Black Night, Gao Liu City, Killer Star Wuchang

The night had fallen, and the stars and moon offered no light.

The land was plunged into endless darkness.

Outside the city walls, the wind howled like the wails of ghosts and the cries of gods, chilling the very soul.

Gao Liu City, built two score years ago, had a "Deity" residing within, warding off demons and evil spirits.

Despite the rarity of malevolent spirits causing trouble within the city, beneath the surface of peace, people's hearts were restless, leading to frequent misfortunes.

Thus, the Prefectural Governor's Mansion established two "Patrol Envoys" to maintain order: the Day Patrol and the Night Patrol.

"Boss, we caught that flower thief."

"Just as Fifth Master predicted, he's not from our district."

"Damn! This guy is truly f***ing ugly."

"No wonder the girls he defiled all wanted to end their own lives. Looking at his face, I want to puke."

"..."

More than ten figures in black robes bound the short, ugly man tightly and threw him by the well.

The ugly man was beaten and kicked, his body covered in wounds.

He raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.

Blood from his forehead trickled down his temples, making his unsightly face even more grotesque and twisted.

"You so-called Night Patrol Envoys are all useless. How could you have set a trap for me in advance?"

He gritted his teeth, full of defiance. "And this woman, I just spotted her on the street on a whim!"

With a bang!

A young man in black robes stepped forward and kicked the man square in his nauseatingly ugly face, sneering, "You think that woman was admiring the scenery in a tall building, with her outstanding temperament, exquisite looks, perfect figure, and especially her incredibly long legs, and her attire was exactly to your liking?"

"That was a paper figure Fifth Master created by combining the common features and clothing of the many girls you defiled!"

"In the outer city's southern district, across twelve districts, there are thirty-eight tall buildings. 'She' appeared on twenty-three of them!"

"She went up to the high buildings to be far away, so you couldn't see clearly, yet the blur... made one's imagination run wild."

"We took her to the courtyard in a sedan chair every time. After three days, we finally caught you, you filthy rat!"

The young man couldn't contain his rage. He sheathed his blade and delivered another barrage of punches and kicks.

Seeing this, the others joined in, adding their own blows, striking with extreme force.

"You scoundrel, you learned a whole set of illusionary techniques, and your martial arts are quite accomplished. Couldn't you earn money anywhere else? You could just go to a brothel with the money you earned! Why be a flower thief?"

"Huh? You've got silver on you, you f***er?"

"You have money, but you don't go to brothels? It doesn't cost much! Why must you torment innocent women!"

"Disgusting! Spit! You're worse than a pervert! Worse than a damn pervert!"

Amidst the beating and the screams, someone pushed open the courtyard gate.

Then, a cold voice slowly echoed from behind everyone.

"Stop! As Night Patrol Envoys, you should uphold the law righteously. Arbitrarily beating a prisoner is breaking the law you're supposed to enforce, and you will be punished!"

"Fifth Master!"

Everyone immediately stopped their assault and turned to look. They all bowed respectfully and shouted in unison.

"..."

The newcomer appeared to be a young man, dressed in black, form-fitting attire that accentuated his strong physique.

He had a proper face with stern features and an indifferent expression, exuding a chilling coldness.

He walked slowly, standing before the ugly man, his head lowered, his face expressionless.

The ugly man finally caught his breath. His face was bruised and swollen, covered in blood. He raised a hand and gasped, "This brother speaks the truth. You beating a prisoner is breaking the law! If you keep hitting me, I'll die..."

"According to the newly revised laws this year, I didn't kill anyone. For this minor offense, if I spend some silver, I'll at most serve a few years of hard labor!"

"If you beat me to death, it's intentional homicide. Even if the Prefectural Governor's Mansion shows mercy, you'll lose your jobs!"

He struggled to prop himself up, breathing raggedly, and let out a yelp of pain.

The many figures in black robes exchanged glances, standing frozen, none stepping forward.

