Something felt off.
Chang Yi clutched the half-drawn saber, frozen in place.
A moment later, he abruptly turned to look at Lin Shu. His already dark face had taken on a faint flush.
Was this group of Good Fortune Martial Hall disciples here to back up the old fox?
He'd been played again!
Chang Yi angrily shoved the saber back into its sheath.
He'd stayed up all night, standing there like a wooden post, only because he was worried the Good Fortune Martial Hall would come and make trouble.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason.
For example...
Chang Yi did think a fox like this ought to be arrested. Given the things they'd done, even beheading him in public wouldn't be excessive.
But the other man shouldn't die just because he'd killed a beast like Zhang Ci.
"..."
Lin Shu withdrew his gaze and glanced at the soot-faced constable.
He hadn't expected this, either.
He'd deliberately taunted the man earlier, hoping to drive him off, yet the constable had still chosen to wade into this mess.
But it made sense.
The young constable looked only fifteen or sixteen. He couldn't have worn that black uniform for more than half a month.
When people were young, they tended to cling more stubbornly to their principles.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not here to protect you."
Chang Yi snorted and looked away.
He said that, but showed no sign of leaving. "Those people aren't wrong, either. I'm on official duty. I can't guard Green Willow Alley day and night."
"Hall Master Zhang of the Good Fortune Martial Hall has only one son. Now that he's dead, they're bound to take your life."
Chang Yi tried to make his expression even colder. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance. Come back to the Yamen with me now, and there's still time."
This was clearly a matter of life and death.
Yet that old fox was inexplicably calm.
"Thanks for the offer, constable, but I'll pass." Lin Shu waved a hand and rejected him without hesitation.
"Why?" Chang Yi knitted his brows, bewildered.
He couldn't understand.
Had this fox committed so many crimes that going to the Yamen would mean certain death?
Even so, that would be better than falling into the Good Fortune Martial Hall's hands and suffering who knew how much before dying.
Besides, taking the other man back to the Yamen was just the official explanation.
What he really wanted to ask was why the fox wasn't hiding, but instead had returned to Green Willow Alley to provoke that pack of brutes.
Faced with the question, Lin Shu gave him a strange look. "If the martial hall can't catch me, they'll just let it go?"
"Well..."
Chang Yi paused and looked at the two people beside them.
Of course they wouldn't.
Zhang Ci had died in Magpie Nest. Even if the martial hall couldn't catch Lin Shu for now, they wouldn't spare anyone involved in the matter.
"No." Chang Yi shook his head.
"Then there you have it."
Lin Shu raised his brows, unconcerned. "They earned their money by selling their bodies, then offered it to me out of respect. And after I stir up trouble, I just pat my backside and run."
A trace of disdain flickered across his handsome face. "That'd be downright despicable. Master Lin can't afford to lose face like that."
The moment he finished speaking, the other three fell silent.
Old Yang and Jin Gui stiffly raised their heads to look at the young man, who was brimming with roguishness.
His attacks were brutal, his words blunt and coarse.
Yet, somehow, they made their hearts tremble.
Jin Gui felt it most keenly. Though Lord Lin kept saying that he was the one who'd caused trouble, last night's events had clearly started because of her.
In the end, Zhang Ci had refused to back down and had still tried to kill her. Only then had Lord Lin been forced to take his life.
"..."
Chang Yi could never have guessed that was his reason.
It didn't fit his impression of the Cunning Fox Hall's members at all.
How could those devious, crafty foxes who bullied the weak and feared the strong risk their lives over something as trivial as face?
And this man was clearly a seasoned hand.
"Suit yourself."
Chang Yi shot him a cold glance and sighed inwardly.
Following the advice of his seniors, he shouldn't have meddled in this filthy dog-eat-dog business in the first place.
Though he had, for some reason, thought Lin was a little different from the other foxes.
But that was all.
He only hoped that when the martial hall truly began its revenge, the man wouldn't regret it.
With that, the soot-faced young constable slung his saber over his shoulder and left Green Willow Alley.
"You all right?"
Lin Shu looked at the Cripple beside him.
"I-I'm fine."
Old Yang shook his head vigorously.
What could possibly be wrong with him?
Back in the South Suburb, he'd grown used to being slapped around.
Besides, those martial artists had been wary of the constable beside them and hadn't dared to hit him very hard.
But Lin Shu had just slammed a man down so hard that he'd crushed his cheekbone, right in front of an officer!
Old Yang was really worried about Lin Shu.
From what the constable had said, even he couldn't hold back the Good Fortune Martial Hall's retaliation.
"Good. As long as you're fine."
Lin Shu set off, leading the two of them toward Magpie Nest.
He'd brought them along to share in the good times, not to use them as human shields.
