Chapter 234: CH. 234 | Xiao Family

Since An Yue was still feeling weak, she couldn’t finish everything in her bowl, but Lin Tian didn’t mind at all. He’d rather she rest fully so her condition could improve.

An Yue listened and nodded in agreement.

"I need to step out for a bit," Lin Tian said.

"Where to?"

"About that iron ore, I’m going to visit one of the nearest mines and work out a deal with them," Lin Tian answered.

An Yue agreed, asking him not to be gone too long so he wouldn’t come home late. Lin Tian promised her he’d be back before midnight.

She lay back down and closed her eyes again. Lin Tian formed a hand seal, activating a protective barrier formation to shield the house from anything that might come its way.

A white orb of light shot up into the sky, piercing through the roof, then burst outward, forming a dome that protected the house from any outside threat.

As long as the intruder wasn’t a Soul Formation cultivator, they’d have no chance of breaking through that barrier.

Alright... time to get down to business.

He left the house and flew off without anyone noticing. Lin Tian moved swiftly through the night sky, weaving between clouds to reach the mine he had in mind faster.

Finding a mining site was easy enough for him. They were usually located on barren land, in mountains, or near cliffs. He just needed to keep his eyes fixed downward so he wouldn’t miss it.

He flew past Yanzhe City, taking in the bustle below with a careful eye. Then his focus shifted forward, and a stark contrast came into view.

The area outside Yanzhe City was scattered with the ruins of small abandoned villages, quiet and desolate, overrun by wild beasts and spirit beasts.

With cultivator numbers dwindling, the spirit beast population had grown to worrying levels. If left unchecked, those monsters could end up attacking mortal settlements.

He flew on without pause until he reached a mountain, a rocky peak with sparse vegetation. From there, he could make out mining activity below, carts moving in and out of the area.

That’s the mine. This might be where I can get the iron ore I need.

Lin Tian landed quietly on the dirt path leading up to the mountain. No one noticed him; in fact, the place seemed fairly quiet and empty.

He turned his gaze toward a line of transport carts. He could clearly see that what they carried was nothing but mined minerals, a variety of them, bound for different destinations.

Looks like I’ve come to the right place.

He quickened his pace until he reached a small checkpoint at the base of the rocky mountain. A few men dressed like bandits stopped him, blocking his way further in.

"Wait!"

"This is a restricted area, no outsiders allowed," they said firmly.

Lin Tian clasped his hands together, bowing his head respectfully, "I’m Lin. I’ve come to buy iron ore from you."

"Then you’re in the wrong place," the man said. "Hubei City is over there. Go find the Xiao Family and talk to them."

One of the bandits raised his hand, pointing in a direction different from Yanzhe City. Lin Tian noted the direction, then bid them farewell.

He shot off into the sky, flying away so fast it left the two bandits stunned. They’d assumed Lin was just a mortal, never imagining he was actually a cultivator.

They were lucky they hadn’t picked a fight with him, it had probably saved their lives.

In the other direction, Lin Tian flew following the path they’d pointed out. With his cultivation base, covering a distance of thousands of miles felt short to him.

That let him reach Hubei City in no time, a city far more organized and bustling than Yanzhe.

There, he saw far more townspeople, along with shops and residences. Even so, after asking a few people about the Xiao Family, Lin Tian managed to find his way to their residence.

He stood in front of the gate of the Xiao Family estate, guarded by two men in red robes.

A family of cultivators?

"You? Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I’m Lin. I’ve come from Yanzhe City to buy iron ore from the Xiao Family."

They exchanged glances, and a smirk spread across one of their faces, "Sure. One cart of iron ore costs 10,000 tael."

"You can pay me directly, I’ll pass it along to the family elder."

Lin Tian realized they were trying to swindle him. He clasped his hands together and bowed his head, "Allow me to meet with the Xiao Family elder to discuss this more specifically."

"The Xiao Family Elder isn’t someone just anyone can meet on a whim!"

"You’d better understand that!"

After his request was refused, Lin Tian had no other choice. He stepped forward, and a powerful wave of cultivation pressure slammed into both men’s bodies with full force.

The two of them immediately collapsed, helpless, coughing up blood, unable to resist the pressure.

They were lucky to be cultivators themselves, otherwise their bodies would have been completely destroyed.

Lin Tian boldly stepped forward, pushing open the gate and entering the Xiao residence, startling the rest of the family members inside.

They rushed in and called for the family elders to come. Before long, three middle-aged men arrived in front of the Xiao residence, standing atop flying swords.

"Brat! Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?" one of them demanded.

Lin Tian looked at them sharply, a white qi light shining in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on them. In an instant, all three elders and everyone else in the Xiao residence were struck by an overwhelming wave of cultivation pressure, rendering them completely helpless.

"Please show mercy, Fellow Daoist!"

The man immediately released his cultivation pressure as an old man approached. He stood upon a floating platform of qi, his cultivation base at Mid Nascent Soul.

"Our deepest apologies for our rudeness. Is there some important matter that’s brought you here?"

"Yes," Lin Tian answered. "I’d like to buy your iron ore."