Chapter 34 - 27: All In
"Pay to buy your freedom?"
A sharp glint flashed in Lin Yi’s eyes.
He’d just been worrying about not having the money to buy Bone Tempering Pills!
This was the answer to his prayers.
A subtle smile played on his lips. He looked at Liu Yang, who was slumped like a limp noodle, and said:
"Come on, let’s find a quiet place. We need to have a proper chat."
Before the words had even left his mouth, he unceremoniously grabbed Liu Yang. With swift steps and a few quick turns, he dragged him to a quiet, deserted corner.
Lin Yi let go, his gaze locking onto the still-shaken Liu Yang like a hawk. His voice held an unquestionable authority:
"You’re really willing to pay?"
"As long as you stop making me your sparring partner, I’ll pay! I’ll pay!"
Liu Yang nodded hastily, his voice filled with the desperation of someone who had just survived a disaster, terrified that Lin Yi might change his mind.
"Good!"
Lin Yi nodded in satisfaction. He was calculating rapidly in his mind, but his face remained perfectly composed.
"Since you know what’s good for you, I won’t make things difficult. You still owe me a total of 23 hours, 32 minutes, and 18 seconds of sparring time! I’m a generous guy, so I’ll round it down for you. Let’s just call it an even 23 hours!"
"At one hundred thousand Huaxia Coins per hour, that’s a total of two million three hundred thousand! That’s a fair price, right?"
"Two... two million three hundred thousand?!" Liu Yang looked as if he’d been struck by lightning. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as he cried out, "Why don’t you just rob me?! Where am I going to get that much money!"
He felt a chill shoot straight to his head. This was even worse than getting beaten to a pulp by Lin Yi.
"Tsk!" Lin Yi sneered, as if he had just heard the most naive joke. "Robbery? Robbery is against the law, you know! Besides, what kind of robbery brings in money this fast?"
Liu Yang’s face was a mask of misery, and he looked like he was about to drop to his knees.
"Lin Yi, Brother Lin! I really don’t have that much money! Even if you sold me, I wouldn’t be worth two million three hundred..."
"Oh?" Lin Yi raised an eyebrow and asked patiently, "Then how much do you have on you right now?"
"I... My godfather only gives me five hundred thousand a month for pocket money!"
Liu Yang stammered, revealing a sum that would be astronomical to any ordinary person.
"Five hundred thousand?!"
Lin Yi’s heart skipped a beat, and he almost cursed out loud.
’Are all rich kids this obscenely wealthy?’
The pocket money he just threw around was a fortune Lin Yi would have to risk his life to save up!
A sour feeling, mixed with a craving for power, surged in his chest.
There was nothing to hesitate about. He made an instant decision. "Fine, five hundred thousand. Transfer it to me right now!"
"No, no!" Liu Yang was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, waving his hands frantically. "I can’t give you all of it! I still have to buy Pills for my Cultivation! If my Cultivation progress falls behind this month and my godfather notices... he’ll definitely get suspicious! We’ll both be in deep trouble then! I... I can only give you three hundred thousand at most!"
He gritted his teeth, adopting a do-or-die posture.
"Three hundred thousand?" Lin Yi pretended to ponder, but his mind was already weighing the pros and cons.
’Three hundred thousand is enough to buy thirty Bone Tempering Pills. It would certainly solve my immediate problem.’
’If I push him too hard, what if this coward really decides to go for a mutually destructive outcome...’
"Three hundred thousand! Not a cent more! If you don’t agree, I’d rather you beat me to death right here than let you delay my Martial Dao Cultivation!"
Seeing Lin Yi hesitate, Liu Yang immediately stiffened his neck and roared. He was all bark and no bite, but deep in his eyes, there was a glimmer of determination.
Seeing Liu Yang’s resolute attitude, Lin Yi nodded.
"Alright, three hundred thousand it is! Transfer it now! And remember... in the transfer notes, write the two words ’Voluntary Gift’ clearly. Don’t try any tricks!"
"Understood! Understood!" As if granted amnesty, Liu Yang fumbled for his latest-model crystal-screen communicator, his trembling fingertips operating the light screen.
A few seconds later, with a faint electronic hum, a huge sum of money was transferred into Lin Yi’s account.
The cheap communicator bracelet on Lin Yi’s wrist vibrated, and a cold, synthetic voice announced clearly: "Account credited: 300,000.00. Current balance: 353,095.41."
With the money transferred, Liu Yang hunched his shoulders and asked timidly, "Brother... Brother Lin, can... can I go now?"
But Lin Yi didn’t let him go immediately. He took a step forward, and the invisible pressure made Liu Yang’s breath catch in his throat.
Lin Yi stared at him intently and asked, word by word:
"Liu Yang, you’re not going to... run home and tattle to that resourceful godfather of yours, then find people to come get revenge on me, are you?"
A shiver ran through Liu Yang’s entire body, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back. He frantically waved his hands, swearing an oath:
"I won’t! Absolutely not! I swear! Brother Lin, you can rest assured, I wouldn’t tell my godfather about this even if you beat me to death!"
His tone was rushed and sincere, terrified that Lin Yi wouldn’t believe him.
This sincerity wasn’t entirely an act.
For one, he was genuinely terrified and subdued by Lin Yi. He couldn’t even hide fast enough, so how would he dare provoke this demon?
And two, and more importantly—
The reason his godfather had taken him in as a godson was because he saw potential in his decent Martial Dao talent.
If his godfather were to find out that he was being beaten black and blue at school, and even had to pay to buy his freedom...
’What would his godfather think of him?’
