"You have a plan?"
A strange look flickered through Yan Jin's eyes, and she instinctively glanced at the young man's collar again.
She gave a slight shake of her head, suppressing the mutterings in her heart.
The young man's response was somewhat unexpected.
Not only did he have no intention of asking for help, she even sensed a hint of reluctance to let others meddle in his affairs.
"Never mind. With your cultivation, staying in Cunning Fox Hall isn't quite appropriate."
Yan Jin was a loner by nature, so she got straight to the point. "What rank of Inner Method did you comprehend from the Immortal Aura?"
"Eighth rank... What difference does it make?"
Lin Shu didn't hide anything.
He was very interested in the cultivation of this world and wanted to learn more from these people.
Besides, an Inner Method that was almost at the bottom of the pile hardly seemed worth keeping secret.
"Only methods of the Upper Three Ranks offer a chance at Foundation Establishment. Even if your cultivation isn't high enough, you can still join White Tiger Hall as a Young Tiger, free of assignments and enjoying all the help the gang can provide."
Yan Jin slowly rose to her feet. "You needn't be too disappointed. You may get the chance to come into contact with other Immortal Family relics in the future."
"For now, though, join Fierce Wolf Hall and start as a Young Wolf."
"In a few days, I'll send someone to guide you and introduce you to the members in West City. Just wait here in peace."
She walked to the door to leave, then glanced back at him. "Anything else?"
"Yes."
Lin Shu rolled his shoulders.
At last, he wouldn't have to run with a Fox anymore. The thought put him in a much better mood.
He went to the table and picked up the small jade bottle. "This stuff wasn't refined using child medicine boys, was it?"
"You're overthinking it."
Yan Jin gave him a cool glance.
He'd taken lives without batting an eye, yet he cared about this?
The woman looked away. "Pills refined using children as the catalyst would be swallowed up by White Tiger Hall before they ever made it into a jade bottle."
"For something like a Qi-Replenishing Pill, all you need is silver. You can have as many as you want."
"Are they cheap?"
Lin Shu casually tossed the jade bottle in the air, watching the woman's back disappear through the doorway.
He was, more or less, a Wolf Lord now.
Even with just Magpie Nest, and without skimming like that Fatty, taking only his proper share, he'd make at least twenty taels a month.
If these pills weren't too expensive, he could stock up on a few.
Then he wouldn't have to worry about running out of spiritual power during a battle and meeting his end as a Heartless.
"One hundred taels each."
The woman's voice drifted in from outside, growing fainter.
Lin Shu's eyelid twitched. He instinctively clutched the jade bottle he'd been tossing around.
Good grief. Five months of night watch duty for a wisp of spiritual power?
Why not just rob him outright?
While Lin Shu grumbled resentfully about the rich, Yan Jin had already left Green Willow Alley. With a clear destination in mind, she headed down Long Street.
Some time later, she stopped in front of a restaurant.
On the second floor, at a table by the street,
the table was piled high with fine food and wine. A mountain of flesh sat on the left, while a sturdy, middle-aged man sat on the right.
They raised their cups and chatted merrily.
"Brother Yin, I owe you one this time." Tian Jingyuan took a sip of wine, unable to hide his delight.
The one he truly wanted to thank was that Fox.
If the other man hadn't caused so much trouble, how could Tian have traded his worthless life for such a hefty sum of silver?
"From what you told me, he'd used up his Immortal luck and was no longer of any value. It wasn't a big deal."
Yin Yi smiled casually, clearly having profited handsomely as well.
He hadn't needed to do a thing. He'd only had to conveniently be away from the street he was assigned to guard.
"Trying to rise up, huh?" Tian Jingyuan set down his cup with a sneer, a trace of smugness in his wine-bright eyes. "He can rise only if Master Tian gives the nod. If he displeases me, then he'd better behave himself..."
The Fatty's mocking laughter abruptly cut off.
A woman in green robes quietly approached the table and sat down in the middle as if she owned the place.
Yan Jin reached for the wine flask and filled a cup.
She tipped her head back and drained it in one gulp.
Smack.
She set the cup back on the table, neither gently nor roughly.
Yin Yi and Tian Jingyuan both paled.
Though the woman hadn't even looked at them, they could both feel the chill in her warning.
Tian Jingyuan, a newly promoted Fierce Wolf, was especially affected. Fine beads of sweat had already appeared on his thick neck, buried beneath layers of fat.
