He lowered his spear and exhaled, his thoughts clear.
Xiao Li glanced at the woman on the ground, still frozen with fear. "Go. Be more careful next time."
The woman was granted a new lease on life. She nodded frantically. "Thank you, thank you, sir."
Xiao Li tore off the dead man's clothes and used his blood to write a few large characters on them.
"Pay for the job, and money can get anything done."
The bystanders, startled by Xiao Li's strength, exchanged glances, a trace of dread in their eyes. So he'd killed a Dou Master just to make a show of force?
A Dou Master wasn't a top expert in Hundred Monster City, but he was still somewhat famous. After all, the Black Tiger Gang's leader, the overlord of Hundred Monster City, had only recently broken through to Dou Ling. Before that, Da Dou Shi experts had been among the city's most powerful.
The two men who had been following Xiao Li through the crowd saw the words and exchanged delighted glances.
"We've searched high and low, only to find him without any trouble at all!"
The two hurried forward and cupped their hands to Xiao Li. "Young brother, we have a favor to ask."
Xiao Li was surprised that business had come so quickly. "Go ahead. As long as the price is right, we can work something out."
The smiles on their faces grew wider. "We're from the Lin Family of Hundred Monster City. I'm Lin Kui, and this is Lin Xu. The thing is..."
Lin Kui explained their request in detail. "There's also a Black Tiger Gang in Hundred Monster City. Their leader broke through to Dou Ling, and his daughter, Xu Xinyue, wants to force our young master to marry her. Our family head refused, so in the end, the two families agreed that each would put forward a young person under twenty-five, and the outcome would be decided by a contest..."
Lin Kui went on and on, but the more he spoke with such a heavy, troubled expression, the stranger Xiao Li's face became.
"Daughter, force him to marry her, your young master?"
Those were some pretty niche words. Xiao Li wasn't sure his brain could process them. Wasn't the usual scenario a man forcing a girl to marry him?
"Wait, wait, you two. This matter..."
Lin Kui looked embarrassed. He knew it sounded absurd, but it was the truth.
"Please hear me out. The Black Tiger Gang's young lady, Xu Xinyue, is quite pretty. It's just that we're afraid she's doing this to swallow up the Lin Family."
Lin Xu chimed in. "Exactly! And even if they're in love with each other, it'd still be disgraceful for our young master to marry into her family!"
Lin Xu looked on the verge of tears. Judging by Lin Kui's expression, that was probably the real reason the Lin Family was against it.
Xiao Li pressed a hand to his forehead. He finally understood. It had taken him long enough to catch on—Xu Xinyue was way ahead of him. She'd understood the truth of doing whatever she pleased ages ago.
Still, this would be easy enough to handle. From what Lin Kui had said, Xu Xinyue was only a newly advanced Dou Master. She couldn't compare to him; it would take no more than one thrust of his spear. But since this was a business deal, naturally... heh.
"Ahem, you two. I can take care of this, but her father is a Dou Ling expert, so I'll be putting myself in a difficult position. As for the payment..."
Seeing Xiao Li nod, Lin Kui hurriedly agreed. He'd just witnessed Xiao Li's strength firsthand. He could kill a Dou Master as easily as swatting a fly; he was far stronger than Xu Xinyue, and he looked young, certainly under twenty-five.
"Young brother, one hundred thousand gold coins..."
Seeing the pained look on Lin Kui's face, Xiao Li shook his head. "At our level of cultivation, money isn't the most important thing. You can pay me in goods."
Lin Kui understood. "I see, young brother. But this is a major matter, and the two of us can't decide on our own. Please come to the Lin Family and discuss it with our family head."
Xiao Li nodded. With the Two Elders Qian and Bai secretly protecting him, he'd dare stay a few nights even at Earth Demon Old Ghost's retreat, let alone with the little-known Lin Family of Hundred Monster City.
"Please lead the way."
"This way."
