After sending off Daniu and his father, Wang Lin sat down next to the stove. He suddenly felt a bit emotional. To mortals, ten taels of gold was a lot of money. However, to Cultivators, it was like dung. They wouldn't even spare it a glance.
He sat quietly in the shop, picked up a piece of wood, and began to carve with the carving knife in his right hand.
Time passed quickly. Three more years passed. Daniu's shop had more than doubled in size. Just as Daniu's mother had predicted, business was much better than before. However, as business improved, Daniu's free time decreased. He spent the entire day working with his father as he forged iron.
Only after the shop was closed would Daniu have the time to drag his tired body and a jug of fruit wine to Wang Lin's shop to watch him carve.
Perhaps it was because of the years of forging iron, but Daniu's body had become even stronger. Even though it was winter, he was only wearing a thin shirt, and didn't feel the cold at all.
However, the wrinkles on his parents' faces gradually increased.
Wang Lin's appearance also changed from six years ago. He no longer looked like a young man, but rather a middle-aged man. Wrinkles gradually appeared on his face.
This was something he had deliberately done using magic. After all, if a person's appearance hadn't changed at all in six years, then to these kind and honest neighbors, it would be an inconceivable thing.
During the next three years, Xu Tao gradually came more and more often. Almost every month, he would come by to present large amounts of gold and silver, as well as fine wine. His intention to rope Wang Lin in was self-evident. Occasionally, he would point out that these things were gifts from His Highness the Crown Prince.
Wang Lin had no interest in the Crown Prince. The only reason he had stayed in the capital was because he wanted to experience what it was like to be a mortal. That way, he could make a breakthrough in his Cultivation base.
Given his status, he couldn't be bothered to participate in the power struggles of the mortal world.
In the late autumn of that year, the leaves of the willow trees on both sides of the street were blown away by the wind. The leaves rustled as they slowly fell off. They were sent far away by the wind, becoming rootless leaves.
Fallen leaves could be seen everywhere on the street. Wang Lin walked out of the shop. He was wearing thick clothes and a leather hat. At this moment, if someone from the State of Zhao or the State of Chu saw Wang Lin, they would definitely not be able to recognize him. This person was the all-powerful, murderous star Wang Lin whose hands were stained with blood.
Even some of the cultivators who had fought with him before would definitely not be able to recognize him.
At this moment, he looked no different from a mortal. This wasn't just a similarity in appearance, but in spirit. In fact, there wasn't even any difference in his bones.
After six years of turning into a mortal, Wang Lin had completely become a mortal. The current him looked slightly aged. Although his body was still tall and straight, he looked no different from a middle-aged mortal who had been busy his entire life.
However, there was one thing that was different from a mortal. His eyes were black and white, without any impurities. There was a hint of light in them, making him look extraordinary.
In the last three years, Wang Lin didn't meditate or cultivate even once. Even the red mist around his body had already been refined by him two years ago. It turned into a blood-colored pearl and was put into his bag of holding.
After leaving the shop, a gust of wind blew against his face, bringing with it the chill of autumn. Wang Lin tightened his collar, closed the shop door, and slowly walked into the distance.
At this moment, a sturdy young man walked out from the ironworks shop. He was carrying a bucket of waste charcoal. When he walked out of the shop, he immediately saw Wang Lin, so he grinned and said:
"Uncle Wang, going to the opera again?"
Wang Lin turned around and said with a smile: "Daniu, bring me a jug of wine."
The young man nodded, poured the charcoal in his hand to the side, and hurried into the shop. Not long after, he ran back with a jug of wine. His eyes were filled with concern as he said: "Uncle Wang, you're getting old. Don't drink too much wine. Just drink a little to warm your body."
Wang Lin smiled and nodded. He took the jug of wine, patted Daniu's shoulder, and slowly left.
Daniu looked at Wang Lin's back and felt a bitter taste in his heart. In these six years, the omnipotent Uncle Wang in his eyes had aged a lot. He could still remember the Uncle Wang from six years ago, his handsome face and starry eyes.
Many lifelike wooden carvings appeared in his hands.
He always remembered that Uncle Wang once said that when he made a lot of money, he would go back and marry a wife waiting for him. However, in the blink of an eye, six years had passed, and Daniu still had not seen Wang Lin's wife. He did not ask about this again.
Daniu sighed and turned around to return to the shop. His father was getting old, and the main work of the shop was now done by him. Even after closing the shop, there were still many things to do. He could no longer continue his habit of watching Wang Lin carvings.
Every few days, she would take some time out to accompany this lonely Uncle Wang.
It was late autumn, and the wind was chilly. Wang Lin walked slowly. After a while, he finally arrived at an inn at the end of the street. The moment he entered, the waiter in the inn, a rather clever young man with a towel on his shoulder, immediately smiled and said, "Hey, Shopkeeper Wang is here. Please come in."
