"Yang Yong."
"Qin Lie, greetings, Young Master!"
Yang Yong and his master immediately got up and cupped their fists towards Lin Chen, acting very courteously.
Especially Yang Yong's master, Qin Lie, who was over two meters tall and built like an iron tower.
"You two need not be so formal. Let's sit and talk."
Lin Chen was very satisfied with Qin Lie.
He was at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, and a rare body cultivator at that. He was simply a bodyguard pick!
"Young Master, from this day forward, Qin Lie will follow your lead. I will die without regret!"
After Lin Chen sat down, Qin Lie knelt on one knee and bowed to him.
"Hahaha, Brother Qin, you are too kind. Please rise quickly. I don't stand on ceremony. As long as you serve diligently, you won't lack elixirs."
Lin Chen was not one for pleasantries. He directly took out five Qi Restoration Pills from his storage bag and handed them to Qin Lie.
Since the man was a body cultivator, having Qi Restoration Pills in hand was like having extra life-saving trump cards.
"Consider these elixirs a welcome gift."
Lin Chen said with a smile. He knew very well that to win someone over, one couldn't be stingy.
"Thank you, Young Master Lin! From now on, just call me by my name!"
Seeing the Qi Restoration Pills in his hand, Qin Lie was overjoyed.
As a body cultivator, one could lack spiritual energy, but not vitality!
For others, Qi Restoration Pills only healed external injuries. But for a body cultivator, they were a life-saving artifact!
"Okay, alright. Then please tell me about the current ranking of power in the Zhejiang cultivation world?"
"Also, tell me everything you know about the Liu and Long families."
Lin Chen nodded and then stated his request.
Whether Long Yuling was willing to increase her stake or not, he was definitely going to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament. After all, as an alchemist, wasting herbs without a suitable cauldron was too painful!
"Yes, Young Master."
Upon receiving Lin Chen's command, Qin Lie dared not delay. He quickly relayed all the information he knew to Lin Chen.
Including some secrets of the Liu and Long families, he hid nothing he knew.
"Qin Lie, you traitor! Why did you betray the Liu family?"
However, just as Qin Lie finished speaking, the private room door was kicked open, and several people barged in.
Leading them was Liu Yunhua, whom Lin Chen had met before in Hangzhou.
"Elder Liu? I, Qin Lie, left openly. How am I a traitor?"
Seeing Liu Yunhua storming in, Qin Lie frowned.
This Liu Yunhua was originally just a representative of the Liu family in Hangzhou. But somehow, he found a thousand-year-old Azure Silver Root, offered it to the Liu family, and was immediately promoted to an elder in the outer court, specifically in charge of managing their guest elders.
However, this man was narrow-minded. Upon returning to the family, he constantly bullied their guest elders. Qin Lie had long been fed up with him.
Coincidentally, Lin Chen had sent his disciple to persuade him, along with such generous terms, so he chose to defect to Lin Chen.
Before leaving, he had publicly announced his departure from the Liu family to everyone. But unexpectedly, the other party pretended to agree in front of everyone, and now quietly brought people to his doorstep. This was truly malicious!
"Heh, Qin Lie, stop spewing nonsense. If you want to leave the Liu family, return all the elixirs the Liu family gave you. Otherwise, you won't leave this tea house today!"
Liu Yunhua waved his hand, and several formation flags flew out, instantly setting up a formation that enveloped the entire tea house.
"This is a Five Elements Flag refined by a Nascent Soul stage cultivator. Anyone below the Nascent Soul stage fighting within here will not be detected from the outside, no matter what."
Liu Yunhua chuckled coldly, his expression filled with killing intent.
After so many years, he had spent so long in a godforsaken place like Hangzhou. This time, he would reclaim everything he had lost!
A Qin Lie, only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. He had just broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment. It was the perfect time to make an example of him and deter the other guest elders in the outer court.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Liu Yunhua, is your Liu family truly shameless? Have you ever heard of an employee returning their past wages upon normal resignation?"
Seeing Liu Yunhua's actions, Yang Yong was almost amused to death.
These people from the Liu family were truly shameless!
"Less nonsense. You two traitors! Either return the elixirs, or hand over your lives!"
Liu Yunhua said with a cold smile. He had initially thought that Qin Lie, after leaving the Liu family, would at best seek refuge with one of the other ten major families in Zhejiang Province. But he never expected him to defect to a cultivation world novice who had just arrived from Hangzhou!
This was simply courting death!
This Lin Chen, at the Zhejiang Province auction, had relied on Long Yuling's backing and refused to give him face. He had made him spend so much more money when bidding for the Azure Silver Root.
Now was the time for him to pay the price!
"Bastard!"
Seeing Liu Yunhua deliberately causing trouble, Lin Chen, who had been sitting nearby, finally couldn't help it. He stood up directly from his seat.
He had seen shameless people before, but this was the first time he had encountered someone so brazen!
"What? Lin Chen, you, a mere mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, want to meddle in my affairs?"
Liu Yunhua sneered, not putting the standing Lin Chen in his eyes at all.
A cultivator from the countryside, even at the Foundation Establishment stage, wouldn't have any powerful spirit artifacts or techniques. How could he possibly be his opponent?
The only thing was, this fellow seemed to be an alchemist. If he could be captured alive, his secretly hoarded Azure Silver Root could be put to good use!
The three Foundation Establishment cultivators he brought with him were all trustworthy. Capturing Lin Chen alive was not impossible!
"Alas, ignorant fool."
Seeing Liu Yunhua's arrogant demeanor, Lin Chen smiled faintly. With a flick of his hand, a mid-grade spirit artifact sword appeared in his hand. It was the same sword that Xiao Kui had used before.
"What? This is the mid-grade spirit artifact, Spirit Snake Sword?"
Seeing the mid-grade spirit artifact in Lin Chen's hand, Liu Yunhua was shocked.
Good heavens! In the current cultivation world, the weapons used by cultivators were generally divided into Mortal Artifacts, Magical Artifacts, Spirit Artifacts, Dharma Treasures, and Spirit Treasures.
Ordinary disciples of the cultivation world mostly wielded Magical Artifacts. He never expected such a bumpkin from the countryside to possess a mid-grade spirit artifact sword!
Furthermore, he had seen this Spirit Snake Sword before in Hangzhou. That was Xiao Kui's weapon! How could he not recognize it?