"Shi Zhongyu!"
Lin Xiao seized the long saber embedded in his waist and yanked it free, then swung it backward, cleaving into the iron anchor beneath the hammer. The saber shattered, while the iron anchor was knocked aside. He cast an angry glance at Shi Zhongyu, who was looking over coldly, then spun around and leaped into the river. Rapidly stepping across the water, he rushed toward the fleet of forward outpost ships that was coming to support them in the distance.
From far away, he pulled out his identity token, tossed it over, and shouted:
"I'm Lin Xiao of Great River Hall! Let me aboard!"
At that moment, a tall figure stepped out onto the leading ship. It was Qi Kun, the Fist Swordsman and Headquarters Guardian stationed at this forward Water Fortress. He recognized Lin Xiao and immediately let him aboard, then asked with a solemn expression:
"Hall Master Lin, how did you get so badly wounded?"
Lin Xiao pointed toward the central-wing warship where he had been and said:
"I saw the battle and rushed over to support them. As soon as I arrived, I was surrounded by an Iron Boat Gang expert wielding an anchor and another wielding a bow. Before long, Shi Zhongyu arrived with another Iron Boat Gang expert. That expert ambushed me midway, and Shi Zhongyu not only failed to stop him, but also secretly attacked me when I tried to escape, intending to kill me."
He pointed at the saber wound on his waist and said:
"Of the three, one used an iron anchor, one excelled at palm techniques, and one was highly skilled with archery. This wound was caused by the saber he threw to stop me from escaping."
"This..."
Qi Kun wore a solemn expression and fell silent for a moment. The information contained in Lin Xiao's words was simply too shocking. One of the heirs the guild had painstakingly cultivated was actually a spy from an enemy gang. Before obtaining definite evidence, he did not dare to speak recklessly.
However, he did not neglect Lin Xiao's injuries. He had someone bring ointment to apply to the wounds, removed the arrow, bandaged him up, and sent him to rest in the ship's cabin.
Lin Xiao felt fairly reassured here. Shi Zhongyu was a traitor, but the Fist Swordsman Qi Kun certainly was not. He was an old veteran who had founded the Great River Gang alongside the former gang leader. He held both status and prestige within the gang and could not possibly become a traitor.
Lying in the ship's cabin, a fierce glint flickered in Lin Xiao's eyes. This time had truly been dangerous. If he had not fled decisively, and if Qi Kun had not happened to be nearby, he really would have been finished.
He had actually been secretly ambushed by a native. To him, that was a shame of the deepest kind, but it also revealed his lack of experience. If he had been experienced enough, he would have noticed that something was wrong from the very beginning.
Still, suffering once had given him experience. There would not be a second time—and he would certainly avenge this grudge.
The odds of the gang formally upholding justice were not high, but Lin Xiao was not afraid that the gang would shield Shi Zhongyu. Even if Shi Zhongyu was an heir the gang had cultivated, even if he was the gang leader's son, colluding with the enemy and plotting against one's own people was a grave taboo. No one could tolerate it.
The problem was that this was only his side of the story. The saber Shi Zhongyu had used to ambush him had been a weapon belonging to a subordinate who had died on the ground. Shi Zhongyu had merely kicked the hilt, sending the saber flying through Lin Xiao's waist. Even with modern technology, they would not be able to find his fingerprints. There were no surveillance cameras nearby, and all his subordinates had been fighting, so no one had witnessed it—apart from those few Iron Boat Gang experts.
But obviously, the Iron Boat Gang could not possibly come forward to testify against him. Thus, Lin Xiao had no evidence with which to do anything to him.
Of course, this matter would still affect Shi Zhongyu to a certain extent. How could three of the Iron Boat Gang's top experts surrounding Lin Xiao possibly be explained away? Anyone with even a little sense could smell the scent of conspiracy, let alone the gang's old hands. Thus, even without any evidence, after this incident Shi Zhongyu's standing in the eyes of the gang's veterans would plummet.
