The Prestige of a Powerful Martial Cultivator

In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.

That morning, after Lin Xuankong finished cultivating the Pine Crane Mind Method and the Flying Stone Technique, he had just sat down at the wooden table in the outer room to eat when knocking suddenly sounded at the door. Then a gentle, kindly woman's voice called out, "Is Xiaolan home?"

Granny Wang's voice!

Lin Xuankong's face turned cold. He then looked at the bowls and chopsticks on the table.

At that moment, there were two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks on the table. Lin Xuankong touched his own bowl, then looked at the bowl across from him. There was only a little porridge left at the bottom, making it look as though someone had just finished drinking from it!

Lin Xuankong concealed the killing intent in his eyes, put on a listless appearance, and shuffled over to the door.

"Creeeak."

The wooden door opened. Lin Xuankong coughed. "Do you need something from my wife?"

Granny Wang glanced at him, her eyes rolling as she peered behind him. When she saw the two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks on the table, her gaze shifted, and she withdrew her eyes.

She flicked her handkerchief and said with a beaming smile, "Oh, brother Lin, of course I do!

"Your young lady said she would help embroider handkerchiefs, but ten days have already passed and I haven't seen a single one. The customers who ordered handkerchiefs nearly tore down my shop. I've been worried sick!

"This time, I specifically brought twenty taels as a deposit, intending to give the young lady an advance payment first! Ah, your young lady's craftsmanship is so good. Naturally, I have to curry favor with her!"

As she spoke, she raised the money pouch in her hand. "Brother Lin, step aside. I need to go in and discuss what flowers the young lady should embroider!"

Let you in?

Lin Xuankong glanced outside and saw Granny Wang's sedan chair parked by the street.

Besides the two tall, burly sedan bearers, several Black Tiger Gang members stood not far away, each with a hand resting on the Hundred Refinements Steel Saber at their waist.

Some nearby neighbors were secretly watching this way, whispering among themselves.

However, with Granny Wang and the Black Tiger Gang members nearby, those neighbors kept their voices extremely low. Not one of them dared point or gesture in this direction!

He had already planned to take that old sow-dog's life within the next couple of days, yet she had actually delivered herself to his door. But too many people had witnessed this scene. Now was not the right time to act; he would have to wait until nightfall!

If he could not kill her now, then he absolutely could not let her enter.

Otherwise, his strength and the fact that the young lady was not home would be exposed!

Standing squarely in the middle of the doorway, Lin Xuankong blocked Granny Wang as she tried to squeeze inside. "My wife hasn't been in a good mood these past few days. She has no mind for embroidering handkerchiefs, and she doesn't want to see anyone. Go back first!"

Granny Wang's expression shifted, and she put on a concerned, worried look.

"Oh my, the young lady has something troubling her? Then I should see her all the more and help brother Lin persuade her!"

With that, she twisted her body and tried to force her way into the wooden house.

Lin Xuankong's face darkened as he barked, "I said my wife is in a bad mood and doesn't want to see anyone. Are your ears deaf?"

Granny Wang, who had been wearing a kindly expression, froze. She looked at Lin Xuankong in surprise.

This poor old man who sold flatbread actually dared speak to her so rudely. He dared call her deaf in front of so many people!

What she feared was Li Xiaolan's martial prowess, not this useless old man before her. Did he have a single useful thing on him?

How did an old man like this dare curse at her? Had he eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard?

Granny Wang frowned at Lin Xuankong, her face gradually turning ugly.

Before she could speak, however, one of the two burly sedan bearers—a red-faced man—was already shouting curses.

"Old Dog Lin, you poor bastard, have you gone mad?

"Do you know what kind of strength and status Auntie Wang has?

"A figure like Auntie Wang—even those landlords with fortunes beyond measure have to call her Godmother Wang when they see her. Yet you fucking dare call Auntie Wang deaf?"

As he cursed, the yellow-faced man drew the saber hanging at his waist and strode straight toward Lin Xuankong. "If I don't cut out that old dog tongue of yours today, my surname isn't Huang!"

Seeing this scene, most of the surrounding neighbors wore terrified expressions. They hurriedly shut their own wooden doors, afraid that once Old Man Lin was hacked to death by the sedan bearer, they would be implicated as well.

A few others widened their eyes in excitement, staring fixedly this way without blinking, as though afraid of missing some thrilling spectacle!

The Black Tiger Gang members, meanwhile, watched thoughtfully, their gazes flickering without end.

Lin Xuankong ignored the sedan bearer who was cursing as he approached.

Suppressing the urge to act at once, he stared at Granny Wang before him. He even stepped closer to her. "I told you, my wife is in a bad mood. If she loses her temper, people might die. A lot of people might die!"

At that, he paused and enunciated each word. "Boss Wang, aren't you afraid that you'll be among the dead?"