Then, Fifth Master, still expressionless, reached out and steadied the man who was about to fall, saying indifferently, "I wouldn't have thought you'd be so well-versed in the law?"

"For those of us who commit crimes, we should at least know what constitutes a capital offense, shouldn't we?"

The flower thief turned his head and said, "This brother asked them to stop beating me, so he clearly understands the local laws. May I know your esteemed name?"

"Wuchang."

"Fifth Brother... My god! Killer Star?"

"It is I."

Fifth Master, still expressionless, reached out and grabbed him by the neck.

He stared directly into the other's fearful eyes, his palm slowly tightening.

Then, he turned his head to look at the black-clothed Night Patrol Envoys and said solemnly, "The way I hit just now wouldn't kill anyone."

Crack!

The flower thief's neck was snapped.

"The suspect refused to confess, attempted to escape using illusionary techniques, and tried to resist. He was brought to justice on the spot!"

Fifth Master spoke, his voice calm. "The laws have recently been revised, and they will be stricter than before for a while."

"As Night Patrol Envoys, you must strictly adhere to laws and regulations during this period. Do not break the law you are meant to uphold, nor arbitrarily beat prisoners."

"However, for someone like him who resisted arrest, bringing them to justice on the spot is perfectly fine."

He shook his palm, picked up the money pouch, poured out half the silver, and threw the rest to the Night Patrol Envoys before leaving without looking back.

The crowd watched his retreating back, exchanging bewildered glances, speechless for a moment.

After a while, the young man who had just spent money at the brothel clicked his tongue. "Fifth Master's methods are truly ruthless."

Another person chuckled grimly. "Otherwise, why would they call him the Killer Star?"

The middle-aged man leading them wore a complex expression. "It's been less than two years since Fifth Master started assisting us Night Patrol Envoys with cases, and he's dealt with no less than eighty, if not a hundred, suspects."

The man who had been at the brothel couldn't help but sigh, "It would be best if Fifth Master always assisted us with cases."

"Stop thinking nonsense. We Night Patrol Envoys are just minor figures under the Prefectural Governor's Mansion! Fifth Master isn't one of us..."

The middle-aged man whispered, "I heard Fifth Master is from the Heavenly Supervision Department, but for some reason, he couldn't get promoted and was obstructed by others, so he was assigned to assist us in accumulating merit."

He paused, then sighed. "It's a pity he's too ruthless, too bloodthirsty. I fear they'll use it against him... and his promotion this time will likely fall through again."

The man known as Fifth Master walked out of the courtyard and closed his eyes slightly.

In his mind, a piece of text appeared.

Name: Lin Yan.

Cultivation Technique: Five Elements Inner Breath Art.

Cultivation: Inner Strength Peak (996/1000)+

Divine Ability 1: Devour Fiend Qi!

Divine Ability 2: Demon Suppressing!

Techniques:

Lightning Blade First Level (87/100)+

Paper Cut into Horse (12/100)+

Disguise Technique (67/100)+

Breath Concealment Technique (21/100)+

Malevolent Energy: 3 strands.

"Still two strands of Malevolent Energy short."

Lin Yan frowned slightly, thinking, "This flower thief, he had at least touched the threshold of the Martial Dao realm. His flesh, skin, tendons, and bones were tempered to a certain degree, yet killing him only yielded three strands of Malevolent Energy."

He felt a sense of helplessness. He was just that little bit short of breaking through to the Essence Refining Realm.

Unknowingly, it had been two and a half years since he awakened his past life memories and embarked on the path of cultivation.

Initially, he had relied on slaughtering pigs and sheep to accumulate Malevolent Energy, making slow progress. It took more than half a year to temper the stages of skin, flesh, tendons, and bones.

These four stages were known as the first major hurdle in the Martial Dao.

Later, by chance, he met a significant figure and was invited to join the Heavenly Supervision Department, using the alias Wuchang.

