บท 16: Smile

"Hehe... Excuse me, I couldn't help it. I have never heard of anyone getting through the abilities tests without having our pills and elixirs to solidify and enhance their foundations."

The shopkeeper continued to snicker.

Other customers also raised their eyebrows, looked at Lin Fan with their chins up, and tried to hold back their laughter.

Ho Ming wasn't too pleased; he pointed his finger at the shopkeeper and said, "You better..."

Before Ho Ming could finish talking, Lin Fan tapped on his shoulder and motioned him to stop.

"But this guy..."

"Ho Ming, let me handle it."

Lin Fan then walked up to the shopkeeper with a stern look on his face.

The shopkeeper, sensing something wasn't right, glanced to his left.

The shop's guard standing on the left acknowledged the shopkeeper, putting his hand onto the saber's handle at his waist.

The other guests also tensed up, thinking to themselves, what a stupid young fool trying to create trouble in Chang Shou Medicinal Hall.

Didn't he know that all the town's cultivators had good relationships with the hall?

They held their breaths as they saw Lin Fan raise his hand.

"I think that..." Lin Fan then slammed his hands on the counter.

The guard drew out the saber.

All the other customers in the Medicinal Hall stood up and prepared to run.

They didn't want to become collateral damage if anything happened.

"...it's a good laugh too. What was I thinking? Please continue to have a good laugh about it," Lin Fan's expression changed to a sheepish smile.

"Damn it, this young man scared the hell out of me."

"And I thought he had the balls to confront the shopkeeper."

"Next time, just recognize the fact that you're a nobody earlier."

The customers grumbled at Lin Fan for giving them a scare.

The shopkeeper stood up, his face red, flustered with anger at how Lin Fan had teased him.

"You fool, how dare you... Ha ha ha ha..." the shopkeeper didn't finish his sentence and started to laugh.

Everyone except Lin Fan and Ho Ming then joined in and laughed.

"Ha ha ha ha..."

A few moments later, they stopped laughing.

However, the shopkeeper continued laughing.

At first the customers just thought that maybe the shopkeeper felt that it was really funny.

But the laughter just went on and on.

After a few minutes, the customers finally sensed something amiss.

Why was the shopkeeper laughing so hysterically?

They looked on with worried expressions.

The guard came over and patted the shopkeeper's back to ask if he was all right.

"Ha ha ha..."

It didn't help in any way.

The shopkeeper kept laughing.

His face was now scary, with his eyes opened wide in horror, but his mouth was uncontrollably laughing.

Tears started rolling down his cheeks.

What's happening?

Why can't I stop laughing?

All the different possibilities went through his mind, but he couldn't figure out what was happening.

Is it due to this young man with Ho Ming?

But that's not possible.

He doesn't seem like a cultivator, and from Ho Ming's conversation with this young man earlier, he hasn't even joined any sect yet.

Maybe he has a secret Master somewhere who witnessed what I've done.

That's right, I must have angered the secret Master.

The shopkeeper thought and finally concluded that he had angered Lin Fan's secret Master hiding somewhere.

Thud!

The shopkeeper immediately knelt on both knees and kowtowed to Lin Fan while still laughing uncontrollably.

"Since the shopkeeper is having a good time, let's go," Lin Fan tapped Ho Ming's back, pulled him along, and walked out of the shop.

When Lin Fan and Ho Ming disappeared from sight, the shopkeeper stopped laughing.

He furiously took deep breaths; the constant laughing just now had nearly caused him to black out due to lack of oxygen.

"Huh huh..." while panting, the shopkeeper was convinced that he was right—the secret Master of Lin Fan had let him off after his kneeling and pleading.

Next time I'd better try to be on good terms with the young man.

...

"What the hell was that?" Ho Ming was perturbed by what had transpired.

He had never seen the shopkeeper behaving this way.

"I've heard a certain type of illness makes you laugh and lose your mind slowly. It's called rabies or something. Usually caused by a dog bite infected with it."

Lin Fan thought of an excuse and explained it to Ho Ming.

"Wow, I've never heard of such a thing. But I'm sure the sensei at the Medicinal Hall will be able to cure it," Ho Ming said.

"I'm hungry, let's get some food," Lin Fan said.

The usage of his Leader of the Pack ability had made him lose his energy; he needed to replenish it.

"If you're hungry, I know of an interesting place," Ho Ming replied.

They then went to a big restaurant named Quan Wei Xuan.

It was a two-story building, with elaborate decorations like wood-carved panels.

On the first floor, Lin Fan could see that the tables were full of dishes.

Customers chatted, ate, and drank with joy.

The waiters were carrying plates of delicacies and moving to and fro like dancers, skillfully weaving through the crowd without spilling anything.

It was a far cry from what Lin Fan saw in An Xiang village.

A meal with more than two dishes would already be considered a luxury there.

With the restaurant so crowded, Lin Fan and Ho Ming had to wait for a while to get a seat.

While waiting, Lin Fan peeped at the second floor of the restaurant.

It was more or less empty.

Only a few patrons were eating on the second floor.

"Why don't they let more people onto the second floor?" Lin Fan asked.

It just seemed so weird to leave it empty.

"I could only wish, but the second floor is reserved for imperial officials, sect disciples, and cultivators. Commoners like us can't go there," Ho Ming then continued, "That's why my father wants me to join the Qing Feng sect so badly. It will be a huge leap in our family's destiny."

Lin Fan nodded silently; he had finally witnessed the disparity in status between sect disciples or cultivators and others.

"Then I must be one of them, one of the best, when I join the Qing Feng sect," Lin Fan said to himself silently as he looked up at the second floor.