Chapter 257 – It’s You!

After sending off Da Niu and his father, Wang Lin sat down next to the fire and suddenly felt very regretful. Ten pieces of gold was a large amount of wealth for mortals, but to immortals, it was like dirt that they wouldn’t even bother to acknowledge.

He quietly sat inside the shop, picked up a piece of wood, and his hand began to move as he started to carve again.

Time passed and another three years went by. Da Niu’s shop’s size had almost doubled in size and, as his mother thought, their business did get better. However, as business got better, Da Niu had less free time as he had to do ironworks with his father.

Only after the shop closed would Da Niu drag his tired body along with a jug of fruit wine to come and watch Wang Lin carve.

Da Niu’s body, perhaps due to all the ironworks he had done, had become even more sturdy. The 17 year old young man didn’t feel cold at all while only wearing a thin shirt.

However, the wrinkles on his parents had gradually increased.

Wang Lin’s appearance was also different from six years ago. He no longer looked like a young man, but a middle aged man as wrinkles appeared on his face.

This was deliberately caused by Wang Lin himself. After all, if someone didn’t change at all in six years, then it would be a very incredible thing for these good and honest neighbors.

In the past three years, Xu Tao began to come even more often. He would come every month with gold, silver, and the intent of drawing Wang Lin to their side. And every time, he would point out that this was all given by the prince to pay respects to Wang Lin.

Wang Lin didn’t have any interest in this prince. He came to the capital with only one purpose, and that was to experience mortal life so he could have a breakthrough in his cultivation.

Considering his cultivation level, he was too lazy to get involved with mortals’ power struggle.

In the late autumn of this year, wind blew the leaves off the willow trees on the street, causing the leaves to fly far away and making them leave their branches.

One could see leaves all over the street. Wang Lin casually walked out of the shop wearing thick clothes and a leather hat. If at this time anyone from Zhao or Chu were to show up here, they wouldn’t be able to recognize Wang Lin at all. This person was Wang Lin, who had stirred up the entire country, killing thousands, and whose hands were stained with blood.

Even the cultivators that had fought him wouldn’t be able to recognize him.

The current him looked no different from a mortal. This apply only to his appearance. It was his spirit too. Even deep down in his bones, he was the same as a mortal.

After six years of transforming into a mortal, he had completely become a mortal. The current him looked a bit old. Although his back was still straight, he looked no different from any other middle aged man on the street.

The only little thing that made him different from mortals were his eyes. There was a clear distinction between black and white in his eyes, plus a hint of light, making him seen unlike a mortal.

In the last three years, Wang Lin didn’t cultivate once and the last of the red substance had been unwittingly completely condensed by him into a bead, which was put away in his bag of holding.

He opened the shop door and the chilling autumn wind blow into his face. Wang Lin tightened his collar, closed the shop’s door, and walked into the distance.

At this moment, a rather sturdy young man walked out of the shop across the street. He was carrying a bucket of broken charcoal. After he came out of the shop, he saw Wang Lin and smiled. “Uncle Wang, are you going to that show again?”

Wang Lin turned around and smiled. “Da Niu, bring me a jug of wine.

The young man nodded. He quickly threw the charcoal to the side and walked into the shop. Shortly after, he ran out with a jug of wine. His eyes were filled with care as he said, “Uncle Wang, at your age, you shouldn’t drink as much. Just drink a little to warm your body.”

Wang Lin nodded with a smile. He patted Da Niu’s shoulder, then turned around and left.

Da Niu felt bitterness in his heart as he looked at Wang Lin’s back. In these six years, the omnipotent Uncle Wang had aged a lot. He still remembered the Uncle Wang from 6 years ago, who was filled with vigor and whose eyes shined like the stars.

One by one, lifelike wood carvings would take shape in his hands.

He still remembered when Uncle Wang said that once he makes it big, he will go back and marry his wife. However, in these past six years, Da Niu had never seen Uncle Wang’s wife, so he never asked about it again.

Da Niu let out a sigh and returned to the shop. He had also grown older, so he was now the main worker in the ironworks shop. Even after the shop had closed, there were many things he had to do. The habit he had of watching Wang Lin carve every day couldn’t continue any longer.

Every few days, he would find some time to accompany this lonely uncle Wang.

There was a chill hidden in the late autumn wind. Wang Lin slowly walked forward. After a while, he arrived at an inn at the corner of the street. Just as he entered, the waiter, a very bright boy with a towel over his shoulder, said, “If it isn’t shopkeeper Wang. Please come in!”