Shortly after, that significant figure recommended him to be a Banner Bearer in the outer city.

However, the Heavenly Supervision Department headquarters in the inner city rejected the application, deeming his qualifications too shallow and his merits too few to hold the position of Banner Bearer.

Thus, he was assigned to assist the Night Patrol Envoys in apprehending criminals to accumulate merit.

But he was upright and hated evil, so he usually left no survivors.

This resulted in his merits and demerits often canceling each other out, and to this day, he hadn't accumulated enough merit to be promoted to Banner Bearer.

However, during this period, he gained a great deal of Malevolent Energy, and his cultivation progressed like a broken bamboo.

The second major hurdle of the Martial Dao was divided into two stages: Blood Refining and Marrow Washing.

"I advanced to the second major hurdle of the Martial Dao a year ago, completing 'Blood Refining' and 'Marrow Washing' in just half a year!"

"The third major hurdle is tempering the internal organs, known as 'Inner Strength,' and I have reached its peak!"

Lin Yan thought to himself, "According to ancient texts, before the world's upheaval, martial artists at the peak of Inner Strength were the pinnacle of secular martial cultivators, the limit of the human body's physical power."

"But in this era after the upheaval, only by entering the Dao through martial arts and transcending the mundane can one truly be considered to have entered the hall. At best, one possesses the ability to protect oneself!"

"This step is called the Essence Refining Realm!"

He paused, glancing back.

The city was brightly lit.

Outside the city, it was dark and silent.

This was an era of chaos and disorder, where the strong preyed on the weak, and monsters roamed freely, with malevolent spirits appearing.

This Gao Liu City, built 120 years ago, had gradually restored the rudimentary framework of human civilization.

It was currently still in a rough and barbaric period, but it seemed to be gradually developing and improving.

After all, I was born within Gao Liu City. My transmigration start isn't too bad.

Lin Yan thought this as he walked into an alley, rubbing his face.

Then, he peeled off a layer of skin.

His stern face was just a disguise.

His true appearance was actually somewhat delicate.

And the skin that had been hidden under the mask for a long time was as pale as if it had no blood.

He took off his black robe, and when he turned it over, it was a faded light yellow robe, even with two or three patches.

Emerging from the other end of the alley was no longer the Fifth Master, the Killer Star who was famous throughout Gao Liu City.

He was a delicate, thin, and plainly dressed impoverished youth.

In the darkness, he moved silently from the southern part of the city, along the alleys, and past the district gates.

After walking quickly for a long time, he arrived at an old street and then at a dilapidated house at the end.

This dilapidated house was no more than six paces wide and less than twelve paces deep.

Upon entering was the kitchen.

Separated by a small door was a wooden bed.

This was his home.

This was a place of refuge that his grandfather's generation had bought with all their savings after fleeing to Gao Liu City, in this chaotic and disordered world.

"Hm?"

As soon as Lin Yan entered the house, he saw two cloth bags, one large and one small, placed by the stove.

Lifting them to look, the large bag contained rice, and the small bag contained salt.

Looks like Second Brother came by.

Lin Yan thought this, and a smile appeared on his face.

He still had family in this world.

His elder sister had married into the inner city five years ago, but she returned two or three times a year.

His eldest brother had originally become a city guard in Gao Liu City, but six years ago, he was conscripted to Qifeng Prefecture, which was a promotion. He had sent back money several times since then.

As for his second brother, after getting married, he received financial assistance from his elder brother-in-law and built a house with three rooms and two corridors.

Originally, there was also a place for Lin Yan in the new house.

But just a few days before the house was completed, he suddenly awakened his past life memories.

And gained two great divine abilities: one was Devour Fiend Qi, and the other was Demon Suppressing.

Having lived two lives, he considered things more deeply and knew that the "Devour Fiend Qi" divine ability would likely lead to a life of constant danger.

He might provoke enemies at any time.