’Disappointed? Give up on him?’
He couldn’t bear that consequence!
Having his pocket money drained was just a painful loss, but losing his godfather’s favor would be a true catastrophe!
This fear completely overshadowed the humiliation of being extorted.
"You’d better not." Lin Yi studied him for a few seconds, coolly uttered these three words, and said no more. He turned crisply and his figure quickly disappeared around the corner.
It wasn’t until Lin Yi was truly gone that Liu Yang collapsed to the ground with a THUD, as if all the bones had been pulled from his body. The cold sweat had long since soaked his shirt.
He gasped for air, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
"...That psycho... finally... let me go..."
The relief of surviving the ordeal left him nearly faint.
...
"Account Balance: 353,095.41."
Looking at the balance on his bank account.
Lin Yi’s gaze was as sharp as a knife.
’This isn’t nearly enough for the Bone Tempering Pills!’
He made a swift decision without any hesitation.
His fingertips flew across his communicator’s screen, logging into the ’Pinxixi Secondhand Trading Platform’.
He unhesitatingly listed the First Grade Spiritual Weapon—the C-96 standard-issue dagger—for sale.
Almost instantly, a message from the platform’s official customer service popped up: "Dear customer, your item has been listed. The platform will dispatch a professional appraiser to your designated location shortly for a physical inspection and valuation. Please keep your line of communication open."
Lin Yi quickly set the meeting location to the school gate, where there was relatively little foot traffic.
Half an hour later, his communicator rang.
"Mr. Lin, hello. I am an appraiser from the Pinxixi platform. I have arrived at the main school gate, license plate number..."
"I’ll be right there." Lin Yi cut the connection and, with a swift movement, hurried toward the school gate.
Outside the gate, a middle-aged female appraiser with gold-rimmed glasses and a capable air was already waiting.
She carried a heavy black metal toolbox on her back. Seeing Lin Yi approach, she offered a gentle, professional smile.
"Hello, Mr. Lin. Are you the one selling the C-96 dagger? According to procedure, I need to conduct a physical inspection and appraisal first."
"Yes." Lin Yi nodded. With a flick of his wrist, the dagger, with its smooth lines and cold metallic gleam, slid from the special sheath at his waist and into the appraiser’s hand.
The appraiser’s expression turned serious. She opened the black toolbox, revealing an assortment of small, precise instruments.
She began her work with practiced ease: ray scans, material analysis, energy pattern inspection... she was meticulous.
A few minutes later, she looked up and gave her conclusion:
"Mr. Lin, your dagger is very well-maintained. The energy conduction patterns are clear, the blade isn’t chipped or bent, and there are only a few extremely minor signs of wear."
"Based on the current market buyback rates, the highest valuation our platform can offer is sixty-three thousand Huaxia Coins."
"Is this price acceptable to you?"
Her tone was steady, with a formulaic politeness.
The price was about what Lin Yi had expected.
But he knew the art of the deal. He frowned slightly, showing just the right amount of dissatisfaction.
"This is a standard-issue Spiritual Weapon mass-produced by the Hundred Arms Guild, model C-96. I bought it new for eighty-eight thousand and have only used it for a few days! The wear is practically negligible! Sixty-three thousand? Isn’t that a little too low? Can’t you add a bit more?"
He was trying to squeeze out every last bit of profit.
The appraiser gave a helpless smile, her attitude still gentle but firm.
"I’m very sorry, Mr. Lin, but this is the highest valuation generated by the system based on comprehensive data. I don’t have the authority to raise it."
"If you’re not satisfied with this price, you can choose to terminate this transaction and sell the item on the platform or through private channels yourself."
She tossed the choice back to Lin Yi.
’Sell it myself?’
’Private transaction?’
’Not only would that take time to find a buyer, but complications could also arise.’
And time was exactly what Lin Yi didn’t have!
"Sigh..." He let out a pained sigh, as if it physically hurt him, and waved his hand. "Fine, fine, I guess your platform gets a good deal! Let’s sign the contract now and get the transfer done immediately!"
His tone was filled with the resignation of someone being fleeced.
"Thank you for your understanding and cooperation." The appraiser smiled and nodded.
Soon, an electronic contract popped up on the light screen of Lin Yi’s communicator.
Lin Yi swiped his fingertip across it, completing the identity verification and electronic signature.
"The transaction contract is now in effect. Mr. Lin, your payment will be transferred in full within two hours. Please check your account. Thank you for choosing the Pinxixi platform. We look forward to serving you again."
After a formulaic bow, the appraiser shouldered the black toolbox and left crisply.
...
Before long, his communicator bracelet vibrated again.
"Your account ending in **** has received a transfer from the Pinxixi platform: 63,000.00. Current account balance: 416,095.41!"
Four hundred and sixteen thousand!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Lin Yi opened a shopping platform. His fingers flew, his target clear—Bone Tempering Pills!
He placed the order directly, for the maximum quantity: forty-one pills!
All in!
He tapped the "Confirm Payment" command without the slightest hesitation.
In less than half an hour, an intelligent delivery drone with flashing signal lights landed precisely in the open area Lin Yi had designated.
He signed for the delivery and collected the package.
Cradling the special sealed box full of Pills, Lin Yi wasted no time, turning and sprinting toward the dedicated Cultivation Room specially approved by the principal.
With the current feedback efficiency of his Mosquito Avatar, it only took about ten minutes to absorb the Medicinal Power of a single Bone Tempering Pill.
But forty-one of them...
That piled up to a staggering amount of work!
A full seven hours!
’The burden is heavy, and the road is long!’
He had to race against time!