On the staircase.
The limp woman blankly raised her head, looking nearby through tear-filled eyes.
Her spirit already broken, she hoped for a miracle more than anyone.
But all that entered her sight was Zhang Ci’s cold profile and his slightly throbbing temples.
Clearly, the Young Master of the Hongyun Martial Arts Hall had no intention of backing down. On the contrary, he was on the verge of a violent rage.
"Are you fucking brain-dead?"
Zhang Ci’s leisurely mood was instantly shattered.
No matter how powerful the Black Water Gang was, this man was nothing more than a stinking fox.
In fact, the Hongyun Martial Arts Hall itself was a networking connection for many members of the Cunning Fox Hall.
’Scaring common folk is one thing, but trying to intimidate me, the Young Master?!’
"Fuck you..."
As he cursed, Zhang Ci’s eyes turned frigid. He swung his right arm, his palm striking out toward the man.
SWISH—
The sound of something slicing through the air rang out, and a vicious slap landed on Zhang Ci’s face before he could finish, cutting off his curse.
"Pfft."
Zhang Ci didn’t even see the other man’s move before a tremendous force struck him, nearly crushing his cheekbone.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, and just as his body bent over, a hand had already expertly grabbed him by the hair.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Lin Shu grabbed his head and slammed it violently against the table.
The thick wooden table shook violently. Cracking along with the tabletop was Zhang Ci’s nose.
This fluid sequence of movements lasted for more than ten breaths.
Zhang Ci’s mind went blank, his face a mask of excruciating pain.
By the time he came to his senses, he was pinned firmly against the table. Five fingers pressed down hard on the back of his head, making even lifting it an extravagant hope.
Lin Shu leaned down, pulling the young master’s hair to reveal his blood-plastered face.
Their eyes met.
He carefully used his thumb to wipe the bloodstains from the corner of the man’s eye and said faintly, "Can you understand plain speech now?"
The skin on Zhang Ci’s face twitched violently, his eyes bulging.
In his peripheral vision, he could see the group of bitches surrounding them.
This sudden turn of events had stunned all the girls in the room, freezing them in place.
They didn’t dare to breathe, their vacant eyes fixed on the two men.
Their undisguised stares, combined with the wounds on his face, made Zhang Ci’s skin burn with a fiery, humiliating pain.
What he enjoyed most was seeing these sluts terrified with nowhere to run.
But now, he had become the object of their spectacle.
"Hah!"
Zhang Ci’s Adam’s apple bobbed rapidly, a hint of madness surfacing in his pupils.
Just then, he felt the thumb at the corner of his eye begin to apply pressure, as if it were about to crush his eye socket.
"I... I can understand."
Zhang Ci’s voice trembled as he hastily shrieked.
Lin Shu wiped the blood from his fingertips on the man’s collar, not bothering to say more. "The door is over there."
He shifted his body slightly, revealing the bundle on the table to the young master’s line of sight.
The bundle was slightly open, and on top lay a sharp, blood-stained iron spike.
Zhang Ci froze for a moment. Then, his eyes turning bloodshot, he reached out and grabbed the iron spike without hesitation.
The instant his five fingers clenched around it,
the iron spike began to tremble rapidly, until it let out the ring of a sword!
As the Young Master of the Hongyun Martial Arts Hall, Zhang Ci was completely different from a back-alley brawler like Liu the Third.
Even if their Physiques were not that different, the techniques passed down from his ancestors allowed him to easily crush common Martial Artists like him.
’Die!’
Zhang Ci agilely flipped up, intending to end this lowly fox with a single strike.
Compared to the iron spike that could ring like a sword, a silent short blade seemed rather ordinary.
It just so happened to appear in the right place at the right time, sinking unremarkably into Zhang Ci’s heart.
PCHT!
Lin Shu slung one arm around the man’s shoulder. With his other hand, he gripped the short blade, driving it deeper inch by inch.
He leaned in close to his ear and whispered comfortingly, "Don’t be afraid. Take a deep breath. It’ll be over soon."
Zhang Ci’s gaze grew vacant as all strength began to leave his body.
The man hadn’t lied.
It really was quick. So quick that... he felt like something was wrong, but he had no time left to think about it.
