Go, Brother Precious Blade (Thanks to the Alliance Leader, the Great Lord Who Doesn't Care, Doesn't Bury)

Under the locust tree.

Chang Yi stood tall, his hand resting on his saber.

He noticed Lin Shu's small movement as he put away the cloth bag.

And the smugness on the other's face, clearly waiting for him to ask about it.

He switched to the morning, Chang Yi would have been curious what was in the bag.

But now, his dark face was a little dim. He looked up and forced a smile, "You really got promoted?"

"Pretty much."

Lin Shu smacked his lips. His little show-off attempt hadn't gotten the reaction he wanted, and he felt unsatisfied.

Hearing this, Black Charcoal was silent for a moment, then mumbled, "Congratulations."

Being able to join the Fierce Wolf Hall and become a Young Wolf meant a much higher status and future than being a fox.

This should have been something worth celebrating for him.

However, Chang Yi subconsciously glanced at the Purple Flood Dragon on his chest and fell into thought.

"..."

Ever since the city was besieged by the Black River, the yamen and the imperial court had lost contact, cutting off supplies, money, and reinforcements.

The Blackwater Gang took advantage of the situation and grew powerful, their four halls notorious!

The Cunning Fox Hall was ruthless and thick-skinned, responsible for amassing wealth and treasures. Their strength was secondary to their cunning and resourcefulness, and how well-informed they were.

They used the money and treasures they plundered to support the entire gang.

The White Tiger Hall was filled with fanatics obsessed with cultivation, trying every method in hopes of one day reaching Foundation Establishment.

As for the top-tier Dragon Hall, it only consisted of the Gang Leader and two Deputy Leaders.

These few were the foundation of the Blackwater Gang's ability to rival the yamen.

As for when another member would be added, it depended on when the fanatics in the White Tiger Hall succeeded in reaching Foundation Establishment.

These three formed a cycle of support.

But one crucial element was missing.

Why could the Cunning Fox Hall plunder so brazenly within Blackwater City without being dealt with by other forces? And why could the White Tiger Hall cultivate in peace, ignoring worldly affairs?

Because on every street in the city, a Fierce Wolf was watching!

To those below, they needed to have enough ferocity to provide invisible protection for the foxes. To those above, they had to meet the various demands of the tigers.

No matter who they were originally, once they occupied this position, they would be driven by the entire gang to become a ruthless wolf!

"What are you thinking about?"

Lin Shu slowly stopped.

This Black Charcoal was standing there blankly, his emotions changing too obviously.

"Nothing, nothing."

His thoughts interrupted, Chang Yi looked at the young man in front of him again, a helpless expression on his face.

If it was purely about ruthlessness, this person wouldn't need any external push; he was already more than enough.

The two had known each other for a short time.

Chang Yi had a very good impression of Lin Shu because, despite being a fox, he never acted like one.

But wolves were different.

Their very existence was a great threat to the security of Blackwater City!

The Purple Flood Dragon was born for this very reason, to restrain these wolves!

"Hmph—"

Chang Yi exhaled forcefully, as if he had made a decision. His expression gradually became serious.

Filled with a solemn and resolute belief, and a sense of destiny that he would forever be your enemy.

"Whether it's ten or twenty years, and whether you're a Young Wolf or a Fierce Wolf, my treasure saber and I will always be watching you!"

"..."

Lin Shu was silent for a long time, his eyes gradually becoming strange.

He kept a straight face, trying hard to suppress the corners of his mouth.

No need to laugh. It's normal for young people to be a bit chuunibyou. Phew... very normal!

"Good luck, Brother Precious Blade."

Lin Shu patted Black Charcoal's shoulder and nodded, "I'll try my best to stay in the Fierce Wolf Hall for my whole life."

Such a nostalgic age.

He put down his hands, sighed, and turned towards the Firewood Courtyard.

"You!"

Clearly, in Chang Yi's mind, Lin Shu should have been equally serious at this moment.

It would have been best to say something like, "Our paths diverge; we cannot plan together," and then turn away decisively, each heading in opposite directions down the long street.

