One person: Lu family bodyguard, who shattered Longhu Mountain with a single palm strike.

Hearing the old master call him, Lin Mo turned his head and looked in the direction from which the voice came.

The old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei was sitting upright at the stone table, with his signature kind smile on his face, and gently beckoned to him.

"Young friend Lin, come here for a moment, I have something I'd like to tell you in private."

Upon hearing this address, Lin Mo paused, his lips twitching slightly.

This person is over a hundred years old and still whispering.

How come this old man from the Celestial Master's Mansion still has a touch of childlike playfulness?

However, since it was a big shot who spoke, Lin Mo naturally wouldn't offend him. After all, this person was at the very top of the supernatural world, and even a little bit of his resources could buy him half a river-view apartment.

He turned around and looked at Lu Linglong beside him.

"Boss Lu, stay here for now, don't go." Lin Mo pointed to his feet, then to Lu Linglong, "Remember not to go out of my sight, and don't leave my 100-meter radius."

It was only a dozen minutes until 5 p.m., and he didn't want his attendance record to expire because his employer was running around, thus losing the system's generous rewards for nothing.

Lu Linglong blinked her big, bright eyes. Although she didn't know why Lin Mo insisted on emphasizing distance, she still obediently said "Oh".

"Go ahead, I'll wait for you here."

She put her hands behind her back, gently shuffled her toes on the ground, and obediently stood still, without moving an inch.

After arranging the "check-in assistants," Lin Mo slowly strolled towards the stone table.

He stopped about ten steps away from Zhang Zhiwei, neither too intimate nor too distant, just the safe distance for a standard business negotiation.

"Master, what brings you here?" Lin Mo asked, his hands in his pockets, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Zhiwei and Lu Jin beside him.

Before Zhang Zhiwei could speak, Lin Mo preemptively struck, instantly putting on a standard professional smile.

"If you need any services, I can handle anything. Security and defense, sparring partners, emergency response, even running errands for others—no problem."

"But let's be clear first, my fees aren't low. The Celestial Master's Mansion is a large and powerful organization; they probably wouldn't take advantage of a poor working-class person like me for free, would they?"

After these words were spoken, the atmosphere around the stone table suddenly became quiet for a few seconds.

Zhang Zhiwei was holding a teacup, about to drink some tea, when he heard this rapid-fire speech. His hand froze, and the tea almost spilled.

A hint of surprise flashed in his deep, old eyes, followed by amusement.

Zhang Zhiwei put down his teacup, turned to look at Lu Jin sitting on the other side, and spoke with a hint of helplessness and teasing.

"Old Lu, has the bodyguard you hired always had such a peculiar personality?"

"Last time I was discussing business with Lingyu, this is the first time I've met someone who's discussing business with me."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin couldn't help but burst into laughter. His laughter echoed through the courtyard, causing the bamboo leaves beside him to tremble.

"Old Zhang, you don't understand." Lu Jin pointed at Lin Mo, her tone full of protectiveness.

"Lin Mo is only a bit too eager when it comes to getting paid, but you know what, he's really reliable when it comes to getting things done."

"As long as you assign him the task and agree on the price, he will absolutely complete it for you with high quality and quantity, and there won't be any other problems!"

Lu Jin not only didn't dislike Lin Mo's open and transparent approach to things, but actually found it quite appealing.

People who put their interests out in the open are the most trustworthy to employ.

Hearing Lu Jin's assurance, Zhang Zhiwei thoughtfully stroked his graying beard.

"Since Old Lu has put it that way, then I will speak frankly as well."

Zhang Zhiwei raised his eyes, looked at Lin Mo with a calm gaze, and his tone became slightly more serious.

"Young friend Lin, I've called you here to discuss something with you—a business deal concerning the follow-up arrangements for the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony."

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow slightly, secretly calculating in his mind. Could this business the old master was talking about be just an ordinary small business?

"What arrangements? Just name your price. As long as the offer is right, there's no job I can't do."

Looking at Lin Mo's businesslike demeanor, Zhang Zhiwei coughed lightly and slowly uttered a sentence.

"I would like to ask you to defeat Zhang Lingyu in the upcoming match."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jin, who had been watching the show with amusement, instantly froze on his face.

Sitting in a wheelchair beside him, Tian Jinzhong opened his mouth slightly in surprise, as if he had heard something unbelievable.

The two men looked at each other, never expecting that Zhang Zhiwei had gone to such lengths to call people over, only to have outsiders deal with his most prized disciple.

"Old Zhang, you're not kidding, are you?" Lu Jin frowned, leaned forward, and looked puzzled.

