Killing Intent

At dusk, Lin Yi left.

Yu Qinglian sat in the private room, gazing dreamily in the direction Lin Yi had gone.

"Miss, he's already out of sight," the maid beside her reminded her.

"I know," Yu Qinglian said.

"Don't worry, miss. You and Young Master Lin get along so well. He'll definitely come tomorrow." Xiao Cui teased her. "Who knows, he might even marry you and take you home as his wife."

"He won't," Yu Qinglian replied firmly.

"Huh? Why not?" the maid asked, puzzled.

"It's not that he'll marry me..."

"Rather, I'll buy him."

Yu Qinglian gave a soft snort. Of course, she hadn't said that last part aloud.

Lin Yi's gaze sharpened as he looked at the text before him.

[4,000 Destiny Talisman Coins spent to purchase four pieces of Destiny Intelligence.]

[Destiny Talisman Coins: 10,000]

[Hu Ma's White Moonlight: Yu Qinglian knew that to keep fish on the line, she needed to cultivate a good reputation. Five years ago, she began performing acts of charity, giving out porridge and helping the poor. Four years ago, Hu Ma, who had yet to make a name for himself, received her aid. From then on, Yu Qinglian became his White Moonlight.]

[Zhang Xun's Killing Intent: After Hu Ma was found and brought back as the county magistrate's biological son, Zhang Xun, the magistrate's adopted son, came to harbor intense murderous intent toward him. He ordered dozens of his subordinates to infiltrate Hu Ma's household and serve at his side. The following is a list of the spies...]

[Qingsong Hall Master's Dark Secret: To improve his cultivation, the master of Green Pine Martial Hall once rescued a group of Joyous Sect remnants being hunted down by the Peace Guard. He then had the sect members secretly capture women with the potential to become Cultivation Vessels and train them as such, so they could assist with his cultivation...]

[Infatuation Path, Yu Qinglian: A Cultivation Vessel who escaped from the Joyous Sect five years ago...]

Damn, this was one hell of a mess.

Jiaqing County was more chaotic than he'd expected...

To Lin Yi's surprise, Hu Ma was a true romantic.

But whether he was or not didn't matter anymore.

He'd soon be nothing but a corpse.

As it happened, Lin Yi cultivated the Corpse Puppet Path, and he needed a corpse to bring his combat strength to bear.

What's more, Hu Ma was an Eighth-grade martial artist.

He was practically a corpse delivered right to Lin Yi's doorstep, perfect material for cultivating the Corpse Puppet Path.

Night had fallen. Lin Yi didn't head straight back to the Lin Clan. Instead, under cover of darkness, he slipped to a remote, abandoned estate on the outskirts of the county seat.

The courtyard was deep and overgrown, with weeds and shrubs reaching nearly waist-high.

He pushed the weeds aside and went to a dry well in the back courtyard, then leaped down.

The bottom of the well was dark, but the moonlight filtering through its mouth gave him enough light to see.

Lin Yi felt along the gaps between the bricks. When he found a loose one, he pressed hard against it. The well wall slowly split open, revealing a secret chamber.

He slipped inside and took out a fire starter to light the candle holder on the wall.

This place had once been an Escort Agency. More than ten years ago, for some unknown reason, its entire household had been massacred, and the place had since stood abandoned.

After locating it through Know Heavenly Fate, Lin Yi had secretly bought the property and hidden within it all the wealth he'd acquired over the years through Destiny opportunities. By his count, he had five hundred and thirty-six taels of silver.

He changed out of his fine clothes in the secret chamber and put on his usual coarse linen clothes before heading home.

At the moment, his mind was entirely occupied with how to get rid of Hu Ma. He barely had time to think about his family.

But at most, Hu Ma would be dead within three days, without a sound.

By the time Lin Yi got home, it was already evening.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he sensed something was wrong. His uncle, Lin Hua, was nowhere to be seen, and neither was his aunt, Chen. Only his younger cousin Lin Xiuwen sat there in the courtyard, brooding.

"Xiuwen, where's Aunt Chen?" Lin Yi asked.

"I don't know... Mother went out around noon..."

"She just told me to wait at home for you to come back..."

Lin Xiuwen looked up and saw his older cousin. His eyes were red.

"She went out at noon? Did she say where she was going?" Lin Yi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lin Xiuwen shook his head, his voice catching. "No..."

Lin Yi frowned. "What happened...?"

"Waaah!!!"

The next moment, Lin Xiuwen burst into tears and rushed forward, throwing his arms around Lin Yi's waist.

Lin Yi's heart sank. He had a terrible feeling.

"Brother... Brother..."

"At noon... Uncle Liu came and called Mother out. When she came back, she looked awful, then hurriedly went out again. She only told me to wait at home for you."

Lin Xiuwen's voice trembled. "Xiao Liuzi came over to play this afternoon, and that's when I found out... Dad was beaten by people from the Black Wind Gang. He lost a lot of blood and was taken to the clinic. Mother went to look after him."

