Hu Tangdi looked up at Shang Lin, a flicker of something strange in her beastly eyes in the darkness. The next second, lightning struck again. She bit her lower lip. "I don't regret it."

If he didn't agree, he would die now, struck by lightning and reduced to ashes. If he agreed, he might have a sliver of hope. This person might be incredibly powerful, but a human's lifespan is ultimately shorter than that of a demon. Perhaps before he even had a chance to regret it, he would already be...

Shang Lin had some understanding of Hu Tangdi's thoughts, but since signing the blood pact meant Hu was now his servant, why wouldn't he agree? As for how long it would take…

Haha, let's see how long it lasts.

"Since you've made up your mind, let's continue with the blood pact. Whether we seal you with an array or 'seal' you with a person, it's the same from the perspective of the Heavenly Dao, so naturally it won't strike you down again."

"……yes."

When Hu Tangdi signed the blood pact, he didn't feel anything special. He only felt a tingling sensation in his heart that quickly disappeared, but the thunder that seemed to be right next to his ear gradually faded away, followed by a downpour.

Shang Lin noticed a red mark on his chest, but he didn't pay attention because he heard the door open. It was Old Man Chai who had come to see him so late in the rain.

Shang Lin immediately darted into the covers, and Hu Tangdi disappeared with him. Although their blood pact had just been established, the connection was already formed, and Shang Lin didn't need to say anything more.

Old Man Chai moved very quietly, and turned the flashlight beam to its lowest setting. Seeing that Shang Lin was asleep in bed, he immediately felt relieved. He then covered him with a blanket before leaving quietly.

As he stepped outside, he glanced at the torrential rain. He hadn't expected the rain to come down so quickly, subsiding in less than five minutes. But no matter what, as long as Shang Lin was alright, that was all that mattered.

After Old Man Chai left, Shang Lin immediately sat up. Was he really raising her like a daughter? He didn't even trust her during thunderstorms. The next second, Hu Tangdi appeared before her, looking very serious, and asked, "Master, who was that man just now?"

Shang Lin quickly snapped out of his daze. "Godfather, what's wrong?"

"There is a faint, barely perceptible demonic aura about him. I don't know if he has been in contact with demons and picked up this aura, or if his ancestors had been involved with demons and left behind a trace of demonic blood."

Shang Lin was somewhat shocked. "Are you sure?" How come she hadn't noticed anything?

"Master, you don't need to worry about it. This little bit of demonic energy is negligible no matter where it comes from. At most, he is just a little more sensitive than an ordinary person, and he has no other abilities."

"...Is that so?"

Even so, Shang Lin considered it no small matter. What if the perceptive Old Man Chai realized that he was not the original owner of the body? Given his concern for the original owner, their relationship must be very close, and they might even be blood relatives.

If that's the case, then wouldn't the original owner also have a trace of demonic energy? That's why he was able to attract these strange beings as he got older?

However, these are things that cannot be asked for the time being. We can only keep an eye on them. Besides, we don't know how to explain this matter of selling mountain products to Old Man Chai.

Just thinking about this gave Shang Lin a headache. He couldn't very well tell the truth or send the person away, could he?

Seeing Shang Lin's childlike face with a deeply furrowed brow, Hu Tangdi couldn't help but ask, "What is Master worried about?"

Shang Lin immediately denied it, "It's not about that. I'm selling mountain products tomorrow, and I don't know how to explain it to my godfather."

"What's there to explain? All you need to do is create an illusion. What can an ordinary person like him possibly see?"

"Okay, we'll see how things go then."

The next day at breakfast, Old Man Chai said to Shang Lin, "I'm going to the county to handle your school enrollment procedures. I don't know how long it will take. You need to take good care of yourself while you're home alone."

Shang Lin was taken aback. An opportunity had come so suddenly? But, "It's summer vacation now, how do we go about these procedures? It'll be very troublesome, won't it?"

Old Man Chai had never done anything like this before, and said frankly, "I don't know either, I'll go to the county to ask first. But don't worry, you'll definitely be able to go to school on September 1st."

"Um."

After Old Man Chai left, Shang Lin immediately had the free laborers sort through the mountain produce, selling everything except for medicinal herbs with spiritual energy. It wasn't just him and his son who needed money; everyone in the Dragon Spirit Tower needed it too.

However, we didn't realize how much mountain produce we had until we started sorting it out. While having more mountain produce is a good thing, it doesn't explain the absence of some wild vegetables that are no longer available in the mountains.

As mentioned before, the village only has two ways to preserve vegetables—drying and quick-freezing, but these are fresh. So Shang Lin could only say, "Let's think of another way."

Qiu Niang said, "We can also pickle these wild mountain vegetables. That's what we used to do on our family's estate. That way, we can soak them in water in winter and still have vegetables to eat, or we can make them into salted vegetables."

Shang Lin nodded. "That's a good idea, but it's inconvenient to buy salt; we have to go to the county. Oh, and pickling vegetables requires a vat. It seems that going to school in the county is really necessary for me. Otherwise, it's too inconvenient in the village; I feel restricted in everything I do."

Xing Tian hurriedly chimed in, "That's right, that's right. Moreover, transporting wild vegetables in the county is more convenient than in the village. There's no need to pickle them; you can take them directly to a more distant place to sell and get a better price."

Shang Lin was aware of this as well, but, "Who among us can go?"

Xing Tian immediately pointed at Hu Tangdi, "We can't be seen in public during the day, but she can. And she'd definitely do better in sales; she wouldn't even need to go to the market, she could go straight to hotels and restaurants..."

Before Hu Tangdi could say anything, Shang Lin immediately refused, "No, she has to stay by my side to protect me. Let's do as Qiu Niang says first."

Although a blood pact has been signed, Hu Tangdi is still wild and untamed after just emerging from the world. If she is too far away, who knows what kind of disobedient things she might do? With his current cultivation level, he cannot protect her.

Moreover, I am now Hu Tangdi's master, the one who suppresses her in place of the magic array. So if she makes a big mistake, Heaven will hold me responsible for half of it.

I'm eager to make money, but I know what's important and I won't risk my life for it like Li Hongjin.

No one knew Shang Lin's thoughts, but Hu Tangdi gave a charming smile, "Master, don't worry, I will protect you. Besides, the human world is now in the Dharma-ending Age, and there aren't many aliens who can defeat me."

Huang Ying couldn't stand Hu Tangdi's frivolous and unrestrained manner at all times, and subconsciously reminded him, "You're still a minor, please change your foxy ways. If you want to be frivolous, go somewhere else."

Hu Tangdi remained defiant, saying, "I'm a vixen, how do you expect me to change?"

"you……"

"Alright," Shang Lin hurriedly interrupted, "Manager Duan will be here soon, you all go about your business."

As soon as Shang Lin spoke, everyone disappeared in unison.