A Dark, Windy Night

The night was thick and starless, the moon nowhere to be seen.

Lin Shu drew a deep breath. The cold night wind swept through his lungs, chasing away the faint trace of wine in his eyes.

In his previous life, he had fought tooth and nail in the streets and alleys to carve out a modest place for himself.

The blood on his hands had barely dried, and he hadn't even had a chance to enjoy the fruits of his labor. In the blink of an eye, he'd ended up in this strange place. It would be a lie to say he didn't regret it.

When he'd suddenly lashed out and killed the drunk just now, he'd been venting his anger to some extent, too.

"Whew."

Lin Shu let out the breath he'd been holding in his chest, opened his right hand, and lowered his gaze to his fingertips.

The fingers that had just been scalded by the oily broth had already turned pink with new flesh in the time it took to blink.

Centered on the phantom White Wolf at his chest, streams of mist were rapidly mending his body. In return, they looked fainter than before.

For now, it seemed that this mist was his life.

Lin Shu still hadn't found a way to replenish it in the remnants of the memories in his mind.

Of course, whether or not the White Wolf Immortal Family had taken up residence in him, he would have seized the opportunity to kill that drunk and escape the ruined courtyard.

The reason wasn't complicated.

Lin Shu had sensed Master Liu the Third's displeasure and murderous intent.

He probably wouldn't live to see tomorrow.

If that was the case—

A fierce glint of excitement rose in Lin Shu's eyes once more.

Compared to waiting meekly for death, he was more accustomed to striking first.

"..."

Under the dim moonlight,

Lin Shu followed the route in his memories, crossing a rutted path of broken stone and mud until he stepped onto the first intact blue brick.

Blackwater City was divided into East, South, West, and North. The Opera Troupe had settled in the poorest part of the city, the South Suburb.

West City wasn't as prosperous as East City, but anyone hoping to settle there needed either a little money or some connection to the authorities or the Blackwater Gang.

The old woman lived here. By rights, she shouldn't have been someone the Opera Troupe could afford to provoke, let alone beat to death.

Lin Shu slowly came to a halt between two blue-stone courtyards.

Wedged into the corner between their high walls, a ramshackle hut made of thatch and wooden boards stood out like a sore thumb.

Outside, a ring of stacked firewood formed a rough wall, and the wooden door was so thin it might as well have been paper—enough to keep out an honest man, but no thief.

Ever since the old woman had lost her son, her family had long since lost their original home. This shabby arrangement was the only way they could keep clinging to a place in West City.

Lin Shu stared at the two or three messy footprints in front of the door, his eyes narrowing slightly.

There were no blue-brick roads in the South Suburb. Shoes with soles caked in black mud were a telltale sign of its residents.

The three masters of the Opera Troupe had already gone inside and even shut the door behind them.

Inside the Firewood Courtyard.

Yun Niang kept her head lowered as she slowly backed toward the doorway.

Master Liu the Third toyed with the short knife in his hand, sizing up the young woman before him.

He had a fierce, fiendish look and a killing on his record, so he rarely dared set foot in West City, afraid the locals might spot him and cause unnecessary trouble.

But he'd heard from the women in the troupe long ago that the old woman's little widowed daughter-in-law was a real beauty.

Now that he saw her, the rumors were true.

She was full-figured to the extreme, with skin so tender and fair it looked as though a pinch would draw water.

A figure like hers was rare in the impoverished South Suburb. Most girls were scrawny, yellow-haired waifs who didn't get enough to eat. Where would they get the few extra ounces of flesh to fill them out?

"Money really does nourish a person."

Master Liu glanced at the two Ma brothers, whose eyes were practically popping out of their heads, and couldn't help sighing.

"Third Master." The Ma brothers swallowed and turned to look at the troupe leader.

"Sell the older one into Green Willow Street. Send the little one to White Tiger Hall to be made into medicine."

Master Liu had made up his mind long ago. He walked up to the young woman and lifted her chin with the tip of his knife.

He glanced at the small bundle on Yun Niang's back.

Pretty quick-witted.

She'd packed light to make a run for it. If they'd arrived half a step later, she might really have slipped away.

"You—"

Yun Niang unconsciously clenched her fist. At last, a flicker of shock appeared on her lifeless face.

When she'd seen the burly men, she'd already guessed what would become of her. What truly showed her just how deranged they were was the second half of his sentence.

White Tiger Hall was one of the Blackwater Gang's four halls. Sending a child there to be made into medicine didn't mean the child would be put to work tending the fire beneath a cauldron.

The child itself was the ingredient.

"Shh."

Master Liu shook his head and pressed the knife's tip against her delicate neck, drawing a red dot. He cut her off. "I like dealing with smart people."

In front of a few of them, hardened martial men, even hoping for death was a luxury for this young woman. If she behaved, at least she could spare herself a lot of suffering.

"Third Master, shall we keep watch at the door?"

The two brothers scratched at their crotches as if seeking permission.

When doing this sort of thing, the trick was to get in and out fast. But with the wine in their bellies, they'd plainly begun entertaining other ideas.

"Quit dawdling. We're all in."

Master Liu breathed out the smell of wine. If the woman had been a maiden, he certainly wouldn't have touched her; he couldn't let a moment's pleasure hurt her price.

But since she was a widow, it wouldn't matter much.

The troupe leader's generous gesture instantly excited the two brothers.

They stepped in from either side with practiced ease, surrounding the pretty little widow. They couldn't even be bothered to take her inside. Right there in the courtyard, they reached out to strip her bare.

"Get away!"

Yun Niang instinctively shoved away the hands reaching for her.

Her shrill voice couldn't stir the pitch-black night at all. The neighbors on either side were utterly silent. Not a dog barked, let alone anyone coming to her aid.

Just as Yun Niang was panicking, she suddenly caught a cold, detached gaze.

There was someone else here!

But that person only watched quietly, with no intention of stepping in.

"..."

Just as Master Liu had praised, Yun Niang was a clever girl.

Even in this moment of crisis, it took her only an instant to guess what the stranger intended.

The newcomer was keeping out of sight, so he surely wasn't one of the burly men. He was either passing by or hoping to do something.

If it was the latter, but he still wasn't acting...

The mantis stalked the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Perhaps the stranger was waiting for the right moment.

Yun Niang looked at Master Liu the Third, who was undoing his belt, and her gaze flickered. She knew her place as the "cicada" all too well.

The best chance would undoubtedly come when the three of them pounced on her like mad dogs and lost themselves in the act.

A trace of tears welled in the little widow's eyes.

At least she could save the little one.

Thinking this, her arms stiffened a little as she pushed at them, and she gave up on reaching for the scissors at her waist to kill herself.

She already owed this family so much. She would do everything she could to repay them this time.

"Tsk."

Master Liu felt the chill at his back that wouldn't go away. He glanced at the little widow, whose look of resolve had flashed and vanished.

His hands stopped as he undid his belt. Then, unhurriedly, he fastened it again.

The next moment, the burly man slowly turned and surveyed his surroundings.

Under the moonlight, a ferocious smile spread across Master Liu's face.

"Friend, enjoying the view?"