No Way to Repay the Life-Saving Grace

Inside the courtyard.

Little Ma stood stiff as a board, his breathing ragged.

He stared fixedly at the horrific, blood-riddled face on the ground, a chill racing up his spine and straight to his brain.

Liu the Third, who had been full of life just a moment ago, was gone in the blink of an eye!

Little Ma shifted his gaze upward, meeting the casual, sweeping glance of the young man standing beside the corpse.

At that mere contact, he instinctively clutched the gash on his own neck, stumbled back several steps, and shrieked in terror, "You're finished! You've invited a massive disaster!"

"Shut up!"

Big Ma couldn't help but slap him across the face.

Under his younger brother's confused and dazed stare, his facial muscles twitched as he struggled to squeeze out a fawning smile.

The next moment, the burly man flopped onto his knees: "Master Lin, don't listen to his nonsense. There's no disaster... it's just that we do have some connections to the Blackwater Gang."

"What kind of connections?" Lin Shu lowered his eyes to look at him.

Seeing that the other party didn't strike immediately, Big Ma pinched his own thigh hard to suppress his trembling.

He hadn't seen the previous scene clearly, but the way Lin Shu had shattered a blade with his bare hands was clearly beyond their comprehension.

With Liu the Third already dead, trying to threaten this man was no different from courting death!

"Third Master... Liu the Third's only thought when he took over this troupe was to save enough money to offer up to the Cunning Fox Hall, hoping to be inducted into their ranks."

The elder Ma brother pointed at Yun Niang nearby, explaining with a humble expression: "We've handed over quite a bit of silver over the years; once this deal was finished, it would have been enough."

As long as they could establish a line with the Blackwater Gang, they could walk sideways through the city.

Big Ma didn't care if it was Liu the Third or Lin Shu leading them to pledge their allegiance.

"Cunning Fox Hall?" Lin Shu was curious.

His predecessor had held no status in the troupe and knew very little about such matters.

Just then, Yun Niang, who had been crouching quietly to the side, slowly raised her head and said cautiously: "The Blackwater Gang has four major halls, named after the Fox, the Fierce Wolf... the White Tiger, and the Azure Dragon."

"The Cunning Fox Hall is responsible for extorting money for the Blackwater Gang. They are experts in fraud, and beyond that, they deal in human trafficking—selling girls to brothels and delivering infants to the White Tiger Hall. Even the government can't keep up with their crimes."

"Exactly, exactly!" Big Ma hurriedly chimed in, hoping to use the fierce reputation of the Cunning Fox Hall to suppress Lin Shu's murderous intent.

After all, to gain a foothold in Blackwater City, one had to rely on either the government or the Blackwater Gang.

Otherwise, one could only live like a dog, unable to hold their head high no matter how great their skills were.

"Understood."

Lin Shu nodded and beckoned to the Ma brothers.

The two were stunned for a moment, but once they realized what was happening, they hurriedly handed over the short blades they were holding.

Even Little Ma had sobered up by now.

In front of Lin Shu, the blades in Liu the Third's hands were no different from ones made of mud; there was no room for them to resist.

Being able to keep their lives was already a blessing from their ancestors!

"Fine, go clean up the body." Lin Shu toyed with a short blade, speaking nonchalantly.

The two brothers acted as if they had heard an imperial decree; overjoyed, they scrambled to their feet and rushed toward the body of Liu the Third.

The moment they turned their backs, Lin Shu's arms shot forward, and the two short blades pierced through their necks simultaneously with a wet thud.

Having learned from his previous experience, he knew the people here had thick skin and sturdy flesh.

Lin Shu had deliberately channeled the mist into his arms to ensure a lethal strike.

A moment later, he calmly pulled out the blood-stained blades and tossed them onto the ground.

Thud! Thud!

Two sturdy figures swayed and collapsed.

"Ugh!"

Yun Niang watched this scene unfold, her fingers tightening around her sleeves.

Only now did she completely discard her assessment of this young man as a "poor soul" caught in circumstances beyond his control.

The reason he had stood by and watched earlier wasn't because he lacked confidence, but rather because he had some sort of strange quirk.

With the terrifying strength he had displayed, he could have easily defeated the two of them, yet he had chosen this method instead.

"..."

Lin Shu threw away the short blades, completely indifferent to the strange look hidden within Yun Niang's awe-filled gaze.

He had no hobby of toying with the lives of others.

It was just that while the Silver Moon Claw Technique was unexpectedly powerful, its consumption was terrifyingly real—far exceeding the cost of healing his physical body.

That single strike alone had cost Lin Shu nearly twenty percent of his mist!

In other words, even without considering the amount needed to sustain his life, he could only use it four more times at most. He had to save it where he could.

"Thank you for saving my life, my lord. This humble woman has no way to repay you..."

Yun Niang stood up tremblingly and bowed to the young man before her.

If he hadn't intervened, she would surely have been bleeding on the spot today, let alone protecting the child inside the house.

After waiting for a response for a long while, Yun Niang felt a sudden, slightly uncomfortable gaze while she was already nervous.

She looked up in confusion.

Lin Shu had already turned to leave.

Upon hearing her words, he slowly turned back and stared quietly at the young widow.

Yun Niang's entire body stiffened slightly.

This gaze was completely different from the three men just now; it lacked that lecherous quality, yet it was far more aggressive.

And for some reason... she actually sensed a hint of openness within this highly aggressive scrutiny!

Thinking of this, the young widow's face gradually flushed, and her speech became stuttered: "M... my lord..."

"No way to repay? What's the second half of that sentence?" Lin Shu waited for a moment, raising an eyebrow as he asked.

