Generous Reward (New book seeking monthly votes and follow-ups~)

Bang! Bang!

A heavy thud against the ground suddenly echoed from the dark, quiet room nearby.

Followed by a terrified whimper.

Clearly, the person inside had been scared out of their wits.

"..."

Lin Shu stood alone in the pitch-black alley.

A flicker of exhaustion crossed his eyes.

It was not the weakness of physical fatigue, but the discomfort brought on by his life force being rapidly drained away.

He lowered his gaze to his fingertips, where black mist was slowly dissipating.

Compared to the Bright Moon Claw Technique he had used against Liu the Third, which merely gathered a few streams of light, the immortal art he had just unleashed was several times more vicious in its lethality.

This was not just because he had leveled up.

Lin Shu could vaguely sense that ever since he had begun feeding it Evil Coin, the immortal art itself had been evolving in a strange direction.

Of course, the price for such terrifying effects was that the consumption far exceeded his expectations.

The mist that had been feeding the White Wolf phantom while simultaneously sustaining Lin Shu's own life was now less than thirty percent full.

"Tsk."

Lin Shu turned and sat down on the stone steps nearby.

Corpses were piled haphazardly on both sides.

Murder and arson bring golden belts, building bridges and roads leave no remains; kill one lowly life, reward five Evil Coins.
Life and death are ordained by heaven, snatching lives from the hands of Yama; save one wretched life, bestow one Virtue Coin.

Prompts regarding Evil Coin and Virtue Coin popped up in a dense stream.

Lin Shu could almost hear the sound of coins clinking against each other.

The thin man was worth five coins, and the others were not far behind, all valued at three coins each.

A total of twenty-nine pitch-black copper coins fell into Lin Shu's sleeve.

He had expected the number of Evil Coins; after all, this group was clearly much stronger than Liu the Third, so it was only natural they were worth more.

However, the twenty prompts regarding Virtue Coin caught Lin Shu slightly off guard.

Counting Sister Hua and Old Yang, there were exactly twenty people in the Magpie Nest.

They hadn't intended to spare a single soul; they had shaken the eggs until the yolks were scrambled.

Lin Shu braced his hands on the ground, swept his gaze over the corpses littering the floor, and shook his head, sighing, "You lot are far too ruthless."

He had rested enough.

He brushed off his hem and looked lazily toward the mouth of the alley.

"Officer, come in and collect the bodies."

"..."

Under the tattered red lantern, someone stepped out slowly.

It was that same dark-skinned face.

Chang Yi looked over with a complex expression, his scabbard slung at his waist while his hand gripped the hilt of his blade tightly.

In truth, he had arrived earlier.

After making a flimsy excuse about a stomachache to shake off his senior, he had rushed to Green Willow Alley without a moment's delay.

Chang Yi had been leaning in the shadows, watching with his own eyes as Qin Yunhai and his group of martial arts disciples entered the alley.

He had simply been hesitating.

He was trying to decide in what scenario and under what pretext he should intervene so that he wouldn't look like a hired thug taking money to back up the Cunning Fox Hall.

But what Chang Yi had never expected—to the point of feeling a touch of dread—was this.

In that brief moment of hesitation, the entire situation had turned absurd, and then concluded with lightning speed.

The strength Lin Shu had displayed made even him feel a tremor of fear.

The aura revealed by that immortal art just now had already exceeded the scope of the early stage of Qi Refining, faintly leaning toward the middle stage.

No wonder... no wonder the other party hadn't been panicked at all!

In his eyes, all of his own well-intentioned concerns must have seemed like meddling.

"You are no fox."

Chang Yi's throat felt dry, his voice growing much hoarser. "You are a wolf!"

As the words left his lips, he finally understood why his hand had instinctively remained on his hilt the entire time.

As a Purple Flood Dragon Constable, his duty since taking office had been to deal with the Fierce Wolves prowling the city.

And the person before him was nothing more than a wolf pup that had yet to grow up!

"Stop the chatter, get to work."

Lin Shu rolled his eyes and gestured casually at the corpses littering the ground.

"Oh."

Chang Yi's turbulent thoughts were interrupted; he nodded subconsciously and released the hilt of his blade.

Since a death had occurred in his jurisdiction, he truly ought to examine the bodies before reporting to the yamen.

Just then, a roar erupted from outside the alley.

"Who the hell told you to come here!"

The veteran constable hurried over, and upon seeing the pile of corpses in the alley, he was struck by a mix of terror and fury.

He clenched his fists repeatedly, nearly slapping the boy across the face.

"I... I wanted to take a look... I was just about to examine the bodies..."

