Puppy Cub?

"Does it make a difference whether he controls it or not?"

Bai Feng withdrew his gaze. He didn't feel much of anything toward Lin Shu.

After all, before today, the two of them had met only once.

Lin Shu had prolonged his life with Lingering Immortal Fate and used it to kill three thugs from the Opera Troupe.

He had a little strength, but not much, and it wouldn't last. He was also a poor laborer from the South Suburb, with a background and prospects as bleak as could be.

Bai Feng could hardly muster any interest in such a nobody, especially when there was nothing to gain from him.

Even now, with things having changed—

The man had somehow acquired an Inner Method and successfully embarked on the path of cultivation, but that still hadn't changed Bai Feng's attitude much.

The reason was simple.

Yan Jin was perhaps unhappy that Tian Jingyuan had learned what she thought of Lin Shu by asking around, and had thus meddled behind the scenes.

So when she'd brought Lin Shu into Fierce Wolf Hall this time, she hadn't told the gang what rank his Inner Method was.

But even so, how could she hide it from a shrewd old fox like Bai Feng?

Any Inner Method near the top of the Middle Three Ranks, one with the potential to become a mainstay, had to be reported to the hall master in advance.

Clearly, Lin wasn't one of them.

"Now that you've managed to cling to life, you ought to cherish it. Don't you think?"

Bai Feng gave a mocking laugh. "This is Fierce Wolf Hall. We don't raise Puppy Cubs here. If you go around provoking people you can't afford to offend, no one's going to stick their neck out for you."

He seemed to be speaking to Lin Shu, but in truth he was covertly warning Yan Jin to stop meddling.

If it were anyone else, that would be one thing. At least Lin Shu was a Young Wolf. Whatever his prospects, it wouldn't hurt to make a little effort to befriend him; he might prove useful someday.

But this kid was different.

To put it bluntly, he'd guarded a little Magpie Nest for a measly twenty-some taels of silver a month, and he'd dared to take Zhang Zhongping's life over it.

If he got his hands on a whole street, would he even dare storm the Yamen?!

"..."

Yan Jin stopped and looked back coldly.

She'd spoken up because Lin Shu had been ordered to guard Magpie Nest, and he really had made sure none of the women working there got into trouble.

Even when the person who came looking for trouble was a Great Martial Master, far beyond anything a Fox was supposed to deal with.

There had been no need for the matter to blow up like this.

It had happened only because the two of them had overlooked things earlier, leaving Lin Shu unable to contact his fellow Fierce Wolves, with no one stepping in to mediate.

Why let the same thing happen again?

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

Faced with Yan Jin's icy stare, Bai Feng, usually so slippery, surprisingly didn't look away.

He'd always believed that focusing their efforts on someone with no value who loved making trouble would only bring them more problems.

Tian Jingyuan wouldn't be hard to handle. Given their positions, all it would take was a word to make the Fatty behave.

But once they set this precedent, everyone would see Yan Jin as Lin Shu's backer.

Who could guarantee that after getting a taste of success, this kid wouldn't keep waving her name around as he went on to cause even bigger trouble?

By then, disentangling themselves wouldn't be so easy!

As the two locked eyes, their exchange took on a faintly combative edge.

"People you can't afford to offend... Is he that strong?"

Lin Shu's seemingly casual, curious question finally broke the deadlock.

"Hah."

Bai Feng exhaled sharply.

There wasn't any provocation in Lin Shu's voice.

But the other man's nonchalant air still stirred a trace of annoyance in Bai Feng.

Well, look at that. The two of them had started arguing.

And the Young Wolf Tian Fatty had his eye on was acting as though nothing had happened.

"Strong or not, how should I put it?"

Bai Feng raised an eyebrow, tamped down his displeasure, and said slowly, "It depends who you compare him to."

"With a Sixth Rank Inner Method, he's only just broken into Mid Qi Condensation. At most, he's probably absorbed fifty or sixty wisps of qi. He hasn't been a Fierce Wolf for long, so he likely hasn't had a chance to collect any Immortal Family Treasures and round out his skills."

