Chapter 22 The Ancient Iron Tree is About to Bloom

The inns in Wuxing City were fully booked; there were just too many parents accompanying their children to the assessment.

Yu Shan and his group searched for a long time but couldn't find a place to stay, which made them a little anxious.

Looking up, Achen saw Jin Liu, whom he had not seen for long.

"Ah Chen! What a coincidence, we've met again!" Jin Liu greeted him excitedly.

"Hmm, that's quite a coincidence. Are you also wandering around here because you couldn't find an inn?" Ah Chen asked.

"No, that's not it. We had already inquired before we came and knew that the inns in Five Elements City have been extremely expensive for the past month, and it's impossible to get in unless you book a month in advance."

So we asked someone to rent a warehouse in the suburbs to store our goods. It's big enough, but a bit rudimentary," Jin Liudao said.

"Wow! You guys are really well prepared," Ah Chen praised.

Jin Liu: How could it not be thorough? In order to complete this mission, the boss took out the token of the Cloud Palace and forced the Five Elements City branch to convert their training ground into a temporary warehouse.

"Ah Chen, why don't you talk to your elders about it? If you really can't find an inn, you can temporarily share a place with us. That way, we can save some money."

"You know, just the boat tickets from Leiyin City cost my brother and me six hundred high-grade spirit stones, and we've almost run out of money," Jin Liu said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Really? That's great! Wait for me a moment, I'll go talk to my mother right away!" Ah Chen said excitedly.

As Jin Liu turned and ran towards the entrance of the inn ahead, the corners of his lips slowly curled up.

Ah Chen ran to the entrance of the inn and sure enough, he saw a group of people coming out. Everyone was a little disappointed, not expecting it to be so difficult to find a place to rest.

Ah Chen hurriedly and excitedly relayed Jin Liu's words, and Yu Shan's first reaction was that it was too much of a coincidence.

On the spirit boat, Jin Liu seemed to be deliberately getting close to A Chen, but he didn't take it any further. He just chatted with A Chen about his travel experiences when he was bored.

But having just said goodbye and then bumping into each other here again does seem a bit deliberate.

Jin Liu was well aware that his actions this time were more likely to arouse suspicion, but he simply couldn't find a better way.

They couldn't find a place to stay, and his offer to help was a timely help, which helped to bring them closer together.

Let them have their doubts; after all, he truly only has good intentions towards them and no ill will. No matter how cautious they are, they will not be able to find any flaws.

Feather Fan had some doubts, as did Matt and Boy, who were always meticulous, but they really couldn't find a place to stay right now.

"Don't worry, Fanzi. I've prepared enough poison beforehand. If that kid really did set a trap, we can take the opportunity to kill him and make some ill-gotten gains," Bo Yi said.

"Yeah, at least we still have three Super S-class. We are all top combat forces in the Flowing Light Galaxy. If we encounter someone of the same level as us, we have nothing to fear."

"If we really encounter the pinnacle of combat power in this world, it will probably be useless. Such figures would probably not bother dealing with a group of low- to mid-level beings like us," said Madam Xuan.

“Don’t forget that Ah Chen has the ability to sense danger. Since he has a good impression of that Jin Liu, the other party probably doesn’t have any ill intentions towards us,” Xiao Bai said.

Since no one was afraid, Yu Shan was no longer worried. The group followed Jin Liu out of the city, boarded a mid-grade spirit boat, and arrived at their destination in just a quarter of an hour.

Upon entering, it was indeed a simple warehouse with uneven, potholed floors and two rows of empty shelves in the middle, which looked quite old.

In one corner of the warehouse, there was a simple shed, presumably where the guards of the goods lived temporarily.

Hearing the commotion, Jin Ding emerged from the shed and said calmly, "Little Six, why did you bring so many people?"

“Brother, look closely, they are all A-Chen’s family. A-Chen gave us such a delicious plate of dumplings on the spirit boat before,” Jin Liu said.

"Oh, oh! I'm so sorry, everyone! I didn't pay attention. I just thought it was Xiao Liu who was being inconsiderate and bringing strangers along." Jin Ding quickly put on a smiling face.