Coupled with the inconveniences in his cultivation, he did not move into the new house.

Because of this, his second brother was so angry that his face turned red and his neck swelled, but he couldn't argue with him and had to give up.

However, he still couldn't stop worrying about him, and would bring meals, or rice, flour, fish, and meat over every few days.

I'll sleep for an hour, then get up to cook some plain congee. It's almost time to go to work at the slaughterhouse.

Although Lin Yan had entered the Heavenly Supervision Department under a pseudonym, he had not given up his job at the slaughterhouse.

After all, slaughtering pigs and sheep also generated malevolent energy.

Secondly, this job was quite popular in the city.

It was through his sister-in-law's family connections that he had become a butcher.

Moreover, he received two taels of silver every month, which was a generous salary.

Assisting the Night Patrol Envoy with cases at night, slaughtering pigs and sheep at the slaughterhouse during the day, working year-round without rest... After deducting expenses for food, clothing, and cultivation, I've managed to save over forty taels of silver.

Lin Yan thought to himself, If I save for another ten years or so, I should be able to buy a plot of land in the outer three districts, and then save for another three to five years, I can build a house.

As he was thinking this, about to take off his clothes to bathe, he heard a voice from outside.

"A Lei, the water tank at home has cracked. You need to go back and fix it."

It was his second sister-in-law's voice.

"Hm?"

Lin Yan strode out and opened the door.

A woman stood outside, appearing to be in her early twenties, with a pretty face and simple clothing.

"Ayan, where's your second brother?"

"Second brother didn't come home?" Lin Yan's heart suddenly tightened at the words, and he said in a low voice.

"This afternoon, he bought a roasted chicken and said he was going to bring you half, then he didn't come home."

His second sister-in-law seemed a bit lost and said blankly, "I originally thought you two brothers were drinking and he stayed here. If the water vat hadn't cracked, I wouldn't have come to call him..."

"..."

Lin Yan's heart gave a slight jolt, and he subconsciously glanced outside the city.

In this world, the day is the human realm, and the night is the underworld.

Within the town, illuminated by divine lamps, ghosts and evil spirits could not invade.

Outside the city walls, the divine lamps did not reach, and malevolent spirits roamed.

He instantly withdrew his gaze and thought to himself, Second brother is steady and knows the dangers outside the city. It's already afternoon; he shouldn't have gone out.

"It's already dark, why are you shouting by my window?"

Just then, a neighbor pushed open his window. An old man grumbled impatiently, "Your future wife came looking for you. She happened to run into your brother and sent him to her home to discuss the betrothal gifts with your future father-in-law."

"Future wife?"

The second sister-in-law paused and looked at Lin Yan.

Lin Yan smiled and said, "So that's what happened. It's nothing then. I'll go over later and ask second brother to come home early."

"It's good to know where he went. Remember to tell him to come back soon."

The second sister-in-law breathed a sigh of relief and turned to go home. But then she suddenly turned back, pulling some silver fragments from her pocket.

"You're about to get married. The temple fair is in a couple of days. Take the girl out, don't be stingy with your money."

"Got it."

Lin Yan said this, watched his second sister-in-law leave, and then knocked on the neighbor's window.

"Uncle Liu, whose daughter is my future wife?"

"How many sweethearts do you have, kid? You're still asking me?"

The old man poked his head out, his face full of shock, a mix of disdain and envy. "Isn't it Chen Jiangbao's daughter? Who else have you been messing around with?"

"Chen Jiangbao? Got it. Go to sleep early."

Lin Yan's expression was blank as he pushed the opened window back down.

He returned to his room, retrieved his saber, and headed straight for the south of the city.

Under the night sky, his handsome face became even colder.

Chen Jiangbao had no daughter!

Moreover, Chen Jiangbao was dead.

Yesterday morning, just outside the city, Chen Jiangbao was left with only half a head that hadn't been fully gnawed clean.