Mountain God and the Yu Family

Just as Lin Shu was about to push the door open and leave.

The childish voice behind him rang out again, interrupting his movement.

The Porcelain Doll on the bed seemed to have accepted her fate. She opened her eyes, her gaze full of grievance. "I wasn't joking. Stop practicing recklessly. For a cultivator, qi surging through the meridians because the soul has gone berserk really can be fatal."

Though Immortal Scions recognizing cultivators as their masters sounded a little topsy-turvy.

But things had come to this. She'd already lost all face, so she might as well try to save her life.

The young girl was a little puzzled. "I don't really understand. It makes sense that the other cultivators in Blackwater City are anxious. They really could die, after all. But you have my Essence Blood. What are you in such a hurry for?"

"What do you mean?" Lin Shu turned around, looking perplexed.

It was still early. Since the Immortal Scion was so unusually willing to speak, he didn't mind taking the opportunity to learn more about This World.

At that, the young girl replied as if it were obvious, "These people are being kept in Blackwater City. Most likely, some Immortal Scion has taken an interest in them and wants to obtain something from them. But you've already formed a bond with me, so you count as half a member of the Yu Family. In the future, you can naturally join an Immortal Sect."

"No matter who that Immortal Scion is, they'll give the Yu Family some face and let the two of us leave."

"..."

Lin Shu fell into thought.

He understood every word she said, but put together, they were hard to make sense of.

As far as he knew, the word "kept" was usually used for livestock.

And what was the Yu Family, anyway?

"Ah—"

Seeing the young man's expression, the little girl on the bed suddenly looked utterly hopeless.

The body she'd just struggled to sit up with flopped back down, and she stared blankly at the ceiling.

Just thinking that her life was now tied to a bumpkin like this—

Her future suddenly looked so bleak... unbearably bleak!

The young girl let out a long breath and said listlessly, "To put it simply, people like them, who started cultivating with the help of Immortal Family relics, don't count as proper Immortal Sect cultivators."

"They lack Cultivation Methods and have no backing. Their lives are in the hands of some Immortal Scion! That's why they resort to all those crooked paths."

"But you're different. You can hold the life of this little chick of yours in your hands, use me as your guide, and enter the service of the Yu Family of Li Province to cultivate. Our Yu Family has a Half-Life Immortal. He's a Mountain God! We have clout!"

The porcelain-doll-like Immortal Scion seemed truly at her wit's end. She shook her head hard. "So you don't need to keep fretting. Just stay alive. Once we leave Blackwater City, there'll be no shortage of Immortal Methods."

"When can we leave?" Lin Shu frowned slightly, not letting the other party's promises go to his head.

Although he was indeed curious about Immortal Sects, he couldn't entrust his life entirely to this Immortal Scion.

"That's hard to say. Given Blackwater City's current situation, the Immortal Scion probably hasn't yet smoothed things over with some part of the imperial court, so things have stalled. It could take a few years at the shortest, or several decades at the longest. Either way, there'll be a result eventually."

Seeing that Lin Shu was finally listening to reason, the young girl inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Judging by how this bandit had slapped her without the slightest hesitation that day, she'd almost thought Killing Intent had taken control of his mind.

"I'm an Immortal Scion, and my lifespan is long. You're a Qi Refining Stage cultivator, so you should live at least two hundred years. Waiting a little longer is nothing."

The young girl patted her bellyband and declared confidently, "Don't worry. As long as we don't keep running into people with mortal eyes, my life, Yu Sheng's, is worth a little something. I guarantee I can get you out."

As she spoke, she couldn't help flashing a confident smile.

But soon, her fair little face stiffened again.

Not far away, Lin Shu calmly pulled open his collar, revealing a hideous scar and the hollow emptiness where his heart should have been.

Yu Sheng's face went from stiff to trembling, until it finally turned fearful.

She stared fixedly at Lin Shu's chest, at the Killing Intent that was almost impossible to conceal, and at the shadow hidden within it.

"It's about to wake up..."

Yu Sheng couldn't understand what kind of method this was.

But she immediately realized that Lin Shu was alive only because that shadow still remained inside his body.

Now, the shadow had clearly stirred.

As for how long it would take to wake... even counting in years felt like far too much.

At the thought, Yu Sheng's voice suddenly turned tearful. "Give me back my Essence Blood!"

In the courtyard.

Lin Shu pushed the door open and stepped out, straightening his clothes a little.

Yun Niang seemed to have figured out his habits. Every day, she prepared hot water in advance, so that when he got up to wash, it was just the right temperature.

But today, the water in the basin was clearly a little cold.

"Did you sleep badly? Wait a moment, and I'll heat up some more."

Yun Niang looked over, puzzled. Her benefactor had not only gotten up later than usual today, but his complexion also seemed off.

"It's fine. This will do."

Lin Shu scooped up the cold water and vigorously rubbed his face a couple of times.

He shook the water from his hands and lifted his head, his expression already back to normal.

Fortunately, he'd kept the Immortal Scion that day. Otherwise, he still wouldn't have known his condition had become this dire.

The headache was a headache, but Lin Shu had no intention of giving up on himself.

At least today he'd learned a great deal more about cultivation.

Whether it was why Blackwater City had been sealed off, the White Wolf in his chest, or how he could join an Immortal Sect if he survived.

So many things had come flooding in at once that his head was beginning to spin.

But according to Lin Shu, if cultivation was possible, then any problem could for now be blamed on insufficient strength.

If so, he just had to find a way to grow stronger.

However, judging by how pitiful Yu Sheng's voice had sounded when she'd ended on that tearful note, he might not have much time left.

"Still short on Virtue Coins."

Lin Shu narrowed his eyes and sighed inwardly.

No matter how powerful an Immortal Method was, his cultivation realm had to keep pace.

He needed at least enough strength to escape this city before he could try to deal with the method that had even shaken an Immortal Scion.

Just as his thoughts began to wander.

Three figures arrived at the Broken Firewood Courtyard.

As before, Bai Feng and Yan Jin were in front. Behind them was a lean man dressed in a blue robe.

"I brought you the Young Wolf from Four Directions Street, and I've got some good news for you, too."

Bai Feng was clearly much more enthusiastic, acting as though the two of them had known each other for ages. He also subtly used his body to block Yan Jin from view.

"..." Yan Jin clearly couldn't be bothered to argue with him and stood off to the side on her own.

"I'm Dong Cheng. Just call me Xiao Dong. I'll be following Master Lin and earning my keep." The lean man cupped his hands and took over the conversation.

"The good news Master Bai mentioned is this: to celebrate your promotion, Senior Yin Ling specially arranged for a land swap. The two alleys at the entrance to this courtyard have been transferred to you as well."

As he spoke, Dong Cheng's gaze toward Lin Shu clearly changed.

For a Fierce Wolf, territory was the most important thing.

Though Yin had been in the wrong, the fact that he'd voluntarily offered up two alleys as an apology was enough to show how wary he was of this newly promoted Fierce Wolf.

This was no match for that Mountain-Sitting Wolf from a few days ago.