What a coincidence. I encountered an accident on my way home and lost my horse, so I wanted to buy one, but I didn't expect you to have contracted all of them."

"Oh? Brother, where is your home? If it's on our way, perhaps we can give you a ride."

"My home is in Luoxiao City."

"Luoxiao City!?"

The young man raised an eyebrow, surprised, "That's truly a coincidence, our destination is also Luoxiao City."

"Ah? You're also going to Luoxiao City?"

"Yes, my name is Deng Rui. I am a member of the Deng Family in Luoxiao City. This time, I am preparing to send the supplies back to the Deng Family."

"Deng Family..."

Lin Yuan remembered. There was indeed this Family in the city, but if he remembered correctly, the Deng Family should only be a small Family. Why would they need so many supplies?

Although he was confused, he did not ask, but instead said, "Since our destinations are the same, may I trouble you to take me along?"

Deng Rui smiled, "Taking someone along is not a problem, it's just that..."

He raised his hand, rubbing two fingers together, his intention obvious.

Lin Yuan immediately understood and chuckled, "Thank you for the ride, Brother. Consider this bit of primal stone as a thank you fee."

Taking out two primal stones, he handed them to the other party.

Deng Rui was flattered and said, "Oh, Brother, you are too kind. How can I possibly accept this?"

He said this with his mouth, but his hand was not slow, and in the blink of an eye, he took the primal stones and put them away.

"You must accept it, you must. It's me who is embarrassed to trouble you to take me home."

Lin Yuan was polite on the surface, but inwardly he was disdainful. This hypocritical fellow, if he wanted money, he should just say it directly. Why pretend to be so indifferent to fame and fortune?

"Good brother, since you and I are both from Luoxiao City, we are fellow townsmen. There's no need to be a stranger with me."

Deng Rui familiarly raised his arm and placed it on Lin Yuan's shoulder, then asked, "By the way, brother, which Family are you from in Luoxiao City? Perhaps I've heard of your Family."

The other party could casually pull out two primal stones, so the Family behind him must not be weak.

Deng Rui speculated in his heart.

Lin Yuan chuckled, "I don't have a Family. My parents are Mortals. You probably wouldn't know them."

"Mortals?"

Deng Rui frowned. This person was so generous, how could he come from a Mortal Family?

"Young Master is joking. A young talent like you must be a Disciple of a big Family. Are you hiding your identity because you're worried about something?"

He suddenly smiled, cautiously probing.

Lin Yuan calmly said, "I haven't hidden anything. I truly don't have a good background."

"Then why did you leave Luoxiao City and travel all this way to this city?"

"Because I am a Disciple of the Cloud Ripple Sect. This time, I am returning to Luoxiao City to visit relatives and need to pass through here."

"Cloud Ripple Sect! So you are a distinguished Disciple of the Cloud Ripple Sect! My apologies!"

Upon learning the other party's background, Deng Rui immediately showed reverence, cupping his hands and exclaiming repeatedly.

Lin Yuan waved his hand, "Brother Deng overpraises me. I am just an Outer Sect Disciple and cannot be called a distinguished Disciple."

Upon hearing this, the respect in Deng Rui's eyes instantly disappeared, and he disdainfully thought, "So he's just an Outer Sect Disciple. I thought he was someone important."

In the Cloud Ripple Sect, as long as a Cultivator Breakthroughs to Opening Meridian, they can become an Outer Sect Disciple, and if they have some connections, even a Body Tempering Cultivator can enter the Outer Sect.

Therefore, for Families with a bit of power, the identity of an Outer Sect Disciple is nothing; it's just slightly better than ordinary people at the bottom.

The identity they truly covet is that of an Inner Sect Disciple.

Only by entering the Inner Sect can one enjoy generous Sect benefits.

Those precious resources are far beyond what the meager resources of the Outer Sect can offer.

Deng Rui is now over twenty years old, and relying on his Family's resources, he has also Breakthrough to the Opening Meridian Realm, but he has not entered the Cloud Ripple Sect's Outer Sect.

These Families themselves have good conditions and do not need to rely on the meager resources of the Outer Sect to Cultivate.

They usually wait until they Breakthrough to Condensing Core before going to the Cloud Ripple Sect and directly entering the Inner Sect for Cultivation.

As for why Liu Yuyan occasionally comes to the Outer Sect to Cultivate, it's mostly because the Young Miss is bored and comes to experience life.

"Brother Lin is too modest. Although an Outer Sect Disciple is not a formal Disciple, it is still very impressive. Many people wish they could be one but can't."

Deng Rui did not show his disdain but instead smiled and flattered.

Even so, Lin Yuan could hear the condescension in the other party's words.

"These Family Disciples seem approachable, but in their bones, they look down on common people. If I hadn't taken out those two primal stones, he would definitely have found an excuse to send me away."

Lin Yuan saw through the other party's hypocrisy but did not point it out, merely smiling indifferently, "Brother Deng overpraises me. I am just a Disciple who has just entered the Outer Sect. I am still far from entering the Inner Sect."