Chapter 9

Bright Jade Building

When he went out at night, he saw the demons and ghosts in the city.

Women’s wails, children’s cries, beratings, beatings…

Lin Yan even met a wheelbarrow that was similar to his.

However, the other party was unrestrained. The corpses of two naked women with pale faces and thin bodies were lying on the cart. The person pushing the cart even smiled at him tacitly…

Lin Yan was extremely vigilant and finally pushed the cart to the canal that passed through the city.

There was no one around and the moonlight was dim. He moved a few heavy stones over and opened the sacks, revealing two naked corpses that were beyond recognition.

Then, he tied the corpses to heavy rocks and pushed them down the surging canal.

Then, there was a large bag of blood-stained cloth tied into a bundle. In the middle was a heavy stone. When the corpses were more or less washed away, it was thrown into the canal.

The moonlight shone everywhere. The water in the canal sparkled and surged up and down.

Seeing the corpses and clothes being washed away and disappearing without a trace, the huge rock in his heart slowly relaxed.

Immediately after, a violent turbulence surged from his stomach to his throat. The feeling of strangling someone with his own hands, the splatter of brain matter when he hit his head, the white and pale corpse…

“Urgh…”

He didn’t catch his breath until he had vomited everything out of his stomach.

He pushed the cart back.

Thinking back to this afternoon, other than the thrilling scene after entering the door, what happened next was similar to what he had expected.

Hu Biao and Shanji were already cautious enough to only eat the dishes Lin Yan had eaten. However, they never expected that Lin Yan was not afraid of poison at all and he specially chose dishes with red umbrellas to eat.

Therefore, not long after, Hu Biao and the other man fell into an illusion and lost their ability to resist. They were smashed to the ground with wooden sticks that he had prepared beforehand and strangled to death with ropes.

Smashing their faces with stones and stripping them naked was partly to destroy the evidence, and partly to loot the corpses and plunder the spoils of war.

Thinking of this, Lin Yan looked down at his chest.

Only seventy to eighty copper coins were found on Hu Biao’s companion, but more than five taels of silver were found on Hu Biao’s body. There was also a green porcelain bottle with the words “Emerald Wind Powder” pasted on it.

Five taels of silver was a huge sum of money. It completely exceeded his expectations. It was as if the man had brought all his assets with him.

There was also Emerald Wind Powder. Lin Yan happened to recognize it as a poison, which was an unexpected surprise.

After he obtained

Devour – Poison Transformation

, he specially went to some pharmacies to inquire about some common poisons. Emerald Wind Powder was one of them. It was said that it could cause a person to have a stroke and become paralyzed.

Relying on the fact that he was not afraid of poison, Lin Yan took a small sip. Indeed, his blood energy surged. The effect of this bottle of Emerald Wind Powder was at least equivalent to forty to fifty poisonous mushrooms!

The crime truly paid off. Not only did he make up for the money he spent, but he also made up for the lost poisonous mushrooms.

However, he did not dare to relax. Instead, he became even more tense. He did not know if the deaths of the two people would provoke the people from the Black Tiger Gang.

At that time, the situation was urgent. He was worried that Hu Biao and the others would call for help and cause trouble, so he decisively attacked.

Now that he thought about it, he should leave someone behind to ask about the situation of the Black Tiger Gang behind them.

After pushing the cart carefully, he finally returned to the alley safely.

Knock, knock, knock.

He knocked on Uncle Wang’s door.

There was a rustle of movement behind the door, but it didn’t open.

“Uncle Wang, I know you’re behind the door. Even if I don’t return the cart today, I have to return it tomorrow.”

After a while, the door opened shakily, revealing half of Uncle Wang’s face. “You, what do you want?”

“Uncle Wang, don’t be nervous. I just have something to ask you.”

—-**—-

Half an hour later, Lin Yan went out.

Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang bullied the weak and feared the strong. Under his intentional or unintentional display of the bloodstains on the cart and his threat of both soft and hard methods, they were scared out of their wits and would not spread rumors for the time being.

