"A gift?" Lin Wu's brow furrowed slightly, "What gift did they bring for you?"
In the past year while the senior Mr. Lin was hospitalized, Lin Shenghai and his family had never brought any gifts for him.
Even if the purpose was to persuade the old Mr. Lin to call her back, there was no reason to have them bring a special gift.
With their character, they would normally be straightforward and ask Mr. Lin directly to call her, and if Mr. Lin disagreed, they might concoct some excuse to pressure him.
Mr. Lin didn't hide it from Lin Wu and directly pointed to the middle drawer of the bedside table, saying, "It's in there."
Lin Wu then opened the drawer to search. Inside were various medicines and daily necessities, and indeed, there was a palm-sized wooden box at the very back.
"Yes, that's the one," Mr. Lin said, pointing at the wooden box.
Lin Wu took it out and opened it, finding a Buddha head pendant inside made of some unknown material.
Upon seeing it, a warmth filled Mr. Lin's heart, and his tone softened, "Shenghai said it's because I've been ill for a long time, they specifically sought out a master to obtain this Peace Pendant to ensure my safety. Although it's not much use to me, I appreciated their filial piety, so I accepted it."
Mr. Lin hadn't received concern from his son's family for a very long time, so he was quite pleased when they gave him the pendant.
It was also for this reason, when they suggested Lin Wu come back, he thought they had finally come to their senses and wanted to treat Lin Wu well, hoping the family could live together in harmony, thus he agreed to call Lin Wu.
Who would have known they'd bring up Lin Qian's matter later!
Though Mr. Lin was angry, after all, he had promised and it wouldn't be right to go back on his word, so he made that call to Lin Wu.
Lin Wu asked with a frown, "Which master did they get this from?"
Mr. Lin shook his head, "I don't know, but I heard he is quite a respected and venerable master. He has solved many such superstitious issues, and many people hold him in high esteem. Shenghai said they too had to spend a lot of money to get an appointment with the master."
Older generations tend to be somewhat superstitious, and Lin Shenghai and his family spoke about it so convincingly that Mr. Lin believed them.
Lin Wu's frown deepened, "Grandfather, what is this pendant made of?"
Mr. Lin also shook his head, "I really don't know, could it be some special material made by the master himself?"
It was neither jade, silver, gold, nor was it made of materials like agate or fulgurite.
At least among the materials Lin Wu knew that could be used for a Peace Pendant, none matched the one before her eyes.
And the master Mr. Lin spoke of, Lin Wu thought, was most likely from the Mystic Sect.
The Mystic Sect refers to those well-versed in various I Ching and Yin-Yang esoteric arts, capable of what ordinary people cannot do, seeing what ordinary people cannot see, navigating between the living and the souls of the deceased.
As the nation strictly controlled such practices after its establishment, and the spiritual energy gradually became scarce amid the impacts of modernization, making cultivation more difficult, today mystic masters have become quite rare.
As scarcity makes something more precious, the status of mystic masters has risen even higher. Even the lowest-ranked Yellow Grade mystic master in the hierarchy of Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow, would have countless people vying for their attention, and those in the know would never offend a mystic master.
As far as Lin Wu knew, to create one's own Peace Pendant, one had to be at least of Mystical Grade within the Mystic Sect.
But those in the trade of mystic mastery are very cautious about giving away their creations, let alone an indiscernible Peace Pendant like this. Special materials usually have specific purposes, and if ordinary people handle them carelessly, they could get hurt, leading to a karma issue for the mystic master.
Considering this, Lin Wu's expression grew even more solemn.
The pendant also gave her a bad feeling.
"Grandpa, could you please call Lin Shenghai and ask him who that master is, where they met, and where the master is now?"
Old Master Lin was taken aback, "Why are you asking this? Wuwu, do you also want to seek a Peace Pendant from that master?"
Lin Wu replied indifferently, "You could say that."
Old Master Lin could not bear to refuse Lin Wu, and upon hearing it was about seeking peace again, he immediately flipped out his mobile phone to call Lin Shenghai, not avoiding Lin Wu and directly turning on the speakerphone.
Little did they know that in just this short time, Lin Jiangchuan and Lin Qian, who had left, had already made a call to inform Lin Shenghai.
Upon learning that Lin Jiangchuan and Lin Qian had been scolded by Old Master Lin because of Lin Wu, Lin Shenghai was very dissatisfied. As soon as the phone connected, he accused Old Master Lin of being blind with age, siding with outsiders, and unworthy of being a grandfather to the children.
Old Master Lin was originally moved by the Peace Pendant concerning Lin Shenghai, but upon hearing his words, he saw black before his eyes, infuriated that the scolding was because he couldn't discipline the children properly.
Lin Wu couldn't stand it anymore, snatched Old Master Lin's phone, and said to Lin Shenghai on the other end, "I was the one who made them leave in anger. If you have a problem, come to me, but don't take it out on Grandpa. Also, what's the deal with the Peace Pendant you gave to Grandpa? Where is the master who gave it to you now?"
Lin Shenghai was confused for a moment, not expecting Lin Wu to still be there.
He said angrily, "Confront you? Can you handle that?! Lin Wu, out of respect for our father-daughter relationship these past dozen years, I wanted to part on good terms. Why can't you appreciate what's good for you and insist on sticking around…"
Lin Wu furrowed her brows, "Shut up. Don't ramble about useless things; answer my question."
Lin Shenghai laughed in anger, "Answer you? How dare you question me? Lin Wu, do you think you're entitled to know everything? That master is no ordinary person. You're not even qualified to know his name!"
Lin Wu lost her patience, "Are you at the Lin Family company?"
"What if I am?" sneered Lin Shenghai.
Lin Wu cut off his call and handed the phone back to Old Master Lin.
"Grandpa, there's something wrong with this pendant. I'll take it to get tested. If there's no issue, I'll return it to you," Lin Wu said as she put the Peace Pendant back in the wooden box and stuffed it into her jacket pocket.
Old Master Lin was startled.
It was just a Peace Pendant, and he would naturally give it to Lin Wu if she wanted it.
But how could there be something wrong with the pendant?
Old Master Lin had too many questions, but what worried him more was, "Wuwu, don't be mad at your dad. He was just confused and didn't mean those things."
"He's not my dad, and I won't take it personally," Lin Wu stood up, "Grandpa, I'm leaving now."
Old Master Lin felt helpless and could only say, "Then later, I'll call Shenghai again to ask about that master for you, and I'll also give him a piece of my mind. Wuwu, you…"
"No need. I have my ways of finding out."
Lin Wu didn't linger, decisively bidding farewell and leaving.
After leaving the hospital room, Lin Wu walked while flipping through her contacts and soon made a call.
"Hello?" the person on the other end answered with a slow drawl, "Taoist student? Why are you suddenly calling me?"
Lin Wu had just entered the elevator and pressed the button for the floor, then spoke, "Does the Mystic Sect have a branch in Song City's Black Market?"
The other party was taken aback, "There should be. Basically, every major city in the country has branches of the Mystic Sect. Do you need something from the Mystic Sect?"