Wang Lin entered the room, took off his leather hat, and said with a smile, "I don't have any money to tip, so it's useless no matter how enthusiastic you are.
The waiter chuckled and said, "Look at what you are saying. The shopkeeper has already said that the first seat on the east side of the window will always be reserved for you."
As he said that, he quickly walked to the seat by the window on the east side. He swept the towel in his hand over it, bent over, and retreated.
Wang Lin sat on the bench. Not long after, the waiter brought over a few dishes and a small charcoal pot with boiling water.
Wang Lin placed the wine jug in the small pot and began to warm the wine.
Occasionally, he would pour a cup and drink it. Wang Lin just sat there and watched people enter the inn one after another. Gradually, more and more people entered the inn. After about an hour, a few performers who were playing the guqin and singing came out from the back room. As soon as these people appeared, the inn was immediately filled with cheers and excitement.
Among these performers, there was a woman with a somewhat beautiful appearance. Most of the people in the inn had actually come to see her.
This woman's beautiful eyes sparkled as her sleeves danced in the wind and she began to sing.
This woman's voice was very pleasant to listen to, causing the guests in the inn to repeatedly cheer and praise her. For a moment, the atmosphere reached a climax.
Wang Lin smiled as he watched the woman sing and drink the fruit wine. He had been living like this for more than a year.
Not long after, a slightly fat middle-aged man wearing a thick cloth coat hurriedly came out from the back room and quickly came to Wang Lin's side. After he sat down, the waiter quickly and respectfully served him a jug of wine.
The fat middle-aged man immediately filled the cup and drank it in one gulp. He looked at Wang Lin and awkwardly said, "Shopkeeper Wang, this …"
Wang Lin picked up the wine jug and drank a mouthful. He smiled and said, "Shopkeeper Li, I'm not here to collect rent today. Don't worry."
The fat middle-aged man immediately let out a sigh of relief and smiled apologetically. "Business is not good. Don't think that I have a lot of people here, but I spent a lot of money to invite this troupe. Sigh, it's not easy to do business in this world."
Wang Lin smiled and didn't say anything. He just quietly watched the opera. This fat middle-aged man's surname was Li. Wang Lin still didn't know what his full name was. Two years ago, this person came to Wang Lin and used this inn as collateral to borrow 20 taels of gold. Until now, he still hadn't returned the money.
This inn now belonged to Wang Lin.
In the past year, he saw that Wang Lin came almost every day. His heart was restless, so he often came to see what was going on.
As the beautiful eyes of the actress moved, the men in the inn all cheered. At this moment, a rather obscene voice came from outside the inn. "Yo, this little girl's singing is very good. She lured me here from the north of the city. Good!"
"The moment the voice came, an old man wearing a gray cotton robe walked in. This old man's hair was messy, and his face was covered in bruises. There were also a few large footprints on his chest and lapels.
As soon as he came in, he immediately cheered loudly. The waiter frowned and shouted, "Where did this beggar come from? Go away, I don't have money today!"
After saying that, he stepped forward to push the old man away.
The old man glared and said, "You touch me!
If you dare to touch me, I won't be able to get up!
I'm here to listen to the opera today! "
The moment Wang Lin saw the old man, his eyes suddenly lit up. This old man was none other than the person who cheated Wang Lin of a meal six or seven years ago.
The innkeeper sitting across from Wang Lin, the fat middle-aged man, immediately frowned. He stood up and quickly walked to the door. He rummaged through his pockets for a long time and finally took out a copper coin. He threw it to the old man and said, "Here's your money. Leave quickly. What bad luck."
The old man took the copper coin and bit it with his teeth. A mouthful of copper rust stuck to his mouth. He grinned at the waiter and said, "Yes, it's real. It's harder than gold. See? Your innkeeper is still the truth. Hmph."
After saying that, he threw the copper coin into the waiter's hand and proudly said, "A pot of tea!"
Then, his eyes fell on Wang Lin and he walked over. It was not that he recognized Wang Lin, but that there was only one person at Wang Lin's table in the inn.
The waiter was stunned for a moment. He looked at the copper coin in his hand and then looked at the shopkeeper. He had seen many beggars, but this was the first time he had seen a beggar bite a copper coin and get the money to buy tea.
The fat middle-aged man's face twitched. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to throw the old man out. However, at this moment, Wang Lin raised his hand and said, "Forget it."
The fat middle-aged man immediately paused. He hesitated for a moment and muttered a few words. Then, he turned around and walked to the back room.
The old man let out a mischievous smile as he looked at Wang Lin and said,
"You …" Just as he said one word, he suddenly froze and stared at Wang Lin. After carefully looking for a while, a strange expression appeared on his face. He said in surprise, "It's you!"