Lin Yan wanted to silence them, but Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang were not alone. They had many relatives. In addition, there were not enough poisonous mushrooms, and he was not a professional assassin. Without full confidence, he did not want to take the risk.

From Aunt Wang, Lin Yan found out that Hu Biao had a father, but that guy was a gambling addict. He didn’t have a good relationship with Hu Biao and rarely cared about his life.

That was why Hu Biao had so much money with him. He was probably afraid of his father losing all the money.

Hu Biao was often away from home, so his father wouldn’t find out that Hu Biao was dead for the time being.

The most troublesome was still the Black Tiger Gang.

These gangsters lived in the dark alleys. They were vicious, and they would seek revenge for the smallest grievance. They would cause trouble even if they had nothing to do.

Once they were involved, they would be like parasites. Lin Yan had seen countless tragedies of families being destroyed by gangs.

Although the Black Tiger Gang wouldn’t know that something had happened to Hu Biao for the time being and might not really stand up for him, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Xiaozhi was too fragile. He could not take any chances. This place was no longer safe. He had to quickly find a new place to stay.

He had been on tenterhooks for two days in a row. Fortunately, everything was calm.

“You’re applying for leave again tomorrow? Didn’t you just apply for it last time?”

“Uncle Chen, I really have something urgent to attend to.”

“Xiao Lin, this isn’t how you do the accounts. If everyone is like you, won’t the business at the rice store be in chaos?”

Lin Yan remained silent.

Old Chen had a disappointed and sarcastic expression on his face. “I don’t know how many people want to do this job but don’t have the opportunity. Xiao Lin, don’t be dissatisfied. Don’t think that the main family values you because of your own ability!”

Lin Yan was unmoved. Old Chen’s eloquence was much worse than the big boss’s speeches in his previous life.

He knew himself well. With his ability to settle accounts, it was not a problem for him to make a living.

The next morning, after sending Xiaozhi to Muqing Book House as usual, Lin Yan rushed to Chengguang District again.

“Why are you here so early? Master Kui usually arrives in the afternoon!”

Helpless, Lin Yan could only wait temporarily.

Chengguang District was an upper district. It was paved with green bricks, red walls, and green tiles. The environment was extremely clean, and there were no vendors by the roadside. Along the way, there were even patrols that Lin Yan had rarely seen.

However, Lin Yan was standing in front of Bright Jade Restaurant without a roof over his head. He was chased away by the servants of Bright Jade Restaurant. He wanted to visit a teahouse. However, the cheapest pot of spring tea cost dozens of copper coins.

In the end, his hunger was unbearable. He endured the pain and spent ten copper coins in a restaurant. He bought a pancake and wolfed it down.

The price was more than double that of the middle circle.

Finally, in the afternoon, Lin Yan couldn’t wait to come to Bright Jade Building again.

“Brother, please help me inform him.”

Lin Yan took out ten copper coins and handed them to the servant.

The manservant took the copper coins without even looking up. “Tell me, why are you looking for Master Kui?”

Lin Yan took out the wooden piece with Li Muqing written on it. “Just say that I was entrusted by Old Master Li Muqing to look for Master Kui for a favor.”

When the servant saw that the wooden object was exquisite and did not look ordinary, his expression could not help but become more serious. He said cautiously, “Wait for me first. I’ll go and ask.”

With that, he quickly walked in.

Not long after, the servant ran out and bowed slightly with a warm smile. “Sir, please come in! Master Kui wants to see you.”

Lin Yan hurriedly followed. The moment he entered, a rich fragrance of makeup assailed his nose. It was soul-stirring.

The servant led him into the left passage. Along the way, there were faint sounds of girls talking and laughing. Finally, they entered the back room and an open backyard.

This was a martial arts arena. Blue stone paved the ground. In the middle of the arena, there was a tall and thin person wearing a black short shirt. He was about 30 to 40 years old and was facing off against five people in similar clothes.

Among the five of them, some were tall, some were short, some were fat, and some were thin. Their expressions were cautious and mixed with fear. The person who was surrounded in the middle had an indifferent expression and was uninterested.

