Chapter 74: The Early Bird Gets the Worm

“Of course not. Our Nolan Auction House is renowned for its reputation. How could we do something that would ruin our own credibility?”

The girl blinked in confusion for a moment, then playfully stuck out her tongue, quickly walking to Li Tan’s side. Her gaze swept over him from head to toe, before she put on an innocent expression.

“I just guessed. Someone who could cause such a commotion and then disappear without a trace—apart from the experts of the three major families, I could only think of Mr. Tang.”

Li Tan noticed the girl’s fleeting expression and instantly grasped the situation. She had just been testing him with suspicion, and his response had inadvertently revealed that he was indeed the one behind the commotion. There’s an old saying—confessing without being pressed. Mentally berating himself for his foolishness, Li Tan shot the girl a mildly irritated glance. Even with his hood concealing his face, the girl could sense his subtle resentment.

The girl chuckled.

“Hehe, Mr. Tang, come over and sit down. The early bird catches the worm, but you can take it easy.”

“Tch, could you even guess that I was going to cultivate?”

“Just lucky.”

Li Tan felt a bit curious about this sharp-witted little girl. After a moment of consideration, he chose to stay.

After all, breaking through to the Xiantian level merely required an opportunity, and he truly didn’t mind spending a little extra time.

Meng Tianhua was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening. Feeling pleased, he gave the girl an appreciative glance and then instructed Qi Haodang—who had been standing there like a piece of wood—to take Li Tan to the VIP room.

The VIP room of the Nolan Auction House was extremely luxurious. Without mentioning anything else, every decorative item on the shelves could easily fetch several hundred gold coins.

Li Tan, Meng Tianhua, Qi Haodang, and a girl named Qi Xuan, who wore an unusual short skirt, were now in this room.

However, what surprised Li Tan slightly was that Qi Haodang was standing while Qi Xuan, who seemed like a servant girl, was sitting. Judging from this, Qi Xuan’s status must be higher than he initially thought.

Clatter.

Qi Haodang placed the tray with tea and snacks on the table. Meng Tianhua took a sip, began with some polite small talk, and then his expression suddenly turned serious.

“Apologies, earlier there were too many people around and it wasn’t appropriate to speak openly. Mr. Tang, did you come to Linjiang because of the Blood Moon Tower?”

“Blood Moon Tower?”

Completely unexpected words, and an entirely unfamiliar name. Li Tan’s heart sank slightly, realizing that things seemed more complicated than he thought, so he responded more seriously.

“Precisely. Initially, I didn’t think much of it, but after seeing the Supreme Qi and Blood Pill you displayed, I, just like Miss Xuan guessed, suspected that the person who caused the disturbance by the eastern riverside was you, which is why I dared to stop you.”

What Qi Haodang said left Li Tan completely confused. He directly interrupted.

“Wait a second, explain clearly. What’s this building all about? What made you so determined to stop me?”

It was already dusk. In a luxurious villa within the Lin family’s estate, Elder Lin Suifeng was pacing back and forth in frustration, his eyes filled with a complex mix of anxiety and anticipation.

“Father, what’s there to worry about? Those two are innate experts. Dealing with Li Tan should be effortless for them, right?”

Lin Ge, standing beside the chair, tried to reassure him.

“That may be true, but they haven’t sent any news for such a long time. That’s just too unusual.”

Lin Suifeng shook his head, his brows furrowed so tightly they almost formed a single line.

“Or maybe they never intended to inform us in the first place? Wasn’t that what happened last time?”

Lin Ge cautiously offered a possibility.

“No, this time is different. Although they are arrogant, they wouldn’t possibly keep silent about Li Tan’s matter without telling us.”

“Or maybe they were delayed by something? Father, you’re overthinking too much.”

“Overthinking? Hmph! I’ve walked more roads than you’ve eaten rice. If I hadn’t always been cautious about everything, I’d have died countless times already! Do you really think those uncles and elders are pushovers?”

“Even if Li Tan can cultivate, he’s still just a Qi Gathering Stage fellow. What trouble could he possibly cause, even with a woman by his side? Father, you’re not…”

“What did you just say?”

Lin Suifeng cut off Lin Ge. His eyes, blazing with fury, locked onto his son, involuntarily unleashing the overwhelming pressure of an Innate Realm cultivator. In an instant, Lin Ge’s face drained of color, his voice trembling as he spoke.

“Li Tan is only at the late Xiantian stage…”

“Not that part. The next sentence.”

“Uh, he plus a woman…”

“Exactly! That’s it!”

Realization dawned on Lin Suifeng’s face, his furrowed brows shooting up to his forehead.

“If my guess is correct, the disturbance reported by our scouts by the eastern riverside earlier must have been caused by them and those two elders. That woman must be no ordinary person.”

“What? Huh?” Lin Ge’s face was full of confusion, but Lin Suifeng didn’t care whether he understood or not, quickly continuing.

“Those two elders are likely in grave danger. Quickly, go inform the organization. Otherwise—” Bang! “Otherwise what?”

The main door was kicked open with a loud crash, and a cold voice followed. There stood Li Tan, his white robe fluttering in the wind, his expression cold, like the evening breeze at that moment.

“Li Tan, you’re supposed to…” Lin Ge’s face changed drastically, his body trembling violently, nearly falling to the ground.

A wave of unease surged in Lin Suifeng’s heart. His face turned pale, and his facial muscles twitched slightly. The worst fear he had dreaded had finally come true.

Li Tan stepped into the room, his gaze sweeping around before settling on Lin Ge, then he retorted.

“Supposed to be killed by those two evil cultivators, right? I’m truly sorry to disappoint you.”

“Why didn’t those two elders kill you?”

Instinctively avoiding Li Tan’s gaze, Lin Ge asked anxiously. At this moment, Lin Suifeng coldly snorted and pulled him behind his back.

“Good-for-nothing! Get out of my way!”

“Father, I—”

“Silence!”

Lin Suifeng roared furiously, making Lin Ge’s heart nearly leap out of his throat. Still, he gathered his courage to say.

“The two elders must have spared Li Tan out of concern for affecting the plan, so we—” Slap! Before he could finish speaking, a stinging pain exploded across Lin Ge’s face. Lin Suifeng struck him without any mercy.

Lin Suifeng was furious, biting his teeth in frustration and resentment.

“Get out of my sight right now!”

Lin Ge, feeling wronged, wanted to say more, but when he met Lin Suifeng’s blazing gaze filled with anger, he swallowed his words. Glaring fiercely at Li Tan, he said, “You just wait for me!” and then rushed toward the main door. However, he had barely taken half a step when he instead smashed through the window and fled.

Li Tan didn’t bother with him—or rather, there was no need to. His target was Lin Suifeng.

Now that things had reached this point, the group of black-robed figures would surely use all their hidden cards. Rather than waiting for them to strike, it would be better to act first and seize the initiative.

The City Lord’s Mansion, the Li family, the Zhang family, and the Lin family.

These were the four locations Li Tan had identified where the black-robed group had cast their net. Among them, the Lin family was the weakest link.

Because the flaw had already been fully exposed.

That flaw was precisely Lin Suifeng. Among the four locations, only Lin Suifeng was clearly in opposition to the main family.

Therefore, what Li Tan intended to do was to kill Lin Suifeng and then gradually dismantle all the schemes set by the black-robed figures!