Chapter 56: Jiang Lin's Salute to His Master!
In front of the mysterious cave, Xiao Yi Xian quietly stared into Jiang Lin's eyes, her gaze filled with huge question marks.
"…Alright." Perhaps unnerved by her stare, Jiang Lin sighed and explained helplessly, "My storage ring space is limited. I only have twenty tier-two arrows and three tier-three ones. I spent everything I had to make those twenty-three… no, twenty-one now. The two stuck in the Scarlet Flame Azure Hawk's head need to be reprocessed."
Even if Jiang Lin was now an unofficial third-tier blacksmith, it wasn't like he was so extravagant he'd waste arrows as valuable as entry-level pills just to shoot at low-level tier-one rock snakes...
"Besides, it's a common unspoken rule among mercenaries: unless there's conflict, we avoid killing magical beasts unrelated to the mission. Those snakes weren't in the way, so why bother?" Jiang Lin shrugged. Why did Xiao Yi Xian always see him as the type to kick every grandma crossing the street?
"…Alright." Xiao Yi Xian pursed her lips, shifting her attention toward the stone door inside the cave.
"Both of you, step back," Jiang Lin said, positioning himself protectively in front of Xiao Yi Xian and the blue eagle. Suddenly, black armor began to materialize from the space around him.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
As each piece appeared, Jiang Lin quickly fitted them onto his body in order. Within thirty seconds, a towering 1.8-meter tall black-armored warrior stood before Xiao Yi Xian and the blue eagle, face completely obscured.
"Who knows if this senior left us a little prank?" Jiang Lin said. "Eagle-bro, take Xiao Yi Xian outside and hover nearby. I'll check the door."
Seeing him like this, Xiao Yi Xian looked him over curiously and, after warning him to be careful, climbed onto the blue eagle and flew out of the cave entrance.
Swish!
Jiang Lin drew a black straight-blade and slid it behind his back in a way that oozed intimidation. He loved this kind of brutal aesthetic.
Then, he took out the Xuanming Shield his big brother had gifted him—slightly modified—and slotted it into a groove on his left arm. Now in his full iron turtle form, Jiang Lin stepped up to the stone door, placed both hands on it, and pushed with all his might.
Rumble!
The stone door, sealed for who knew how many years, slowly creaked open. Jiang Lin instinctively held his breath, half-expecting some pharaoh's curse to come rushing out…
Silence.
The cave interior was pitch-black. Jiang Lin couldn't see a thing from the entrance, but his soul sense told him there were no living beings inside. No—wait, there were plants. Spirit herbs. And they were high grade.
He tossed a stone inside.
Nothing.
"Huh… looks like this senior was legit. No traps to test juniors." Jiang Lin muttered, a little surprised.
Then—
Click!
Having dealt with Dou Artifacts for so long, Jiang Lin instantly recognized the sound of a mechanism activating. Without hesitation, he crouched and raised his shield over his head!
Clang clang clang clang clang!
A barrage of metal slammed against his shield, sparks flying everywhere.
It wasn't until a minute later that Jiang Lin rose from a pile of broken arrows, wincing as he checked his scratched-up armor and shield. "This senior really had a taste for mischief…"
The arrows were made of common iron. Jiang Lin couldn't help but grumble—his prized armor hadn't even had a proper debut, and now the paint was scratched up. It was a little heartbreaking.
So, resigning himself to the damage, he held up his shield and continued deeper into the cave.
Click!
Clang clang clang!
Right. Just about every step triggered another volley of arrows. But determined to keep Xiao Yi Xian safe, Jiang Lin walked through the storm of arrows step by step.
Fwoosh!
Dou Qi flames from his Flame Fist ignited in his palm, illuminating the cave. Before him stood a stone throne. Upon it sat a skeleton, devoid of flesh, its hollow sockets staring coldly at him.
Beneath the skeleton were three metal boxes, locked tight, resting quietly as if waiting for the right person.
Jiang Lin stared at the skeleton: "…"
The skeleton stared silently at Jiang Lin as he took more arrows to the face: "…"
If the skeleton could speak, it would probably say: Could you show a little more respect for my trial?!
Jiang Lin scratched his head, then began collecting all the semi-rotted arrows, some still preserved through anti-decay treatment. He piled them up in the center of the cave and lit a bonfire with Flame Fist.
Jiang Lin (palms together): "Thank you, senior, for the wood donation!"
Skeleton: "…"
With the firelight illuminating the space, Jiang Lin finally saw the cave's full interior—piles of gold coins, rusted weapons, several vibrant spirit herbs, and the three mysterious boxes at the skeleton's feet.
He checked every corner of the cave, ensuring there were no more traps, then called Xiao Yi Xian and the blue eagle inside.
The moment Blue Eagle entered, it spotted a spirit herb and dashed toward it like a thief in the night—only to be caught by Jiang Lin, who wrestled it to the ground.
Xiao Yi Xian: "…"
"Xiao Linzi, Xiao Lan worked hard today. If it weren't for it, we never would've found this place. Let it have the herb." Xiao Yi Xian played the role of mediator perfectly. The blue eagle immediately shot her a grateful look from under Jiang Lin.
"Eagle-bro, Eagle-bro… one day, beauty will be your downfall," Jiang Lin sighed, letting go of the eagle's neck. It got up and eagerly tried to eat every herb in the cave, only to be stopped by Xiao Yi Xian:
"Don't eat like that! It's dangerous. Take it one by one. I'll pack them for you later."
Then she shot Jiang Lin a side-eye. "What kind of nonsense have you been feeding Xiao Lan lately?!"
Ignoring him, Xiao Yi Xian walked up to the skeleton, glanced at the three metal boxes, and understood immediately. She bowed respectfully.
"Thank you, Senior, for this gift to us juniors."
Jiang Lin, still in armor, removed his helmet to reveal his face. Standing beside her, he also bowed deeply.
"Lin has no master. So to anyone who aids my cultivation, I offer the bow of a disciple."
Xiao Yi Xian stared at Jiang Lin's serious expression beneath the armor, her gaze softening.
"Hehe… since you're now my teacher, even for a day, I'll be taking your welcome gift, yeah?" Jiang Lin grinned shamelessly, walked up, and slipped the ring off the skeleton's finger. Then he paused… and snapped off one of its ribs.
"Taking a bone too, so I can remember you, Master."
Skeleton: "…"
Xiao Yi Xian: "???"
(END CHAPTER)
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