Lin Yan stood still with the servant, and the five of them immediately moved. They punched and kicked at the person in the middle.

Lin Yan could clearly hear that these people’s punches and kicks were like bow strings being pulled taut, emitting crisp air-piercing sounds. Their power was definitely not ordinary.

However, the person in the middle did not even raise his eyelids. Suddenly, he changed from extreme stillness to extreme fastness. He attacked later but arrived first. He punched, pushed his elbow, kicked, and raised his knee…

His movements were so fast that Lin Yan couldn’t see them clearly. In a few moves, he knocked all five of them to the ground.

“Your footsteps are weak and your blood energy is depleted. What a bunch of trash! Lust is a great enemy. With your fists, you’re simply unworthy of being called Strength Realm martial artists!”

As soon as he finished speaking, giggles could be heard.

Lin Yan looked up and saw that the few rows of windows on the roof were all open. A few gorgeous girls in gauze veils and cool clothes were leaning against the window sills and laughing.

“Did you hear what Master Kui said? Your blood energy is depleted. That won’t do!”

“Hehehe, Master Kui is still the strongest. I’ve been craving for you for a long time!”

“That’s right, that’s right. Master Kui, my sisters are waiting for you!”

“Pfft, you little slut. Do you think Master Kui will like your skinny body?”

“…”

There was no end to the flirting words, accompanied by large patches of snow-white skin swaying and shining. It was extremely alluring.

“Pui, a bunch of sluts…”

The tall and thin man in black was Kui Shan. He cursed softly and hurriedly walked towards Lin Yan.

Lin Yan composed himself and bowed respectfully. “Hello, Master Kui!”

“This is not the place to talk. Come with me!”

Lin Yan followed him all the way to a small hut before Kui Shan heaved a sigh of relief.

Then, he sized Lin Yan up. “Kid, you have good self-control.”

He was referring to the fact that Lin Yan’s expression did not change when he saw a large group of gorgeous and alluring women.

Especially Lin Yan, who was dressed simply and plainly. It was obvious that he came from an ordinary background. It was even more extraordinary that he could keep his true nature.

“You flatter me, Master Kui.”

Lin Yan replied respectfully. This small scene could only be considered a drizzle. In his previous life, it couldn’t even reach the threshold of being censored.

He took out the wooden piece and handed it to Kui Shan respectfully.

Kui Shan took the wooden piece. “Old Master Muqing, how’s he now?”

“Elder Li is healthy. He teaches at the Muqing Book House every day.”

A nostalgic look appeared on Kui Shan’s face. “Old Master Li is my benefactor. He helped me a lot with martial arts… Tell me, what do you want?”

Lin Yan didn’t dare to be negligent and quickly told Kui Shan about his request.

“Practice martial arts?”

Kui Shan scrutinized Lin Yan. “Where do you live?”

“Zhubai District.”

“Is there such a place?”

“Master Kui, this is a lower district.”

“Lower district?”

Kui Shan raised his eyebrows slightly. “What does your family do?”

Lin Yan said helplessly, “My parents died early and I’m now working as a bookkeeper in a rice shop.”

Kui Shan was speechless. “Then your parents must have left you a lot of money?”

“No.”

“Then you still want to practice martial arts? Didn’t Old Master Li tell you?!”

“Old Master Li naturally reminded me, but I still want to give it a try. Old Master Li allowed me two months.”

“In other words, Old Master Li doesn’t support you in martial arts either?”

Lin Yan couldn’t hide it and could only tell the truth.

Kui Shan saw the determination in Lin Yan’s eyes and shook his head slightly.

Young people just didn’t listen to their elders. They wouldn’t give up until they reached the dead end. They had to suffer a huge loss before they could learn their lesson.

However, Lin Yan was clearly someone that Old Master Li valued.

Thinking of Old Master Li’s kindness to him, Kui Shan felt that he couldn’t let Lin Yan go astray.

He immediately stood up. “Come with me!”