A Life-Saving Favor Could Never Be Repaid

The courtyard.

Little Ma stood rigid, his breathing ragged.

He stared fixedly at the horrific face riddled with bloody holes on the ground, a chill racing up his spine and straight to his head.

Master Liu the Third had been full of life just moments ago, and now he was dead after a single exchange!

Little Ma's gaze shifted upward, meeting the casual glance the young man beside the corpse cast his way.

At that single look, he instinctively clutched the gaping wound on his neck and staggered backward several steps, screaming in terror, "You're finished! You've made a huge mistake!"

"Shut up!"

Big Ma couldn't help slapping him.

As his younger brother stared at him in confusion and shock, his face twitched, and he struggled to force out a sycophantic smile.

The next moment, the burly man dropped to his knees with a thud. "Master Lin, don't listen to his nonsense. There's no huge mistake... It's just that we really do have some ties to the Blackwater Gang."

"What ties?" Lin Shu looked down at him.

Seeing that the other man hadn't attacked outright, Big Ma dug his fingers into his thigh, fighting to control his trembling.

He hadn't seen what happened clearly, but Lin Shu's feat of shattering a blade with his bare palm had clearly surpassed anything he and the others could comprehend.

With Liu the Third already dead, trying to threaten Lin Shu would be no different from asking for death!

"Master Liu... When Liu the Third first took over this Opera Troupe, all he thought about was saving up enough money to pay tribute to Cunning Fox Hall, that big tree, and hopefully join the hall."

Ma Brothers pointed at Yun Niang beside them and explained in an utterly servile manner, "We've paid quite a lot of silver over the years. Once this deal goes through, it should be enough."

As long as they could get in with the Blackwater Gang, they could throw their weight around in the city.

Big Ma didn't care whether it was Liu the Third or Lin Shu who brought them into the fold.

"Cunning Fox Hall?" Lin Shu was curious.

His predecessor had held no standing in the Opera Troupe and knew little about such matters.

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

"Cunning Fox Hall is in charge of extorting money for the Blackwater Gang. They're experts in swindling, and they also trade in people—selling girls to brothels and sending infants to White Tiger Hall. Even the authorities can't keep up with it all."

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

After all, to make a place for yourself in Blackwater City, you either relied on the authorities or hitched yourself to the Blackwater Gang.

Otherwise, you could only eke out a wretched existence. No matter how capable you were, you'd never be able to hold your head high.

"Got it."

Lin Shu nodded and beckoned to Ma Brothers.

The two men froze for a moment. Once they understood, they hurriedly handed over the short swords in their hands.

By now, even Little Ma had come to his senses.

In Lin Shu's hands, the blade wielded by Master Liu the Third had been no different from one made of mud. What chance did they have of resisting?

If they could keep their lives, they'd have their ancestors to thank!

"Fine. Go clean up the bodies." Lin Shu toyed with the short swords, speaking nonchalantly.

The brothers seemed to have heard an imperial decree. Overjoyed, they scrambled to their feet and hurried toward Liu the Third's body on the ground.

The instant they turned around, Lin Shu suddenly thrust out both arms. With two soft thuds, the short swords pierced through their necks at the same time.

Having learned from the earlier experience how tough the people here were, Lin Shu deliberately channeled mist into his arms to ensure the blows would be fatal.

A moment later, he calmly withdrew the bloodstained short swords and tossed them onto the ground.

Thud! Thud!

The two burly figures swayed and toppled over.

"Ah!"

Yun Niang watched the whole thing unfold before her eyes and couldn't help clutching her sleeve.

Only now did she finally abandon her impression of this young man as a poor "victim" with no control over his own fate.

He hadn't stood by coldly earlier because he lacked confidence. It seemed more like he had some kind of peculiar quirk.

With the terrifying strength he'd shown, he could clearly have defeated the two men with ease, yet he'd still chosen this approach.

"..."

Lin Shu tossed away the short swords, not caring in the slightest about the strange glint hidden in Yun Niang's fearful gaze.

He had no taste for toying with other people's lives.

It was just that the Silver Moon Claw Technique, though unexpectedly powerful, came with a truly terrifying cost, far greater than the earlier healing of his body.

That single strike had cost Lin Shu nearly two-tenths of his mist!

In other words, even if he didn't account for the mist needed to keep himself alive, he could use it at most four more times. He had to conserve it wherever he could.

"Thank you, my lord, for saving my life. I have no way to repay you..."

Yun Niang rose unsteadily and bowed to the young man before her.

If not for his intervention, she would surely have been left to bleed to death today—not to mention her failure to protect the children inside.

When no reply came for a long while, Yun Niang grew nervous. Then she suddenly felt a gaze that made her somewhat uncomfortable.

She looked up in confusion.

Lin Shu had already turned away, intending to leave.

But when he heard her words, he slowly turned back and quietly watched the Little Widow.

Yun Niang's body stiffened slightly.

His gaze was nothing like the three men's earlier. It lacked their leering quality, but was far more assertive.

And for some reason... within that intensely probing gaze, she even sensed a hint of frankness?!

At the thought, the Little Widow's cheeks gradually flushed, and her words grew halting. "M-my lord..."

"What comes after 'I have no way to repay you'?" Lin Shu waited a moment, then raised an eyebrow and asked.