He has a serious appearance, and even when he smiles, it looks like he's forcing a smile.

His expression actually reassured Yu Shan and his group, since if they were setting a trap to scam people, their attitude would definitely be very enthusiastic.

After Jin Liu explained their purpose, Jin Ding rebuked them with a stern face, "Since they are your friends, it's fine for them to stay here for a few days. How can you accept their money?"

"Xiao Liu's kind offer has relieved our urgent need, so it's only natural that we all share the costs," Yu Shan said with a smile.

Jin Ding declined repeatedly, but finally agreed to accept half of the fee when he could no longer refuse.

"To be honest, the reason I asked a friend to rent this place wasn't just to make it easier for Xiao Liu to take the exam at Shifang Academy."

I heard that there is a low-grade spiritual herb called Purple Frost Vine in Five Elements City, and it is very cheap to buy locally.

However, it only matures for a little over a month before and after the first frost each year, and it needs to be picked immediately after maturity, washed and dried to prevent it from rotting and affecting its medicinal efficacy.

The price of Purple Frost Vine in Thunder Sound City can be about five times higher, but because it takes too much effort to clean and dry, and its value is not high, it is generally not considered by long-distance trading caravans.

That's why I wanted to find a loophole to earn some tuition fees for Xiao Liu.

Even if Xiao Liu doesn't pass the exam, at least we can earn enough for the travel expenses.

Jin Ding's words were all prepared in advance by Jin Liu, and he memorized them several times before he could recite them. So, they sounded very credible now.

Yu Shan deduced from this that this person was too simple-minded. Didn't he worry that these people would steal his business?

Jin Ding took Jin Liu to the nearby woods to cut wood, and when they came back, they worked hard to help Yu Shan and the others build a shed.

Feeling bad about it, Madam Xuan immediately took the measurements of the two brothers and made clothes for them.

She had a full set of sewing tools in her storage space, and in just half a day, she made two new outfits for the two of them.

The new clothes were made of soft and comfortable fabric, the size was just right, and the style suited their personalities perfectly.

Wearing this new outfit, Jin Ding suddenly felt a stirring of romantic feelings.

For the first time in his life, this rough-around-the-edges man, who had always been single, thought that finding a partner might not be so bad.

He was a straightforward person, and with this thought in mind, he couldn't help but glance at Madam Xuan a few more times, causing Xiao Ran's face to turn as black as the bottom of a pot.

If he could find an inn, he would have loved to leave this shabby warehouse immediately.

However, Madam Xuan noticed the man's jealousy and became even more gentle towards Jin Ding. She made small talk with him and unknowingly extracted a lot of information about him.

If Jin Liu hadn't repeatedly reminded him telepathically, he would have almost exposed his identity.

"Sister Xuan, your skills are amazing! I think you should consider opening a clothing store in Five Elements City, and I guarantee you'll have a huge customer base!" Jin Liu quickly came over to break up the ambiguous relationship between the two to prevent his boss from revealing the secret.

“Yes, I do have that plan, but I need to learn how to make talismans first, and then embroider the talisman arrays on my clothes so that I can attract more high-end clients,” Madam Xuan said.

"A rune array? Can that be embroidered on clothes?" Jin Ding asked in shock.

He knew that some weapon refiners could craft robes with defensive capabilities, but such robes were rare treasures that even he couldn't afford.

"I'm not sure either, but now that I have this idea, I will try my best, and I believe that I will succeed one day," said Madam Xuan.

As Jin Ding gazed at the dazzling light in the woman's eyes, his heart began to pound uncontrollably.

If before he had only felt her maternal warmth from that well-fitting outfit, at this moment he truly felt a strong yet unfamiliar emotion.

Even though it was the same person, why did she seem to radiate spiritual light? He felt the same tension and excitement he had when he saw rare and precious treasures in a secret realm.

I wish I could rush up to them right now, carefully hold them in my arms, hide them away, and not let anyone see them!

Jin Liu: Oh no! The iron tree that has never seen a flower has finally bloomed! His eldest son is going to fall for this woman!