Caught red-handed in a lie, a look of guilt instantly washed over Chang Yi's face, and he began to stutter.

"Examine my ass!"

The veteran constable grabbed his arm, fuming, "Get out of here with me now."

"..."

Lin Shu watched the commotion calmly, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

A moment later, he rose slowly, feeling a touch of helplessness.

All these corpses were bad for business, and since Master Lin was already feeling this weak, he certainly couldn't move them himself.

"Officer, stay a moment." With these words, he strolled over to the pair.

"Hiss!"

The veteran constable caught the overwhelming stench of blood and instinctively recoiled.

He narrowed his eyes, filled with warning, and lowered his voice, "Stinking fox, don't go looking for trouble!"

"What's the rush? I'm just curious and wanted to ask a question." Lin Shu stretched his back.

"Hm?" Chang Yi looked over, confused, wondering what the man was doing.

Could he be trying to help him out of a tight spot?

But Lin Shu was a member of the Blackwater Gang; what yamen official would ever listen to a fox?

Before Chang Yi could figure it out, he saw Lin Shu reach out and begin to vigorously rub the back of his head.

His expression went blank, and his brain stalled: "..."

"This kid is dense as a rock, making you so angry, Officer."

Lin Shu rubbed that Black Charcoal head with satisfaction, smiling, "If you ask me, why not just take that Purple Flood Dragon badge and pin it to your own chest? Wouldn't that work?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Naturally... naturally that won't do."

At these words, the veteran constable's face turned pale. He glanced guiltily at the Black Charcoal beside him, terrified that the boy might catch on.

The yamen had only told him to show Chang Yi the ropes.

Acting like a senior was already against the rules, but the kid was just honest, obedient, and easy to manipulate.

In truth, this fifteen-year-old greenhorn was his legitimate superior.

"So it won't work, then."

Lin Shu seemed to consider this seriously, the smile on his face fading rapidly.

His gaze turned icy as he stared straight at the old man, saying flatly, "Then why haven't you coughed up what you're supposed to?"

"What things! There are no things!"

The veteran constable acted as if his tail had been stepped on; his voice turned shrill as he yanked the bewildered Chang Yi, trying to drag him away: "Let's go, don't listen to this thief's gibberish!"

Unfortunately, he couldn't take a single step.

Smack—

In an instant, a swift and vicious slap landed crisply across the veteran constable's face!

The blow didn't just stun the veteran constable; it left Chang Yi thunderstruck as well. He couldn't fathom what was happening.

Why would a fox dare to lay a hand on an official for no reason at all?!

"How about now? Does it ring a bell?" Lin Shu rubbed his wrist.

"You..."

The veteran constable stood dazed, clutching his face, his lips trembling as the humiliation in his eyes quickly flared into rage!

He instinctively reached for his blade, but then he caught sight of the other man's clothes, soaked through with blood.

Plus, there was Chang Yi standing nearby like a wooden post.

A moment later, the old constable's throat bobbed as he glared at the young man with venomous eyes.

Reluctantly, he fished a small cloth bag from his robes, shoved it forcefully into Black Charcoal's arms, and bolted out of Green Willow Alley without a word.

"What is this?"

Seeing that his senior had actually handed over something after being beaten, Chang Yi's entire worldview began to crumble.

Lin Shu's background seemed far more terrifying than he had ever imagined!

"Dirty money. Do you want it?" Lin Shu raised an eyebrow.

"No." Chang Yi instinctively tossed the bag away.

"Then it's mine." Lin Shu caught it mid-air and tucked it into his robes.

"Why would you do that?" Chang Yi was dazed, watching as the other man turned and strode away.

"This is the money paid for my life. Since the life is mine, I naturally have the right to take a cut... Right, clean this place up quickly. I still need to open for business tomorrow."

Lin Shu was already far away, waving his hand dismissively.

For Good Fortune Martial Hall to clear out this alley, they must have paid a heavy price.

Yet, this old geezer had taken his life-money and still dared to come loitering in Green Willow Alley.

Lin Shu naturally had to use the tiger's skin to vent his frustration.

The only thing he found amusing was that, until the very end, Black Charcoal hadn't realized that what the old constable truly feared wasn't him, the fox, but the "junior" standing right there.

Taking dirty money might not be a big deal in the chaotic Blackwater City.

But if he were to embezzle his superior's share and the matter blew up, the old constable would never be able to show his face again.

"Whew."

Lin Shu let out a long breath, rubbing the Evil Coins and Virtue Coins in his palm, and pushed open the door to Magpie Nest.

After working himself to the bone for so long, it was finally time to enjoy the spoils.