"Lin Hao... Your father, Lin Yan, has done great favors for the Yu family, but we are also doing what's best for Yu Yao by betrothing her to Lin Feng..." A steward sighed.
"If you truly have Yu Yao's best interests at heart, then you should call off this engagement. Otherwise, as long as I, Lin Hao, am alive, no one will have peace." Lin Hao's voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
"This matter is due to our Yu family's lack of consideration... Very well, Lin Yan has done much for the Yu family, and we will carefully deliberate Yu Yao's marriage. As for you and Lin Feng, the Yu family will not interfere." The two stewards glanced at Lin Hao with deep meaning before turning to leave.
At this moment, Lin Feng had already fainted completely and was being carried away by several junior disciples for treatment. The remaining people looked at Lin Hao with shock.
"Lin Yue, can you return my Rejuvenation Pill now?" Lin Hao looked at Lin Yue.
Lin Yue hesitated for a long time, finally pulling out a small box from her chest. Inside was the Rejuvenation Pill that Lin Hao had entrusted to her for safekeeping, as he had been unable to carry it with him.
"Let's go." After obtaining the Rejuvenation Pill, Lin Hao grabbed Yu Yao and walked out of the manor.
Outside the Lin Manor.
"You have severed Lin Feng's arm... The Lin family branch will not let this go easily..."
After leaving the Lin Manor, Yu Yao was worried.
"Don't worry, I am a disciple of the main branch. They wouldn't dare do anything to me." Lin Hao's tone changed: "Sister, do you have some silver on you? I need to buy some herbs."
The most pressing matter was to restore his spiritual roots, and making the pills would require a significant amount of silver.
Lin Hao no longer wanted to waste time in Fenglin Town. He had to return to the main branch of the Lin family and use its resources to rebuild the Earth Gate.
Unfortunately, Lin Hao could not use his identity as the Nine Heavens Emperor Gu Changfeng. Otherwise, if he sought out his disciples and descendants...
His identity as the Nine Heavens Emperor must be kept secret for now. He could not reveal it unless absolutely necessary, as it would bring about a deadly threat.
At this moment, Lin Hao had only twenty taels of silver left, but he still needed two taels of Blood Green and three taels of Spirit Grain, which were not cheap.
For the Nine Heavens Emperor to be worried about silver and to ask his sister for it, if this were to be known by the great powers, they would surely laugh until their jaws dropped.
Yu Yao didn't care; if Lin Hao needed something, she would find a way to help, even if she didn't have it.
"Brother, how much do you need?" Yu Yao asked.
"Three hundred taels, do you have that much?" Lin Hao estimated the minimum price.
"Three hundred taels?!" Yu Yao looked troubled.
This amount of silver was not much in the main branch, but in the branch, it was a significant sum.
"I don't have that much. I only have fifty taels, and they are in my room. I need to go back to the Yu family to get them, but I can borrow some from my sister, and we should be able to gather enough." The "sister" Yu Yao referred to was Yu Xin, the daughter of the branch head of the Yu family.
"Alright, I'll go with you to the Yu family. I'll borrow the silver from Yu Xin, and I'll return it to her soon." Lin Hao nodded. He and Yu Xin were like childhood sweethearts, and their relationship was very close.
"No need, brother, wait here. I can go back myself." Yu Yao smiled, leaving Lin Hao behind as she returned to the Yu family.
...
Lin Hao walked through the bustling market, listening to the vendors' calls, and found himself quite interested. He wandered around a few stalls to pass the time.
"Immortal Golden Robe?!"
Lin Hao stood beside a stall, his eyes suddenly glowing with excitement.
On the stall was a palm-sized golden garment.
Though the years had dulled its original luster, Lin Hao, as the Nine Heavens Emperor, could easily recognize it with his superior knowledge.
The Immortal Golden Robe was a magical artifact. Wearing it granted the wearer an indestructible body, comparable to the power of the fifth level of the Earth Gate's spiritual body!
Unfortunately, the Immortal Golden Robe was severely damaged and could only be used one or two more times before completely breaking.
"How much do you want for this golden trinket?" Lin Hao asked the middle-aged man at the stall, smiling.
The middle-aged man, hearing this, immediately became enthusiastic: "Young man, you have a good eye. This is something passed down from my ancestors, and it is said to be very beneficial for martial artists!"
"What kind of ancestral heirloom is so broken and still beneficial for martial artists? I just want to buy it to play with. Give me an honest price." Lin Hao pretended to be indifferent.
This Immortal Golden Robe wouldn't catch Lin Hao's eye; in his previous life as the Nine Heavens Emperor, such things were trivial.
However, given his current situation, it was a rare treasure, even if it could only be used one or two more times.
"Young man, I'll give you a fair price. One hundred taels of silver. What do you think?" The middle-aged man thought for a moment and quoted a price.
"One hundred taels? This trinket isn't worth that much. I'll take it for five taels." Lin Hao shook his head.
It wasn't that Lin Hao was stingy, but he was short on silver.
"Young man, how can you haggle like that?!" The vendor was stunned. "At least sixty taels!"
"Fifteen taels." Lin Hao was serious.
"You're tough, deal!" The vendor pouted, scolding Lin Hao for being so stingy.