Add to that the elongated shadows cast by the setting sun, and the sense of them growing further and further apart.

Chang Yi had spent the entire afternoon imagining this scene.

Yet, Lin Shu simply turned and left with a lighthearted air.

He even left behind a scoff of laughter that he couldn't quite hold back.

Tch.

The Firewood Courtyard, the side room.

Lin Shu closed the door and went to the bedside, pulling back the covers.

First, he confirmed that the Immortal Scion, clad in a jade-green bellyband and resembling a porcelain doll, had not undergone any changes.

Only then did he sit on the bed.

Lin Shu did not take Chang Yi's "threat" to heart.

It wasn't that he underestimated the Purple Flood Dragon strength hidden beneath that youthful face, but rather his mind was simply not on such matters.

Unless one had some peculiar inclination, no one would wish to keep rolling around in a mud pit.

Walking the same path once was enough; to walk it again would be far too tedious.

From the very beginning, Lin Shu had no intention of climbing the ranks within the Blackwater Gang and then lording over the city.

The reason he joined this gang.

Was because the mess left by his predecessor was too dire.

He had to survive as quickly as possible using the methods he was most familiar with before he could even consider other things.

Those spells and immortals were what Lin Shu was most interested in.

Immortality, moving mountains and filling seas, soaring through the heavens on a sword... just thinking about it filled him with anticipation.

However, being in the city now, with his status so ordinary, he had no channels to access the so-called immortal sects.

The most important thing was to replenish his heart first.

"What exactly are you?"

Lin Shu closed his eyes slightly, recalling the feeling of seeing the White Mist Wolf Shadow for the first time.

This heartless body could maintain its vitality by "borrowing life" from the White Wolf.

But whether this life could be borrowed indefinitely.

Or, whether the person who placed the White Wolf phantom in the position of this body's heart would suddenly snatch it away one day.

These were all issues that needed to be considered in advance.

Before that, all he could do was to accumulate as many means and foundations as possible.

Rustle.

Lin Shu slowly opened his eyes, and forty-seven Evil Coins slid from his sleeve like a stream into his palm.

They then transformed into black light, surging towards the Wolf Tooth that represented the Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand.

When he had attacked the Immortal Scion earlier, Lin Shu had not truly grasped how much this immortal technique had grown.

It was only when he encountered Fatty Tian that its power was truly revealed.

And it was precisely by virtue of this fifth-grade immortal technique that he, with his early Qi Refining cultivation, was qualified to hold the position of Fierce Wolf.

"Roar..."

Amidst the weak growl of the Little Wolf, Lin Shu's palms trembled slightly.

Both were being eroded by the Evil Coins, as if the souls represented by each coin were wailing.

Resentment coalesced into claws, tearing at his mind.

It made one inexplicably irritable, wishing to rip them out and whip them hundreds of times over.

Lin Shu continued to circulate the Blue Bird Qi-Guiding Art, but the faint chirping was clearly beginning to be unable to suppress these wails.

"My seventh-grade inner technique is still too low."

He sighed softly but did not stop.

Don't be fooled by how easily he killed Fatty Tian; in reality, that person was an anomaly.

The opponent, despite holding the title of Fierce Wolf, had only held the territory for less than half a month and was too busy scheming for the Good Fortune Martial Hall's silver to have time to gather the means that should have been available at his rank.

If one were to mistake Fatty Tian's strength for the general standard of other Fierce Wolves or Purple Flood Dragon Constables.

He would not be far from death himself.

To put it bluntly, even a fifth-grade immortal technique was considered mid-tier, merely a common incantation for cultivators in the middle stages of Qi Condensation, not even considered upper-tier.

"Don't be stingy, give me some more."

Lin Shu frowned, quickening the pace at which he tossed the Evil Coins.

He was about to take over Four Directions Street.

With his current means alone, it was still not enough to put his mind at ease.

"Roar!"

Little Wolf's growl was no longer weak; instead, it carried a thick, ferocious aura.

The Wolf Tooth, representing the Ghost Moon Bone-Splitting Hand, was gradually entwined with black mist, appearing increasingly ferocious!