With the constable there, Lin Shu hadn't been able to earn another Evil Coin.
But he wasn't too disappointed.
Lin Shu knew his own limits. This body was useless at both letters and martial arts; the only reason he could barely suppress these martial artists was the mist he carried.
Put more bluntly, if he squared off against these men and fought them with real weapons, he'd definitely have to use an Immortal Method to end it.
The problem was, ever since his Immortal Method had risen in grade, its cost had become far more terrifying.
Even if he drained himself dry, he wasn't sure he could use it twice more.
And after using it, would the Evil Coins and Virtue Coins he gained be enough to replenish the mist and truly carry him across the threshold of cultivation?
If not, Lin Shu would become just as helpless as his predecessor, unable to even truss a chicken.
Perhaps even worse!
In this situation, it was surely more worthwhile to wait for a "big catch."
"Lord Lin!"
Everyone in Magpie Nest got to their feet.
Sister Hua's face was far more welcoming than yesterday.
They'd witnessed the whole thing from beginning to end. As expected of Lord Fox of the Blackwater Gang—even his connections included a constable from the Yamen!
The worry on the brothel girls' faces had eased considerably.
"Get a room ready."
Lin Shu strolled upstairs.
Though he didn't like this sort of place and his thoughts were still on the Immortal Aura at Broken Firewood Courtyard, the matter with the Good Fortune Martial Hall was unresolved. For now, it wouldn't be convenient to return to the widow's place.
Night fell under a murky sky.
On the dim streets of West City, only one building blazed with light.
A red-lacquered signboard hung high, its characters wild and bold.
Good Fortune Martial Hall!
The main hall was packed with disciples, yet not a sound stirred.
There was little decoration inside, save for a few potted pines on either side.
A calligraphy scroll hung on the wall, bearing the words "Uphold the Strong, Aid the Weak"!
An old man with white hair and the face of a child sat below, dressed in a simple white jacket and black trousers.
His eyelids drooped and his gaze was still. Grief lay beneath it, yet he radiated an awe-inspiring pressure.
He was Zhang Zhongping, master of the martial hall, a Great Martial Master whose cultivation had reached the realm of releasing inner force beyond the body.
"Master, the silver has all been delivered!"
People hurried in from outside, respectfully reporting the latest news.
Then Zhao Peng rushed into the hall, clutching his face, and dropped to his knees with a thud. "Master, we failed to catch that fox!"
"..."
Zhang Zhongping's expression didn't change. He seemed to have expected this.
The Cunning Fox Hall's people were cautious and cunning by nature. If they'd dared to strike, they must have prepared a fallback.
What he'd done today was cut off their escape routes one by one.
He'd spent a large sum of silver on the first priority: greasing the Yamen's palms.
The Good Fortune Martial Hall operated by legitimate means, after all. Unlike those desperadoes, they had to follow procedure.
As for what else needed attention...
Zhang Zhongping turned and clasped his fists toward the man beside him. "Congratulations on your promotion, Brother Tian."
"Heh."
A mountain of fat was squeezed into a chair, lazily picking at his fingernails.
Tian Jingyuan gave a humorless curl of his lips. "You're too kind."
His attitude was plainly dismissive.
Yet Zhang Zhongping's expression didn't change.
The other man had once been the Young Wolf. Back when he'd run the brothels in Green Willow Alley, the two had been evenly matched and treated each other as equals.
But now Tian Jingyuan had broken through to Mid Qi Condensation, earned a Wolf Reputation, and even been granted an entire street as his territory.
Naturally, things had changed.
If Zhang Zhongping wanted to kill someone from the Cunning Fox Hall, he couldn't avoid the Blackwater Gang.
"Look at you, getting all worked up."
Tian Jingyuan picked up the heavy bag of silver on the table. "Relax. As long as the silver's there, our nephew won't have died for nothing."
He'd been wondering how to teach that Cheap Fox a lesson.
Who could've guessed that only two days later, the fox would bring disaster on himself?
Tian Jingyuan was in high spirits. He even gave Zhang Zhongping a few more details. "I looked into him. That kid's just part of an Opera Troupe in the South Suburb. Seems they had some internal strife, so he came to West City."
"Since the troupe's been offering the Cunning Fox Hall plenty of Filial Respect all these years, they let him join and made him a fox."
"For a lowlife like that, all I have to do is speak up."
Tian Jingyuan licked his lips, smug. "Not only can the Yamen give you half a day, but I can too. And I guarantee nobody will come looking for trouble with the Good Fortune Martial Hall afterward."
As he finished speaking, mockery welled in the fat man's eyes.
He'd once thought that Cheap Fox would soon understand the gap between himself and a Fierce Wolf.
Now it seemed that had been unnecessary after all.
Before you continue