Greed Stirred by Wealth

Zhong Lin's experiments had given him a rough understanding of the Ninth Rank Realm.

Simply put, those in the Ninth Rank Realm were thick-skinned, tough-fleshed, and stronger. They could be understood as armored soldiers—fully armed troops whom ordinary people could not even approach.

"System."

Host: Zhong Lin

Skills: Archery (Max Level), Flying Locust Stone (Max Level), Three-Dimensional Painting (Max Level), Calligraphy (Max Level), Cooking (Max Level), Iron Mountain Skill (Max Level)

Skill Points: ∞

Looking at the still-unchanged System Panel, Zhong Lin could not help curling his lip. He had thought that upon entering the ranks, the System Panel would update automatically, perhaps adding a realm section. Alas, his hopes had been misplaced.

"I can't neglect the Iron Mountain Skill. When I return to the yamen tomorrow, I can look for some weapon techniques to learn and increase my combat strength."

He had not learned any weapon techniques before mainly because there had been little pressure, and all of Zhong Lin's energy had been focused on the Iron Mountain Skill. Now, he still could not neglect the Iron Mountain Skill, but he also needed to carve out some time to learn a few moves and weapons.

Though fists and kicks were formidable, they still could not match blades and swords in killing power.

By then, night had fully fallen. Taking advantage of the moonlight, Zhong Lin carefully carried out the dirt he had dug up earlier in bamboo baskets, dumping it all into an abandoned dry well a hundred meters away.

Fortunately, he had not dug much, and Zhong Lin had never planned to finish it all at once. After several trips back and forth, he finally disposed of all the dirt in the courtyard. It was not until Zi Time, around midnight, that he finally went to sleep.

Time drifted by, and Zhong Lin spent three days on edge.

On this day, at Yin Time in the dead of night, aside from a few special locations where lights still burned, all of Black Mountain County had long since fallen utterly silent. Only the watchman's calls rose and fell in the distance.

A black-clad figure flashed past a street corner, darting through the streets and avoiding the watchman's gaze before quickly vanishing into an alley.

"This is the place. Zhong Lin, if you must blame someone, blame yourself for never knowing how to keep a low profile. You didn't even understand that wealth should not be flaunted. You deserve to die."

Wrapped in black cloth with only his eyes exposed, the man swept his gaze over Zhong Lin's courtyard, his eyes brimming with viciousness and savagery. If anyone from the yamen were here, they would certainly recognize him as Chi Yan.

Sometimes, dressing in black and covering one's face was not like in the movies, where no one could recognize you. In reality, people who knew you well could identify you merely by your build and your eyes.

Chi Yan strode quickly to the wall, then leaped. The two-meter-high wall was cleared in a single bound, and he floated down inside as lightly as willow fluff. He landed without a sound, like a civet cat.

After landing, Chi Yan glanced around. The courtyard was not large. The kitchen and study stood to either side, while only the main hall facing the gate carried the faint sound of breathing.

Chi Yan's breathing quickened, and his eyes burned with heat. Especially when he thought of the hundred or more taels of silver Zhong Lin might have stored at home, his heart began pounding wildly.

He had specifically investigated Zhong Lin, particularly his income from selling paintings. He charged at least three taels of silver for a single painting, while painting at the Warm Fragrance Brothel brought in an absurd amount. Chi Yan had personally seen one of the girls from the Warm Fragrance Brothel give Zhong Lin twenty taels of silver as a Calligraphy Fee. If he had been even a little diligent over the past half month, he would have earned a hundred taels of silver.

A hundred taels of silver would be enough for Chi Yan to enjoy himself for a long time.

With his mind made up, Chi Yan did not pause. Lightly raising onto his toes, he carefully moved toward the main hall.

Thud!

The moment Chi Yan's right foot stepped onto the ground, the earth suddenly sank, and half his leg plunged straight in.

