Beneath the pagoda tree.
Chang Yi stood ramrod straight, his hand resting on his saber.
He noticed Lin Shu’s subtle movement as he put away the cloth bag.
And that hidden... smugness on his face, just waiting to be asked about it.
If it had been morning, Chang Yi would have definitely been curious about what was in the bag.
But now, the expression on his dark-featured face was somber. He looked up and forced a smile. "So, you really got promoted?"
"More or less."
Lin Shu clicked his tongue. His little urge to show off his wealth had gone unsatisfied, leaving him feeling a bit unfulfilled.
Hearing this, Blackhead fell silent for a moment before squeezing out a muffled, "Congratulations."
Making it into the Fierce Wolf Hall and becoming a "young wolf" meant a far higher status and much better prospects than his previous position as a "fox."
This should have been something to celebrate for his friend.
But Chang Yi subconsciously glanced at the Purple Flood Dragon insignia on his own chest and fell into deep thought.
Ever since the city was sealed off by the Black River, the Government Office had lost contact with the Court, cutting off its supply of money, food, and reinforcements.
The Black Water Gang had seized the opportunity to grow powerful, its four great halls earning fearsome reputations.
Cunning Fox Hall was full of shameless and corrupt individuals responsible for amassing wealth and treasures. Their strength was secondary; what mattered most was having a quick mind and access to information.
They used their plundered riches to support the entire gang.
White Tiger Hall was filled with madmen obsessed with Cultivation, trying every method they could in the hopes of one day successfully reaching Foundation Establishment.
As for the highest-ranking Chenlong Hall, it consisted of only the Gang Leader and two Vice Gang Leaders.
These few individuals were the foundation of the Black Water Gang’s ability to rival the Government Office.
As for when a new member might be added, that depended on when one of the madmen from White Tiger Hall managed to achieve Foundation Establishment.
These three halls formed a self-sustaining cycle.
But a crucial piece was missing from this picture.
How could the Cunning Fox Hall plunder Black Water City so brazenly without being taken down by other factions? And how could the White Tiger Hall cultivate in peace, ignoring worldly affairs?
Because on every street in the city, a Fierce Wolf was watching.
They needed a fearsome reputation to provide intangible protection for the "foxes" below them, and they had to cater to the many demands of the "tigers" above them.
No matter what kind of person one was originally, once in this position, they would be pushed by the entire gang to become a ruthless, vicious wolf!
"What are you mulling over?"
Lin Shu slowly came to a halt.
Blackhead was just standing there, and the emotions shifting across his face were a bit too obvious.
"N-nothing."
His train of thought broken, Chang Yi looked at the young man before him again, a helpless expression on his face.
’When it comes to being ruthless,’ he thought, ’this guy probably doesn’t need any external push. He’s more than capable on his own.’
The two hadn’t known each other for long.
The reason Chang Yi had such a good impression of Lin Shu was that, despite being a "fox," he never did the things a "fox" was supposed to do.
But a "wolf" was different.
Their very existence was a major threat to the peace of Black Water City!
The Purple Flood Dragons were created for this very reason—to restrain this pack of vicious wolves!
"Hah—"
Chang Yi exhaled forcefully, as if he had made some sort of decision. His expression gradually turned serious.
It was filled with a solemn and resolute conviction, a sense of destiny that proclaimed, ’I will forever be your enemy.’
"Whether it’s ten years or twenty, whether you’re a young wolf or a full-fledged Fierce Wolf, I and the Treasure Saber in my hand will always be watching you!"
Lin Shu was silent for a long time, his expression gradually turning strange.
His face was blank as he struggled to keep the corners of his mouth from twitching.
’No need to laugh. It’s normal for young people to be a little dramatic. Phew... Perfectly normal!’
"Good luck, Brother Baodao."
Lin Shu patted Blackhead’s shoulder and nodded. "I’ll try my best to hang around in the Fierce Wolf Hall for a lifetime."
’What a nostalgic age,’ he thought.
He lowered his hand and, sighing with emotion, turned to walk toward the Woodshed.
"You!"
Clearly, in Chang Yi’s mind, Lin Shu should have been just as solemn at that moment.
He should have said something like, "Our paths diverge," after which they would both turn decisively and walk to opposite ends of the long street.