Lin Xuankong was certain that the old sow-dog would not turn hostile right now, because the young lady was "home"!

Hearing this, Granny Wang carefully examined his steady expression several times, and panic suddenly rose in her heart.

Where had this confidence come from? Could Li Xiaolan really have developed some feelings for this decrepit old man? Otherwise, where could his confidence possibly come from?

She hesitated and could not help looking once more at the two pairs of chopsticks and two bowls on the table.

Gritting her back teeth, she swiftly retreated several steps.

By then, the sedan bearer had already reached Granny Wang's side with his saber in hand and was preparing to swing it at Lin Xuankong.

What the sedan bearer had not expected was that Granny Wang suddenly turned and stopped him. Then she raised her hand and delivered a rapid string of slaps across his face. "You dog, how dare you speak like that? Didn't you see that even I call him brother Lin? Is he someone you can curse? Get lost!"

Those slaps were brutally heavy. Several of the sedan bearer's teeth were knocked flying a long distance away, and blood streamed down until the clothes over his chest were soaked through.

Yet the sedan bearer did not even dare dodge. He could only stretch out his neck and take the blows.

Only after Granny Wang cursed at him to get lost did he stagger back to his position beside the sedan chair.

Granny Wang glanced at the second floor of the Lin Family Wooden Building, then instantly put on a smiling face again and cheerfully said to Lin Xuankong:

"Oh my, look at the fuss we've made today. Brother Lin and the young lady are generous people, so please be understanding. When I return, I'll properly discipline that blind fool!

"Just remember to have the young lady help embroider those handkerchiefs, brother Lin!"

With that, she took a few quick steps to the sedan chair. After climbing inside, the smile on her face instantly twisted somewhat.

Near-uncontrollable, frenzied killing intent filled her eyes. I, Wang Qiluo, have roamed Great Marsh Prefecture for so many years. When have I ever suffered such humiliation from a poor bastard?

Lin Xuankong, you will die miserably. But before you die, I'll make you watch with your own eyes as your wife is ravaged by others!

Soon, the group left Wutong Alley.

Countless strange-faced people poked their heads out from the wooden buildings of Wutong Alley.

These neighbors looked at Granny Wang's departing group, then at the Lin Family Wooden Building whose door had closed again, utterly unable to comprehend what had just happened.

That was Granny Wang of Wang's Ready-to-Wear Shop—a true Martial Cultivator in the Mortal Transformation Realm, with powerful figures from the Black Tiger Gang behind her. Why did a great boss like her seem to be trying to ingratiate herself with that little old man who sold flatbread?

Especially those neighbors who had openly or secretly mocked Lin Xuankong—every one of them stood dumbstruck, unease filling their hearts. They could not understand at all how Old Man Lin had managed this.

Inside the Lin Family Wooden Building,

After closing the wooden door, Lin Xuankong sat upright at the table. Looking at the bowl and chopsticks across from him, the corners of his mouth lifted.

This was the intimidation of his wife, a truly powerful Martial Cultivator. Merely placing a pair of bowls and chopsticks here, without even showing her face, had frightened off Granny Wang and those Black Tiger Gang members!

He wondered when he too would possess such prestige!

After eating and completing a round of the Green Pine Stance in the backyard of the old wooden building, Lin Xuankong sat beside the Old Willow Tree to rest for a while.

He frowned as he looked toward the second floor of his home. The young lady had been gone for ten days.

According to what she had said before leaving, if everything went smoothly, she should have returned by now!

Since she had not returned yet, she must have encountered some trouble or setback. He wondered whether she had run into danger. Thinking of the young lady who loved meat pies, brewed medicine and served soup, and had wholeheartedly taught him martial arts for dozens of days, a trace of worry appeared in Lin Xuankong's eyes.

Unfortunately, when she left, she had not told him where she was going. Even if he wanted to find her, he did not know where to begin!

Lin Xuankong sighed and comforted himself: she was so powerful that she could probably handle two hundred Lin Xuankongs by herself. She should not be in any danger, right?

She had said it would take ten days at the fastest and half a month at the slowest. Perhaps she would return in another five days!

But did he still have five days to wait for her?

Granny Wang coming to the door today and insisting on seeing the young lady was the most dangerous sign. It meant Zhang Wu and Granny Wang might suspect that the young lady was not home!

Perhaps it was because the young lady had not gone out during this time, or perhaps they simply could not hold themselves back any longer!

Granny Wang's probe had been bluffed away by him, but that did not mean their suspicions would completely vanish. As long as they used their brains even a little, they had countless other ways to test whether the young lady was home!

He had to act immediately. Tonight, he would first get rid of that old sow-dog, Granny Wang!

His strength had advanced to its current level; it was enough for him to make a move. He looked at the several large lines of text in his mind.