Having suddenly transmigrated and then erupting to kill four people immediately upon arrival, even he felt mentally and physically exhausted.

Moreover, although the matter at hand was resolved, he was still like a headless fly, having no control over his surroundings whatsoever.

This sense of being out of control transformed into a heavy pressure that desperately needed release.

If the other party was willing, Lin Shu wouldn't mind too much.

Hearing this, the young widow stood there blankly; she had never imagined things would develop in this direction.

Even though Yun Niang had grown up in Blackwater City and was more adaptable than the average woman, she didn't know how to respond now.

The man had just finished killing people, the blood on his face was still warm, and he had offended the Blackwater Gang, yet he still had the heart to think about other things.

His nerves were truly too thick!

After a long while, she pointed toward the house and stammered out a sentence: "The child is still inside..."

Lin Shu heard this excuse, paused for a moment, then decisively withdrew his gaze and said casually: "Boil some water. I want to take a bath."

As his voice fell, he walked straight to the thatched hut opposite.

So he didn't mean it that way; then so be it.

"Ah?"

Yun Niang was still pondering how to preserve her chastity, and in the time it took to space out, only the young man's back remained before her.

She opened her mouth in a daze.

Wait, that's it?

He brought it up openly without a shred of shame, and left decisively without a hint of hesitation.

Who, exactly, is this person?

Inside the side room.

Lin Shu took a rag and, using a bucket of hot water, diligently wiped the filth from his body.

He sighed inwardly.

The conditions here were truly too poor.

Given the poverty of the widow's home, there wasn't even a wooden tub large enough to take a proper bath.

The only food was a few cold steamed buns on the table, plus a piece of salted vegetable.

Fortunately, he might not live long, so he wouldn't have to suffer too much in this place.

Lin Shu looked down at his bare chest, dried himself off, and draped the heavy cloak back over his shoulders.

Jokes were jokes.

He was still quite interested in many things in this strange land and didn't want to kick the bucket just yet.

Lin Shu came to the table and sat down, chewing on a cold steamed bun while opening his palm.

[Murder and arson bring golden belts, building bridges and roads leave no remains; killed one lowly life, rewarded with one Evil Coin.]

Similar content had flashed before his eyes four times.

In the face of this prompt, there was no difference between the old woman and Liu the Third; they were all just lowly lives.

However, there was a difference in the price of these lowly lives; the lives of experts were clearly worth more.

Wang Xu and the Ma Brothers were worth one coin each, while Liu the Third was more expensive, valued at two Evil Coins.

A total of five copper coins landed in Lin Shu's palm.

It looked a bit meager.

Lin Shu didn't look down on them; only he knew just how precious these Evil Coins truly were.

For the cost of a single coin, he could crush the physique Liu the Third had spent decades tempering.

In the face of immortal arts, the martial skills that man relied on for survival seemed like a joke.

"Come on."

Lin Shu reached out and moved the copper coin toward his chest, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

Perhaps this White Wolf phantom could solve the problem that the mist within him could not mend.

Unlike before.

This time, the little White Wolf did not show any resistance to the Evil Coin; instead, it actively absorbed it into its body.

Its entire body twitched slightly, as if ink had been dripped onto it, causing the tips of its snow-white fur to take on a dark hue.

[Consumed five Evil Coins. Evil Immortal not yet formed. Technique has changed.]

[Qi Refining Grade 7. Bright Moon Claw Technique: Beginner.]

Under Lin Shu's puzzled gaze, the text of the second notification began to ripple like water.

[Qi Refining Grade 6. Bright Moon Claw Technique: Minor Accomplishment.]

After feeding it five Evil Coins, the grade and proficiency of this immortal art changed rapidly.

However, after a brief moment of blurriness, the name returned to its original form.

Lin Shu's temples throbbed.

At the same time, a wave of heat surged into his eyes.

His expression shifted slightly as he quickly digested the new information flooding his mind.

The Bright Moon Claw Technique had become much more complete, and its power was greater than before.

Lin Shu carefully examined his right palm, confirming that the heat originated from the changes in this immortal art.

"So, this immortal art isn't set in stone."

"If I feed it enough Evil Coins, perhaps I can evolve a technique related to the mist?"

Lin Shu noticed the change in the immortal art's name and looked up, lost in thought.

He was never the type to complain about his fate; as long as there was a lead, he would simply try it out.

Just then, Lin Shu suddenly noticed a notification he had never seen before hidden among the long list.

[Life and death are determined by heaven. Snatch a life from the hands of Yama. Save one wretched life, granted one Virtue Coin.]

White light converged in Lin Shu's palm, forming a jade-textured round coin.

"Saving people grants them too?"

This notification was easy enough to understand.

What puzzled Lin Shu was that he had clearly saved a widow and her orphan, so why had he been shortchanged by one coin?

He glanced out the window and soon came to an understanding.

It appeared he had saved two people, but only the infant being sent to be refined into medicine was truly destined to die. As for the widow, Liu the Third and his men were in desperate need of money and would not have been willing to kill her.

"Tsk, try this."

Lin Shu had no reverence for gods or immortals; he casually held the Virtue Coin out, as if feeding a dog.

"..."

The little White Wolf remained in a deep sleep, showing no reaction to the jade coin.

"Quite the picky eater." Lin Shu frowned, rubbing the jade coin in his hand.

The previous notification mentioned the Evil Immortal was not yet formed—could this pup not digest Virtue Coins?

If that were the case, he would have to find a way to raise a different kind of immortal.

"My lord..."

The sky was beginning to brighten, and a shout from outside the door interrupted Lin Shu's thoughts.