"Mm!"
Porcelain Doll shook her head hard, then plopped down on the edge of the bed and muttered:
"Immortal Sect disciples are divided into Mountain Masters and World Walkers. The main difference is the Cultivation Methods they practice. I don't really know the details, but it seems the former get better treatment. They don't have to wander around everywhere."
She patted her little apron. "But don't worry. You can be whatever you want."
"Why?" Lin Shu asked, puzzled.
"Because..." The little one tugged at the corners of her mouth, forcing out a helpless smile. "You probably won't give my Essence Blood back, and you're worried other people will find out about your wicked deeds. You definitely won't let me recruit any more disciples."
Clearly, she was gradually coming to terms with her situation.
"Fair enough."
Lin Shu nodded, making no attempt to argue.
"I told you, don't listen to that woman's nonsense. Our Yu Family is the Mountain God. We've got a ton of clout!" Yu Sheng wobbled to her feet and started cheering the young man on.
She genuinely thought he was fragile now. He didn't even have a heart. What if he got scared to death with a sudden thump?
Then she'd be done for, too.
"Once we get out, I, an Immortal Scion, will sweep through Yong Province with you. I don't care what trick whoever's inside your chest left behind—we'll make him spit your heart out!"
"So can we get out now?" Lin Shu glanced at her coolly.
"Uh." Yu Sheng deflated like a leaky ball. She sheepishly sat back down and swung her little feet in silence.
Lin Shu had expected that. He withdrew his gaze without feeling disappointed.
Either way, the Little Chick had gotten one thing right.
He needed enough status to find out more about the White Wolf's apparition.
The Yu Family could serve as one possible path for now.
With that in mind, he looked into the void.
Several prompts appeared at once.
[Qi Condensation Third Stage. White Bone Soul Burial: Perfection]
[Qi Condensation Fifth Stage. Red Moon Dharma Eye: Perfection]
[Qi Condensation Sixth Stage. Spirit Sparrow Qi-Eating Method: Perfection]
One inner art and two Immortal Methods gave him a total of one hundred strands of Spiritual Power, enough to make him a formidable fighter at Mid Qi Condensation.
But the shortcomings were obvious. White Bone Soul Burial was high-grade, yet it mainly relied on creating illusions to frighten people. And the Red Moon Dharma Eye went without saying—it wasn't really a method meant purely for killing.
"Not enough punch."
Lin Shu murmured to himself. He'd figured out that these so-called Immortal Methods were closely tied to the Half-Life Immortals that served as their source.
Take the Silver-Eyed White Wolf, for instance. It might be better at influencing people's minds, so the two Cultivation Methods it passed down had both developed in that direction.
A school of its own.
To branch into other systems, such as the saber technique Liu Zhen had used, he'd need to seek out other Immortal Auras.
Lin Shu also remembered something else.
When he fed the two kinds of Immortal Aura, prompts about "Condense Immortal Body" had appeared both times.
The White Wolf had even stated outright that the Evil Immortal was not yet complete.
If he fed it enough, could he condense it into an Evil Immortal apparition and gain new abilities?
He might even be able to control the Wolf Soul and make it serve him, so he wouldn't have to worry about it escaping from this body.
He realized he still didn't understand how to use Virtue Coins and Evil Coins.
There were simply too few Copper Coins. He'd have to figure it out slowly.
"..."
Lin Shu calmed his thoughts and focused on his current situation.
Gu Nanzhi had said a lot, but it all came down to a few simple points.
People in the city were growing somewhat crazed under the fear of the unknown, and the White Tiger Hall cultivators were even worse.
Even as County Lieutenant, she could hardly intimidate a group of lunatics who thought they were about to die.
Those people weren't right in the head. Don't provoke them!
Lin Shu reached out and gently felt at his lapel, then suddenly pressed down on the emptiness beneath his clothes.
A faint chill appeared in his eyes.
The shorter your life, the harder you were to mess with?
As if anyone else had their head on straight.
The commotion on Four Directions Street had indeed gotten rather big.
The usually quiet Broken Firewood Courtyard had welcomed so many visitors in one day.
And now there was a third wave.
A silent figure stood at the gate, dressed in blue, with a hint of loneliness about her.
"Why are you alone today?"
Lin Shu chewed on a steamed bun stuffed with salted meat. Never mind how it tasted; at least Yun Niang had made it herself, so it was a little cleaner.
"He had something to take care of, so I came by myself."
Yan Jin glanced into the courtyard, then turned around without explaining further. "Let's go. The Hall Master is waiting for you."
With her back to the courtyard, she quickly hid the strange look in her eyes.
No matter how she looked at him, she found it hard to match the laid-back young man in the courtyard with what she'd heard.
Greedy Wolf had taken up his post, and just one day later, Liu Zhen had died suddenly, his corpse left exposed in the street.
And even now, the Yamen had made no move.
A famous constable had been killed. The news had spread across West City, and plenty of people had heard the name of this Greedy Wolf.
Yan Jin knew more than most.
After all, less than half a month ago, this Greedy Wolf had only just entered Green Willow Alley to guard Magpie Nest.
"All right."
Lin Shu set down the bun and strode out through the courtyard gate.
He found it rather amusing.
He'd seen plenty of people who changed with the wind, but few changed their faces this quickly.
Bai Feng had gone from cold indifference to warm enthusiasm after Lin Shu killed Tian Jingyuan. Not even two days had passed, and now the man wouldn't even show his face.
That could only mean that whatever awaited him today probably wasn't good.
The two of them made their way down Long Street at an unhurried pace.
As before, they headed to Full Fortune Restaurant.
The proprietor, who had usually stood at the restaurant entrance to welcome everyone from the Blackwater Gang with a bow and a stream of auspicious greetings, seemed as if a gust of wind might snap his bony frame the moment he saw Yan Jin and Lin Shu. He nearly bowed his head to his knees and didn't dare breathe too loudly.
Before, there had only been one fierce menace, Silk-Pulling Wolf. Now there was also Greedy Wolf.
And the two ruthless men had even ended up together!
Compared to last time, there were at least twenty or thirty Fierce Wolves here today.
They didn't head straight for the private room, instead standing in the main hall and chatting.
When the group saw the two of them enter, their expressions all changed.
Yin Ling stood out most. He instinctively retreated behind the crowd, hiding his pale face as he followed the others and called softly:
"Master Lin is here."
As soon as he'd said it, he immediately lowered his head.
Master Mo stood at the front of the group. After hesitating, he still took the initiative to smile and nod at Lin Shu. "You're here."
For some reason, every time he saw this young man,
the thought of stepping down and retiring grew stronger in his heart.
Fortunately, Little Yin was there. Otherwise, after the scolding he'd given last time, it would have been hard to save face today.
"..."
Lin Shu nodded in reply.
As if to confirm his earlier guess, the group's small talk was suddenly interrupted by an angry growl from the private room.
"Stop trying to talk me out of it!"
"First, you failed to deliver the baby you promised. Now you've intercepted my Immortal Medicine."
"Did you bring this hungry dog into the gang just so he could bite me?!"
Before you continue