The night was cool as water.
Su Chen had barely entered Lin Family Fortress when he sensed someone following him.
So he quickened his pace and headed for a secluded alley. The person behind him continued to follow at an unhurried pace.
Soon, Su Chen stopped and looked back. The person following him was none other than Zhu Yan.
"Benefactor?"
Upon seeing Su Chen, Zhu Yan called out uncertainly.
Though Su Chen was still dressed as One-Armed, his disguise had improved beyond measure.
Had Zhu Yan not seen Su Chen dressed this way before, he truly wouldn't have recognized him.
Su Chen nodded. "You should have gotten the news by now, right?"
At this, Zhu Yan's expression turned solemn. He immediately knelt before Su Chen, kowtowed, and offered his thanks. "Thank you, Benefactor, for avenging me. I can never repay you in this lifetime. If you don't mind, I, Yan, wish to make you my adoptive father and serve by your side for the rest of my life."
Su Chen: "..."
The already quiet atmosphere grew even quieter after Zhu Yan said this.
Su Chen had never expected Zhu Yan to say something like that when they met again.
He was mortified and utterly speechless.
He was only around twenty, and now he was supposed to have a child this grown?
Even if the boy was adopted, it still felt strange no matter how he looked at it.
After a light cough, Su Chen refused Zhu Yan without hesitation. "There's no need. We each got what we wanted, so there's no need for such a grand gesture."
"Benefactor, you killed my enemy and avenged the Zhu Family. This kindness is higher than the heavens. To me, you're like the parents who gave me life anew. No gesture could ever fully express my gratitude..."
"Enough. Get up!"
Hearing Zhu Yan's flowery speech, Su Chen cut him off with a stern expression.
A flicker of surprise crossed Zhu Yan's face. In the end, he rose helplessly to his feet.
"Yes, Benefactor."
Seeing Su Chen's expression, he didn't dare say another word. He simply stood up, as obedient as a child.
"Where's the Medical Codex?" Su Chen asked.
"It's here." Zhu Yan hurriedly took out a thick book and handed it to Su Chen.
Su Chen took it, flipped through a few pages, then tucked it into his robe.
Just as he was about to leave, Zhu Yan spoke up. "Benefactor, wait."
"What is it now?"
"Benefactor, please accept this money!"
Zhu Yan took a stack of banknotes from his robe and offered them with both hands.
"Hm?"
Su Chen stared at him in surprise. Hadn't this guy said he was broke before?
As if he knew what Su Chen was thinking, Zhu Yan gave a faint smile. "I have you to thank for this money, Benefactor."
"What do you mean?"
"After you killed Zhao Kuo, I got the news. Knowing you were short on money, I took advantage of the chaos at Zhao Kuo's home and slipped inside to take some silver..."
At this point, Zhu Yan scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.
This money was nowhere near enough to express his gratitude to Su Chen.
Su Chen paused, then gave Zhu Yan a long look before nodding. "All right, I'll take it."
After a moment, he asked, "Now that you've avenged your family, what do you plan to do?"
"Me? I think I'll leave White Stone City," Zhu Yan said thoughtfully.
His original plan had been to make Su Chen his father and serve him for life, but Su Chen had refused.
For the moment, he hadn't quite figured out what to do next.
That had been the plan he'd settled on before, the path he'd chosen for himself after avenging his family.
"Oh, right, Benefactor. You don't need to go to Misty Rain Pavilion anymore. Lin Family Fortress has shut it down."
Suddenly, Zhu Yan slapped his forehead and told Su Chen.
"Misty Rain Pavilion has closed?" Su Chen asked, puzzled.
Zhu Yan nodded. "It's closed. I only found out today, too. I don't know the exact reason."
Seeing Su Chen fall silent, Zhu Yan spoke again. "Benefactor, White Stone City has been getting more and more chaotic lately. I heard bandits have started causing trouble outside the city. If you're going to keep staying in White Stone City, you need to be extremely careful."
