Heading to the Gambling House

Inside the Zhao family courtyard.

Chang Yi stood in silence, looking at the family surrounding him. He found that they were all staring at him with uneasy expressions.

In the past, he would have suppressed his inner rage, first comforted the old and weak, helped them clean up the bodies, and then found a way to investigate the matter thoroughly to clear the Zhao family's name.

But now, the scene of Lin Shu glancing at the note in his hand flooded Chang Yi's mind.

Human lives were at stake; one had to be adaptable and distinguish between what was important and what was urgent!

Thinking of this, he suddenly gritted his teeth and charged onto the long street like a madman.

Passersby all looked at the young constable running desperately in surprise.

From West City all the way to East City.

Chang Yi went straight into the stern yamen guarded by two stone lions, winding his way through to a quiet side hall.

He reached out and pushed the door open, striding in, "Aunt!"

"Hm?"

Behind a wide table in the hall sat a woman of graceful bearing.

As the Blackwater City County Lieutenant, she wore no makeup, dressed in a tight black shirt similar to the constables. The purple flood dragon on her collar fluttered, its claws gripping a splash of waves.

Coupled with the precious saber lying quietly on the table, her originally gentle and pretty face inexplicably gained a touch of authority.

Hearing the address, Gu Nanzhi looked up from her book with some surprise, her gaze falling on the slightly disheveled young man at the door.

She smiled, "Didn't you repeatedly tell me not to let anyone in the yamen know about our relationship? What's going on today?"

Youngsters were thin-skinned and proud.

Moreover, ten years ago, this child's elder brother had drowned in the Blackwater River. His family doted on this only son even more, which had led to his current inexperienced demeanor.

Chang Yi closed the door and said urgently, "On Four Directions Street in West City, they say the Zhao family colluded with the Fierce Wolf Hall. There's no conclusive evidence for this matter, and Zhao's sister-in-law has already been locked up..."

"I know. I'll send someone to investigate again," Gu Nanzhi nodded.

But before she could retract her gaze, she was interrupted by a hoarse, dry roar.

"Release her! Release her now!"

Chang Yi had already roughly figured out the source of the Zhao family's immortal medicine half a year ago. His eyes were red, and he gritted his teeth, "I will investigate and find the relevant evidence later."

He always followed the rules and dared not overstep in the slightest, for fear of being called a connection-seeker, a bully who relied on his influence.

But the problem was, which was more valuable: his own reputation for integrity, or the lives of those living people.

In Blackwater City, the law had already become a mere formality.

If he wanted to accomplish anything substantial, how could he still stick to the old ways?

"..."

Gu Nanzhi raised her eyes again, her surprise deepening considerably.

She pondered for a moment and said slowly, "I heard you've been getting close to the Fierce Wolf of the Blackwater Gang recently. He just took over Four Directions Street, and you're already targeting Liu Zhen?"

Gu Nanzhi really wanted to know if the young man's change came from his heart, or if he had become a knife in someone else's hand.

"Fierce Wolf?"

Chang Yi looked up in astonishment, paused for a moment before realizing who his aunt was referring to, and quickly stated with certainty, "He's a good person."

Lin Shu's presence at the Zhao family's place indicated that the other party also cared about the matter, but was unable to intervene due to his status.

Hearing this still childish reason, Gu Nanzhi lowered her eyes helplessly, "You can take the person out of prison for now, but you must guard her well. I will make a decision after I investigate. You don't need to collect the evidence; you don't have the ability. Just patrol the streets with peace of mind."

"Remember, stay away from that wolf."

A wolf that had just taken power would be desperate to control its territory and would likely resort to any means necessary.

Gu Nanzhi didn't understand Greedy Wolf very well, but she understood her nephew perfectly. He was naturally suited to be a knife for others.

"Go and get the person," she waved her hand.

West City, Broken Firewood Courtyard.

Yun Niang looked up at the thick night sky.

Ever since the Immortal Scion woke up, she had noticed something being torn apart above her head, and occasionally strange air currents would appear in her vision.

They drifted unpredictably, like a tattered fishing net, floating above the firewood courtyard.

And this feeling became more and more real, even transforming into scattered words that seeped into her mind.

She stood up, wanting to share this good news with her benefactor.