"Brother... What do we do now? Maybe we should tell Dad to stop running the tavern..." Lin Xiuwen's eyes were red, his voice hoarse. Hearing him, Lin Yi felt as if a hand had clenched around his heart.

"Don't worry. It'll be all right." Lin Yi rubbed his head, but fury surged beneath his eyes, barely held in check.

Not long afterward, Lin Hua returned with a bandage wrapped around his head, supported by Chen.

Lin Yi hurried over to greet them.

"Ah, what a wretched day. I took a bad fall while working," Lin Hua said, forcing a smile as he brushed the gloom from his face.

"Yi'er, you're back? Did you go see the martial halls in the county? You're about to start training, so it's good that business was brisk at the tavern today. I had your aunt save a hen for you. We'll stew it later so you can build up your strength."

Chen managed a weak smile but said nothing. She didn't even make any of her usual cutting remarks. In silence, she carried the hen into the kitchen.

Lin Yi felt a sour ache in his chest, but he couldn't bring any of it into the open. He could only pretend he knew nothing and preserve his uncle's dignity.

Lin Xiuwen stuck close to Lin Yi. Though he understood what was going on, he only stood there with red-rimmed eyes, saying nothing.

Lin Yi found an excuse to go outside.

The teahouse at the end of the alley hadn't closed up yet.

Calling it a shop was generous. It was just a few wobbly-legged tables set beneath an old locust tree, with a waist-high copper kettle kept simmering nearby. The steam from its spout had turned the leaves overhead a wilted yellow.

Uncle Liu was bent over, clearing away the bowls. His apron hung over one shoulder, so worn its original color was impossible to make out.

"Uncle Liu, a bowl of Old Leaf Tea," Lin Yi said, taking a seat on a bench by the wall.

Uncle Liu turned around and froze for a moment. Then his wrinkled face broke into a smile.

Instead of reaching for the rough earthenware jar of Old Leaf Tea, he took a small porcelain jar from the shelf and shook a pinch of Steamed Green Tea leaves into the bottom of a bowl.

"Uncle Liu, I asked for Old Leaf Tea."

Old Leaf Tea cost one coin a bowl; Steamed Green Tea cost two. The people who lived in this alley all worked hard for a living. Who would spend two coins for a cup of tea just for its sweet aftertaste?

"You're too young to drink Old Leaf Tea. It's bitter." Uncle Liu picked up the copper kettle and poured boiling water over the leaves. They unfurled as a clean, bitter fragrance rose with the steam. "New tea leaves a sweet aftertaste. This bowl's on me."

Lin Yi took a sip of the scalding tea without looking up.

"Uncle Liu, I wanted to ask you something. My family's tavern opened today. Even if business had been poor, we should've been busy until dusk on the first day."

"How come my uncle came home so early, with an injury on his head?"

The smile slowly faded from Uncle Liu's face.

He picked up his own bowl and downed a mouthful without saying anything. Only after a long while did he lean toward Lin Yi and lower his voice. "Yi'er, you're not a child anymore. If you ask me something, I should answer you."

"But before I do, you have to keep your cool."

Lin Yi nodded. "Don't worry, Uncle."

"It was Hu Ma from the Black Wind Gang..."

Lin Yi lowered his eyes.

Steam drifted up from the bowl, conveniently hiding the cold glint that flashed in his eyes.

"Hu Ma's set on taking that piece of land your family owns. The whole neighborhood's been talking about it."

Uncle Liu sighed after every sentence. "Your uncle had just lifted the door boards and set off firecrackers this morning when Hu Ma came rushing in right behind him with his men. They filled seven or eight tables, ordering only a plate of peanuts for each one, then sat there cracking them all morning."

"Real customers took one look and turned right around. You know what your uncle's like. He's been stubborn his whole life. He went up to argue with them, and before they'd exchanged two sentences, Hu Ma shoved him against the doorframe. His forehead split open right there."

Uncle Liu continued, "At noon, Hu Ma announced to the whole street that anyone who went into the Lin family's tavern was picking a fight with him. Before leaving, he sent a few thugs to smash up your place. They even killed several of the old hens your aunt kept in the kitchen to lay eggs."

The teahouse fell silent for a moment. Even the steam escaping the copper kettle seemed to hang motionless.

Lin Yi said nothing.

He simply held his bowl and drank, one mouthful after another, his face utterly expressionless.

But Uncle Liu knew Lin Yi wasn't nearly as calm as he looked.

He'd watched this boy grow up. Lin Yi's temperament had always been as heavy and still as a stone.

The more quiet and composed he seemed, the more uneasy Uncle Liu became.

Lin Yi tipped back his head and drank the last of the tea, swallowing the leaves along with it. He stood and took out coins from his waist, placing them on the table one by one.

"Thank you, Uncle Liu."

His voice was calm, without the slightest ripple.

He turned and walked away at an unhurried pace. His clothes soon disappeared into the dusk at the mouth of the alley.

Uncle Liu watched Lin Yi's retreating back, a heavy feeling settling in his chest.