Chapter 55 of Volume 2: Transferring the Inkstone with No Thoughts

  "Lin Heng, you're just in time. I was about to send someone to deliver all these things to your house." The clan leader, Huo Tian, beamed with a smile as he approached, pointing at the room: "For decades, Qili Gou has never been so prosperous and proud. Your contributions to Qili Gou have made us old men blush. All of this belongs to you, not only that, but you've also earned great face for Qili Gou. After our discussion, we've decided to reward you with a 10-year-old riding beast."

  Ride beasts are the means of transportation in this world, a fierce and docile creature that excels at traversing rugged mountain roads. This beast has the body size of two ordinary horses, with five legs growing from its body. When traveling, it is accustomed to resting one leg at a time, allowing it to travel thousands of miles in a single day. Ride beasts can only be obtained through hunting in the mountains and cannot be domesticated. Moreover, ride beasts are extremely fast and difficult to capture, making them highly valuable on the market, far surpassing ordinary demons.

  The entire Qili Gou has two riding beasts, one of which is the exclusive mount of the clan leader.

  The clan leader and several elders surprisingly awarded him another riding beast, which was invaluable. Just this recognition moved Lin Heng deeply.

  Lin Heng did not decline, other things he could decline, but the village's reward meant a responsibility. He had just rushed into the second product, these elders or other villagers were not too many or too few, some were sensitive, if refused, it was possible that the villagers would think that they themselves were indifferent to Qili Gou.

  "Thank you, tribal chief and elders. The beast is a token of the chief's and elders' kindness, I, Lin, dare not refuse. However, as for this house gift, I'm afraid I won't be able to take it away. Moreover, not only can I not take it away, but I'll also bring another batch."

  Lin Heng immediately sent the tens of thousands of wealth and goods from the Cao family to his home, as well as his plan to discuss with his father and contribute them to the village.

  "The Cao family also sent nearly 300,000 taels of gold and jewels to your home? And you want to dedicate all of it to the village?"

  Everyone took a cold breath, they had also seen what was called a big scene, but as soon as they made a move, it was 300,000 gold coins, which they had never seen before. Wiping away, Lin Heng's sudden appearance, obviously caught the attention of those aristocratic families, the Cao family threw a thousand gold coins at Lin Heng, just to give him a good impression, enough to illustrate this point.

  "Our Lin family is a part of Qili Gou, and we can't use up these things in our lifetime. Qili Gou has cost me a great deal, and I, Lin Heng, have been bathed in the kindness of Qili Village all my life. Now that Qili Gou's finances are in trouble, I am contributing these things to help us get through this difficult time together. I hope our clan leader and several elders will not refuse my good intentions."

  Seeing Lin Huan being valued so much by the Cao family, the clan leader Huo Tianzhao and several other clan leaders were filled with pride. In their eyes, Lin Huan was like a work of art that they had created with their own blood and sweat, representing the future of Qili Gou, and even the first big household in Qingniu Town came to make friends with them with an attitude of humility and eagerness, which was enough to make them proud.

  Take the clan leader Huo Tianzhao, for example. He had visited the Cao family several times before, but the gatekeeper would only see him as a small village chief and ignore him completely. After reporting his presence, he would be left to one side and occasionally given a cold shoulder.

  He had been the head of the clan for nearly fifty years and had met the master of the Cao family less than five times on other occasions. Each time he put on a smiling face, walked forward with his hand outstretched, but Cao Guan just nodded politely and immediately turned away, completely ignoring him. Of course, it wasn't just him, the heads of other villages were treated the same way, in the eyes of the Cao family, these small clan leaders were no different from a small piece of snot. Among all the people, only Chen Weihu, the head of Chen's village, could make the Cao family show some courtesy, but this was also because of Chen's special status, otherwise he wouldn't have received such treatment.

  Now, the powerful Cao family, who was previously unattainable in his mind, actually took notice of Lin and generously sent a gift, this pride is really indescribable.

  "Since you father and son have decided, we old folks can only accept with gratitude. At the same time, we also thank you on behalf of the villagers." Seeing Lin's sincere face and understanding attitude, several elders felt that the successor to the clan leader was indeed chosen correctly.

  As a candidate with the power to control the future of Qili Gou, ability and cultivation are important, but there is also the most crucial point, which is affection for Qili Gou.

  If lacking in emotions and concern for the villagers' hardships, no matter how high one's ability is, once in office, they will only plunder and oppress, becoming a scourge.

  Qili Gou was not as wealthy as other villages, having gone through the last time the Crowned Serpent's rampage and subsequent relief efforts, plus this time's Dragon Worship Ceremony and Lin Huan's medicine washing expenses, it was indeed also a case of being strapped for cash. Lin Huan was able to sense the village's financial difficulties and generously donated his extra wealth, if he didn't have a deep affection for Qili Gou as his own home, it would be absolutely impossible.

