Chapter 25 – The Money-Adding Daoist

Mu Lin himself never expected that after Zong Xiu and the others left, he would become the center of attention in the class, someone admired and envied by others.

Even more surprisingly, the number of people gathered around Mu Lin exceeded those around the remaining two individuals with Second-Class Spirit Roots.

Especially the girls, most of whom flocked to Mu Lin’s side.

This situation was closely related to Mu Lin’s Paper Crafting and Painting skills.

Young girls naturally adored the artistry of Paper Crafting and Painting. The small animals, floral umbrellas, and lanterns Mu Lin folded were always highly popular.

Another reason was that artists were actually highly sought after by the upper class.

In his previous life, the East had figures like Li Bai, who could make Gao Lishi remove his boots, while the West had personalities like Beethoven.

If it weren’t for the frequent emergence of Evil Spirits and demonic monsters causing chaos in this world, Mu Lin would have thrived solely on his identity as an artist.

Even now, Mu Lin’s Paper Crafting and Painting skills could earn him Spirit Stones.

Some girls believed that Mu Lin could use these talents to mingle with high society, which was why they admired him so much.

As for the girls gathering around him, Mu Lin found it a headache and troublesome—he only wanted to cultivate.

But there were also those who were filled with envy.

Pang Ding, proud and arrogant, was one of them. He had always taken pride in his Second-Class Spirit Root and wanted to enjoy the feeling of being flattered.

When Yan Yunyu, Ji Xue, and the others were around, he didn’t dare speak up.

But after they left, his charm still couldn’t compare to that of Mu Lin, a mediocre talent with a Third-Class Spirit Root.

This situation instantly infuriated him—he believed Mu Lin, with his Third-Class talent, was inferior to him, which was why he dared to feel angry.

As a result, during this time, he had mocked Mu Lin several times.

Fortunately, the order of the Dao Palace and Yan Yunyu’s regard for Mu Lin ensured that Pang Ding only dared to provoke him verbally and never took action.

This also meant Mu Lin had no intention of paying him any mind. With that time, wouldn’t it be better to cultivate?

At the same time, Mu Lin found the thoughts of these young men utterly foolish.

“Cultivation holds its own golden house; cultivation holds its own fair lady. If you devote all your heart and mind to cultivation, everything you desire can be attained. To waste precious time on petty rivalries and jealousy is the height of foolishness!”

…

“Hmph, what a fool!”

“That bastard probably thinks this will please Miss Yan.”

“Not following the righteous path, always thinking of crooked schemes—this guy is a disgrace to the Dao Palace…”

On one side, Mu Lin believed Pang Ding’s lack of focus on cultivation was foolish behavior. Meanwhile, the students in the Formal Class were also extremely annoyed with Mu Lin, feeling he was neglecting his proper duties.

The reason for this was his frequent interactions with Yan Yunyu, which had angered many.

Due to the increased emphasis on Paper Crafting, Painting, and Calligraphy, Mu Lin had devoted much of his time recently to writing and painting.

While cultivating, and considering that he still owed Yan Yunyu a favor—unwilling to be indebted and inexplicably feeling he must not remain so—Mu Lin thought of repaying this debt while practicing Paper Crafting.

Thus, the things he folded were not done casually but with careful effort.

Drawing on the broad knowledge from his previous life, after the Flower Boat and palace gardens, Mu Lin’s third large-scale creation was themed around an Underwater World.

He specifically used a Spirit Stone to purchase some waterproof paper and paint, then folded various kinds of swimming fish, seaweed, and colorful corals…

After placing these items into a large glass tank along with some clear water, Mu Lin constructed a breathtakingly beautiful underwater scene.

Subsequently, he gifted this creation to Yan Yunyu.

Since it was to repay a favor, this time he neither asked for spirit stones nor any other compensation.

“You don’t want a reward?”

Mu Lin replied, “It’s not that I don’t want one, but I owe you too much from before. Once I’ve repaid it all, if you still want such large-scale items, you’ll have to purchase them with spirit stones.”