The iron spike clattered to the floor.
It startled everyone in the room awake from their daze.
Old Yang stood stiff as a board, staring at Lin Shu before him.
He had seen the man kill before, but only from behind.
Now, with the two of them so close, he could finally experience the full force of the young man’s murderous aura.
"Huuu."
Lin Shu let out a soft breath and pulled out the knife.
He casually snatched the Jade Pendant from the young master’s waist and stuffed it into his own robes.
Then, he picked up the bundle from the table and Zhang Ci’s limp corpse at the same time, and strode out toward the street.
The stench of blood wafted through Cyan Willow Lane.
Pedestrians jumped in fright, all scrambling to get out of the way.
The girls craning their necks out of the neighboring building quickly recognized Zhang Ci.
Relief washed over their faces, then they looked at the man carrying the corpse, their expressions complicated.
But before the girls could even process their feelings, they saw Lin Shu glance left and right, then casually dump the corpse in front of another establishment’s door.
He dusted off his hands and turned back into the building.
’Leaving such an unlucky thing outside my own door would be bad for business.’
The onlookers’ mouths twitched, but no one dared to complain. They could only resentfully pull their heads back inside.
Silence fell over the Magpie’s Nest.
No one knew what to say.
The woman on the stairs staggered to her feet, stumbled toward the returning Lin Shu, and prostrated herself on the floor.
"Jin Gui thanks Master Lin for saving my life."
Whatever others might think, she owed her life to this Master Fox.
"No need. Get back to work."
Lin Shu stretched lazily, walked right past the woman, and sat back down behind the table.
It was the same weary posture as before, yet it gave the surrounding girls a completely different feeling.
It was just as Zhang Ci had said earlier—not even Master Tian would interfere with him.
Was it because Master Tian couldn’t afford to offend the Hongyun Martial Arts Hall?
Of course not. It was just that their worthless lives weren’t worth as much as the "tributes" Zhang Ci gave him.
’They’re just women with two legs. If one dies, just have the Cunning Fox Hall deliver a new batch of goods.’
But this Master Fox—he would actually step in and handle things!
"Don’t just stand there gawking, get busy."
Sister Hua quickly calmed their emotions, then came to Lin Shu’s side.
She wasn’t sure how much backing Master Lin actually had, nor did she have the mind to explain to him just how serious Zhang Ci’s death was.
Sister Hua knew only one thing.
The man was dead, and now the only one the Magpie’s Nest could rely on was this fox.
’To tie this man down, I’ll have to offer up something truly valuable.’
’That’s a whole three taels of silver!’
Sister Hua’s heart was bleeding, but her face was still wreathed in smiles. "Master Lin, what incredible skill. But you’re covered in blood. Would you like to wash up? I’ll have Liu Ya attend to you."
She gave him a wink. "Don’t worry, she’s still a virgin. Guaranteed clean, not dirty at all!"
Sister Hua thought her sincerity was more than enough.
Unexpectedly, Lin Shu shot her a casual glance and said with disgust, "I was talking about this place of yours being dirty."
’Most of the women in this dark alley were tricked, abducted, threatened, or lured here by the Cunning Fox Hall.’
’If I were to drop my pants in a place like this, how could I, Master Lin, ever show my face again?’
As his words fell,
the restless women in the room, who had been pretending to be busy, all stopped what they were doing in unison.
They silently looked toward the corner.
Still, no one spoke.
But after a moment, many of them secretly rubbed the corners of their eyes.
"Prepare a clean room for me. Oh, and one more thing..."
Lin Shu had no interest in explaining his thoughts to a Madam. He took out the Jade Pendant and placed it on the table. "Go exchange this Jade Pendant for silver. I want it by morning."
With that, he turned his head and looked into the void.
[He who murders and commits arson wears a belt of gold; he who builds bridges and paves roads leaves no corpse behind. For killing one worthless life, you are rewarded with two Sin Coins.]
[Life and death are decreed by fate; you have snatched a life from the hands of Yama. For saving one wretched life, you are granted one Merit Coin.]
’Finally, something to feed that little pup.’
A trace of anticipation couldn’t help but appear in Lin Shu’s eyes.

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