Chapter 29 - 29: Evil Comes
Eighteen Inner Energy Pills — Fang Lin planned to keep ten for himself and sell the remaining eight.
However, Fang didn’t intend to sell them at the Pill Pavilion. The Pavilion took too much of a cut, leaving little profit for himself.
Selling pills required a suitable channel. Fang planned to sell the Inner Energy Pills to disciples of the Martial Sect, the first step being to make those disciples aware he had such a rare resource.
Furthermore, Fang Lin had heard from Xu Shangao that if an official disciple sold pills privately, the Pill Pavilion would retaliate and stop it. Some disciples who had tried in the past ended up surrendering their pills to the Pavilion under its pressure.
Fang Lin was worried about the same problem. What if his pill sales led to pressure from the Pill Pavilion? He needed to carefully consider his strategy and avoid landing in a difficult situation.
Since finding a solution alone was challenging, he decided to consult Xu Shangao who was much more experienced with living among official disciples and could provide valuable suggestions.
Xu Shangao was slightly surprised to hear Fang Lin’s plan to sell pills privately. But knowing Fang’s style, he wasn’t surprised for long.
Across from him, Xu Shangao frowned and said, “It’s not easy. Your pills will sell well, but the problem is the Pavilion. They won’t take long to find out, and then you will be under a lot of pressure.”
Fang Lin asked, “Is there anyway to solve this?”
Xu Shangao shook his head and said solemnly, “How can we rebel against the Pavilion? There were those who have tried in the past, but the Pavilion is too powerful. Their little tricks and strategies were of no use.”
After a moment, Xu Shangao continued, “I suggest you give your pills to the Pavilion to sell. Although some profit will be taken, it’s safer. If you provide some benefits to the Pavilion elders, you will have some connections there.
Then, you can get a discount when you need to sell something at the Pavilion.”
Fang Lin was speechless, thinking I came to you for a solution, and you’re suggesting I give my pills to the Pavilion?
Fang Lin replied, “If there’s no other way, I will. But for now, I want to try something else.”
Xu Shangao saw Fang Lin’s persistence, gave it some thought, and then said, “How about this? I will introduce some martial sect disciples to you. They will commission you to make pills, and you can sell them your own at the same time.”
Fang Lin was taken aback and then said, “That’s a good idea!”
Fang Lin gave Xu Shangao a surprised look and said, “Did you really think of this?”
Xu Shangao’s face showed embarrassment and he said with a bitter smile, “I didn’t come up with this. Someone else did before. It lasted for quite some time before the Pavilion noticed. We just need to be cautious this time, and not necessarily get caught by the Pavilion.”
“If this method has worked before, let’s give it a go. If the Pavilion discovers the trick, we’ll think of another way.” Fang Lin nodded in agreement.
Back at his place, Fang Lin started to think about how to perfect the plan he had discussed with Xu Shangao. Suddenly, someone knocked on his gate.
“Is brother Fang home?” a man’s voice rang out.
As Fang Lin opened the gate, he saw a regular-looking young man standing outside, smiling and saying, “Brother Fang, I am here on behalf of brother Lu to invite you to a small gathering at his place.”
Fang Lin looked confused and asked, “Brother Lu? Which Brother Lu? I don’t know him.”
After that, he closed the gate with a bang.
The young man standing outside was speechless. What just happened?
Frustration and anger were obvious on the young man’s face. He was humbly making an invitation but was abruptly dismissed. He found Fang Lin incredibly annoying.
However, remembering his mission, he suppressed his anger. A smile outshined the frustration on his face as he knocked on the gate again.
Fang Lin opened the door with an impatient look, saying, “What’s wrong with you? I told you, I don’t know him.”
The young man almost choked. He forced a laugh and said, “It’s no problem if you don’t know Brother Lu. Apart from you, all the new official disciples have arrived. The gathering is specifically for you new disciples.”
From his words, Fang Lin had a vague idea of what might be coming up. This gathering was probably not as casual as it seemed.
Fang Lin shook his head and said, “I’m too busy these days, I probably can’t attend.”
Seeing that Fang was about to close the door again, the young man quickly reached out to stop the door, saying anxiously, “Brother Fang, it would be a great pity if you don’t attend. And also, Brother Lu has brought out his treasured Hundred -year Ganoderma as a reward. All of you new disciples have a chance to win it.”
When Fang Lin heard this, his eyes lit up. A Hundred-year Ganoderma, that was a priceless item.
“When should I be there?” Fang Lin asked.
The young man let out a sigh of relief and said, “Tomorrow noon. Please be sure not to forget, Brother Fang.”
Fang Lin nodded and said, “Since I’ve agreed, I will come.”
The young man finally left. Fang Lin closed the gate and a cunning smile crossed his face.
“So, they’re coming for me and even used the Hundred-year Ganoderma as a bait. Well then, since you’ve laid everything in front of me, I can’t reject it.” Fang Lin thought to himself.
The next morning, Fang Lin went to see Xu Shangao. He needed to know who this Brother Lu was. It would be foolish to blindly go without knowing anything.
When Xu Shangao heard that Brother Lu had invited Fang Lin to a gathering, he said, “This Brother Lu is Lu Jiuhe, an upper-level disciple. He is one of Qiufan’s followers. If he took the initiative to invite you, it might not be a good thing Von must he careful ”
Fang Lin now understood why being Qiufan’s follower completely changed the situation. Even though the other party had ill intentions, Fang Lin was not afraid, especially since he needed the Hundred-year Ganoderma.
By noon, Fang Lin had arrived at Lu Jiuhe’s place. The young man, who had invited him yesterday, watched from a distance. Upon seeing Fang Lin, he came over with a big smile, “Brother Fang, you’re finally here. All the other new disciples are already here, you were the only one missing.”
Fang Lin nodded and said, “Lead the way.”
The young man’s face stiffened for a moment. This man was asking him to lead the way? Was he blind? The gate was right in front of him, did he really need to be guided to it?
“Brother Fang, since you’re here, why aren’t you coming in?” a majestic voice called out from inside the yard..