"You want Lin Mo to defeat Ling Yu? Aren't you trying to make your disciple lose at this Luo Tian Grand Ceremony?"

Tian Jinzhong, his face also full of worry, advised in a hoarse voice, "Yes, Senior Brother. Lingyu is a proud child. Wouldn't it be too much of a blow to him to send Lin Mo to embarrass him?"

Faced with the questions from his two old friends, Zhang Zhiwei sighed softly, his expression a mixture of kindness and helplessness.

"Hey, you two, stop worrying about this. Do you think I don't know Lingyu's character?"

He looked up at the sunset that was gradually turning orange-red on the horizon, and spoke in a long, drawn-out tone.

"This Luo Tian Grand Ceremony will continue to be held in the future, and the ranking is not that important to Ling Yu. But this time is different."

Zhang Zhiwei withdrew his gaze and looked in the direction Zhang Chulan had left, his voice becoming somewhat heavy.

"You two know how big this operation is."

"The reason I made such a big fuss, even using the position of the Celestial Master's successor as bait, was to set up a trap specifically for that brat Zhang Chulan."

"But Lingyu is too stubborn, and he has a prejudice against Chu Lan."

"I'm worried that he'll use excessive force in the later matches and block Chu Lan's path."

At this point, Zhang Zhiwei turned his gaze back to Lin Mo.

"So, young friend Lin, I would like to ask you for a favor: when you encounter Ling Yu, defeat him and clear away this biggest obstacle for Chu Lan."

After hearing these words, Lin Mo remained outwardly calm, but his fingers rubbed together slightly in his pocket.

He quickly assessed the cost-effectiveness of the deal in his mind.

Defeat Zhang Lingyu?

For him now, it's just a trivial matter of stealing.

He had already easily defeated Zhang Lingyu with just one finger.

It can be said.

Not only is it incredibly easy, but you can also make a fortune off the big shots and, incidentally, fleece some retail investors on the sidelines.

This deal is practically a sure thing.

But the most crucial question is, what level of reward can this old master offer?

Lin Mo smiled professionally and met Zhang Zhiwei's gaze with composure.

"The old master wants my help to deal with your disciple. No problem, I'll take the job."

"But let's be business. Since this is a customized, high-difficulty obstacle removal service, what about the compensation..."

Zhang Zhiwei couldn't help but find Lin Mo's hesitant and indecisive manner amusing.

"So what kind of reward do you want? Just name your price."

Lin Mo stroked his chin, but instead of immediately revealing a number, he passed the buck back to Lin Mo.

"That depends on what you're planning to give me, Celestial Master. I'm easy to talk to and will definitely not ask for more than what I need, as long as it's good value for money."

"You can decide for yourself; I'll accept whatever you give me."

Ask him to give a quote?

What if I order too little? I'd be losing a fortune!

Only by throwing the difficult problem at the other party can we see where the bottom line of the Celestial Master's Mansion really lies.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiwei couldn't help but roll his eyes and pointed at Lin Mo, saying to Lu Jin.

"Old Lu, look at your bodyguard. This little rascal, with just a 'we'll see' he's got me in the hot seat."

"If I give too much, the Celestial Master's Mansion will lose money; if I give too little, people will think I'm stingy."

Lu Jin let out another hearty laugh and slapped his thigh triumphantly.

"Of course, my bodyguards are very shrewd; they wouldn't let themselves be taken advantage of so easily."

Zhang Zhiwei shook his head helplessly and sighed.

"Alright, since you little monkey are leaving it to me to handle, then I can't be too stingy."

As he spoke, Zhang Zhiwei slowly raised his right hand.

The moment his palm opened, several faint yet extremely pure golden lights, like tiny living beans, emerged from his palm and danced and flickered in the air.

Without chanting any incantations or mobilizing any energy, it simply appeared naturally in the palm of the hand.

Lin Mo's gaze was instantly drawn to those clusters of golden light.

He recognized its origin almost instantly. It was a closely guarded secret of the Taoist Celestial Master's Mansion, one of the Eight Great Divine Incantations—the Golden Light Divine Incantation.

Moreover, this is not an ordinary Golden Light Mantra; it was personally demonstrated by the Supreme Celestial Master and contains the most profound understanding of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Lin Mo looked at the leaping golden light, raised an eyebrow, and asked:

"Old Celestial Master, are you... planning to pass on the Golden Light Divine Mantra of the Celestial Master's Mansion to me as payment?"

Zhang Zhiwei closed his palms, and the golden light instantly disappeared into his body.

He smiled and nodded.

"good."

"What, does this cultivation technique even catch your eye, you little money-grubber?"

……