Chapter 240: CH. 240 | Wei Hutong Potensial

He shifted his attention toward Ya Fei’s two core disciples, who were watching him closely.

In the end, Lin Tian agreed, on the condition that he’d only be training the Technique and Weapon Hall’s disciples in basic forging skills.

Ya Fei gave a brief nod. She told Lin Tian that one of her disciples would come by tomorrow to pick him up. Lin Tian agreed, listening obediently.

Before long, she left Lin’s Blacksmith and flew back toward the Lingxian Sect.

Lin Tian let out a quiet breath, relieved that Ya Fei hadn’t recognized him, letting him keep up the act of being Lin Yuxu, an ordinary mortal who just happened to have a gift for forging.

The shop door opened again, not Wei Hutong this time, and not any of the cultivators either. It was An Yue coming to visit.

"I thought I felt Ya Fei’s qi aura nearby," An Yue said.

"She was here," Lin Tian answered. "She wants me to come to the sect and teach the disciples in your hall how to forge weapons."

An Yue looked a little surprised at first, then broke into a small laugh once it sank in.

She could easily picture how the whole exchange must have gone, Lin Tian fully aware of who Ya Fei was, while Ya Fei had no idea who she was actually talking to.

"That’s funny. They came asking you to teach them forging, with no idea who you really are," An Yue said.

"Right! If I were in your shoes, I probably would’ve laughed awkwardly too," Lin Tian said.

She took a long breath, settling herself, then walked closer to him. Her belly had grown noticeably rounder and healthy-looking now, a clear sign that little Lin Tian was growing well inside her.

"So, when are you leaving, husband?" An Yue asked.

"Tomorrow," Lin Tian answered, "They’re coming back tomorrow to pick me up. So I need to get ready."

"Of course."

An Yue glanced around the shop, then turned back to look at Lin Tian warmly, "I’ll take care of things here while you’re gone."

"Are you sure? I’m a little worried about you, given how far along you are now," Lin Tian said.

She reached out and gently stroked his cheek to reassure him, "It’s fine. You don’t need to worry. I’m feeling much better than before."

Hearing that, Lin Tian nodded in agreement. He trusted her to look after the shop, though he still left her with one instruction.

He told her to use her cultivation strength if the situation ever called for it, meaning anything that could put her life in danger.

An Yue nodded. Still, she’d be careful about it, favoring peaceful solutions over force whenever possible.

Lin Tian agreed, confident she could handle it, since his own approach to peaceful solutions had always been shaped by her thinking anyway.

Lin Tian noticed no more customers were coming by. He decided to close up the shop just as Wei Hutong arrived.

After three months of working steadily for Lin Tian, the young man looked far better than he used to. His face had color to it now, his frame had filled out, and his spirits seemed genuinely good.

He was grateful to have this job with Lin Tian, and all he hoped for was to keep working for him for the rest of his life.

Wei Hutong parked the cart beside the shop. The back of it sat empty, no weapons or goods left inside, a simple sign that he’d finished delivering everything to its destination, not just around Yanzhe City, but to other towns beyond it as well.

"Brother Lin," Wei Hutong greeted him.

He walked up to Lin Tian and handed over a heavy pouch of tael coins. Lin Tian accepted it and asked An Yue to put it away in the cash drawer at the counter. She nodded and headed inside to do so.

"In that case, I’ll take my leave, I need to meet someone at the tavern," Wei Hutong said.

"Wait, Brother Wei," Lin Tian called out, stopping him in his tracks.

The man turned back to face him. "Yes, Brother Lin?"

"Tomorrow, I’m heading to the Lingxian Sect. They’ve invited me to train their disciples in blacksmithing," Lin Tian said, "I want you to come with me and learn alongside them. You’ve got potential."

"T-The Lingxian Sect? I’m not sure they’d accept someone like me, just a mortal, given how big and important that sect is in the Qin Kingdom," Wei Hutong said, sounding hesitant.

Lin Tian gave a brief smile, then walked over and patted the man’s shoulder lightly, "They’re the ones who came to invite us. Why should we hesitate?"

"You’ll be coming with me, so there’s nothing to worry about."

Wei Hutong glanced back at Lin’s Blacksmith. Lin Tian was right, even though his job was mainly making deliveries, he still needed to learn how to become as skilled a blacksmith as Lin Tian himself.

That way, he could do more to help Lin Tian keep up with all the customer orders coming in.

In the end, Wei Hutong nodded in agreement. He told Lin Tian he’d go. Lin Tian listened to the young man’s decision, pleased to see him push past his own doubts.

"Alright. I’ll come with you, Brother Lin!" Wei Hutong declared, his hesitation gone, his expression firm and serious.

"Good," Lin Tian said. "We’ll head out tomorrow morning, people from the Lingxian Sect will come to pick us up."

"Understood, Brother Lin."

Wei Hutong said his goodbyes again and walked off, clearly headed toward the village’s one and only food stall.

There was something a little strange about the young man’s recent behavior.

Lin Tian had known him for three months now, and he was the type to live frugally, eating and drinking simply, never one to visit the tavern on any kind of regular basis.

But over the past few weeks, he’d been going there almost constantly, about four times a week.

Such a shift in habit had to be driven by something specific, though Lin Tian couldn’t quite place what it was.

"Once we’re done with this mortal life of ours, are you planning to hand the business down to him?" An Yue asked, walking up beside Lin Tian.

"If I left the business to him, even though he can forge weapons, the business would fall apart."

"Not because he’s not capable," Lin Tian explained, "but because I’m worried he wouldn’t be able to keep up with client demands, especially for spiritual weapons."

An Yue nodded in agreement with what Lin Tian said. The reason Wei Hutong would never be able to make spiritual weapons was simple, he wasn’t a cultivator, and there was no way he’d understand how to work rune arrays into a weapon.

"So what’s your solution, then? Once we’re done with all this, will his life just go back to how it was before?"

Lin Tian paused for a moment, then shook his head. "I’m not sure. I can’t really guess what his future will look like yet."

"Hopefully he finds something he’s genuinely drawn to, so I can help him figure it out when the time comes."