"I understand. You be careful, too."
Su Chen nodded, still thinking about Misty Rain Pavilion's closure.
"All right, I'll get going."
A moment later, Su Chen said goodbye to Zhu Yan and turned to leave.
"Benefactor, after I leave White Stone City, I'll go to Great Abundance City..."
Watching Su Chen's retreating figure, Zhu Yan seemed to remember something and hurriedly called out.
Then he knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times. Only after a long while did he get up and leave.
After parting from Zhu Yan, Su Chen passed by Misty Rain Pavilion and saw that its doors were indeed tightly shut.
As evening drew on, Su Chen found an inn in Lin Family Fortress and stayed the night.
Inside his room.
Looking at the nine banknotes Zhu Yan had given him, he felt a little helpless.
There were nine banknotes, each worth ten taels, for a total of ninety taels. Even with the money he already had, he still didn't have a hundred taels.
"Looks like I'll have to find a way to earn money if I want to upgrade Iron Wire Fist!"
After putting away the banknotes, Su Chen lay down and went to sleep.
The night passed peacefully.
The eastern sky brightened, and a new day began.
After getting up and washing, Su Chen ate breakfast before setting out for the city.
On the way back, Su Chen passed through a forest. Looking at the thick trees along the road, an idea came to him.
He struck out with his palm. A tree as thick as a bowl shuddered violently. When he pulled his hand back, he saw a palm print five centimeters deep in the trunk.
"I wonder how strong I am now. I should be able to take on ten Zhao Kuos, right?"
Su Chen looked at his handiwork with satisfaction, speculating about his strength as he pondered.
But then he thought about how Zhao Kuo's Turtle Shell Skill seemed to be more advanced than his own. At his current level of Turtle Shell Skill, he might not be able to completely overpower him.
As he thought this, the smile vanished from his face. He brushed his sleeve and left without looking back.
Half an hour later, Su Chen returned to White Stone City, paid the entry fee, and went inside.
As usual, he found a secluded spot to change clothes, then returned home.
He had barely gotten back when he heard a knock at the door.
Creak.
"Who are you?"
Looking at the two men standing at the door, who were clearly members of a gang, Su Chen realized he didn't know them.
"We're from the Long River Gang. Starting today, every household has to pay a twenty-cash head fee."
"Didn't the Blood Clothes Gang already collect that?" Su Chen asked with a frown.
He had never heard of this Long River Gang.
"Quit wasting our time. The Blood Clothes Gang was wiped out by our Long River Gang ages ago, so their territory naturally belongs to us now. Hurry up!"
The man spoke impatiently, urging Su Chen on with a fierce scowl.
"What are you doing?"
Just as Su Chen was about to teach the two men a lesson, a sharp voice rang out. Li Mo was walking toward them.
"Hong Family Martial Hall!"
When they saw the clothes Li Mo was wearing, the two gang members' expressions changed.
"You've got some nerve, trying to collect a head fee from a disciple of our Hong Family Martial Hall! You really don't value your lives!"
Li Mo came up to the two men and rebuked them.
Instead of getting angry, the two men gave an ingratiating laugh. "Please calm down, big brother. We were out of line."
"Get lost!"
Li Mo snorted.
"Yes, yes!"
The two men hurried away, afraid Li Mo might change his mind.
After they were gone, Li Mo looked at Su Chen. The sternness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a hint of resentment.
"Uh, Senior Brother Li Mo."
Su Chen rubbed his cheek and greeted him awkwardly. He suddenly remembered the last time he'd stood Senior Brother Li Mo up.
"Junior Brother Su, if this happens again, just make it clear that you're a disciple of the Martial Hall. They wouldn't dare collect protection money from someone at the Hong Family Martial Hall."
Li Mo waved his hand in warning, then said seriously,
"I came to see you today because Master wants to meet you."
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