Ghost Moon Cracks Bone

Magpie Nest, second floor.

Even though Sister Hua had specifically ordered someone to clean it again, a faint, peculiar odor still permeated the room.

Lin Shu lowered his eyes slightly, casually examining the short blade in his hand.

Those young kids were far too green; everything they thought was written in their eyes, and they took the bait the moment they were given a chance.

Bullying a novice was nothing to be proud of.

He was merely recalling the sound of the sword hum from just moments ago.

If he had truly allowed that kid to unleash his sword technique, he likely would have been forced to use his immortal arts.

The mist was a rare commodity, and every bit he used was one less he had.

Lin Shu was a newcomer who had yet to witness the methods of other cultivators; what the young master of the martial hall had displayed was enough to pique his curiosity.

The fact that Zhang Ci could call that fat man Uncle Tian suggested that the martial hall behind him possessed considerable strength.

At the very least, it was enough to make a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator feel it was worth befriending.

He, on the other hand, would soon face retaliation from this martial hall.

"..."

Lin Shu licked his cracked lips; the wounds from yesterday's whipping had yet to heal.

Stimulated by the scent of blood, his gaze grew fervent.

The reason he had baited Zhang Ci into making the first lethal move was simply to secure a justification.

If a new fox recruited by the Blackwater Gang were to provoke trouble, the gang might not be willing to intervene.

But if they didn't even allow their subordinates to defend themselves, this massive gang might as well stop trying to survive in the city.

As long as the Good Fortune Martial Hall dared not retaliate openly.

Any underhanded moves they made in secret would be the perfect opportunity for him to earn a fortune in evil coins!

Of course, before that, it would be best to have more means of self-defense.

"Hoo."

Lin Shu tossed the short blade onto the table.

It was a piece of junk that struggled even to hack through a neck, and it was no longer of much use.

He washed the filth from his hands in a basin of water.

The reddened surface of the water vaguely reflected a haggard face.

Looks like a short-lived ghost.

Lin Shu muttered to himself, shook off the water droplets, and turned to sit on the edge of the bed.

He didn't believe in physiognomy, but perhaps because he lacked a heart, this body exuded a weakness from head to toe that he found displeasing.

It gave him the feeling of a death knell constantly tolling in his ears.

Since he didn't know how to restore his heart for the time being, he at least had to find a way to replenish his mist.

"Time to eat."

Lin Shu pulled open his collar, revealing his hideous chest where scars coiled like earthworms.

Two evil coins transformed into black light, flowing into the phantom of the White Wolf.

A prompt appeared; the name of the immortal art, which had been blurred and incomplete during the last transformation, now gradually revealed its true form.

[Consumed two evil coins; Evil Immortal not yet formed, technique has evolved]

[Qi Refining Grade 6. Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand: Minor Achievement]

"Hiss--"

Even though neither the grade nor the proficiency had changed, Lin Shu suddenly clutched his forehead.

The information regarding the Bright Moon Claw Technique in his mind began to distort.

It was as if the characters were being dismantled and rearranged until they transformed into something entirely new.

Mist surged spontaneously. Lin Shu slowly lowered his hand and spread his five fingers.

The originally clear, flowing light of this immortal art now transformed into wisps of black energy, circling his fingertips and emitting waves of biting chill.

Lin Shu frowned and waved it away.

It was clearly still Grade 6 Qi Refining, yet the murderous intent within the technique had intensified by more than a notch!

It was as if a dull blade had been sharpened, thirsting to be bathed in blood!

Even his eyes were now tinged with a hint of agitation.

Although Lin Shu had no prior contact with cultivation, he could feel that this change was a good thing.

The original Bright Moon Claw Technique had felt perfectly rounded upon reaching the sixth grade, as if it had reached its limit.

However, this brand-new Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand clearly still had plenty of room for growth.

Two pieces of Evil Coin had brought about such an improvement; logically, he should have been satisfied.

But what's the use of having the moves if I can't use them more than a few times?

Lin Shu flicked the phantom of the White Wolf on the forehead with his fingertip.

The little mutt was far too stingy. It lived inside him without paying a lick of rent, truly only spitting out a tiny benefit for every bit of coin it devoured.

The immortal technique had changed, but it wasn't the internal cultivation method he desperately needed.

I still have to find another way.

Perhaps once the White Wolf was full, it would spit out other techniques.

But Lin Shu didn't have the habit of putting all his eggs in one basket.

He rubbed the remaining two Jade Coins.

He also had to find a way to spend these Merit Points.

Knock, knock.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

Lin Shu put away the Jade Coins, straightened his clothes, and then looked up. "Come in."

The door was pushed open cautiously.

Sister Hua walked into the room with Old Yang.

"Master Lin, about that jade pendant of yours..."

At this, Sister Hua's mouth twitched; she had seen with her own eyes how he had snatched that jade from Zhang Ci's waist.

"Is it exchanged?"

Lin Shu looked toward the madam.

Merit Points and Evil Coins could be set aside for now; if he wanted to eat and dress well, he still had to rely on cold, hard silver.

Having empty pockets was no way to live.

"This jade pendant is worth at least ten taels of silver, but our establishment only has a monthly turnover of two hundred taels. Besides, Master Tian just left, and there's only seven taels and three mace left in the till."

Sister Hua kept her head down, terrified of angering this ruthless "Fox Master" who killed without blinking.

Zhang Ci's corpse was still lying in Green Willow Alley; who would dare take his jade pendant out to exchange for money?

"That's all there is? Get out."

Lin Shu understood the situation and caught the scattered silver, tossing it in his hand.

Old Yang glanced at the silver, unable to help but sigh inwardly. He finally understood why the people of the Blackwater Gang were so wealthy.

In the southern suburbs, even a strong laborer only earned thirty-odd copper coins a day. Lin Shu had earned half a year's worth of their wages in a single night.

But the cripple didn't envy him.

To earn this kind of money, not to mention having the strength to slaughter Young Master Zhang, the trouble was far from over once the silver was in hand.

After Sister Hua left, Old Yang carefully closed the door before limping over to Lin Shu.

He didn't waste any time, spilling everything he knew in one go:

"The Good Fortune Martial Hall is located in the West City and has many disciples, among whom there are plenty stronger than Liu the Third."

"Their Hall Master Zhang is a Great Martial Master who can project his internal energy; it's said he can even contend with the Immortal Masters. You must not let your guard down..."

To make a name for oneself in Blackwater City, one relied on three things: money, power, and people.

As it happened, the Good Fortune Martial Hall had a bit of all three.

Lin Shu's performance over the last two days had completely stunned Old Yang.

But he still didn't believe that a Fox Master who had just joined the Blackwater Gang could be mentioned in the same breath as that Hall Master.

The cripple cherished his life, but unlike the harlots in the Magpie Nest, besides worrying about himself, he was genuinely concerned for Lin Shu.

"I have a plan."

Lin Shu nodded slightly, feeling somewhat surprised.

He had kept Old Yang around only because he was the only one willing to step forward and drag him back to the woodshed earlier.

Since they had shared the bitterness, he didn't mind sharing the sweetness.

He hadn't expected this cripple to know so much.

Thinking of this, Lin Shu decided to ask, "Do you know how those Immortal Masters in the city became Immortal Masters?"

It was meant to be a casual question.

To his surprise, the cripple froze, a strange expression appearing on his face. "That is common knowledge."

"..."

This time, it was Lin Shu's turn to be stunned.

Could it be that cultivation here wasn't what he had imagined? Was it not something particularly lofty and profound after all?