Chapter 778: Bygone Years
Lin Tian directly exposed the Sixth Elder’s thoughts, causing his expression to turn somewhat unsightly.
After all, this wasn’t a glorious matter and, strictly speaking, it involved calculating against others.
If today’s issue isn’t handled well, he might end up offending his elder brother.
The Sixth Elder forced a smile on his face and said with a dry laugh, "Young brother, this matter is my fault. Just look at my elder brother’s condition..."
Lin Tian laughed and said, "Earlier, the First Elder said that opportunistic methods are inadvisable and almost took action against me. But look at him now, a heart demon has taken root, clearly due to straying off during cultivation. He talks gloriously, but didn’t he do it himself?"
The Sixth Elder repeatedly waved his hand at Lin Tian, signaling him to stop speaking. How could he not know his elder brother’s temperament? Slandering him like this could result in some trouble.
Unexpectedly, the First Elder did not make things difficult for Lin Tian this time. He even sighed and admitted guilt, saying, "This young brother is right. I indeed strayed off course and that’s why I don’t want anyone to follow in my footsteps."
Suddenly, the First Elder stood up, cupped his hands towards Lin Tian, and said, "Young friend, it was my fault earlier. I offer you my apologies. If you can indeed dispel my heart demon, feel free to make any request, and as long as I, Dong Cheng, can do it, I won’t even blink an eye!"
"Sorry, I can’t help." Lin Tian shook his head with a smile, stood up, and said to Chen Moxiang, "Let’s go, we came to eat, but the table turned out like this. We’d better find another place to eat."
The Sixth Elder wouldn’t just let Lin Tian leave like that and hurriedly blocked the door, smiling apologetically, "Young brother, I know you have a way. Please don’t make it difficult for these old men. We won’t let you suffer any loss. I remember you wanted to buy that ’Ren Du Golden Elixir’ book before? This was written by my elder brother, and I will have him write another one for you. Besides, making an enemy of someone like my elder brother is not a wise move."
Lin Tian sneered, quite a clever play of carrot and stick.
Lin Tian turned his head and looked at the First Elder’s expression and said, "Earlier you said I could make any request, as long as you could do it, correct?"
"That’s right, as long as I can do it!" The First Elder said solemnly. He is a man of his word and always follows through.
"Alright, then let’s move to another room and talk over a meal," Lin Tian said.
"That’s certainly not a problem." The Sixth Elder happily led the way, smiling, "This way, young brother..."
...
The group arrived at a new VIP room, where a large round table was already set up.
"Haha, young brother, Mr. Chen, please sit."
At this moment, the First Elder seemed like a different person, laughing heartily, showing none of the earlier anger.
Lin Tian and Chen Moxiang did not stand on ceremony and sat down at the head seat.
"Serve the dishes!"
At the Sixth Elder’s command, women with graceful figures placed exquisite dishes on the table with their hands.
In no time, the table was filled with dishes.
The Sixth Elder filled the wine glasses for Lin Tian and Chen Moxiang, smiling, "This wine has been a herbal treasure of mine for years. It nourishes yin, supports yang, activates blood and resolves stasis, but more importantly, it’s strong! Just right for you heroes who protect the country!"
Chen Moxiang smiled wryly and shook her head, "Sixth Elder, I can do it myself."
She had previously visited these elders with Zhang Zhixing and had found calling them ’old stubborn’ was no exaggeration at all.
These elders each held their pride and manner. They would joke with Zhang Zhixing because of his high status.
But now look at the Sixth Elder, devoid of any pretense, flatteringly pouring wine for others, is this really the Sixth Elder? How has this old man’s personality changed?
Chen Moxiang couldn’t help but marvel at how mysterious this world is. These old men were probably thinking about how to deal with Lin Tian just this morning?
"Young brother, it was my fault earlier, I’ll drink three cups as punishment!" With that, the First Elder stood up, picked up the wine cup, and downed three cups like a bull.
After three cups, he seemed completely unfazed.
Lin Tian waited for him to finish, then waved his hand and laughed, "Ah, First Elder, you’re too serious. What is your status? There’s no need to drink as punishment."
The First Elder was momentarily stunned and then began to smile bitterly. This young man was still mocking him, but now it’s different from before, with a favor to ask, he couldn’t lose his temper anymore.
Lin Tian drank a sip of the herbal wine, smacking his lips unceremoniously, and said, "Hmm, this wine is good. Looks clear and bright, smells strong and rich, and drinking it, just one word: refreshing! First Elder, drinking three cups of this wine as punishment, isn’t that just a pretext to drink three cups?"
The First Elder was initially stunned, then began to laugh heartily. He found this young lad increasingly amusing. First a bit of mockery, followed by a harmless joke, and the awkward atmosphere was instantly dispelled, reducing the sense of distance.
After a few drinks and jokes.
Lin Tian coughed lightly and laughed, "Let’s talk business. First Elder, your heart demon is likely caused by the Golden Core, right?"
When the topic was brought up, the smile faded instantly from the First Elder’s face, and he sighed, "Yes."
"Can you elaborate?"
"Well... alright." The First Elder took another deep draught of wine, grimacing, and said, "When I was thirty-five, I unlocked the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and advanced to a high-level Martial Artist. At that time, I was still serving the country, part of a department similar to your Security Management Institute. During one mission, the enemy we encountered... you both know them, it’s Xv Weiran."
At the mention of ’Xv Weiran’, the two old men’s eyes widened in disbelief and asked, "Big brother, you’re not kidding, are you?"
"How could I joke about something like that."
Lin Tian sat on the side, utterly confused, and couldn’t help but ask, "Who is Xv Weiran?"
"Xv Weiran was once a member of our family alliance, a prodigy held in high esteem. But alas, he turned out to be a traitor! He killed five experts within the alliance, fled to the forbidden zone in the back mountains, stole several heart methods and elixirs, and escaped from Luoyan Dock. Since then, there’s been no news of that bastard!"
The Second Elder spoke with clenching knuckles, his old face flushed with anger.
The First Elder sighed and said, "After that kid stole the stuff, who knows what crooked method he used, but he directly advanced to the Golden Core! Fled abroad and became part of a terrorist group. I really didn’t expect to encounter him under such circumstances."