"Get lost."
Yan Jin wiped the corner of her mouth. She hadn't raised her eyes once.
They were both Fierce Wolves, after all.
The two men could hardly save face.
But after a moment's silence, Tian Jingyuan still got to his feet and left the restaurant with Yin Yi, his face dark as thunder.
West City, Broken Firewood Courtyard.
For once, Lin Shu got off work early.
After what had happened last time, he was now quite wary of the side effects of Evil Coin.
Fortunately, the Blue Bird Qi-Guiding Art seemed to have a way of suppressing the agitation.
And Broken Firewood Courtyard gave Inner Methods a considerable boost.
To avoid any mishaps,
Lin Shu still forced down his anticipation and hurried back to the Side Room.
First, he took out two Virtue Coins and fed them into the Feather representing the Blue Bird Qi-Guiding Art.
Apart from the ten Virtue Coins he'd used to gain a moment of enlightenment, the Inner Method had swallowed twelve jade coins in total before breaking through to the Minor Accomplishment realm.
But Lin Shu had already felt that he was on the verge of breaking through the bottleneck. He shouldn't be far off.
"It's a little less than I'd like, but make do."
He watched the jade coins turn into white light and surge inside. That feeling of being in perfect harmony with the spiritual power of heaven and earth returned.
It wasn't as fierce as when he'd broken through, but it was still far more efficient than cultivating on his own.
[Qi Cultivation Eighth Grade. Blue Bird Qi-Guiding Art: Great Accomplishment]
The spiritual power in his body churned and gathered, then suddenly burst through that Barrier!
His Qi Absorption could now reach fifteen wisps!
When Lin Shu had fought that Great Martial Master earlier, he'd seemed relaxed, but in truth, he'd used up three full wisps of spiritual power.
Now that his limit had increased, the lingering power of the Virtue Coins was still summoning the boundless white mist for him.
Unfortunately, it didn't last long.
Lin Shu had just replenished his eighth wisp of spiritual power when he was kicked out of that wondrous state of harmony with heaven and earth.
"Cheapskates."
Still unsatisfied, he took out the Evil Coin.
He'd planned to swallow the Qi-Replenishing Pill, but remembering its sky-high price of a hundred taels... He'd better save it for a fight.
"Get up. Time to eat!"
Lin Shu irritably pulled open his collar and flicked Little Wolf with a finger.
Ever since it spat out two Immortal Methods, a manifestation of an Immortal Method resembling the Azure Bird's Feather had appeared above it whenever Evil Coin drew close.
They were two Wolf Teeth.
The smaller one represented the Bright Moon Eye Technique, a Qi Cultivation Seventh Grade method.
Lin Shu hesitated for a moment.
In the end, he chose to feed the Evil Coin to the Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand.
If he wanted to kill Fatty Tian,
what he lacked most right now wasn't a bunch of fancy tricks, but a trump card that could go toe-to-toe with a Mid-Stage Qi Condensation Cultivator.
A glimmer of dark light seeped into the Wolf Tooth.
Though Evil Coin was far more generous than Virtue Coin, this was still an Immortal Method of the Middle Three Ranks, and it was already at Perfection.
Not until the thirteenth Evil Coin had been devoured did the dormant prompt finally change.
[Qi Condensation Fifth Stage. Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand: Perfection]
The moment he saw the prompt appear, Lin Shu's first reaction wasn't delight. He quickly shut his eyes and circulated the Blue Bird Qi-Guiding Art.
Before, he'd felt only agitation. This time, a real killing intent welled up in his heart!
Fortunately, the clear, ringing cry helped Lin Shu steady his mind.
He didn't know how long it took, but by then he was drenched in sweat.
"Better take a break."
Lin Shu looked at the seven Evil Coins left in his hand and adjusted his breathing, still shaken.
Just then, Little Widow's voice rang out from the courtyard.
"Lord Lin, that constable is here to see you."
"..."
Lin Shu stood up helplessly.
It probably had something to do with the martial arts school master's corpse again.
Black Charcoal had far too much free time on his hands.
He pushed open the door and said helplessly, "Why are you just standing there? If you've got something to say, come over."
"Ahem."
Chang Yi first glanced at Yun Niang, a strange look flickering through his eyes.
He coughed twice, then stood outside the courtyard with an odd expression, pretending nothing was amiss. "It's stuffy in there. Let's talk outside."
Before you continue