His sudden transmigration, followed by killing four people in a fit of violence as soon as he arrived, had left him mentally exhausted too.

Besides, even though he'd settled the matter before him, he was still like a headless fly, with no control over his surroundings whatsoever.

That feeling of helplessness had become an oppressive weight that urgently needed release.

If she was interested, Lin Shu wouldn't mind.

At his words, the Little Widow stood there dumbstruck. She'd never imagined things would take this turn.

Though Yun Niang had grown up in Blackwater City and was more adept at thinking on her feet than ordinary women, she still didn't know how to respond.

He'd just finished killing people, the blood on his face still warm, and he'd offended the Blackwater Gang—yet he still had the mind to think about other things.

He had nerves of steel!

After a long moment, she pointed toward the room and stammered out, "The children are still..."

Hearing her excuse, Lin Shu paused, then briskly withdrew his gaze and said casually, "Heat some water. I want to bathe."

With that, he headed straight for the thatched shack across the way.

So she wasn't interested. Never mind.

"Huh?"

Yun Niang was still thinking about how to preserve her virtue. While she was distracted, all that remained before her was the young man's retreating figure.

She stared blankly, mouth agape.

Wait, that was it?

He'd asked so frankly, without a trace of embarrassment, then left so decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

W-what kind of person was he?

Inside the Side Room.

Lin Shu used a rag and a bucket of hot water to carefully wipe the grime from his body.

He sighed to himself.

These conditions were far too poor.

The widow's household was so destitute she couldn't even scrape together a large enough wooden tub for a bath.

As for food, there were only a few cold steamed buns on the table and a lump of pickled vegetables.

Fortunately, he might not live much longer anyway, so he didn't need to suffer too much in this place.

Lin Shu looked down at his empty chest, dried himself off, and put the cloak back on.

Jokes aside.

He was still quite interested in many things about this unfamiliar place and didn't want to drop dead just yet.

Lin Shu sat down by the table, chewing a cold steamed bun as he opened his palm.

[Kill and burn for a golden belt; build bridges and mend roads, and leave no bones behind. Kill a wretched life, receive one Evil Coin]

Similar messages had flashed before his eyes four times.

In front of this prompt, the old woman and Liu the Third were no different. All were wretched lives.

But even wretched lives had different prices. The lives of masters were clearly worth more.

Wang Xu and Ma Brothers had each been worth one coin; Liu the Third had been worth more, at two Evil Coins.

A total of five copper coins had fallen into Lin Shu's palm.

It seemed a little low.

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

Just one could crush the decades of body-forging Liu the Third had relied on.

Before an Immortal Method, the man's life-preserving martial arts seemed like a joke.

"Come on."

Lin Shu moved the copper coins toward his chest, a trace of anticipation in his eyes.

Perhaps the phantom White Wolf could solve the problem of his mist being impossible to replenish.

Unlike before.

This time, the Little White Wolf no longer resisted the Evil Coins. Instead, it actively absorbed them.

Its whole body twitched slightly, as if drops of ink were falling onto it, tinting the tips of its snow-white fur a shade darker.

[Consumed five Evil Coins. Evil Immortal incomplete. Technique altered]

[Qi Cultivation Seventh Grade. Bright Moon Claw Technique: Beginner]

As Lin Shu watched in puzzlement, the characters on the second prompt began rippling like water.

[Qi Condensation Sixth Stage. Bright Moon Claw Technique: Minor Mastery]

After being fed five Evil Coins, the Immortal Method's grade and mastery soon changed.

But its name only blurred briefly before returning to its previous form.

Lin Shu's temples throbbed.

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

His expression shifted as he swiftly absorbed the new knowledge that had appeared in his mind.

The Bright Moon Claw Technique had become far more complete, and its power had increased as well.

Lin Shu examined his right palm carefully, confirming that the restless heat came from the change in this Immortal Method.

"So this Immortal Method isn't set in stone."

"If I feed it enough Evil Coins, maybe it could evolve a Cultivation Method related to the mist?"

Lin Shu noticed the change in the Immortal Method's name and raised his head thoughtfully.

He'd never been one to complain about his lot. As long as he had a lead, he'd try it and see.

Just then, Lin Shu noticed that amid the great heap of prompts, there was one he had never seen before.

"Life and death are decreed by Heaven; snatch a life from Yama's hands. Save a wretched life, receive one Virtue Coin."

White light gathered in Lin Shu's palm, condensing into a round coin of jade.

"Saving people counts too?"

That prompt was easy enough to understand.

What Lin Shu couldn't figure out was why one coin had been deducted when he'd clearly saved a widowed mother and her children.

He glanced out the window and quickly understood.

He might have saved two people, but the only one who would have died was the infant sent to be refined into medicine. As for the widow, Liu the Third and the others desperately needed money; they wouldn't have wanted to kill her.

"Here, have a taste."

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

"..."

The Little White Wolf slept with its eyes closed, showing no reaction to the jade coin.

"Picky eater, aren't you?" Lin Shu frowned, rubbing the jade coin in his hand.

The earlier prompt had said the Evil Immortal was incomplete. Could this pup not digest good coins?

If so, he'd have to figure out a way to raise some other kind of immortal from scratch.

"My lord..."

The sky had just begun to lighten when a voice from outside the door interrupted Lin Shu's thoughts.