21: Not heroic enough, nor treacherous enough

Lin Yu looked at the young man kneeling on the ground, who had completely surrendered everything he had, and the face under his cloak remained unchanged.

The pure, unreserved loyalty and gratitude transmitted through the soul link made him generally satisfied with this transaction.

This was a qualified investment.

"Get up."

Lin Yu spoke.

Zhao Tianyang's body trembled, and he immediately scrambled to his feet, standing respectfully to the side, his head slightly bowed, not daring to look directly at Lin Yu.

"What you need to do now is find a safe place and use the potion." Lin Yu's instructions were very clear.

"Yes, Master!" Zhao Tianyang immediately responded, then eagerly added, "I... I'll go with you! Wherever you go, I'll go!"

In his opinion, he was already his Master's private property and should not leave his side.

"No need."

Lin Yu refused.

He looked at the young man, who still had a youthful innocence about him, and continued to give instructions in a calm tone.

"When I need you, I will naturally find you."

Zhao Tianyang froze for a moment, about to say something more.

Lin Yu then threw out another sentence that completely stunned him.

"Until I find you, you are free. Go and do what you need to do."

Free?

Zhao Tianyang's mind went blank.

He had thought he had signed a deed of sale, that he would lose all dignity and freedom from then on, becoming a dog chained up.

But now, his new Master actually told him he still had freedom?

Zhao Tianyang's eyes instantly reddened, and tears, which he thought he had already cried dry, welled up uncontrollably again.

He took a step forward, wanting to kneel again, but was stopped by the invisible aura emanating from Lin Yu.

"I... I understand! Master!"

Zhao Tianyang choked out, clutching the silver briefcase in his arms tightly, and bowed deeply to Lin Yu.

"I will definitely not disappoint you!"

With that, he dared not delay any longer, turned and rushed out of Old Ghost Hall.

He wanted to live, he wanted to become strong, and for this Master who had given him new life and dignity, he wanted to create a hundredfold, a thousandfold value!

"Ding-a-ling—"

The sound of the wind chimes faded, and the shop returned to quiet.

Old Ghost stood behind the counter, having forgotten to straighten his bird-beak mask, and looked at Lin Yu as if he were looking at a monster descended from the heavens.

His mind was in a complete mess.

Bought for 800,000, sold for 500,000, a loss of 300,000.

All for the sake of taking in a high school student whose background was unknown, and after taking him in, he let him go?

What kind of operation was this?

Was this some young master from a prominent family in Linzhou out experiencing life?

Or was this a special recruitment process for a mysterious organization?

Truly... incomprehensible!

The more Old Ghost thought about it, the more his heart pounded with fear. He felt as if he had inadvertently glimpsed a level he completely could not understand.

Lin Yu ignored Old Ghost's shock. Having finished his business, he turned to leave.

Seeing Lin Yu about to go, Old Ghost's heart suddenly jolted.

No!

He could not just let him go like this!

This might be an opportunity, a huge opportunity!

This young man, whether he was truly foolish or pretending to be, the power he represented was absolutely something a small fry like himself, who wallowed in the mud, needed to desperately seize!

Take a gamble!

"Distinguished guest, please wait!"

Old Ghost darted out from behind the counter, blocking Lin Yu's path.

Lin Yu stopped, saying nothing.

Old Ghost bowed deeply to Lin Yu, adopting an extremely humble posture.

"Your actions today, distinguished guest, have truly opened my eyes and filled me, Old Ghost, with admiration!"

He spoke with such sincerity, as if genuinely moved by Lin Yu's "benevolence."

"I, Old Ghost, operate in Yaoren Lane. I recognize money, but I also recognize people! If I, Old Ghost, were to comfortably earn that price difference from a benevolent person like you, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night!"

Lin Yu remained silent.

He wanted to see what tricks this old fox was trying to pull.

Seeing Lin Yu unmoved, Old Ghost gritted his teeth and directly pulled out his black market black card.

"I overcharged you 300,000 before. It was I, Old Ghost, who was blind and had my judgment clouded!"

"This money, I must return to you!"

He handed the card to Lin Yu, his face filled with a pained yet resolute expression.

"Just consider it... just consider it me, Old Ghost, wanting to make friends with you!"

300,000 to buy an opportunity for a connection.

This was the biggest high-risk investment Old Ghost had ever made in his life.

Lin Yu looked at the black card handed to him.

Return the money?

That was interesting.

This Old Ghost was more decisive than he had imagined.

He was gambling that his future value far exceeded this 300,000.

Unfortunately, he gambled correctly, but not entirely correctly.

Lin Yu did not feign politeness or pretend to be profound by refusing.

He simply silently took out his own card.

"Then I shall not decline."

Old Ghost froze.

He had anticipated that Lin Yu might refuse, might exchange a few pleasantries, or even scoff and say he did not need it.

But he had never expected that Lin Yu would just... accept it directly?

Without the slightest hesitation?

"Beep."

The notification sound for the transfer completed rang out.

Lin Yu's account balance jumped from 530,000 to 830,000.

He put his card away and nodded to Old Ghost.

"Until we meet again."

With that, he turned and walked away, his cloak arcing through the air, without the slightest lingering attachment.

"Ding-a-ling—"

The wind chimes rang again, and this time, the shop door completely closed.

Old Ghost stood alone, dazed, his hand still in the posture of offering the card.

He looked at the 300,000 that had been deducted from his account, then at the empty doorway, and felt completely numb.

He just... took it?

And then left?

He felt like he had punched cotton, no, like he had punched an bottomless black hole.

His whole spiel about "benevolence and being moved" and "making friends" had not been heard by the other party at all.

The other party had simply, purely, taken back what was his.

A few seconds later, a strong wave of regret washed over Old Ghost's heart.

"Slap!"

He slapped himself hard across the face.

"Damn it!"

He cursed under his breath, pacing back and forth agitatedly in the shop.

"Idiot! I'm truly an idiot!"

"If I wanted to make a connection, I should have returned all one million! Given the things away for free! That's what you call boldness! That's what you call investment!"

"He spent 300,000 more without batting an eye, does he care about your 300,000?"

The more he thought, the angrier he got, the more he regretted.

"Now, returning 300,000... what the heck is that?! He doesn't even care!"

"I didn't suck up enough, and I didn't even earn all the money!"

Old Ghost painfully clutched his hair, feeling like he had missed out on a hundred million.

He slumped onto a chair, his face filled with self-loathing.

"Old Ghost, Old Ghost, no wonder you're stuck guarding this broken shop your whole life!"

"Neither bold enough nor cunning enough! You deserve not to make money!"