For the time being, Lin Xiao could do nothing to Shi Zhongyu, but that was only temporary. A gentleman could wait ten years to avenge a grudge, but he would not need ten years.
Five days later, Lin Xiao reappeared at the Great River Gang headquarters. Iron Sand Palm Weng Mengxiang, another Headquarters Guardian, and Lin Hu, the Deputy Hall Master of Lin'an Branch, personally escorted him back to headquarters. This also conveyed a certain message to Shi Zhongyu, so the journey was exceptionally quiet.
After returning to headquarters, Lin Xiao met the Great River Gang's leader, Jin Haozhong, once more—a white-haired old man more than seventy years old, yet still hale and hearty. He came over to examine Lin Xiao's injuries and ask about what had happened. After patting him and telling him to rest and recover, he left behind a century-old mountain ginseng before departing.
Lin Xiao watched the old gang leader leave with his brows tightly furrowed, and felt inexplicably delighted.
"Bang!"
A vase was hurled heavily onto the floor and smashed to pieces. Young Master Peng, Shi Zhongyu, smashed the table apart with a vicious punch.
"Damn it."
The servants outside the room were so frightened by the noise that they hid in the corner and did not dare enter, merely lowering their heads even further.
When Lin Xiao had been escorted back to headquarters by the Headquarters Guardian, Shi Zhongyu's unease had grown deeper and deeper. Then, that morning, a messenger had brought an order from the gang leader at headquarters: Shi Zhongyu's authority over his direct subordinates at Song'an Branch had been stripped away, and command had been transferred to Song'an Branch.
In other words, the subordinates he had spent all these years cultivating at Song'an Branch were no longer connected to him from this moment onward.
"You old bastard, just you wait."
He cursed viciously a few times in his heart. Then he suddenly turned around and saw the black-clad woman from before. A fierce glint flashed through his eyes as he said coldly:
"You still dare come see me? Do you know how much I lost this time?"
The woman laughed coquettishly.
"That's why I came to compensate you."
"How will you compensate me?"
The woman smiled sweetly and walked forward. Right in front of him, she removed her clothes one piece at a time, revealing her graceful, curvaceous body. Step by step, she approached him, then pressed a jade finger against his chin and said:
"From now until tomorrow morning, I'll belong entirely to you."
He stared at her fiercely. The murderous glint in his eyes unknowingly melted away. Reaching out to pinch her chin, he said viciously:
"One night isn't enough. Ten nights."
"Can you handle that?"
Her answer was a rough hand tightly gripping her chest. Then her entire body was tossed onto the bed as if riding clouds and mist, and a figure slammed down on top of her.
Xiao Yun Courtyard was the name Lin Xiao had given his residence at headquarters. Having descended into this world for so long, he had gradually begun to blend into it.
He did not use the century-old mountain ginseng the old gang leader had given him to replenish his body. Instead, he refined it, converting it into ten Potential Points.
The source of his attribute ability's Potential Points was not limited to slaughter. Refining all kinds of rare natural treasures could also increase his Potential Points, and a century-old mountain ginseng barely qualified.
Once he had recovered a little, he went to the gang's medicine hall and used the merit he had accumulated to exchange for a pile of precious medicinal materials that could be refined into Potential Points.
He had originally intended to exchange that Great Merit for cultivation techniques later, but plans could not keep up with changes. He was in urgent need of Potential Points now, so he could only use them first and worry about the rest later.
When he used up all six Great Merits in one breath, the Potential Points gained from refining those precious medicinal materials alone had already exceeded one hundred and thirty, completely surpassing his expectations.
With 136 Potential Points, he naturally had to use them to rapidly convert them into combat power. His gaze swept back and forth across the many cultivation techniques on the attribute panel before finally landing on the Yang Sha Scripture and Yin Sha Scripture.
At his current level, cultivation was more important than anything else. Once one's inner power reached a certain level, even an unorthodox technique like Black Tiger Steals the Heart could unleash tremendous might.
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