The moment he laid eyes on Fu Wansan, Mo Lin was just as surprised.
He hadn't expected Fu Wansan to be the mastermind behind this auction house.
"Brother Mo, what's going on?" Fu Wansan asked, frowning slightly as he turned to Mo Lin.
Mo Lin recounted the entire incident in detail, leaving nothing out.
Fu Wansan's face turned a shade darker, veins twitching in fury.
He glared at Zhao San with a look so venomous it seemed he might devour the man whole.
"Zhao San, how dare you!" Fu Wansan bellowed.
"Young Master, I didn't know this man was your friend," Zhao San stammered, his face pale with fright as he tried to explain.
"Whether he's my friend or not, you had no right to break the rules of the auction house," Fu Wansan's voice turned frigid.
Even if Mo Lin had been a complete stranger, Zhao San's behavior was unacceptable.
"He's the apprentice of the Fire Talisman Master. I thought befriending him might be advantageous," Zhao San muttered, voice barely audible.
Fu Wansan clearly had no interest in hearing another word. He barked, "Get out… You're fired."
Zhao San froze.
A buzzing rang in his ears.
Losing this job was a devastating blow.
"Young Master, please… I was wrong. I realize my mistake," Zhao San pleaded, desperation etched across his face.
"Leave," Fu Wansan repeated coldly, his tone like ice.
Zhao San's face turned ashen. He saw clearly now—Fu Wansan would not change his mind. Like a man possessed, he stumbled away in defeat.
The blow was crushing.
Fu Wansan then turned toward Yamada in the distance, his voice calm but firm. "Apologies, but those two ghost artifacts will not be given to you."
"What do you mean? That man just promised they'd be mine! Are you going back on your word now?" Yamada protested angrily.
"Yes," Fu Wansan replied without hesitation. "I'm going back on my word."
He continued matter-of-factly, "Those two artifacts belong to my friend—not to you."
"Besides, you haven't paid the ghost coins yet, have you?"
At the mention of ghost coins, Yamada faltered. He was indeed in the wrong on that point.
"My master is the Fire Talisman Master," he said darkly. "Offend me, and you offend him."
He wielded his master's name like a weapon, but Fu Wansan remained unmoved.
"Even if the Fire Talisman Master himself were standing here, I wouldn't show him any courtesy."
Those words shattered all of Yamada's delusions.
He knew now—he would never get those artifacts.
Mo Lin looked at Yamada's livid face and said with mock surprise, "Seems like your master's name doesn't carry much weight here."
"You—!" Yamada trembled with rage, pointing a quivering finger at Mo Lin, eyes burning with fury.
"Leave. Stop making a fool of yourself," Mo Lin said coldly.
Yamada nearly spat blood from fury. Humiliated, he turned and stormed away.
Today had been the most disgraceful day of his life.
Unfortunately, this wasn't Beihai. Here in Yunchuan, his master's name held no sway.
Around them, curious gazes began to settle on Mo Lin.
Everyone was intrigued—what kind of person had such a close relationship with Fu Wansan?
They were dying to know his true identity.
Fu Wansan personally escorted Mo Lin to the second floor and ordered the two ghost artifacts Mo Lin had eyed earlier to be packaged and delivered to him.
Qian Yun followed silently behind Mo Lin as they ascended.
"Brother Mo, Yunchuan's been far from peaceful lately," Fu Wansan remarked while pouring tea.
"Oh? What's happened?" Mo Lin asked with interest.
"The Fire Talisman Master and the Thunder Talisman Master's disciples have all arrived in Yunchuan."
"What are they here for?"
"Seems they're searching for a thunder talisman," Fu Wansan said.
At those words, Mo Lin's eyes flickered with thought.
He had just obtained a thunder talisman—now people were suddenly flocking here in search of one?
The timing was almost too perfect.
Still, Mo Lin wasn't concerned. If trouble came knocking, he would simply deal with it—just as water is blocked by earth, and soldiers meet swords.
If they tried to cause him trouble, he wouldn't hesitate to strike back.
Fu Wansan lowered his voice. "Brother Mo, the Li family is investigating Li San's death."
"They've already sent two groups of people. I suppressed them both, but I don't know how much longer I can hold them off."
"I understand," Mo Lin nodded.
"If the Li family comes in full force, how confident are you in dealing with them?"
Fu Wansan sounded uneasy. After all, he too had been involved in Li San's demise.
"It depends on their approach," Mo Lin said calmly. "If they're willing to throw everything they have into a fight to the death, then it could get troublesome."
"But if they fear the cost… then things become much simpler."
Fu Wansan nodded. "Alright. If I hear anything from them, I'll notify you at once."
Qian Yun sat nearby, visibly nervous. The Fire Talisman Master and the Li family were both forces to be reckoned with.
Mo Lin, on the other hand, looked entirely unfazed. With so much trouble already circling him, what difference did a little more make?
"Brother Mo, is there anything I can do to help?" Qian Yun asked sincerely.
As his friend, she genuinely wanted to ease his burden.
Mo Lin thought for a moment, then replied, "Not at the moment."
These matters, he could handle on his own.
"If there's ever anything you need, don't hesitate to reach out," Qian Yun said with a warm smile.
After leaving the auction, the two went for a meal before parting ways.
Mo Lin then drove out toward the outskirts of town.
He was going to find the ghost who had blocked his path before.
He had promised to find her embroidered shoes and dress—and now that he had them, he came to fulfill that promise. And, ideally, to subdue her.
He soon arrived at the foot of the mountain.
But Mo Lin didn't rush up immediately. It was just past five in the afternoon, and the sky had yet to darken.
Only after nightfall would the ghost appear.
So he waited, gazing into the distance.
Soon, Mo Lin sensed something amiss.
This was a remote area—why were there so many people?
He had only been there twenty minutes and already counted over thirty figures in the vicinity.
This place was deserted—even dogs wouldn't roam here. So what were these people doing?
Just as Mo Lin was puzzling over this, a sharp tapping sounded at his window.
Knock, knock, knock...
Mo Lin rolled the window down. A man stood outside, offering a warning.
"Brother, this place is dangerous. Unless you have pressing business, you'd best leave."
"Dangerous? Why?" Mo Lin asked, feigning confusion.
"There's a vicious ghost around here. If you linger, it might come after you."
Mo Lin immediately realized who he was talking about.
That ghost… was the very one he had come for.
"What are all these people doing here?" Mo Lin asked.
"Ghost hunting," the man replied nonchalantly.
"Excuse me? Ghost hunting?!"
Mo Lin jumped out of the car in alarm.
He'd worked so hard—making promises, searching for embroidered shoes and clothing—all just to coax that ghost into surrendering.
Now, when he was finally ready to reap the rewards...
A bunch of ghost hunters had suddenly shown up?
What the hell was this?
Were they trying to steal his prize?