This left Yan Yunyu silent for a moment. After a while, she spoke with a hint of pride:

“…I underestimated you.”

Mu Lin’s actions significantly increased Yan Yunyu’s favor toward him, which in turn annoyed many of the young men who pursued her.

Although Mu Lin felt he was merely cultivating while repaying favors, others did not see it that way. Many in the formal class believed that instead of focusing on cultivation, Mu Lin spent his days on paper folding and painting—deviant paths meant to win Yan Yunyu’s affection.

As a result, many viewed Mu Lin with disdain, and some even wanted to teach him a lesson.

However, the outcome of this situation turned out to be quite unexpected.

First, it must be clarified that Pang Ding’s behavior was different from the others’ attempts to please Yan Yunyu.

The former was purely mindless; even if he could surpass Mu Lin, what good would it do? It wouldn’t bring the slightest benefit to his cultivation.

Yan Yunyu, on the other hand, was different. She possessed spirit stones and was willing to spend them. Pleasing her brought tangible benefits.

Even Mu Lin had once crafted the finest artworks for her in exchange for resources.

And that was merely working for her. If one truly won her favor and became her husband, saying “it would save thirty years of struggle” would be an understatement.

Saving three hundred years of struggle would be a more accurate description of such a fortunate individual.

Moreover, aside from having some of the temperament of an eldest young mistress, Yan Yunyu seemed easy to handle (though neither the others nor Mu Lin knew her true nature).

Given the immense wealth at stake and the possibility of success, there were never just one or two Qi Refiners trying to win Yan Yunyu’s favor.

Young men who believed they had the qualifications worked hard to please this eldest young mistress, hoping to earn her affection.

Consequently, those who glared at Mu Lin with resentment were far from few.

However, despite their anger, only one or two actually wanted to teach Mu Lin a lesson, and they were all from commoner backgrounds.

The young masters from noble families and wealthy households considered things more carefully.

“Mu Lin isn’t even qualified to compete with me.”

“Even if he manages to win Yun Yu’s favor, what of it? A commoner with only third-grade talent—at best, he could become a mere court jester…”

“Young Master, it’s not worth breaking the rules over someone like Mu Lin.”

“So we just ignore him?”

“No, we still need to deal with him. Although elopements between wealthy young ladies and poor scholars are rare, they do happen. Allowing Mu Lin to interact frequently with Miss Yan could indeed lead to trouble… I’ll give him a warning.”

With talent and family background far surpassing Mu Lin’s, many noble youths did not see him as a threat. Thus, most only intended to issue a warning.

However, while some wanted to warn him, others, with particularly sharp minds, came up with an even better idea.

…

That night, a young master from a noble family, holding a folding fan, sought him out and said:

“Mu Lin, a person must have self-awareness. Provoking Yan Yunyu is more a curse than a blessing for you…”

“I know, and I don’t have any intention of a toad lusting after swan meat. Miss Yan Yunyu is very beautiful, but I’m not worthy… I’m giving Paper Folding just to repay a favor. Once I’ve given all four Paper Foldings, I won’t have any further contact with her. Is that guarantee enough?”

“…”

Before he could finish speaking, Mu Lin sighed and said a whole bunch of things, which Jiang Yun hadn’t expected.

As for Mu Lin, he was purely helpless. He truly hadn’t expected that giving Paper Folding would cause such trouble.

He had already made this guarantee four or five times, so naturally, he was familiar with it and spoke quickly.

Startled by Mu Lin’s words, Jiang Yun quickly regained his composure and said calmly, “It’s good that you have self-awareness… You can hand the Paper Folding to me, and I’ll deliver it for you.”

Hearing this, Mu Lin was taken aback for a moment, but soon he said with an angry expression, “These are all my hard work, things I’ve pondered day and night and meticulously crafted. This is Artwork…”

“So what?”

Mu Lin’s angry reaction made Jiang Yun think he was unwilling to give up, which made him sneer.

Just as he was about to expose Mu Lin’s true intentions and make him understand the gap between them, Mu Lin’s voice rang out again.

“Then you have to pay more!”

(End of Chapter)