  ………

  "I was able to enter the second rank, all thanks to the hard work and cultivation of our clan leader and villagers. This thing was originally given to me by the Cao family, but it didn't have much effect on me. I, Lin Huan, am grateful in my heart and have no way to repay, so I borrowed flowers to respect the Buddha and presented them to you, please don't blame me."

  After coming out of the ancestral hall's discussion room, Lin Hong found an excuse to send Clan Leader Huo Tianzhao back to his home entrance and took out the black box containing "Wu Nian Mo Zhu".

  The clan leader, Huo Tianzhao, was taken aback, and hadn't expected Lin Huan to give him something.

  His gaze fell on the box, and he saw that it was a beautiful, ancient black box, which slightly piqued his curiosity.

  The box opened, and he let out a cry of surprise. His eyes shone brightly: "Wú Niàn Mò Zhān!"

  He had always been fond of practicing calligraphy and ink painting, aside from martial arts. As for the "Inkstone of No Thoughts", he had heard about it long ago. Previously, when he visited the Cao family several times, not only did he have important matters to attend to, but also secretly hoped that he might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of this object.

  "Wu Nian Mo Yan" as Cao Guan's treasured object, the most well-known is its magical function of assisting in the growth of hidden power. However, there are two points that few people know: nearly a thousand years have passed since "Wu Nian Hei Yan" was a famous inkstone, and those who used "Wu Nian Mo Yan" were not lacking among the renowned predecessors and masters. For example, Du Zi Liu and Jian Tian Dao Shi from hundreds of years ago in the Han Dynasty, who were the most famous calligraphers and painters, can be said to have experienced the growth of countless famous calligraphy historians with this inkstone.

  Its symbolic significance is almost equivalent to a monument in the calligraphy world.

  The second point is that the ink liquid ground out by "Wu Nian Inkstone" has a unique style, with a desolate and cool tone, which is a rare kind of ink liquid in the world of inkstones. Except for "Wu Nian Inkstone", other inkstones cannot grind out ink liquids of the same style.

  For Huo Tianzhuo, a calligraphy enthusiast, his most extravagant wish is to see it with his own eyes. As for being able to write a piece of work with its ink, he has never had such a bold idea.

  What he saw in the box was actually the "Wu Nian Mo Zhu" that was almost a sacred object in his mind. Even if he had been the head of the family for decades and had cultivated an extremely deep and profound Qi Gong, he still couldn't help but feel an uncontrollable excitement in his heart, revealing an unstoppable greedy gaze.

  He took out the "Inkstone of No Thoughts", carefully and gently stroking every inch of its delicate skin, reluctant to part with it, like a child who had just received his favorite toy and wouldn't let go for a moment.

  He knew that "Wu Nian Mo Yan" was worth a city, and as the head of the clan, he shouldn't have accepted it, nor should he have been so flustered, but he couldn't help himself.

  "Clan leader, I originally wanted to return this item to the Cao family, but they have too many treasures and don't appreciate it. I know you're skilled in calligraphy, so if this item falls into your hands, it can be put to good use and showcase your talents. My father and I are okay with other things, but when it comes to writing, we're really not worthy of mention. Giving it to you is also a way for us to avoid embarrassment."

  Huo Tianzhuo naturally knew he was comforting himself. A second-grade treasure, precious and invaluable. Even if it's not used, putting it at home for collection can also maintain its value.

  He felt waves of warmth thinking about Lin's kind intentions.

  If he said that his cultivation of Lin Huan was an investment in the future of Qi Li Gou, it would be a selfless act. But at this moment, he felt a pure emotion, like a simple and rustic father-son relationship. Lin Huan knew about his obsession with calligraphy, and could give him the priceless second-grade treasure from the Cao family without batting an eye! This intense care made him feel that everything he had done for Lin Huan before was well worth it, and he had gained a lot from it.

  "Thank you, Chief. I'll be greedy just this once and accept your generous gift." Huo Tianzhuo looked at him with sincere eyes, no longer pretending to be polite.

  From this moment on, he has regarded Lin Heng, who is under the age of 18, as his own son, sowing the seeds of a loving father.

  In the distance, a lush tree stands under the sunlight, casting a brilliant shadow.

  Lin Heng's back figure gradually disappeared, and Huo Tianzhao's line of sight fell on the "Wu Nian Mo Zhu" in his hand. His eyes were filled with frenzy: "I can actually get Wu Nian Mo Zhu? I've been searching for the sacred light of calligraphy, and now I can finally ask about the growth tracks of those predecessors! What a wonderful life!"

  "Lin Hong, I, Huo Tianzhao, thank you. It was you who helped me fulfill my greatest wish in life!" He slowly muttered to himself as he gazed in the direction where Lin Hong had disappeared.

  PS: Thanks for the enthusiastic rewards from "poll123" and "爷→依然嚣张".