Douluo Continent: Martial Soul Young Gilas, Sandstorm King!

Chapter 31 The Frustrated High-Rise!
After learning about the situation, Lin Xia, carrying the baby Gilas, quietly retreated from the shadows of the corridor back to the backyard.

After all, if I just stay there and watch, I can't change anything in my current state!
We'd better think of a solution as soon as possible.

Lin Xia forced himself to calm down and gently placed the young Gilas on the cushioned stone bench. The little guy seemed to sense Lin Xia's unease and, unusually, did not immediately pounce on the remaining purple lightning iron ore. Instead, he looked at him with worry in his scarlet eyes.

Lin Xia strolled to the stone table, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the cold surface, producing a dull sound, while her brain was racing.

The root of the conflict lies in Miles's greed, the corruption of the Spirit Hall's Gengjin City branch, and Teacher Lou Gao's opposition to him due to old grudges.

The current predicament is not a matter of strength, but the blacksmiths' association has hundreds of members, and countless ordinary blacksmiths who depend on the association for survival. If a large-scale conflict breaks out, the consequences will be unimaginable.

The teacher was hesitant to act rashly.

After reviewing the original plot, Lin Xia came up with a way to protect the association and the teacher, temporarily calm Miles down, and even... completely eliminate this scourge in the future.

However, I am currently insignificant and have little influence, so this method still requires in-depth communication with the teacher to confirm the teacher's true thoughts and attitude towards the Spirit Hall before a decision can be made!

Time passed in a stifling silence. About half an hour later, heavy footsteps approached from afar.

"boom!"

The backyard door was pushed open forcefully, and a tall figure strode in, his face ashen, his thick eyebrows furrowed, the veins on his forehead throbbing slightly, and his chest heaving violently.

Lou Gao strode up to the stone table, and without even looking at it, grabbed the half-empty cup of cold tea that Lin Xia had left on the table, tilted his head back, and gulped it down in one go, as if it were not tea, but an icy spring that could extinguish the anger in his heart.

Tea dripped down his beard, but he was oblivious, his eyes burning with humiliation and resentment. Suddenly, he slammed the empty teacup down on the stone table with a thud.

"You scoundrel! This is outrageous!"

Lou Gao let out a low growl, his voice hoarse with suppressed emotion, like a wounded lion.

Lin Xia immediately stood up, picked up the teapot on the table, and slowly but steadily refilled the empty cup on the upper floor with hot tea.

The rising steam blurred the overly sharp anger on Lou Gao's face.

Lin Xia gently pushed the teacup towards the teacher, her tone carrying concern and a perfectly appropriate hint of confusion.

"Teacher, calm down. Those people who just came... were they from the Spirit Hall? Why... are they causing trouble for our Blacksmith Association?"

Upon hearing this, Lou Gao's bloodshot eyes suddenly turned to Lin Xia, a look of surprise flashing across his face, followed by helplessness and a hint of reproach.

"Didn't I tell you to stay in the backyard and not come out? Those filthy things are an eyesore for you!"

Lin Xia gave a stubborn smile, a hint of youthful determination, and spoke frankly.

“Teacher, I am also a member of the Blacksmiths’ Association, and moreover, your disciple. How can I stand idly by and do nothing? I want to know what happened.”

Lin Xia's gaze was clear and firm.

Looking into his disciple's sincere and concerned eyes, Lou Gao's pent-up anger seemed to melt away a little with the cup of hot tea and this heartfelt sentiment.

The tall building exhaled a long, heavy breath, as if it carried a thousand pounds of weight.

Picking up the hot tea that Lin Xia had poured for him, he didn't gulp it down this time, but held it in his hands, absorbing the warmth. The anger in his eyes settled into a deep weariness and helplessness.

"Yes, the Spirit Hall..."

Lou Gao's voice was deep and tinged with complex emotions. "But it's not the Spirit Hall you've read about or heard about in books! At least in Gengjin City, in the hands of that bastard Miles, it's long since changed! It's become a pack of wolves in divine robes, sucking people's marrow!"

Seeing that her teacher was willing to confide in her, Lin Xia immediately followed up with questions, her tone carrying just the right amount of doubt and worry.

"Then...why have they been targeting our Blacksmiths' Association? We forge weapons and armor, and have even provided the Spirit Hall with a lot of excellent equipment. Shouldn't we all be living in peace?"

Lou Gao remained silent for a moment, his gaze drifting into the distance, seemingly lost in unpleasant memories. After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice filled with reminiscence and bitterness.

"Sigh... It's a long story. Actually, at the beginning, although things weren't great, we kept to ourselves. The turning point was six years ago..."

The view from the high-rise building becomes distant and sharp.

"Six years ago, something happened. A good friend of mine, whose family had been forging for generations, was highly skilled and upright."

"However, later we were implicated by the Clear Sky Sect and retaliated against by the Spirit Hall. Our family suffered a major blow and they wrote to us to borrow money. I couldn't stand it, so I confronted Miles!"

Lou Gao's fist clenched unconsciously, his knuckles turning white.

"At that moment, I was filled with rage and my temper was flaring! I grabbed my diamond chisel and charged straight at that scoundrel Miles! In front of all his men, I pointed my finger at him and cursed him!"

"If it weren't for another senior deacon from the temple intervening at the last moment, I would have smashed his hypocritical fat face with a chisel!"

Lou Gao sighed heavily, his voice tinged with self-mockery and heaviness.

"Although that fight didn't actually break out, the grudge was now firmly established! Miles is a vengeful bastard, and from that moment on, he has regarded the Blacksmiths' Guild as a thorn in his side!"

Lou Gao's anger flared up again.

"Later, he tasted the sweetness of success and discovered that our Blacksmiths' Association was a lucrative business that could be easily exploited with just an excuse! Things like security patrol fees, soul tool material registration fees, fire prevention and anti-theft sponsorships... the list of expenses kept coming up!"

"He swindled 30% of the association's profits! If I complained even slightly, he would use the Spirit Hall as an excuse to threaten to thoroughly investigate the association's secrets! There are hundreds of people in the association, with their families to support. I sigh."

At this point, Lou Gao's eyes were filled with humiliation and helplessness.

"As for this time, it's all my fault. I was too complacent and careless!"

Lou Gao scratched his messy hair in frustration.

"This afternoon, I was at the entrance of the association's warehouse, examining and admiring the purple iron ore you presented to me."

"The lightning power contained in that ore is so pure that I couldn't help but take a few more glances at it and even used my soul power to slightly stimulate it to sense its characteristics... That magnificent purple light, that unique energy fluctuation... it's too eye-catching!"

Lou Gao's face was ashen, and he gritted his teeth.

"It must have been spotted by a spy that bastard Miles planted near the association, or someone who happened to be passing by! That's why he couldn't wait to bring his men over and try to get a share of the spoils!"

Lou Gao looked at the remaining purple lightning iron ore on the table with a complicated expression.

"In order to get rid of this plague and quell the trouble, I... I had no choice but to hold my nose and give him some purple lightning iron ore!"

After saying all this, Lou Gao seemed to have all his strength drained away, and he became somewhat dejected, but deep in his eyes, the indomitable flame still burned.

(End of this chapter)