Add to that the long shadows cast by the setting sun, growing ever more distant, and all that.
Chang Yi had been fantasizing about this exact scene all afternoon.
But Lin Shu just turned and left so casually.
Leaving behind a scoff he clearly couldn’t hold back.
Pfft.
「Old Woodshed, side room.」
Lin Shu closed the door, walked to the bed, and pulled back the covers.
He first checked to make sure the porcelain-doll-like Immortal Descendant in the emerald-green dudou hadn’t changed in any way.
Only then did he sit on the bed.
Lin Shu didn’t take Chang Yi’s "threat" to heart.
It wasn’t that he was ignoring the Purple Flood Dragon’s strength hidden behind that youthful face, but that his ambitions lay elsewhere entirely.
Unless one had some strange fetish, no one would want to spend their life rolling around in the mud.
Walking the same road once was enough; to walk it a second time would be far too boring.
From the very beginning, Lin Shu had never intended to climb to any high position within the Black Water Gang and get trapped in this city, lording it over others.
The reason he had joined the gang...
...was because the situation his body’s previous owner had left him in was a total mess.
He had to use the methods he knew best to survive as quickly as possible, just to earn the right to think about anything else.
Those Magic and Immortals were what truly interested Lin Shu.
Eternal life, moving mountains and filling seas, flying on swords like an Immortal... just the thought of it was enough to fill one with anticipation.
But right now, he was in the city with a mediocre status and no channels to contact any so-called Immortal Sects.
The most important thing was to fix his missing heart first.
’What in the world are you?’
Lin Shu’s eyes were half-closed as he recalled the feeling of seeing the white, misty wolf shadow for the first time.
This heartless body was only able to stay alive because he was "borrowing life" from the White Wolf.
But could he keep borrowing this life forever?
Or perhaps, would the person who placed the White Wolf’s phantom in his heart’s place suddenly take it back one day?
These were all problems he needed to consider in advance.
Before that happened, the only thing he could do was accumulate as many skills and resources as possible.
CLINK-CLANK.
Lin Shu slowly opened his eyes. Forty-seven Sin Coins flowed like water from his sleeve into his palm.
One after another, they transformed into black light and surged toward the Wolf Fang that represented the Gloomy Moon Bone Splitting Hand.
When he had acted against the Immortal Descendant earlier, Lin Shu hadn’t gotten a sense of how much this Immortal Technique had grown.
It was only when he encountered Fatty Tian that its power was truly revealed.
And it was precisely by relying on this Fifth Grade Immortal Technique that he, with his Early-stage Qi Cultivation, was qualified to take the position of a Fierce Wolf.
"Grrr..."
Amidst the small wolf’s weak growl, Lin Shu’s palms trembled slightly.
Both were being corroded by the Sin Coins at the same time, as if the Wandering Soul represented by each coin was wailing in agony.
The resentment gathered into claws, tearing at his mind.
It made him inexplicably agitated, making him wish he could pull them out and flog their corpses hundreds of times over.
Lin Shu continued to circulate the Cyan Bird Qi-Introducing Formulas, but the faint cry of the bird was clearly no longer able to suppress the wails.
"A Seventh Grade Inner Technique is still too low-level."
He sighed softly but had no intention of stopping.
Don’t be fooled by how easily he killed Fatty Tian. In reality, that man was just an exception.
The man had the title of a Fierce Wolf but had only just acquired his territory less than half a month ago. He was too busy scheming for the Hongyun Martial Arts Hall’s silver to have time to gather the skills appropriate for his position.
If he were to mistake Tian’s strength for the general standard of the other Fierce Wolves or the Purple Flood Dragon Constables...
...then he wouldn’t be far from death himself.
At the end of the day, a Fifth Grade Immortal Technique was still just a Middle Third Grade technique. It was merely one of the most common Formulas for Mid-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators, not even considered high-tier.
"Don’t be stingy. Give me more."
Lin Shu frowned, speeding up the rate at which he fed the Sin Coins.
He was about to take over Sifang Street.
His current abilities alone were not enough to put his mind at ease.
"ROAR!"
The small wolf’s low growl was no longer weak; instead, it was now filled with a dense, malevolent aura.
The Wolf Fang representing the Gloomy Moon Bone Splitting Hand was gradually enveloped in black energy, looking more and more ferocious!

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