But a figure muttering to himself suddenly bumped into the courtyard. Yun Niang hesitated for a moment, then returned indoors, closed the door, and watched from the window.

As her benefactor's status grew higher and higher, the number of unfamiliar faces in the courtyard also gradually increased.

She absolutely could not affect his work and could only choose to hide herself as much as possible.

"Master Lin, I've brought the items..."

Dong Cheng walked to the doorway of the side room, his voice listless.

Truth be told, after returning home, he had spent a long time considering whether he should flee from this greedy, foolish madman.

That was right—greedy and foolish—that was Dong Cheng's current assessment of Lin Shu.

Unfortunately, he couldn't escape Blackwater City. The city was carved up between the yamen and the Blackwater Gang, and there was no one willing to take in a young wolf like him.

Whether he was hunted down by this Greedy Wolf or killed by his recklessness, it didn't seem to make much of a difference.

In the end, Dong Cheng steeled himself and came over.

"Come in."

A calm voice drifted from inside the room.

Dong Cheng pushed the door open, closed it with the guilty conscience of a thief, gritted his teeth, and placed a ledger on the table.

He wished he could tear his own mouth off right now.

What would it have mattered if he'd been provoked by that Liu fellow? It wasn't the first time; he shouldn't have let his loose tongue get the better of him and bragged.

"Master Lin, I have to make this clear to you." Dong Cheng wanted to struggle one last time. He forced a smile. "Liu Zhen isn't stupid. He knows we can cook the books, yet he still managed to kill the previous Wolf Master."

"Even if it was a planned ambush, the root cause was that he simply wasn't afraid..."

"This ledger contains evidence of his crimes, but it's all tied to that group of tigers!"

Dong Cheng's smile was bitter; surely even a fool could understand the implication.

Involving the White Tiger Hall of their own faction—what Fierce Wolf would dare leak this information?

Knowing full well you wouldn't dare, why would Liu Zhen be afraid? Compared to coughing up some silver, the constable would certainly prefer to just kill the two of them outright.

"It's not worth it for a bit of silver!"

"..."

Lin Shu's expression remained unchanged as he flipped through the ledger.

Every line of text represented how that constable had traded the lives of the common folk on the streets for significant benefits from the White Tiger Hall.

The entries were dense, too numerous to count.

It was a pity he had chosen the wrong profession; if Liu Zhen had joined the Fierce Wolf Hall, the "Greedy" in Greedy Wolf would have been better suited for him.

Lin Shu closed the ledger and casually took two Qi Replenishing Pills from his waist, popping them into his mouth.

The item was not the sweet, delicious elixir he had imagined.

Instead, a bitter taste bloomed on the tip of his tongue, so bitter it was enough to make one's entire face contort.

But Lin Shu only furrowed his brow slightly, feeling the medicinal power rapidly dissolve within his body.

During his previous clash with Tian Jingyuan, he had consumed approximately six wisps of spiritual power.

He had intended to use two Virtue Coins earlier to try and upgrade his internal technique; after all, with the help of Yu Sheng's essence blood, his seventh-grade Blue Bird Qi-Guiding Art was already on the verge of a breakthrough.

Unfortunately, he had too few Virtue Coins, and it hadn't been enough to push it over the edge.

It had only loosened the threshold a little more and replenished four wisps of spiritual power in the process.

Combined with these two Qi Replenishing Pills, his state was restored to its peak.

"This..." Seeing the young man's actions, Dong Cheng couldn't help but rub his temples hard.

They were already lacking the confidence to back up their claims, so was the silver really that necessary?

He would have to stay sharp tonight and act according to the situation; if things went south, he would be ready to bolt at any moment.

"Hoo."

Lin Shu tossed the ledger back to him and slowly stood up.

He was always complaining about a lack of Virtue Coins.

The problem was that those who dared to commit crimes in Blackwater City—like Liu the Third, who would jump over a wall like a cornered dog—were in the minority. As for the rest, who didn't have some sort of backing?

Now that the Virtue Coin had been delivered to his doorstep, he couldn't just turn a blind eye and pretend he hadn't seen it.

"Is he still at the teahouse?"

"That's for sure. That man won't be satisfied until he's gambled until dawn," Dong Cheng let out a long breath.

"Bring the stuff. We're going to go play for a while, too."

Lin Shu took a step, reached out to push the door open, and stepped decisively into the night.