Actually, this trinket was just something he had found at home, and he hadn't expected to sell it. Fifteen taels of silver was a high price for him, so while he appeared dissatisfied, he was secretly delighted.
Lin Hao took out fifteen taels of silver and bought the Immortal Golden Robe.
Seeing the vendor secretly pleased, Lin Hao felt quite helpless. In fact, he had gotten a great deal.
The Immortal Golden Robe was a top-tier magical artifact, and even if it was about to be destroyed, it couldn't be priced in silver from the mortal world.
Lin Hao put the Immortal Golden Robe in his chest and walked toward the clinic without saying much more.
In his previous life, the Nine Heavens Emperor was unparalleled in alchemy and also had unmatched skills in medicine.
Now, with his spiritual roots shattered, his body would gradually weaken, and he needed special acupuncture techniques to stop the hidden dangers.
After gathering the silver and successfully refining the pills, it would still take some time, so Lin Hao needed to use medicine to stabilize himself first.
This clinic was called Bai Cao Lu and was considered one of the best among the numerous clinics in Fenglin Town, known for having some famous doctors.
...
The Bai Cao Lu clinic was full of patients, most of whom had chronic diseases or injuries and had come for treatment.
As soon as Lin Hao stepped in, a middle-aged steward in simple clothing approached him.
The man first sized up Lin Hao and then smiled: "Young man, what's wrong with your body?"
Lin Hao shook his head: "I'm not here for treatment, but to buy some needles."
"Buy needles?"
The steward looked at Lin Hao with surprise. Most people who came to Bai Cao Lu were there for treatment or to visit, but this young man had come to buy needles, which was quite unusual.
"Young man, what do you need the needles for?" The middle-aged man asked with a light laugh.
"Of course, for treatment and healing. Martial artists are always at risk of death, and we can't carry the entire Bai Cao Lu with us." Lin Hao said matter-of-factly.
"Treatment and healing?" The middle-aged man frowned, looking somewhat strange.
A young boy, only thirteen or fourteen years old, claiming to know how to heal and save lives was quite presumptuous.
To become a doctor, one had to study medicine extensively, and it took decades to master the acupuncture points.
The human body's meridians, internal organs, and vital points were complex. Just the meridians alone included twelve main meridians, seven tendons, and eight vessels, connecting the internal organs, which were deep and invisible.
The human body's meridians were intricately connected, linking the organs, tissues, and skin. Understanding this knowledge took decades, and even then, one would be considered a medical genius.
Therefore, it was often said that the older a doctor, the more skilled they were. The depth of their knowledge could be judged by their age, especially when it came to using needles, which required a deep understanding of the acupuncture points. A slight mistake could cost a life.
Several old doctors in the clinic looked at Lin Hao with deep frowns, wondering where this young boy had come from, speaking so arrogantly.
"I have gold needles that should suit you." The middle-aged man quickly walked to the counter, took out a gold box, and showed Lin Hao the gold needles inside.
After all, Bai Cao Lu was a business, and they wouldn't turn away customers.
"Gold needles are too expensive. Silver needles will do." Lin Hao shook his head.
Gold needles had special holy power and were extremely expensive, costing at least several hundred taels of silver, which Lin Hao couldn't afford at the moment.
"You want silver needles?" The middle-aged man's face showed a clear sneer.
Using silver needles required a certain level of medical skill. Although they were cheaper, they weren't something an ordinary person could use.
"Young man, using gold needles is already a stretch for you. Using silver needles could be dangerous, even fatal." The middle-aged man seemed to be giving good advice, but his tone was filled with disdain and contempt.
"Uncle He, this ignorant boy, if he wants to buy silver needles, just sell them to him. If he wants to die, why stop him?" Suddenly, a woman in plain clothes walked out from the back, with a beautiful face and her black hair tied in a ponytail.
She glanced at Lin Hao, seemingly looking at an ignorant child.
"Alright, silver needles are cheap, fifty taels of silver." The middle-aged man nodded and pushed the silver needles toward Lin Hao.
"Fifty...?" Lin Hao frowned. Silver needles shouldn't cost that much, maybe five taels.
Seeing Lin Hao's expression, the middle-aged man sneered: "Boy, do you not have any money? How dare you come to Bai Cao Lu to buy needles?"
Just as Lin Hao was about to speak, a man in a splendid robe staggered in from outside, directly entering the clinic.
The man was around fifty, dressed in fine clothing, but he was pale and gasping for breath, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, clearly severely injured.
This is... from the Heavenly Sword Sect?
Lin Hao observed the man and noticed a small sword embroidered on his chest, the symbol of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
In his previous life, Lin Hao, as the Nine Heavens Emperor, had some connections with the founder of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
The Heavenly Sword Sect was a sect in the sect world, and for a sect's expert to be injured in the outside world and seek help at Bai Cao Lu was quite unusual.
...
"Someone...!" The man's voice was low, like a wounded beast.
Seeing the man's severe injuries, several doctors in the clinic quickly gathered around him.
"This injury is from a powerful martial technique!"
"Several major points are damaged, even the Tianyou point..."
"Bring the gold needles!"
...
These old doctors had decent medical skills, but after applying the needles to the severely injured man for a while, there was no improvement.