A technologically powerful nation: The national treasure is actually myself.

"Liu Ling, don't say anything more."

Li Rui was the first to react and whispered a rebuke.

The shopkeeper has already notified someone who can make decisions, and these young people in the shop are clearly influential. Although Liu Ling's words weren't wrong, it's not worth getting into trouble.

He couldn't understand why the usually composed Liu Ling would suddenly act so impulsively, and why she would speak out for justice at this time.

After listening, the man in the brocade robe gave a cold smile and stared at Liu Ling: "What? You have a problem with that?"

Just as Liu Ling was about to speak again, Li Rui tugged at her, signaling the other two team members to pull Liu Ling outside.

The shop quieted down.

The man in the brocade robe maintained his arrogance and disdain, while the gentle female cultivator beside him had her eyes darting around, lost in thought.

The others, clearly led by the man in the brocade robe and the female cultivator, stood behind them without making a move.

The shopkeeper waited on the side.

Not long after, a person walked into the shop; it turned out to be Yunbu.

Yunbu was clearly surprised to see Lin Yang in the store, but before he could greet him...

The shopkeeper immediately went up to greet him, then seemed to quickly report the situation using telepathy, before introducing the man in the brocade robe: "This is the manager of Yunbu from our Yun family."

Yunbu looked at the man in the brocade robe, who was also looking at him, and said coldly, "So you think you can make the decisions? What about that hairpin?"

Yunbu frowned slightly.

This is the most troublesome kind of thing.

The Yun family has been able to establish itself in Baichi City for so many years, so their reputation is undoubtedly excellent. That hairpin was indeed ordered by someone else, and it was ordered with full payment.

If we were to sell it to this man in brocade robes now, it would be against the rules, and if word got out, it would be detrimental to the reputation of the shop and even the Yun family.

But he also knew a little about the background of the man in the brocade robe.

They are indeed people we cannot afford to offend.

That's why he came in person.

After a pause, Yun Bu said, "Young Master Qian, it's just a jade hairpin. It's not worth all this trouble. Perhaps..."

Before he could finish speaking, the man in the brocade robe abruptly interrupted him: "Enough! So, you're also unwilling to hand over this jade hairpin now?"

As he spoke, a surge of power erupted from his body, making it seem as if he was about to make a move.

The people behind him also unleashed their power and energy.

Yun Bu hesitated for a moment, then quickly said, "Young Master Qian, you misunderstand. That's not what I meant. It's just... how about this, give me some time, and I'll handle it for you."

"Hmph, time? How much time do you need?" the man in the brocade robe sneered.

"It won't be long, at most half an hour," Yunbu said.

"Fine, then it'll be half a quarter of an hour. If you can't give me the result I want after half a quarter of an hour, you can forget about keeping this shop open," the man in the brocade robe threatened.

"Understood, please wait a moment, Young Master Qian." Yun Bu nodded, then said to the shopkeeper, "Serve tea to Young Master Qian and all the distinguished guests."

After saying that, he went into the back room.

The shopkeeper immediately agreed and personally brewed tea and brought it over.

First, they gave tea to the man in the brocade robe and his group, and then they were to make tea for Lin Yang and his team.

Seeing this, Li Rui said, "Shopkeeper, there's no need to bother. We're still on a mission, so we won't have any tea."

The shopkeeper still insisted on brewing tea and handing it to each of them: "Gentlemen of the prefecture, you have worked hard on your patrols. Have a cup of tea to soothe your throats."

Li Rui did not refuse again.

Everyone in the team, including Lin Yang, took a symbolic sip.

This is etiquette.

The shopkeeper personally brewed the tea for us; it would be impolite not to drink it.

But the man in the brocade robe and his entourage didn't even glance at the tea.

The attendant behind the man in the brocade robe sneered and muttered, "What good tea could a small, run-down place like this have? My young master won't drink your lousy tea."

"..." The shopkeeper's expression was somewhat unnatural.

But dare not say anything.

Soon, Yunbu walked back into the shop from the back hall and smiled at the man in the brocade robe, saying, "Young Master Qian, this jade hairpin is for you."

As he spoke, he personally took the jade hairpin, put it away, and handed it to the man in the brocade robe, without asking for any money.

The man in the brocade robe took it, a disdainful smile playing on his lips: "You're smart to know what's good for you."

He didn't seem to intend to give any money.

Clearly, having wasted so much time, he believed it was only right for Yunbu to present the jade hairpin.

After saying that, he handed the jade hairpin to the female cultivator as if it were a treasure, and said softly, "Sister Rou, you will definitely look beautiful wearing this jade hairpin."

The female cultivator didn't take it, but said calmly, "I wanted it a moment ago, but now I'm in a bad mood, so I don't want it anymore."

