A Dark and Stormy Night

The night was thick, devoid of stars or moon.

Lin Shu took a deep breath, the cold night air circulating through his lungs and dispelling the faint haze of alcohol in his eyes.

In his past life, he had struggled hard to carve out a position for himself in the streets.

The blood on his hands had not yet faded, and he hadn't even had a chance to enjoy his success before finding himself in this strange land in the blink of an eye. To say he felt no regret would be a lie.

The act of killing just moments ago had, to some extent, been a way to vent his frustrations.

"Haa."

Lin Shu exhaled the breath trapped in his chest, spread his right palm, and looked down at his fingertips.

The fingers that had been scalded by the hot oil were already turning the pink of fresh skin.

Centered on the phantom image of the White Wolf on his chest, the flowing mist was rapidly repairing his entire body; as a price, it appeared thinner than before.

As far as he could tell, this mist was his life.

Lin Shu had yet to find a way to replenish it from the fragmented memories remaining in his mind.

Of course, regardless of whether this White Wolf deity was residing within him, he would have seized the earlier opportunity to kill that drunkard and escape the dilapidated courtyard.

The reason was not complicated.

Lin Shu had keenly sensed the dissatisfaction and murderous intent of Master Liu the Third.

He likely wouldn't have survived until tomorrow.

Since that was the case.

A glimmer of excited, predatory light surged back into Lin Shu's eyes.

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

"..."

Under the illumination of the dim moonlight.

Lin Shu followed the route in his memory, crossing the broken gravel and mud paths until he stepped onto the first intact blue brick.

Blackwater City was divided into east, south, west, and north; the opera troupe was based in the impoverished southern suburbs.

The west side, while not as prosperous as the east, required one to have either a bit of wealth or connections to the government or the Blackwater Gang to settle there.

For the old woman to live here, it stood to reason that she shouldn't have been someone the opera troupe could provoke, let alone beat to death.

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

Tucked into the corner between two high walls, a shack haphazardly constructed from thatch and wooden planks stood out like a sore thumb.

Outside, a circle of bundled firewood formed a wall, and a wooden door as thin as paper would keep out a gentleman, but not a villain.

Ever since the old woman lost her son, this family had long ago lost their original home, forced to cling to the west side in this wretched manner.

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

The southern suburbs had no paved blue-brick roads; soles stained with black, muddy sludge were a hallmark of the people from the south.

The three masters of the opera troupe had already gone inside, pulling the door shut behind them.

Inside the firewood courtyard.

Yun Niang lowered her head and slowly retreated to the doorway.

Master Liu the Third toyed with the short blade in his hand, looking the young woman up and down.

Because he looked fierce and had murder cases on his record, he rarely dared to step into the west side, fearing he would be spotted by the locals and cause unnecessary trouble.

But he had long heard from the women in the troupe that the young widow in the old woman's house was exceptionally beautiful.

Seeing her now, the rumors were true.

Her figure was incredibly lush, and her skin was tender and fair, as if one could squeeze water from it.

In the impoverished southern suburbs, such a physique was rare; most were withered, sallow-faced girls who couldn't even get enough to eat, let alone grow any meat on their bones.

"Money really does nourish people."

Master Liu the Third glanced at his two brothers, who were salivating, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Master Liu." The Ma brothers swallowed hard and turned to look at their troupe leader.

"Sell the big one to Green Willow Street, and send the little one to White Tiger Hall to be refined into medicine."

Master Liu the Third had already made up his mind. He walked up to the young woman and used the tip of his blade to lift her chin.

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

Quite clever.

She was packed light and ready to flee; if they had arrived even half a step later, she really would have slipped away.

"You—"

Yun Niang clenched her palms involuntarily, a flicker of shock finally appearing on her deathly still face.

Upon seeing these burly men, she had already anticipated her own end, so what truly made her feel that these people were deranged was the latter half of that sentence.

White Tiger Hall was one of the four major halls of the Blackwater Gang, and the implication of sending young children to be refined into medicine was not to have them serve as mere medicine boys fanning the flames.

The children themselves were the medicinal ingredients.

"Shh."

Master Liu the Third shook his head, using the tip of his blade to poke a red dot onto her delicate neck, cutting off the woman's words: "I like dealing with clever people."

In front of these external-style martial artists, even begging for death was a luxury for this young woman; being obedient would at least spare her a great deal of suffering.

"Master Liu, shall we keep watch at the door for you?"

The two brothers scratched their crotches as if seeking approval.

Doing this kind of thing required speed, but stimulated by the alcohol, they clearly had other ideas.

"Don't dawdle, let's go together."

Master Liu the Third exhaled a breath of alcohol. If this woman were a maiden, he certainly wouldn't touch her, as he couldn't let a moment of pleasure affect her market price.

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

The troupe leader's righteous demeanor instantly excited the two brothers.

The pair skillfully stepped forward to the left and right, surrounding the dainty little widow. They were too lazy to even enter the house, reaching out to strip her bare right there in the courtyard.

"Get away!"

Yun Niang instinctively pushed away the hands reaching toward her.

Her sharp voice, however, could not stir the pitch-black night at all. The neighbors were all deathly silent, not even a dog barked, let alone anyone coming to her aid.

Just as Yun Niang was in a panic, she suddenly caught a cold gaze.

There was someone else present!

Unfortunately, that person was merely watching quietly, with no intention of intervening.

"..."

Just as Master Liu the Third had praised, Yun Niang was a very intelligent woman.

Even in this moment of crisis, it took her only an instant to guess the other party's intentions.

The person hiding their presence was certainly not in league with these burly men; they were either passing by or waiting to do something.

If it were the latter, yet they didn't strike...

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; the other party was perhaps waiting for an opportunity.

Yun Niang looked at Master Liu the Third, who was undoing his belt, and her eyes flickered. She had a strong sense of self-awareness as a "cicada."

The best opportunity would undoubtedly be the moment these three men were as frenzied as mad dogs, lost in their own pleasure.

A glimmer of tears appeared in the depths of the little widow's eyes.

At the very least, she could protect the little one.

Thinking of this, her pushing arms stiffened slightly, and she dismissed the thought of pulling the scissors from her waist to end her life.

She already owed this family; this time, she would consider it her best attempt at compensation.

"Tsk."

Feeling the chill that refused to dissipate from behind him, Master Liu the Third glanced at the fleeting determination on the little widow's face.

His hands, which were undoing his belt, suddenly paused, and then he unhurriedly tied it back up.

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

Under the moonlight, a ferocious smile appeared on Master Liu the Third's face:

"Friend, is it a good show?"