Hat Guest and the Yin Talisman Sect's Young Lady

Li Xiaolan returned to the second floor to cultivate in peace. After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Xuankong left the wooden building.

Although the Black Tiger Gang's seizure of the medicinal herbs was rather troubling, his own realm had improved, giving him hope of regaining his youth. His lifespan had greatly increased, and his wife had returned home. For once, Lin Xuankong was in the mood to take a stroll.

In over two months, this was the first time he had come out for a leisurely walk without carrying his steamed-bun pole. It felt slightly unfamiliar!

He left his own wooden building, wandered to the entrance of Wutong Alley, and looked toward the chive dumpling stall by the roadside.

After the Yin Talisman Sect and the Black Tiger Gang exchanged Linshui Street and Cattle Horse Street, Old Man Zhang, who sold chive dumplings, moved his stall to Cattle Horse Street at the entrance of Wutong Alley.

For one thing, after the Black Tiger Gang occupied Linshui Street, its fearsome reputation had noticeably reduced the foot traffic there, making business difficult!

Secondly, the street-clearing fee the Black Tiger Gang charged vendors was simply too high. The Yin Talisman Sect also collected a fee, but it was nearly thirty percent lower!

The dumpling stall's move here was naturally a good thing for Lin Xuankong. Old Man Zhang's craftsmanship was excellent, and it was now far closer than Linshui Street whenever he wanted a bite of his chive dumplings!

"Brother Lin!" The moment Old Man Zhang spotted Lin Xuankong, he called out to him from far away.

Lin Xuankong raised a hand and walked over.

Old Man Zhang had been about to chat with this old regular customer for a few moments.

However, upon seeing Lin Xuankong's raised right hand, Old Man Zhang froze.

He stared at Lin Xuankong's hand in surprise, then vigorously rubbed his eyes. Had I remembered wrong before?

I remember brother Lin's hands being covered in chicken-skin wrinkles, but now... brother Lin is in his sixties, so why does the skin on his hands look as plump and smooth as a young man's?

They are almost as smooth as my daughter-in-law's hands, and she's only in her twenties.

Just then,

Many pedestrians near the dumpling stall suddenly hurried to both sides of the street.

Old Man Zhang looked up, his expression turning solemn. Throwing his earlier doubts to the back of his mind, he hastily moved his dumpling stall farther aside.

At that moment, several dozen Yin Talisman Sect members in Taoist robes were escorting a sedan chair down the middle of the road.

Pedestrians and merchants on either side of the street all respectfully made way when they saw this group of Taoists.

Some smooth-tongued young masters and wealthy merchants even repeatedly clasped their hands in greeting, calling out, "Taoist Master!"

This differed from how they had reacted to Black Tiger Gang members before. Back then, pedestrians and merchants had worn fear on their faces whenever they saw the gang's people.

Now, most pedestrians and merchants showed a measure of respect when they saw the Yin Talisman Sect's Taoists.

After all, the amount of the street-clearing fee concerned every person's livelihood. With the fee lowered by thirty percent, ordinary folk could live much more comfortably!

Lin Xuankong also moved to the side of the road with everyone else, then looked toward the several dozen Taoists.

Very soon, a faint smile appeared on his face. There was actually someone he knew among them.

Among the several dozen Taoists, the man guarding the sedan chair had three wisps of flowing beard and wore an immaculate Taoist robe. He was Gu Beicheng, whose life Lin Xuankong had saved at Guangju Xuan.

At that moment, Gu Beicheng stood beside the sedan chair, speaking to a pretty Taoist nun inside.

"Manager Jiang, that is all I know about the Hat Guest.

He told me, 'Wanderer Under Heaven, Ask Me Not.' I truly do not even know his name!" Gu Beicheng said with a respectful expression.

The pretty Taoist nun addressed as Steward Jiang frowned at him.

"Xiaocheng, you should at least call me Martial Aunt. If you are unwilling to reveal even such a small matter, aren't you being a little stingy?"

The two continued speaking as they headed into the distance.

When Lin Xuankong heard them discussing the "Hat Guest," his expression shifted, and he followed after them.

He was now at the Mortal Transformation Layer Two Initial Stage, and his hearing was far keener than an ordinary person's. Though Gu Beicheng and Manager Jiang spoke quietly, he could hear every word clearly.

After walking for a while, Gu Beicheng sighed. "That Hat Guest did save my life, but I truly do not know him. Besides, the Black Tiger Gang hates him to the bone now. I fear that Hat Guest will never dare show himself in Great Marsh Prefecture again!"

Manager Jiang, with her pretty features, spoke.