After Wang Lin entered the room, he took off his hat and smiled. “I don’t have any silver to give you as a tip. No matter how friendly you are, it won’t help.”

The waiter let out a smile and said, “Look at what you’re saying. The shopkeeper already said that the first seat by the east window is reserved for you.” With that, he quickly walked a few steps toward a table. He wiped it with the towel that was on his shoulder and bowed before leaving.

Wang Lin sat down at the table. Soon, the waiter brought a few dishes and a small charcoal stove with a pot of boiling water on top. Wang Lin placed the jug of wine in the pot of water to start warming it.

Occasionally, he poured himself a cup to drink. He just sat there, watching people enter the inn. Gradually, more and more people entered the inn. After about 30 minutes, performers came out from the back of the inn and the guests all started cheering.

Among the actors, there was a female that looked very pretty. Most of the guests in the inn were here to watch her.

This woman’s eyes were very beautiful. Her long sleeves danced as she began to sing.

The woman’s voice was very attractive, causing all the customers in the inn to shout in praise. At this moment, the mood reached its climax.

Wang Lin smiled as he watched the woman sing. He had been spending his days like this for more than a year.

Not long after, a fat middle aged man wearing thick clothes came out from the back and sat at the same table as Wang Lin. When he arrived, the waiter quickly brought out wine for him.

The middle aged fat man quickly poured a cup and drank it. He looked at Wang Lin and said, “Shopkeeper Wang, this…”

Wang Lin picked up the wine jug. He took a sip and said, “Shopkeeper Lee, I’m not here today to collect rent, so you can relax.”

The middle aged fat man smiled and said, “Business is not good lately. Having a lot of customers today doesn’t mean much. I just spent a lot of money hiring this group to perform here. This business is not easy.”

Wang Lin smiled. He didn’t say a word. He only quietly watched the performance. This fat man was named Lee, but as for his first name, Wang Lin still didn’t know it. Two years ago, this guy came to Wang Lin and pledged his shop to borrow 20 pieces of gold from Wang Lin. To this day, he still hadn’t paid Wang Lin back, so this shop now belonged to Wang Lin.

In this past year, he saw Wang Lin come in every day. This made him feel very nervous, so he often came to check on Wang Lin’s intentions.

As the pretty actress’s eyes scanned the crowd, all of the guests cheered. Just at that moment, a very perverted voice outside the inn said, “Hey, this little darling sure sings well. She lured me here from the northern part of the city.”

After that was said, an old man wearing a grey robe walked in. This old man’s hair was a mess, his face was covered in bruises, and there was a large footprint on his chest.

The moment he walked in, he started shouting. The waiter frowned and said, “Where did this beggar come from? There is no money for you today!” With that, he walked up to push the beggar away.

The old man stared at him and said, “You dare to touch me? If you touch me, then I’ll lie down here and not get up today. I’m here to listen to the music!”

When Wang Lin saw the old man, the light that hadn’t shone in his eyes for years suddenly lit up. This old man wasn’t just anyone. It was the old man that cheated a meal from him six or seven years ago.

The shopkeeper of the inn, who was sitting next to Wang Lin, walked up. He rummaged through his pockets for a bronze coin. He tossed the coin at the old man and said, “I gave you money, now leave. You are ruining the mood.”

The old man picked up the coin and bit it. He smiled at the waiter and said, “It’s real. Harder than gold. See, your shopkeeper knows what to do. Hmph, hmph.” With that, he threw the coin into the waiter’s hand and said, “A pot of tea!”

Then, his eyes swept the area. His gaze landed on Wang Lin and he walked over. It was not that he recognized Wang Lin, but that the only available seat in the inn was next to Wang Lin.

The waiter was shocked. He looked at the bronze coin and then at the shopkeeper. He had seen a lot of beggars, but this was the first time he had seen a beggar that would bite a bronze coin and then use it to buy tea.

The middle aged fat man’s face twitched. He pulled up his sleeves and was about to throw the old man out when Wang Lin raised his hand and said, “Forget it.”

The middle aged fat man immediately paused. He hesitated for a bit, muttered a few words, turned around, and went into the back room.

The old man let out a mischievous smile. He looked at Wang Lin and said, “You…” Just as he said that word, he was suddenly startled and stared at Wang Lin. He carefully looked at Wang Lin and a strange expression appeared on his face as he said, “It’s you!”