Well, I'll be! You really have a way about you, don't you!

As Eighth Master spoke, his gaze drifted involuntarily toward the bicycle, a flicker of curiosity visible in his eyes.

The two hand gestures Lin Yang had just made were understood only by true insiders of their circle.

Since someone had passed these gestures on to the young man before him, the person who introduced them must be entirely trustworthy.

Besides, the current political climate was somewhat more relaxed than it had been over the past couple of years, so there was no need to tread as cautiously as walking on thin ice.

Without wasting any breath, Lin Yang untied the burlap sack from the bicycle, opened the bag with a rustling sound, and prepared to pull out the lynx.

"Eighth Master, my elder told me that you would definitely give me a fair price here. He didn't say much about you otherwise, but he repeatedly emphasized that you are unmatched in loyalty and honor! He said that leaving my goods with you would ensure I never get shortchanged."

As Lin Yang spoke, he closely observed Eighth Master's expression.

Hearing this, Eighth Master's gaze fell upon Lin Yang once again, a flash of contemplation crossing his eyes. He asked, "Who is your elder?"

Lin Yang smiled, shook his head, and put on a mysterious look. "He wouldn't let me mention his name, but he taught me how to hunt, so he's basically my master. Besides, Eighth Master, it seems you once suffered an injury alongside him."

"You're Old Fu's protégé!" Eighth Master asked with a start, a spark of pleasant surprise and deep nostalgia lighting up his eyes.

"Old Fu? Who's that?"

Lin Yang put on a bewildered expression, which slowly gave way to a look of sorrow. "My master was reported by someone a couple of years ago, but he managed to escape narrowly in the end. He passed his skills on to me, but due to his old injuries and catching a severe chill while fleeing, his health was always poor. He managed to hang on for less than two years before passing away."

"It was right before he breathed his last that he told me if I ever got my hands on anything good, I should bring it straight to you, Eighth Master."

At this point, Lin Yang's mind vividly recalled the profound bond between Eighth Master and those veteran brothers from his past life.

When Eighth Master had carried their coffins during their final farewells, pushing his frail body to the limit, that steadfast loyalty and righteousness had deeply moved Lin Yang.

Thinking of this, he could not help but show an expression of immense grief, his eye rims turning slightly red as his sorrow and reluctance to let go became palpable.

Eighth Master locked his eyes onto Lin Yang, taking in every subtle shift in the young man's expression.

Seeing the flickering tears in Lin Yang's eyes and his sincere expression devoid of any pretense, Eighth Master's heart was largely convinced of his words.

Eighth Master heaved a heavy sigh, as if trying to dispel the oppressive gloom that had lingered in his heart for so long.

After a moment, he spoke slowly. "Old Fu... he was the only one among our old brothers who completely lost touch. Back then, we only knew he was arrested, and later we heard he had escaped."

"Ah, what a fiercely loyal and righteous man he was. He never betrayed us old brothers, right up to the end."

Lin Yang listened quietly to Eighth Master's narrative without interrupting, merely reaching a hand into the sack to carefully pull out the dry grass handful by handful.

As the grass was continuously removed, the fluffy yet somewhat fierce head of the lynx gradually came into view.

Eighth Master had been lost in memories of the past, his expression somewhat solemn, when he inadvertently turned his head. The moment his gaze met the lynx, his eyes widened abruptly.

He stared fixedly at the lynx for a long moment before slowly shifting his gaze to Lin Yang, his eyes filled with admiration and surprise.

"Good lad, you've really got what it takes! To actually hunt down the second king of these mountains! This lynx is usually as clever as a ghost; the moment it catches sight of a person, it vanishes without a trace."

"Only when it's starved to skin and bone and completely out of options will it fall into a hunter's trap or brazenly attack a person."

"Yet our mountain range has always been abundantly blessed with resources. Normally, a human might starve to death if they're down on their luck, but a lynx relying on the mountain's bounty doesn't starve easily. Tell Eighth Master honestly, what kind of trick did you use, boy?"

A modest smile appeared on Lin Yang's face as he dragged the entire lynx out of the sack, scratched his head, and said, "Eighth Master, I just got lucky. I was walking through the mountains when I noticed this lynx acting a bit strange—not as agile as usual, but rather sluggish."

"I kept my guard up, crept closer to observe it carefully, and realized it seemed to have lost its ability to hunt. It must have been an elderly lynx."

"I was staring right at it when it suddenly lunged at me out of nowhere. It almost got the better of me and scared the daylights out of me."

Lin Yang recounted a version of the event that blended truth with fiction.

After listening, Eighth Master detected no flaws. A look of relief crossed his eyes as he raised a hand, gave Lin Yang's shoulder a heavy pat, and sighed with emotion, "You and your master may not have been related by blood, but a teacher for a day is a father for life. Since you were his apprentice, you're no different from his half-son, which naturally makes you a junior of mine, Eighth Master!"

"This lynx is a treasure from head to toe. If you took it to sell to others, the absolute most they'd give you is about a thousand. But here with Eighth Master, I'll give you this much."

With that, Eighth Master held up two fingers and waggled them in front of Lin Yang.