After gaining a rough understanding of the situation, Lin Xia quietly withdrew into the rear courtyard from the shadows of the corridor, holding Larvitar in his arms.
After all, continuing to watch from there would change nothing with his current strength.
It was better to think of a solution as quickly as possible.
Lin Xia forced himself to calm down and gently placed Larvitar onto a stone bench cushioned with soft padding. The little fellow seemed to sense Lin Xia's restless emotions and, for once, did not immediately pounce on the remaining pieces of Purple Lightning Iron. Instead, it looked at him with worried crimson eyes.
Lin Xia paced to the stone table, his fingers unconsciously tapping against the cold surface, producing dull sounds, while his mind raced at full speed.
The root of the conflict lay in Meyers' greed, the corruption of the Martial Soul Hall's Gengxin City branch, and Teacher Lou Gao's long-standing resentment that placed him in direct opposition to them.
And the current predicament was not a matter of strength alone. The Blacksmith Association had hundreds of members, not to mention the countless civilian blacksmiths who depended on the Association for survival. Once a large-scale conflict erupted, the consequences would be unimaginable.
His teacher was constrained, wary of acting rashly.
After sorting through the original storyline once more, Lin Xia came up with a method that could protect both the Association and his teacher, force Meyers to temporarily rein himself in, and perhaps—even completely eradicate this malignant tumor in the future.
However, his current status carried little weight. This plan would require in-depth communication with his teacher, confirming Lou Gao's true thoughts and his attitude toward the Martial Soul Hall before it could be finalized.
Time passed in oppressive silence. About half an hour later, heavy footsteps approached from afar.
Bang!
The door to the rear courtyard was shoved open violently. Lou Gao's towering figure strode in, carrying unspent fury with him. His face was livid, thick brows tightly furrowed, veins at his temples still twitching faintly, his chest heaving sharply.
Lou Gao took several large steps to the stone table. Without even looking, he grabbed the half cup of cold tea Lin Xia had left behind and tilted his head back, gulping it down in one go—glug, glug—as though it were not tea, but an icy spring meant to extinguish the fire raging in his heart.
Tea dripped down his beard, yet he did not notice at all. Humiliation and resentment burned fiercely in his eyes. He slammed the empty cup heavily onto the stone table, producing a dull thud.
"Damn it! Utterly outrageous!"
Lou Gao growled, his voice hoarse from suppressed rage, like that of a wounded lion.
Lin Xia immediately stood up, picked up the teapot on the table, and calmly yet steadily refilled Lou Gao's empty cup with hot tea.
Steam rose gently, blurring the sharp anger etched into Lou Gao's face.
Lin Xia pushed the teacup lightly toward his teacher, his tone filled with concern and a trace of well-placed confusion.
"Teacher, please calm down. Those people who came just now… they were from the Martial Soul Hall, right? Why would they come looking for trouble with our Blacksmith Association?"
Hearing this, Lou Gao's bloodshot eyes snapped toward Lin Xia. A flash of surprise crossed his face, quickly followed by helplessness and a hint of reproach.
"Didn't I tell you to stay in the rear courtyard and not come out? Those filthy things would only stain your eyes!"
Lin Xia showed a stubborn, youthful smile and replied frankly.
"Teacher, I'm also a member of the Blacksmith Association and your disciple. How could I hide in the back and do nothing? I want to know what happened."
Lin Xia's gaze was clear and resolute.
Looking at his disciple's sincere, concerned eyes, the knot of anger in Lou Gao's chest seemed to loosen slightly, eased by the warmth of the tea and this heartfelt sentiment.
Lou Gao let out a long, heavy breath, as though expelling a weight of a thousand jin.
He picked up the freshly poured hot tea. This time, he did not gulp it down, but held the cup in his hands, drawing warmth from it. The fury in his eyes settled into a deep exhaustion and helplessness.
"Yes… the Martial Soul Hall…"
Lou Gao's voice was low, tinged with complex emotions.
"But it's not the same Martial Soul Hall you've read about or heard of in books. At least in Gengxin City, in the hands of that bastard Meyers, it's long since lost its original meaning! It's become a pack of wolves in divine robes, sucking people dry!"
Seeing that his teacher was willing to speak, Lin Xia immediately followed up, his tone carrying appropriate confusion and concern.
"Then… why are they always targeting our Blacksmith Association? We forge weapons and armor, and we've even provided the Martial Soul Hall with plenty of high-quality equipment. We should've been able to coexist peacefully, shouldn't we?"
Lou Gao fell silent for a moment, his gaze drifting into the distance as if sinking into unpleasant memories. After a long while, he finally spoke again, his voice carrying nostalgia and bitterness.
"Sigh… it's a long story. In the beginning, things weren't good, but we kept to our own lanes. The turning point… was six years ago."
Lou Gao's eyes grew distant and sharp.
"Six years ago, something happened. An old friend of mine—his family had forged weapons for generations. Their craftsmanship was superb, and they conducted themselves with integrity."
"But later, they were implicated because of the Clear Sky Sect and were retaliated against by the Martial Soul Hall. Their entire clan suffered a devastating blow. He wrote to me, asking to borrow money. I couldn't swallow that injustice and that was when I clashed with Meyers!"
Lou Gao's fist clenched unconsciously, his knuckles turning white.
"My blood rushed to my head back then, and my temper flared! I grabbed my Sacred Molding Pen and charged straight to that dog Meyers! Right in front of all his subordinates, I pointed at his nose and cursed him out!"
"If not for another senior temple executive stepping in at the last moment to stop me, I would've smashed that hypocritical fat face of his to pieces right then and there!"
Lou Gao let out a heavy sigh, tinged with self-mockery and deep exhaustion.
"That fight never truly broke out—but from that day on, the grudge was set in stone! Meyers is vindictive by nature. Ever since then, he's treated the Blacksmith Association as a thorn in his side!"
The anger in Lou Gao's eyes flared once more.
"After that, he got a taste of how profitable it was. He realized the Blacksmith Association was a fat piece of meat—something he could bite into anytime with a flimsy excuse! Security inspection fees, soul tool material registration fees, fire and theft prevention 'sponsorships'… the names never stopped!"
"Three-tenths of the Association's profits were forcibly scraped away by him! The moment I voiced even the slightest objection, he'd hide behind the Martial Soul Hall and threaten to conduct a full investigation into the Association! There are hundreds of people here, all with families relying on us… I—"
At this point, Lou Gao's eyes were filled with humiliation and helplessness.
"As for this incident… it's my fault. I got complacent and careless."
Lou Gao ran a hand through his messy hair in frustration.
"This afternoon, I was standing at the entrance to the Association's warehouse, examining the Purple Lightning Iron Ore you gifted me."
"The lightning power contained within that ore was simply too pure. I couldn't help myself—I lingered over it for a while and even used a bit of soul power to stimulate it, just to sense its properties… That dazzling violet glow, that unique energy fluctuation… it was far too conspicuous!"
Lou Gao's face darkened as he ground his teeth.
"That bastard Meyers must've had spies stationed nearby or perhaps one just happened to pass by and saw it. That's why he couldn't wait to bring people straight to our doorstep, eager to claim a share of the spoils!"
Lou Gao looked at the remaining piece of Purple Lightning Iron Ore on the table, his expression complicated.
"To send that plague dog away and calm things down, I… I had no choice but to grit my teeth and give him some of the Purple Lightning Iron Ore."
After saying all this, it seemed as though Lou Gao had been drained of all his strength. His posture sagged slightly, yet deep within his eyes, an unyielding flame still burned.
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