Though Chi Yan swiftly adjusted his posture with his own agility, slapped his right palm against the ground, and sprang up before landing steadily again, he still made a sound.

"Who is it?"

Zhong Lin, who had been deeply asleep, abruptly opened his eyes. With a flicker of movement, he shot out of the main hall like a startled hare, like a diving falcon.

In the courtyard, Zhong Lin and the black-clad man stared at each other in speechless silence. Both felt somewhat awkward.

"Chi Yan?"

Zhong Lin's voice carried a trace of doubt.

Though Chi Yan was wrapped in black from head to toe with only his eyes showing, Zhong Lin still recognized him easily from that familiar build and those eyes.

A wary look immediately appeared on his face. In the middle of the night, dressed in black, face covered, climbing over the wall, and holding a weapon...

"Chi Yan, what do you want?"

Chi Yan was startled when Zhong Lin called out his identity at once. But then he suddenly lunged forward, slashing the short blade in his hand directly toward Zhong Lin's throat.

The hairs on Zhong Lin's back stood on end. Fast—far too fast. Was this the ability of an Eighth Rank Tendons Transformation Realm martial artist?

At the Eighth Rank Tendons Transformation Realm, one possessed five hundred jin of strength. The tendons and membranes could contract and expand with tremendous force, allowing for savage bursts of power and an agile body.

This was more than agility. It was practically comparable to a cheetah. In the blink of an eye, Chi Yan had appeared before Zhong Lin, his short blade cutting through the air, determined to cut Zhong Lin down.

At the critical moment, Zhong Lin lowered himself and performed a donkey roll, narrowly dodging that fatal strike.

Damn it.

Zhong Lin cursed furiously inside. He had never imagined Chi Yan would be this insane, actually attempting murder for wealth.

"Chi Yan, you're one of the yamen's men too. Murdering for wealth is a capital crime, especially against a colleague. Aren't you afraid the Chief Constable will punish you?" Zhong Lin shouted angrily.

"Hmph! Once I kill you, who will know I did it? When the time comes, I'll just pin it all on Dan Wenlong."

Chi Yan stomped sharply against the ground, and his speed instantly surged. Like a cheetah, he became several times faster in an instant, his short blade flashing toward Zhong Lin's face.

By then, Zhong Lin had finally retreated to the study window. With a grab of his right hand, he snatched a cloth bag from the window lattice, casually pulled something from it, and flung it backhandedly at Chi Yan.

Whoosh!

Chi Yan saw it clearly. The incoming object was a metal caltrop, its four cold-glinting spikes aimed directly at his right eye.

"What?"

Chi Yan's expression changed. He altered the path of his slashing blade and raised it before his face.

Clang!

With a crisp ring, the metal caltrop collided with the short blade, throwing off a spark.

Zhong Lin's heart stirred. He pulled another metal caltrop from the cloth bag and flung it out again.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The max-level Flying Locust Stone skill allowed Zhong Lin to throw the metal caltrops from unimaginable angles, but Chi Yan still blocked them with ease.

"Zhong Lin, I didn't expect you to have such skill with hidden weapons. Too bad I'm an Eighth Rank Tendons Transformation Realm martial artist. With such petty tricks of yours... Shameless!"

Chi Yan flew into a rage.

Zhong Lin had flung out something else. Chi Yan smoothly slashed to block it, but instead of the familiar sound of impact, his short blade cut straight through it. White powder then scattered everywhere—it was lime powder.

A good chance.

Rather than retreat further, Zhong Lin suddenly lunged at Chi Yan. At some point, a dagger had appeared in his hand, its cold gleam flashing beneath the moonlight.

Seeing that flash of cold light, Chi Yan nearly split apart in terror. He cried out in shock, "Instant Kill Technique!"

He knew this move well. The method of practicing it was displayed in the yamen's Martial Pavilion. It was called the "Instant Kill Technique," also known as the "Hidden Green Snake." Its essence was to conceal the blade upon one's person, then rise in an instant and kill.