The man in the brocade robe's expression changed slightly, but he didn't say anything. He casually tossed the hairpin box to his attendant and said, "Since Sister Rou is in a bad mood right now, let's go somewhere else to relax."

The female cultivator said coldly, "What's so interesting about this small town?"

After saying that, he turned and left.

The man in the brocade robe quickly followed, but just before leaving the shop, he turned back and gave Yun Bu and the others a cold look.

His eyes seemed to say that it was all their fault for being so tactless as to not present the hairpin immediately, which had spoiled his sister Rou's mood.

Yunbu pretended not to see the look in his eyes and said politely, "Please take care, distinguished guest."

……

After the man in the brocade robe and his party left.

Yunbu apologized to the squad, saying, "I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you, soldiers. Please forgive my poor hospitality."

Li Rui waved his hand: "You're too kind, sir. Since everything's alright, let's continue our patrol."

"Please take your time, gentlemen. You are welcome to visit the Yun family anytime." Yun Bu smiled, but gave Lin Yang a look, signaling him to stay a while.

Lin Yang received the signal and said to Li Rui, "Captain, please wait for me for a moment."

Li Rui didn't say anything and walked straight out of the shop.

Yunbu looked at Lin Yang and said, "I didn't have time to greet you right away, please don't mind."

"Manager Yunbu, you flatter me." Lin Yang waved his hand.

"I must thank you and the other soldiers for your help earlier, otherwise things would have been even more complicated here," Yunbu said again.

He had already learned from the shopkeeper that Lin Yang had brought a squad of government troops to speak on his behalf.

Lin Yang ignored the topic and changed the subject, saying, "Manager Yunbu asked me to stay, is there anything else you want to say?"

Yunbu shook his head: "There's nothing special to say, just to thank you for your timely help earlier."

"It's nothing," Lin Yang said calmly.

"Sigh, this is no small matter. If you and your team hadn't been there, that young master Qian might have actually dared to make a move," Yun Bu sighed.

Lin Yang raised an eyebrow: "Just who are they? They're so arrogant."

"That young master Qian is named Qian Luo. He comes from the Qian family of Yongdong Prefecture. The Qian family has a strong foundation and is the strongest family in Yongdong Prefecture."

Yunbu explained to Lin Yang:
"You might not have a good grasp of what I mean, but the Qian family is far stronger than the three major clans of our Far East Prefecture combined. Does that give you a better idea of ​​how terrifying the Qian family is?"

Lin Yang's eyes narrowed: "That strong?"

The three major sects of the Far East Prefecture mentioned by Yunbu are the Jade Universe Sect, the Purple Tree Sect, and the Exquisite Palace, which are the three top sects.

Lin Yang was aware of the strength of top sects.

But the Qian family was actually stronger than the three major clans combined.

This surprised Lin Yang.

"No wonder he was so arrogant." Then he understood why Yunbu didn't dare to offend the other party.

The Yun family is just a large family in Baichi City, but it is nothing in the Far East Prefecture.

They are not even in the same league as the Qian family.

Although Yongdong Prefecture and Jidong Prefecture are far apart, with the strength of the Qian family, if they really came to cause trouble, the Yun family would indeed have a hard time resisting them.

Yun Bu nodded: "Although Qian Luo's status in the Qian family is not very high, he is still a direct descendant. Although he is not the core and successor that the Qian family is cultivating, he is still a descendant of the Qian family. When he comes to our small place, it is better for him to stay away."

"Although he is a playboy, if something really happens to him, the Qian family will still do something about it for the sake of the family's reputation."

Lin Yang understood.

It's not surprising that such a powerful family would produce a few spoiled brats.

Every prominent family has both elite heirs whom they painstakingly cultivate and纨绔子弟 (spoiled brats) who just laze around and do nothing.

Qian Luo is the latter.

He was born into a good family, but he was not good enough and could not meet the family's expectations, so he could only drift through life and flaunt his family's reputation.

Of course, this is because Baichi City is indeed not a very big place.

There were no powerful aristocratic families either.

That's why Qian Luo dared to be so unscrupulous.

Lin Yang knew very well that although such spoiled brats were hateful, he also knew who he could mess with and who he couldn't.

Otherwise I wouldn’t be alive today.

Then he asked, "What about that female cultivator? The one Qian Luo was trying to please?"

"That female cultivator is a young lady from a prominent family in Yongdong Prefecture. She is the daughter of the Zhao family, named Zhao Rou."

Yunbu was quite clear about the other party's background, and immediately said:

"The Zhao family is slightly weaker than the Qian family, but they are still a super family in Yongdong Prefecture."

