"You all go out first. I have a few words to chat with Young Master alone!"
Lin Ling Su glanced deeply at Han Mo, then casually waved his hand at the Daoists behind him.
"Yes!"
Though they didn't know why Lin Ling Su was being so polite to an unknown young man, it didn't stop the Daoists from obeying him implicitly.
"You two wait for me outside. Oh, and bring those pastries!"
Han Mo showed no nervousness at all, still thinking about his pastries at this point.
Niu De Yi was almost in tears. This young master was truly extraordinary.
He showed no respect to the legendary immortal.
Fortunately, the old immortal didn't seem to mind Han Mo's demeanor. Although still a little uneasy, he walked towards the door with Xu Feng Nian.
Soon, only Lin Ling Su and Han Mo were left in the dining hall.
"Did Young Master write this?"
Now that they were alone, Lin Ling Su spoke without so many reservations.
"Old Immortal, you jest. At my age, do you think I could have written this? This is a playful work by an elder of mine. However, he is now roaming the seas, and this manuscript was destroyed in a fire. What you see here is all written from my memory!"
Confucius did not discuss the supernatural. While this could give him temporary assistance, Han Mo didn't want to earn a reputation for spreading heresy. Therefore, he had to fabricate a non-existent elder.
Lin Ling Su was quite displeased with Han Mo's answer, as Han Mo's excuse was too perfunctory.
But if you didn't believe it, looking at his current age, it seemed unlikely he could have written this.
"Why have I never heard of such a wondrous book? May I know the name and origin of Young Master's elder?"
Therefore, Lin Ling Su could only tentatively ask again.
"My elder dislikes meeting strangers and specifically instructed me not to mention his name to outsiders. Please forgive me, sir! I daresay, you are the second reader of this book so far. Besides us two, no one else in this world has seen it!"
Lin Ling Su rolled his eyes so hard they nearly reached the heavens. After all that talk, he still hadn't gotten any useful information.
However, at least he obtained one useful piece of information: all the manuscript was now in Han Mo's mind.
"Since it's just the two of us, I'll be direct. I'm interested in this. Young Master, name your price!"
Seeing Han Mo's evasive demeanor, Lin Ling Su knew he wouldn't get anything out of him today. Instead of arguing, it was better to get straight to the point, settle the terms, get what he wanted, and both parties would get what they needed.
"Sir, you jest. Words are matters of eternity. I wouldn't dare sell this!"
"I..."
Even with Lin Ling Su's good temper, he wished he could slap Han Mo to death right now.
He had just confidently said he would exchange this for a hundred thousand piculs of white rice, and now he was acting so high and mighty? Wasn't this like a prostitute wanting to build a memorial archway?
"Sir, don't rush. I know you want this to deal with a certain noble person. However, this truly cannot be sold!"
As Han Mo spoke, he dipped his finger in some tea and wrote the character "Cai" on the table.
"Young Master is indeed a discerning person. It seems I've underestimated you today! Then, what is the reason for Young Master's visit? Are you here to mock this old Daoist?"
Lin Ling Su's pupils contracted, and he looked deeply at Han Mo.
"Sir, you jest. If I could help you remove this worry from your heart?"
Han Mo said with a smile.
"Remove the worry from my heart?"
Lin Ling Su's eyes suddenly turned sharp.
"Indeed. Look at this Master Cai, who is already over seventy years old, yet he still clings tightly to his position, which is truly quite displeasing..."
"What exactly does Young Master want to say?"
Although Lin Ling Su was practically fighting with Cai Jing, he still felt some reservations about this sudden appearance of Han Mo.
"What I want to say is that there are now hundreds of thousands of disaster victims outside Bianliang, starving, yet the court has no time for disaster relief. Prince Xin, in accordance with heavenly will, is providing relief on behalf of his father, but he is short of grain. Does the esteemed sir perhaps have some to contribute!"
"Prince Xin is providing disaster relief, why should I provide the grain?"
Lin Ling Su looked at Han Mo with confusion, truly not understanding what this young man was rambling about.
"You have seen the manuscript. As long as you help Prince Xin this time, this manuscript will soon spread throughout Bianliang, and you will also appear in it, assisting King Wu in his conquest of King Zhou and ascending to the throne!"
After Han Mo finished speaking, Lin Ling Su's expression became strange.
Damn it... He always thought he was shameless enough, but he didn't expect this young man to be even more shameless.
"Then what did Young Master just say..."
Lin Ling Su calmed his emotions before pointing at where Han Mo had written.
"As long as you follow my arrangements, I guarantee that within three months, the court will undergo changes, and new officials will replace the old!"
Hearing Lin Ling Su's question, Han Mo knew he had struck gold and quickly patted his chest to assure him.
"Young Master, do you dare to vouch for your words? You know, there are very few people in this world who dare to lie to me..."
Lin Ling Su hesitated for a moment, then looked at Han Mo with a sinister expression.
"If you don't believe me, then pretend I never came. Han Mo bids farewell!"
Facing his threat, Han Mo showed no tension at all. He stood up and prepared to leave.
"Young Master, please stay. I was merely speaking casually. If Young Master can truly accomplish this, from this day forward, you will be this old Daoist's sworn friend!"
Lin Ling Su's mouth twitched, but he eventually stood up and stopped Han Mo. After all, he desperately needed what Han Mo had.
"Since that's the case, what about the grain..."
Han Mo turned back with a smile.
"I will have people prepare it immediately. Five thousand piculs will be sent today, and the remaining grain will be delivered within three days! This is Young Master's manuscript. Can it be published two months later..."
Lin Ling Su's eyes darted around as he tentatively asked.