"Compared with the other Fierce Wolves, he naturally comes up short."

"But compared with you..."

Bai Feng left the sentence unfinished, forcing out a faint chuckle before sweeping past them and heading off to lead the way.

"Don't mind him."

Yan Jin's voice was cool as she started walking again. "Blackwater City is nothing like the outside world. It's too soon to talk about talent. A person's cultivation has more to do with luck. As long as you're still alive, you'll always get the chance to surpass him."

"..."

Having gotten the information he wanted, Lin Shu lifted his gaze slightly toward Long Street ahead.

Clearly, his thoughts weren't on the two of them.

Fifty or sixty wisps of qi?

It seemed earning that Evil Coin might not be as hard as he'd imagined.

Full Fortune Restaurant.

It was nearly noon, but this rather upscale little restaurant had already been cleared out at the manager's orders.

The proprietor himself waited at the entrance.

More than ten people had gone in one after another, and he'd had to bow and scrape to welcome every one of them.

"Well, Master Tian! Congratulations on your promotion!"

The old proprietor hadn't even had time to straighten his back before he looked up and found a mountain of flesh blocking his way.

"Go on in. What are you standing there for?"

Yin Ling strolled over and casually teased Tian Jingyuan. "What's the matter, feeling unhappy?"

The two of them had eaten up most of the fortune Good Fortune Martial Hall had amassed, and they'd grown considerably closer.

"A little."

Tian Jingyuan concealed the coldness in his eyes but didn't deny it.

He truly hadn't expected that Cheap Fox to survive Zhang Zhongping's clutches.

The man had even climbed over that old bastard's corpse and successfully joined Fierce Wolf Hall.

It left Tian Jingyuan feeling faintly uneasy... and even regretful.

Since he'd never taken Lin Shu seriously, he hadn't bothered to hide the news while running around and greasing palms for Zhang Zhongping.

That was how things had ended up becoming common knowledge.

"What are you in a hurry for? He's just a Young Wolf. It's not like he can turn the world upside down. Don't tell me you're scared. Let's see how things play out first."

Yin Ling patted the fatty on the shoulder and offered him a smiling word of reassurance.

The two entered the restaurant, crossed the front hall, and arrived in the spacious private room the proprietor had prepared especially for Fierce Wolf Hall.

The first thing they saw was a sturdy, three-zhang-long table made entirely of Ironwood, polished until it gleamed with a faint gray sheen.

At the head sat an old man in a blue robe with somewhat cloudy eyes, known as Master Mo.

This old wolf had been in the gang a long time and had deep seniority. He was hosting today's banquet.

The seats to his right belonged to Yan Jin and Bai Feng.

Farther down sat several Fierce Wolves, scattered along the table. Tall or short, fat or thin, laughing and chatting or not, they all shared the same Killing Intent that no washing could scrub away.

As for the Young Wolves they'd brought, they stood properly by their sides.

As a newly promoted Fierce Wolf, Tian Jingyuan's seat was naturally near the far end.

He reached his seat and pulled out the heavy Ironwood chair, his peripheral vision falling on the very end of the long table. The handsome young man sitting there quietly happened to look over at the same time.

Lin Shu's gaze was calm. He looked not only free of resentment, but as if he didn't even recognize the fatty.

Yet that direct look once again set anger blazing inside Tian Jingyuan.

It had been the same at Magpie Nest.

That man... what gave him the right to look at him like that?

When there was a gap in status and strength, a subordinate's eyes showing no fear was itself an affront!

"Heh."

Tian Jingyuan looked away and lowered his massive body into the chair.

He closed his eyes, brushing aside his earlier regret.

Just as Yin Ling had said, there was no need to rush. There would always be a chance.

When the right moment came, all it would take was a single slap to reduce that Cheap Fox to a corpse with not a bone intact!