Lin Yuan looked at the unkempt Master Hong Shen in shock.
When they had first come in, Lin Yuan noticed that Master Hong Shen was wearing the crest of a Class 3 Creation Master.
The Class 3 Creation Master crest had four stars on it, indicating that Master Hong Shen’s power had reached that of a pinnacle Class 3 Creation Master.
This meant that he had attained the maximum powers a Creation Master could achieve with an injured soul.
A moment later, Master Hong Shen recovered from his agony. He picked up the cup of water on the table and gulped down all its contents.
“Little Bai, I’ve healed those feys with injured roots that you sent over. You can’t deny me payment. As per usual, if you don’t have enough money, you can find me some Bitter Bracken Roots when you’re out on missions.”
At the mention of Bitter Bracken Roots, Lin Yuan knew where the bitter smell had come from.
Master Hong Shen must have been relying on the Bitter Bracken Roots’ bitterness to counteract the intense pain from his soul injury.
This was also a good way to use one of the five senses to combat the pain of an injured soul.
Normally, once a person’s tongue touched a Bitter Bracken Root, they would feel like they were chewing Coptis Chinensis for an entire day.
It was a form of unbearable torture.
However, this incredible bitterness could alleviate the pain of an injured soul.
Lin Yuan watched as Hong Shen and Zhang Xiaobai discussed the treatment fee.
Lu Pinru’s four Glowing Silkworm Weavers had recovered and were spitting silk.
Lin Yuan wanted to ask Master Hong Shen if he could rent a room so he could use the heavenly-maiden-grade elemental pearls to roast the Cold Snow Pine’s tree sap into Cold Snow Pine resin to heal Lu Pinru’s soul injury.
Lin Yuan heard Master Hong Shen say to Zhang Xiaobai, “Get lost. I’m tired. Next time, don’t forget to bring me Bitter Bracken Roots. If you do, you don’t have to come to see me.”
Master Hong Shen’s expression became extremely sour. He quickly took out the medicine bottle and popped two pills made of Bitter Bracken Roots into his mouth to counter the waves of pain from his soul injury.
Lin Yuan said to Zhang Xiaobai, who was walking toward him, “Xiaobai, go and rent a place from Master Hong Shen. I’ll go and create the medicine to heal Lu Pingru’s soul injury.”
Zhang Xiaobai’s face immediately lit up with joyous surprise.
Zhang Xiaobai knew how hard it was to heal soul injuries as he had watched Master Hong Shen use Bitter Bracken Roots to suppress his pain but always failed to cure for years.
Zhang Xiaobai had planned on waiting till Xin Ying and Tan Ran awoke before going out on missions to earn money together. They would use the money to try and find solutions for Lu Pinru.
If one year’s worth of earnings was insufficient, they would work for as long as it took.
He did not expect Lin Yuan to swoop in and solve the problem just like that.
Suddenly, Zhang Xiaobai remembered that Lin Yuan was not just a healing-type spirit qi professional but also a Creation Master.
Master Hong Shen was about to mock Lin Yuan when he saw the crystal bottle that Lin Yuan had just taken out.
Master Hong Shen’s entire body straightened.
He was not certain of the contents of the crystal bottle, but the chilling frigidness permeating from the fluid already managed to suppress the excruciating pain in the depths of his soul.
After the pain disappeared, Master Hong Shen quickly spat out the two Bitter Bracken Root pills that had not dissolved and cursed, “Damn, that’s bitter.”
Zhang Xiaobai was about to rent a room from Master Hong Shen where they could begin the treatment. However, he saw Master Hong Shen briskly walking toward Lin Yuan with bright eyes.
“Handsome fellow, can you sell me a bit of the fluid in your bottle? I’ll do anything in return!”
Lin Yuan looked at Master Hong Shen strangely. He rarely walked around for leisure, and despite his good looks, almost no one had called him handsome.
However, Lin Yuan felt his hair stand on end when the old man called him so with such a leering expression.
Lin Yuan’s wariness was amplified when he said he would do anything in return.
Will he really do anything? He’s already so old. Could he still have some tricks up his sleeve?
When Master Hong Shen saw that his plea did not move Lin Yuan and was just staring at him with shock, he immediately became anxious.
He stared at the bottle in Lin Yuan’s hand and reached out to grab it.
At that moment, Master Hong Shen felt a cold pressure forcefully pressing down on him. He struggled to breathe.
The cold pressure only appeared for a moment before it was retracted.
Master Hong Shen shot a fearful look at the smirking girl. He thought about the daily excruciating pain he had to endure from the injured soul, gnashed his teeth, and said, “If you’re willing to sell me a bit of the fluid so I can counter my wounded soul, I’ll let you have your pick amongst my valuables. If you’re able to heal my injured soul, I’m willing to work for you.”
Master Hong Shen pushed aside his messy beard and plucked out a black ring-shaped fey storage box that had been hidden in his beard.
He solemnly held the black ring-shaped fey storage box and handed it to Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan looked at Master Hong Shen’s expression and thought about the pain that Master Hong Shen endured as a result of his injured soul.
He understood why this Creation Master would stake his freedom on this.
Lin Yuan swirled the bottle with the baby-blue-colored fluid and said, “This is the tree sap from a Suzerain/Myth II Cold Snow Pine. What do you have that you can use to trade for it?”
When the Mother of Bloodbath heard what Lin Yuan said, a bright flash streaked across her gaze.
Lin Yuan was already eyeing this unkempt old man.
When Master Hong Shen heard what Lin Yuan said, his face fell, and he glanced at the black ring-shaped fey storage box.
Master Hong Shen retracted his hand and took a step back before saying solemnly to Lin Yuan, “I might be a pinnacle Class 3 Creation Master, but I’ve been stuck at this stage for 15 years. I’m sure that once my soul recovers, I’ll be able to learn how to use the power of my soul to concoct spirit concoctions. I’ll be promoted to a Class 4 Creation Master within half a year.”
Master Hong Shen straightened his messy clothes and continued. “I’m willing to give you all my freedom. I’ll swear on a Willpower Rune to become your follower.”