Chapter 3505: A Nice Chat With The Old Man

"Pay?" The old man repeated.

"Yes," Lin Mu said. "For your time."

The old man’s frown deepened before breaking into an amused grin.

"Don’t insult me," Jeon said. "I didn’t do this for money. its been a while since I’ve had someone talk about something worthy."

Lin Mu remained standing, not backing down. "Still, it wouldn’t feel right to leave without giving something."

Jeon studied him for a long moment, then sighed theatrically.

"If you insist," he said at last, "then buy a book. Or several. That will be more than enough."

Lin Mu nodded. "Fair."

He turned toward the shelves.

At first, he browsed normally, his gaze moving across titles, spines, faded covers. But as minutes passed, his expression slowly changed.

He closed his eyes and released his immortal sense.

The sensation washed through the bookstore like a silent tide, touching every shelf, every stack, every hidden corner. Titles, contents, histories... countless fragments of knowledge brushed against his perception.

And Lin Mu frowned.

Behind him, the young man, Jeon’s grandson noticed the shift.

"Did you not find anything you like?" the young man asked carefully.

Lin Mu opened his eyes. "It’s not that."

"Then...?"

"There’s too much," Lin Mu said honestly. "Choosing would take time."

The young man blinked, not quite understanding.

Lin Mu paused, then seemed to arrive at a decision.

"In that case," he said calmly, "I’ll take them all."

The words hung in the air.

The young man stared at him, mouth slowly falling open.

"...All?" he repeated.

"Yes," Lin Mu replied. "All the books."

The young man’s eyes widened further. "You mean... the entire shop?"

Lin Mu nodded. "I like collecting books from different places. Worlds like this have perspectives you won’t find elsewhere."

For the first time since Lin Mu had entered, Old Man Jeon stood up fully from his chair.

He stared at Lin Mu as if trying to determine whether this was a joke.

"Young man," Jeon said slowly, "do you know how many books that is?"

"I have a rough idea." Lin Mu smiled faintly. "Around eighty six thousand."

Silence followed.

Then Lin Mu reached into his spatial storage and took out a small pouch, placing it gently on the counter.

"Would this be enough?" he asked.

Jeon glanced at it, then opened the pouch.

The immortal sense inside the shop stirred.

The old man’s eyes widened just a fraction.

The young man leaned forward, curiosity overpowering caution, and peeked inside with his own spirit sense.

His face went pale.

"T–Ten..." he stammered. "Ten thousand mid-grade immortal stones?!"

Lin Mu tilted his head. "Is that insufficient?"

The old man burst out laughing.

"Insufficient?" Jeon said loudly. "This is more than enough!"

The young man opened his mouth again, clearly about to say that this was at least twice... no, several times the value of everything in the shop.

But before a sound could escape, the old man smacked him on the back of the head.

"Quiet," Jeon snapped. "Don’t scare the customer away."

He then patted the stunned young man’s shoulder and smiled broadly.

"Go," he said. "Pack everything."

The young man swallowed. "Grandpa... this will take an entire day."

Jeon waved a hand. "Then don’t pack it."

He looked at Lin Mu. "You can take the shelves too."

Lin Mu considered that for a second, then nodded. "That would be easier."

And so he did.

One by one, entire bookshelves vanished into Lin Mu’s spatial storage ring. The process was smooth and efficient, taking only a few minutes.

The shop, once cramped and cluttered, was emptied down to bare wooden floors and walls.

Internally, Lin Mu felt rather pleased. At least this way, he wouldn’t need to reorganize everything later.

With that done, he clasped his hands toward Old Man Jeon once more.

"Thank you again," Lin Mu said.

Jeon grinned. "Safe travels."

Lin Mu turned and stepped out of the bookstore, the old wooden door creaking shut behind him.

Just as it closed, a voice echoed from inside.

"Pack your things, kid." Old Man Jeon was saying cheerfully. "We’re going on a long vacation!"

Lin Mu chuckled softly as he walked away, the sound lost amid the quiet streets of Blue City.

Behind him, a bookstore closed its doors.

Ahead of him, the remnants of a fallen kingdom awaited.

A few hours later, Lin Mu found himself pushing open the wooden door of a local tavern, the faint scent of fermented grain and warm broth drifting out to greet him.

Compared to the taverns he had visited in the Martial Fist King World, this place felt almost unnervingly calm. There was no shouting, no raucous laughter, no tables smashed into splinters by drunken cultivators proving their toughness. Even the background chatter was subdued, voices kept low as if people were afraid of disturbing the air itself.

If anything, it felt closer to a meditation hall than a tavern.

The building was modest, with polished wooden floors and thick beams supporting the ceiling. Paper lanterns hung along the walls, their light soft and steady. A few groups sat scattered across the room, most of them were low level spirit realm cultivators, quietly eating and talking among themselves. No one paid Lin Mu more than a brief glance before returning to their meals.

At a corner table near the window, his companions were already gathered.

Daoist Chu sat with his back straight, hands folded around a cup of tea that was still steaming. Elyon leaned against the wall beside the table, one boot resting against it, his posture relaxed but his eyes alert.

Cattaleya occupied one entire bench by herself, arms crossed, her sheer presence making the other patrons instinctively keep their distance. Meng Bai sat beside her, looking slightly tense, as if afraid he might be grabbed at any moment.

Lin Mu walked over and took the remaining seat.

"This place is quiet," he remarked.

Daoist Chu nodded. "Almost suspiciously so."

Elyon snorted softly. "If this were a tavern in the Martial Fist King World, someone would have already challenged Cattaleya to a drinking contest and lost an arm."

Cattaleya scoffed. "Cowards."

Meng Bai coughed lightly. "Or sensible."

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