Lin Yang was a little puzzled: "Since the Zhao family is weaker than the Qian family, why is Qian Luo still trying to please Zhao Rou?"

Yunbu laughed and said, "I don't know much about it either, but I guess it's because Qian Luo's status in the Qian family isn't very high, so he can't marry a girl from another family of the same level, which is why he's been trying so hard to pursue Zhao Rou."

"Marriages between prominent families are always powerful alliances, with the best of the best being paired with the best of the best."

“A playboy like Qian Luo has no chance of marrying the Zhao family’s outstanding daughter, even if the Zhao family is slightly weaker than the Qian family.”

"So Zhao Rou became Qian Luo's target. Although Zhao Rou wasn't anything special, she was still a direct descendant of a prominent family, which is why Qian Luo tried so hard to please her."

Lin Yang nodded.

To put it simply, it's a matter of matching "identities".

Of course, only the parties involved know the specific reasons.

It's already quite impressive that Yunbu knows so much.

"How did the Jade Hairpin Cloud Cloth manager handle that?" Lin Yang asked casually.

Yunbu sighed again: "When they place an order, they leave a contact number. I just went to communicate with them and paid five times the compensation to get them to agree to give up the goods."

"No wonder." Lin Yang had no more doubts and immediately prepared to leave.

Yunbu cautioned, "That ancient ruin is very popular right now, and it's the perfect place to attract spoiled young masters like Qian Luo. They don't have much talent for cultivation, and they love to join in the fun. Be careful when you're patrolling the city."

"understand!"

Lin Yang walked out of the shop and quickly caught up with the team.

Then, without waiting for Li Rui and his teammates to ask, he took the initiative to tell them about the money falling.

"So he's the young master of a powerful family in Yongdong Prefecture. No wonder even his servant is so arrogant and haughty," Cheng Fu said in a low voice.

"Let's not talk about them anymore. But Liu Ling, what was wrong with you just now? Why did you suddenly say that?" Li Rui turned to look at Liu Ling.

Liu Ling's words were indeed too impulsive, and it's fortunate that Qian Luo wasn't completely lawless.

Otherwise, Liu Ling could very well get into big trouble because of that one sentence.

Liu Ling was speechless for a moment: "I felt they were being a bit unreasonable, so I couldn't help but say it."

Li Rui looked at him and said, "I know you are righteous, but don't act impulsively like this again."

"I know, Captain, I don't understand what's wrong with me lately either. Sometimes I feel like I can't control my emotions." Liu Ling was also very distressed.

He wasn't originally like this.

"Are you under any pressure or have any worries?" Li Rui asked.

Liu Ling shook her head: "I don't have anything bothering me."

Li Rui didn't ask any more questions, but simply told Liu Ling to take a rest whenever she had the chance.

Lin Yang listened to the conversation without giving it much thought. Although he found it strange, he really had no clue what to do.

The patrol mission continues.

Not long after, Lin Yang suddenly frowned and looked at a figure in the crowd.

He was a young man.

"That's strange, there's something odd about this person too."

Another thought inexplicably popped into Lin Yang's mind.

This feeling seemed somewhat familiar to him.

It's as if something like that had happened before.

Lin Yang thought back for a moment and quickly realized the problem.

The feeling this young man gave him was similar to, or almost identical to, the feeling the middle-aged male cultivator had given him before.

All of this made him feel that something was not quite right.

Lin Yang quickly averted his gaze, not daring to look at it as much as before, lest the other party notice.

However, he kept this strangeness and the other party's figure and appearance in his mind.

Immediately, he said to Li Rui, "Captain, can I apply to leave the team temporarily?"

"Hmm? Is there something wrong?" Li Rui asked, puzzled.

"There's something I need to take care of," Lin Yang said vaguely.

He wanted to follow the young man and see how he was doing.

"Go ahead then, be careful, and come back soon." Li Rui didn't ask any more questions and let Lin Yang go.

"Thank you Captain."

Lin Yang thanked them and slowly broke away from the group.

Then he followed the young man at a distance.

Of course, he took the opportunity to change out of his military uniform and tried his best to conceal his identity.

Lin Yang was quite confident in his ability to conceal himself.

While it's difficult to completely hide within the city, the presence of crowds actually provides an advantage.

However, while following them around was fine in crowded areas, the problems became apparent in sparsely populated areas.

The other party seemed to sense it as well, and walked towards a relatively quiet street.

Lin Yang hesitated for a moment, then ultimately decided to temporarily abandon the pursuit.

He just felt a strange sense of familiarity about the other person, but he was quite certain that he did not know this person.

And within a short period of time, two people gave him the same feeling.

He needs to be more cautious.

One must not easily expose oneself. (End of Chapter)