"I have often heard rumors about the Hat Guest lately. They say his concealed weapon techniques are peerless in their sharpness, and that he kills people as easily as slaughtering chickens.

Moreover, he obtained the priceless Twin Vine Demonic Pearl, so I am terribly curious about this Hat Guest!

I never expected you to know so little about him as well. Still, that line, 'Wanderer Under Heaven, Ask Me Not,' is quite interesting. You must have looked utterly helpless at the time!"

At this point, she turned to look westward, her expression darkening slightly.

"If only there were more interesting people like that Hat Guest in this world! Yet Father sent me here to guard this place, and I have to keep watch over those disgusting Black Tiger Gang wretches all day. It truly is irritating!

Those Black Tiger Gang scum are sinister, vicious, arrogant, and shameless. Whenever I see one of them, I want to slap him to death!"

Hearing her say this, Gu Beicheng could not help feeling a headache coming on.

This Little Martial Aunt Jiang had a temper like a little chili pepper pointing at the sky. It could not be helped—she was the Yin Talisman Sect Leader's daughter, after all. An Eldest Young Lady's temper!

Manager Jiang continued, "Right, the Black Tiger Gang has probably already blocked the sale of medicinal herbs. What arrangements does our Great Marsh Hall have?"

Gu Beicheng frowned. "The sect has medicinal herb plantations over by Sifang City. Their output is not particularly great, but it can certainly ensure the cultivation of the stewards and managers! The disciples will have to be more frugal. They will need to complete assignments before they can receive medicinal herbs."

Manager Jiang nodded. "We can only be more frugal. Hmph, this Black Tiger Gang Great Marsh Hall—I will tear it down sooner or later!"

After saying that, she lowered the curtain of the small sedan chair and ignored Gu Beicheng.

Yet her muttering could still be heard from within the sedan chair.

"If only Great Marsh Prefecture had a few more Hat Guests, enough to beat the Black Tiger Gang until their heads spun and their brains burned! Mm, 'Wanderer Under Heaven, Ask Me Not.' I really want to catch that Hat Guest and see what that old freak actually looks like!"

Lin Xuankong had been secretly following the two. Upon hearing Manager Jiang's muttering, he could not help touching his own face.

By then, the sky had grown late.

The Yin Talisman Sect's barracks on Cattle Horse Street lay ahead, so he stopped, turned, and headed toward several medicinal herb shops on Linshui Street.

Upon reaching the herb shops, he found that matters were indeed just as Li Xiaohu, Li Xiaolan, Manager Jiang, and the others had said. Most medicinal herbs related to cultivation had been removed from sale, and the remaining one or two types were nowhere near enough to prepare the Nine Revolutions Qi Nourishing Soup!

Outside one of the medicinal herb shops,

Several dozen Rogue Cultivators like Lin Xuankong were discussing the Black Tiger Gang's control over medicinal herbs with great indignation because they could not buy any.

Lin Xuankong edged closer and listened for a while before learning the details.

There were three relatively large medicinal herb-producing areas near Great Marsh Prefecture City. Recently, powerful demonic creatures had occupied two of them, causing herb production to plummet and leaving it unable to sustain the consumption of Great Marsh Prefecture's many Martial Cultivators! This was one reason the Black Tiger Gang and several other gangs and lineages had formed an alliance to control the herbs. With herb production reduced so drastically, competition naturally became fierce—and cruel!

One round-faced Rogue Cultivator was clearly full of resentment. Unable to hold it in, he cursed amidst the crowd, "That damned Black Tiger Gang never does a single human thing. They are trying to cut off us rogue cultivators' path!"

Just then,

A group emerged from the street corner. At its head was a Martial Cultivator with a face full of thick beard, carrying an imposing presence.

Several dozen Black Tiger Gang Martial Cultivators followed behind him, and Zhang Wu, who had just been promoted to Deputy Steward, was among them.

Zhang Wu had become a dignified Deputy Steward, likely with two or three hundred underlings beneath him and even some minor leaders under his command. Yet within this group, his status was not high, and he walked in the rear.

The bearded cultivator at the front possessed extremely keen hearing. From over twenty zhang away, he heard the round-faced cultivator's words.

His face darkened slightly as he coldly shouted, "These people have quite the nerve, daring to criticize my Black Tiger Gang behind our backs and insult my Black Tiger Gang!"

Before his words had even faded, he sprang toward Lin Xuankong and the other Rogue Cultivators. This bearded cultivator's strength was exceedingly terrifying. Like a fierce tiger pouncing on its prey, he leapt directly across more than twenty zhang, the air roaring whoosh, whoosh around him, his momentum unmatched!