Lin Yun spoke with Wang Yi for a full hour. No one knew what they had said, but after that night, Wang Yi stripped Wang Tianwu of his position as Patriarch. The head of the Wang Family was once again Wang Yi, who stepped out from behind the scenes and back to the forefront.

Of course, that was all in the past. Early the next morning, Lin Yun took Ning Shuang to the Qing Zhu Tavern. Afterward, escorted by Wangcai, Chen Xin, and Li Ji, he came to the gates of the Capital City.

It was worth mentioning that when he saw the Black-striped Tiger, Lin Yun didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The once-majestic Golden Lion had not only grown much thinner but now looked at the Black-striped Tiger with an expression of utter terror.

As Lin Yun approached, the Black-striped Tiger let out a roar. The Golden Lion instantly prostrated itself before the tiger, letting it press its massive paw onto its head over and over.

’That fellow is truly ruthless...’ It went without saying that the Golden Lion must have suffered immensely during this time. This place had become a lifelong nightmare for it.

When he went to the guards on duty, Lin Yun asked how many Primordial Stones he needed to pay. However, the soldier informed him that as one of the top ten geniuses on the Yanhuang List, he was entitled to many privileges in the Capital City. For instance, boarding a Demon Beast was completely free.

Having saved another batch of Primordial Stones, Lin Yun and the Black-striped Tiger arrived outside the Capital City’s gates. Chen Xin and the other two stood at the entrance, waving farewell to Lin Yun.

Of the three, Chen Xin was naturally the most heartbroken. The young girl’s eyes were already red, but there was nothing to be done. Lin Yun was not a bird in a cage, but an eagle destined to soar high.

"Take care," he called out to the three of them. Then, with a single leap, Lin Yun was on the Black-striped Tiger’s back. Little Ape perched on his shoulder, and with a roar from the tiger, Lin Yun departed from the Capital City.

"Chen Xin, let’s go. Young Master Lin promised us that he’ll be back after the Green Talent List competition ends." As Lin Yun’s figure disappeared, Chen Xin could no longer hold back her tears, and Wangcai and Li Ji comforted her from the side.

To get to the Mysterious Forest, the most direct route was through Iron Gate Pass. Lin Yun followed the official road, making his way toward the pass. With the Black-striped Tiger’s speed, he could reach it in a week at most.

The official road was a vital economic artery for Yanhuang Country, connecting the Capital City to the County Cities of the four commanderies. Many people traveled on it daily, the vast majority being merchants.

Seeing Lin Yun mounted on the Black-striped Tiger, no one on the road dared to approach him. And who would? He was riding a Tier Three Demon Beast. Even setting aside Lin Yun’s potential status, the ferocity of a Tier Three Demon Beast was no laughing matter.

Riding the Black-striped Tiger, Lin Yun ambled along at a leisurely pace. ’Having a mount really is great,’ he thought. ’No more traveling on foot. It saves a lot of trouble on the road, too. At the very least, common bandits won’t dare to come after me.’

Just as Lin Yun was resting with his eyes closed, a voice suddenly sounded next to his ear. "Benefactor, this humble monk sees a dark aura about you. I fear you are destined for a bloody disaster today! Monks accumulate virtue through good deeds, and this humble monk is willing to resolve this calamity for you."

’Wait a second, that... voice sounds so familiar. Holy shit, it’s Monk Jiu Rou and the Seductive Daoist...’

He snapped his eyes open. Just as he’d expected, one fat and one thin, a Monk and a Daoist, were blocking the Black-striped Tiger’s path. Both wore benevolent, kind-looking expressions. The Monk even pressed his palms together and addressed Lin Yun.

"Amitabha. Benefactor, we monks are compassionate at heart. Our meeting here is fate. Allow this humble monk to avert this calamity for you!"

As he spoke, without waiting for Lin Yun’s agreement, the Monk pulled a Buddha Bead from his robes. Just like in Mysterious City, it was undoubtedly one of those shoddy beads that cost one gold coin a piece.

"I don’t want it. Not interested," Lin Yun refused flatly without a second thought.

With that, he moved to go around them. But the determined Monk and Daoist were not about to let him leave so easily. They had spotted Lin Yun from a long way off. Riding a Tier Three Demon Beast, he had to be the son of a wealthy family. ’A young master like that can’t possibly be short on Primordial Stones, right?’

In a flash, the Daoist moved to block the Black-striped Tiger’s path. "Boundless Celestial Venerable! Benefactor, please wait. While we clergy are compassionate, the Celestial Venerable still requires offerings. Since we have already dispelled your disaster, we ask that you spare some Incense Money as a virtuous deed."

’What the hell...’ The corner of Lin Yun’s mouth twitched. ’When exactly did they dispel any disaster for me?’

"What? When extortion fails, you plan to resort to robbery?" Lin Yun sneered.

"My, my. How could a man of the cloth commit robbery? We are merely collecting some Incense Money for the Buddha," the Monk said, walking over. His expression was completely serious, making him look just like an Enlightened Monk.

If Lin Yun hadn’t already been familiar with their true nature, he might have actually mistaken them for reclusive masters.

"And how much Incense Money might you two masters be asking for?" Lin Yun asked.

"The amount of Incense Money is, of course, up to the benefactor. However, you carry a heavy burden of sin from much killing. It will take at least one hundred thousand Low Grade Primordial Stones to wash away your transgressions," the Monk said without his face flushing or his breath catching.

Hearing this, Lin Yun nearly burst out cursing. These two crooks were asking for one hundred thousand Low Grade Primordial Stones right from the start, and as a *minimum*...

"I don’t have any," he refused bluntly. "One of you is Monk Jiu Rou, the other is the Seductive Daoist. This young master doesn’t have a single copper for you."

Finished speaking, Lin Yun ignored the pair and commanded the Black-striped Tiger to leap. The tiger jumped straight over their heads, attempting to get past them.

However, just as the Black-striped Tiger leaped over their heads, the Monk let out a dramatic sigh. "Amitabha. The world is full of fools. As the saying goes, if I do not enter Hell, who will? Dragon-locking Claw..."

As he spoke, the Monk’s hand shot out like a claw, unerringly seizing the Black-striped Tiger’s hind leg. Caught by the Monk, the tiger was brutally yanked back down by an immense force. With a loud BOOM, it was slammed onto the ground.

’No wonder they dared to try and rob me. So their strength is this formidable,’ Lin Yun thought.

Initially, Lin Yun couldn’t figure out why they still dared to target him after seeing he had a Tier Three Demon Beast. It turned out they were confident they could handle the Black-striped Tiger.

Perhaps in the eyes of the Monk and Daoist, Lin Yun was just some rich kid. His Cultivation at the Third Layer of the Qi Sea Realm was nothing to worry about. All they needed to do was work together to defeat the Black-striped Tiger.

However, what they never could have imagined was that Lin Yun’s Combat Power couldn’t be judged by his apparent Cultivation. Plus, with Little Ape and the Black-striped Tiger... ’Heh heh...’

Sneering to himself, Lin Yun made up his mind. ’These two jokers tried to beg for money from me, of all people. If I don’t teach them a lesson today, I’d be letting myself down.’

’The Black-striped Tiger could easily defeat one of them by itself. With myself and Little Ape helping, taking on this Monk and Daoist would be child’s play.’

"Amitabha. This beast carries too much sin from its killing. This humble monk will take it before the Buddha to allow it to repent and start anew," the Monk said slowly.

Now they were after his Black-striped Tiger. The Monk and Daoist were truly greedy. A Black-striped Tiger, if sold, would be worth several million Low Grade Primordial Stones at minimum.