At the Lin Family residence in Hundred Monster City, family head Lin Yi wore an expression of utter despair. "Xu Xinyue wants to force my son to marry her! If word gets out, my Lin Family will become the biggest laughingstock in all the Black-Corner Region!"
Lin Qi, the Lin Family's target for Xu Xinyue's marriage, pressed his lips together and fought to hold back his laughter, afraid that if he let it slip, his father would beat him.
After thinking of every sad thing that had ever happened to him, Lin Qi managed to hold back his laughter and said, "Father, for the sake of the family, I'm willing to marry Yue... Xu Xinyue. Ha, ahem..."
Lin Yi froze, then exploded. He whacked Lin Qi on the head. "You little fool! You don't care about your reputation, but I'm thinking about the family's!"
Lin Qi covered his head and fled. "Dad, Dad, stop hitting me! Waaah QAQ"
Watching Lin Qi cower in the corner, Lin Yi flung his sleeve in fury. "You good-for-nothing! You're actually thinking of living off a woman. What's so good about that?"
"Xu Xinyue's father is a Dou Ling..."
"I'll beat the living daylights out of you, you unfilial brat!"
Lin Yi drew the treasured sword beside the table. His powerful Dou Qi left even Xiao Li, who had just reached the doorway, speechless.
The Lin Family's head was actually an Eight-Star Great Dou Master. No wonder the family had managed to establish itself in Hundred Monster City.
Lin Kui and Lin Xu were startled when they saw the family head's movements and hurriedly stepped in to stop him. "Family head, wait! We have a solution!"
...Five minutes later
As Lin Qi glared at him with resentment, Xiao Li was invited to take a seat.
Lin Yi rubbed his hands together excitedly. "You're already a Da Dou Shi at such a young age, young brother. Which family's prodigy are you? I'm sorry you had to witness that just now."
Sensing the faint aura of danger around Xiao Li, Lin Yi didn't dare let his guard down. Xiao Li had to be a disciple of some major family; otherwise, he wouldn't be so powerful.
Xiao Li waved a hand. "You're too kind, Family Head Lin. I'm just a wandering cultivator. I only take money to solve people's problems."
Seeing that Xiao Li didn't want to say more, Lin Yi laughed it off and changed the subject. "Quite right, young brother. As for the reward, how about a high-grade Yellow Tier Dou Technique?"
For a family at the Da Dou Shi level, anything at the Profound Tier was an inheritance secret, a treasure that guarded the clan. The previous generation of the Xiao Clan had a Dou Wang expert, yet the highest-tier Cultivation Method in the family was only mid-grade Profound Tier. Lin Yi was clearly making a sincere offer. It was just a shame that Xiao Li was already cultivating Earth Tier Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills, so he really had no use for it.
"Hmm... Family Head Lin, I don't really need Cultivation Methods or Combat Skills right now. The reward could also be medicinal herbs, Magic Cores... or even the corpses of magical beasts."
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. Though he didn't know what Xiao Li wanted magical beast corpses for, they were much easier to find than medicinal herbs or cultivation methods.
"If that's the case, my Lin Family does have a few magical beast corpses. I hunted them myself. There are five in all, each from a third-tier magical beast. Would that make a suitable reward?"
Xiao Li's face lit up. "It's a deal."
The Two Elders Qian and Bai, hidden in the air beside Xiao Li, exchanged a glance. They were just as curious about why he wanted magical beast corpses, but they wouldn't ask. A genius had his reasons for doing things. Even if he just wanted to eat them or lift his spirits, that was perfectly reasonable!
Besides, Xiao Li's aura was fierce and unyielding, embodying the forthright strength of lightning to perfection. There wasn't the slightest sign that he was cultivating an evil technique, so the Two Elders Qian and Bai weren't worried that Xiao Li would go astray.
Hearing Xiao Li agree, Lin Qi, hiding in the corner, turned green with rage. "My sugar mama!"