After the forging competition concluded, Ling Fan was personally invited by Master Wang to stay for a while before returning.
No one knew what the two of them had discussed.
On the way back, all the members of the Lan family, including Lan Tianxiong, Lan Junjie, Lan Xueyi, and Li Huimei, suppressed their intense curiosity. They were desperately eager to know when Ling Fan had acquired such terrifying forging abilities!
Upon returning to the Lan manor, before they could even ask Ling Fan.
Wave after wave of visitors began to arrive.
This left all the Lan family members dumbfounded.
Even during the Lan family's most prosperous times, they had never experienced such a grand occasion.
The Lan manor, which had been deserted, was now bustling with activity, filled with distinguished guests.
Families of all sizes from Jiangnan City flocked to them.
Their sole purpose was to build a good relationship with Ling Fan, the newly emerging Yellow-tier forging genius.
Various precious gifts filled several rooms.
Some families were even more direct and crude, offering money outright. The Lan family's previously strained financial situation was immediately resolved…
"Master Ling, this is a small token of my appreciation! When you have time, please be sure to help me forge a Yellow-tier spirit weapon first. What, a golden-striped one? Of course, that's excellent! Thank you in advance. This is a deposit of fifty thousand taels, please accept it!"
"Brother Lan, your son-in-law is truly outstanding. You truly have a discerning eye. Well, could you please pay attention to my spirit weapon and urge Master Ling? From now on, all weapons for the Lu family will be procured from the Lan family. Haha, please stay, please stay."
…
Distinguished patriarchs of prominent families and powerful martial artists, whom they rarely had the chance to see, arrived one after another. Some even required Lan Tianxiong to personally greet them.
However, these incredibly noble guests showed nothing but flattery and respect towards Ling Fan.
This was because Yellow-tier forging masters were extremely rare in small places like Jiangnan City, which resulted in a pitifully small number of Yellow-tier spirit weapons. In the vast Jiangnan City, one could hardly find a few.
Although there was Master Wang, Master Wang rarely forged one or two spirit weapons a year, and the queue of people waiting stretched to eternity.
They had heard that Ling Fan had forged almost out of thin air during the forging competition, creating that sword with nine golden stripes in less than three hours!
If Ling Fan could agree to forge a suitable spirit weapon for them, they would be ecstatic even in their dreams.
When the last distinguished guest had finally departed, the Lan family members finally breathed a sigh of relief!
The constant welcoming and seeing off had nearly broken their old backs.
When had the Lan family ever been so glorious?
They looked towards the inner hall with immense emotion.
Who could have imagined that their good-for-nothing son-in-law would be silent for so long, only to astonish everyone when he finally made his move?
Now, even the entire Lan family had to rely on him.
…
On the dining table, a dazzling array of delicious dishes was laid out.
Lan Tianxiong, Lan Xueyi, Lan Junjie, Li Huimei, and Ling Fan sat together.
Despite the delicious food before them, no one had the appetite to start eating.
Finally, Lan Tianxiong broke the awkward atmosphere, but what he intended to say turned into, "Little Fan, your… the food is getting cold. Everyone, please eat!"
"I know what you want to ask."
Ling Fan glanced at the few of them. Seeing their absent-minded expressions, he feared that if their doubts were not cleared, no amount of delicious food would taste flavorful.
The few of them quickly perked up their ears.
Ling Fan found it amusing and said, "This is my secret, and I cannot reveal it for now."
The few of them immediately showed disappointed expressions.
Lan Tianxiong chuckled and said, "If Little Fan doesn't want to say, then so be it. As a Yellow-tier master like you, your tutelage must be an earth-shattering secret. It is correct to keep secrets. Let's eat, let's eat!"
"Little Jie, from now on, you must learn more from your brother-in-law! Learn more about the path of forging from him, and correct your bad habits. Look at your brother-in-law's composure; he is always calm and collected, always serene, unperturbed even when Mount Tai crumbles before him. During the forging competition with Master Zheng, no matter how critical the situation was, your brother-in-law never even furrowed his brow. This composure is not simple. Being mature beyond your years is nothing more than this."
Seeing the slightly heavy atmosphere, Lan Tianxiong tapped Lan Junjie's rice bowl with his chopsticks.
He thought that Ling Fan had finally matured after the incident in the brothel.
He did not know that Ling Fan's calm and collected demeanor was cultivated through countless hardships as the Azure Cloud Emperor in his previous life. Even the shattering of stars and the destruction of realms could not break his transcendent state of mind.
Lan Junjie snorted, clearly a bit unconvinced.
"He can only forge iron, unlike me, a martial arts genius. I can defeat ten of him with one finger!"
Lan Junjie muttered.
Lan Tianxiong, angered, struck Lan Junjie hard on the head with his chopsticks, silencing him.
"Little Fan, Junjie is just a child, don't take it to heart! Come, eat your vegetables."
His mother-in-law, Li Huimei, for the first time, managed to squeeze out a smile for Ling Fan, picking a piece of vegetable into his bowl. Although this smile looked as awkward as it could be, it still surprised Ling Fan somewhat.
In the memory of the previous Ling Fan, Li Huimei had never shown him a kind face, often scolding and humiliating him, saying the most unpleasant things.
Today was the first time the sun had risen from the west.
Ling Fan, having lived two lives, would not quibble with Li Huimei over trivial matters. After all, she was Lan Xueyi's mother and Lan Tianxiong's wife. Therefore, Ling Fan accepted Li Huimei's gesture of goodwill for the sake of the two of them.
A weight was finally lifted from Li Huimei's heart.
She was now somewhat afraid of this son-in-law.
She feared that Ling Fan might hold grudges for past events and harbor dissatisfaction towards the Lan family.
After all, he was a Yellow-tier forging master, capable of conversing and being on equal footing with important figures like Master Wang.
If Ling Fan was merely a dependent son-in-law before, now Ling Fan did not need to consider the Lan family's feelings; rather, the Lan family had to consider Ling Fan's feelings.
After dinner, Ling Fan returned to his residence.
Now that his gold and water meridians had been successfully cultivated, the progress of the Five Elements Meridian Opening Art was considered to be halfway complete.
Next, he needed to focus on opening his wood-attribute meridians.
"Knock, knock, knock."
At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Ling Fan opened the door and saw Lan Xueyi standing gracefully before him, dressed in a blue long dress, like a rosebud blooming in the night, elegant and beautiful.
"Is something wrong?"
Ling Fan said calmly.
"Yes."
"Come in."
Ling Fan moved aside, and a faint fragrance wafted past.
Ling Fan remained silent, quietly watching her graceful figure.
"Thank you for saving our Lan family!"
Lan Xueyi turned around and said earnestly.
Ling Fan replied, "If it were just to say thank you, you wouldn't need to make a special trip. This is simply what I should do."