"So, you’re telling me you don’t have a single one of the main ingredients."
From the stone steps directly above, Cheng Yi couldn’t help but laugh. "So the plan is to just shout for it?"
He had been feeling utterly exhausted, but now things were getting much more interesting.
"Third Boss, no need to be so impatient."
Feeling the strange stares of those around him, Xia Mingtang’s old face flushed red. He suppressed the urge to kick the child dead on the spot, clenching his fists as he spoke:
"That Greedy Wolf is supposed to be bringing me Spirit Medicine. I suspect he plans to bring everything at once. In any case, it will take some time for the Cunning Fox Hall’s birthday gift to arrive, so I must ask you all to wait a little longer."
His voice was deceptively calm, but inwardly the old man was already spitting curses.
’That damn beast has no sense of propriety! He knew I needed to perform alchemy, yet he couldn’t be bothered to show up earlier!’
’Just for this public humiliation, if it weren’t for Gu Nanzhi speaking up for him, I’d kill that vile beast to vent my anger the moment I finish refining this batch of elixirs.’
It wasn’t just the other Tigers; even Bai Feng was starting to have his doubts. He whispered, "I couldn’t make it last time because of other business. Did you not remind him about these rules?"
To live comfortably in Black Water City, skill alone wasn’t enough; one also had to know how to read a room.
Yan Jin ignored him. The five fingers hidden in her sleeve slowly unfurled, and the silver-white Sword Silk pulsed with a hint of excitement.
Prolonged despair inflicts ever-increasing torment on the mind.
Ten years of captivity had consumed nearly half her life.
From her initial caution and search for an escape route, Yan Jin had reached a point where she desperately wanted to unleash a massacre, just to feel a little better.
Now, it seemed someone was about to give her the perfect excuse.
Inside the residence.
No one wanted to offend Xia Mingtang too deeply, so they all fell silent.
The moonlight spilled across the courtyard as the night deepened, only to gradually fade away.
Dawn broke on the horizon.
The flames beneath the Pill Furnace still blazed, their light reflecting in Xia Mingtang’s pupils—the only moving thing on his deathly still face.
The Tigers, the Fierce Wolves, and even the Overseas Dragon in the main seat no longer bothered to hide the strange looks in their eyes.
There was no word from the Cunning Fox Hall, and it seemed the Greedy Wolf of Sifang Street had no intention of coming, either.
The Pill Furnace had been burning all night. The once-rich aroma of the ingredients had gradually dissipated, growing fainter and fainter.
"Ha!"
Under the weight of so many strange gazes, Xia Mingtang suddenly let out a hoarse laugh.
A crazed look filled his eyes as he abruptly shot to his feet.
"What the fuck, am I brewing vegetable soup here?!"
With a furious roar, he kicked over the Pill Furnace. Scalding medicinal liquid splashed across the ground with a SIZZLE.
His long robe billowing, Xia Mingtang transformed into a streak of crimson light and shot out of the residence, heading straight for West City!
He left the gang members staring at each other in stunned silence.
It was important to understand that due to the seal on Black Water City, Spiritual Power was extremely rare and quite difficult to replenish.
This was especially true for a group of Late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivators like them. Ordinary Spiritual Power could be restored with Qi Replenishing Pills.
However, the Immortal Spiritual Qi they had worked so hard to accumulate was different. Its Immortal Flavor was gathered from various Relics, meaning every bit they used was gone for good.
The fact that Xia Mingtang was using an Immortal Technique just to travel proved one thing: the man was unhinged.
"Let’s go take a look."
Cheng Yi’s smile vanished as he stepped out of the courtyard at an unhurried pace.
Immediately, the group of cultivators representing the pinnacle of the Black Water Gang’s power rose and quickly followed.
BOOM!
A streak of crimson light tore through the air, more than ten feet off the ground, before violently slamming down onto Sifang Street.
The bluestone pavers were instantly webbed with fine cracks, as if an earthquake had struck. In the span of a breath, the cracks spread out for a hundred feet, deepening from fissures into chasms.
Xia Mingtang strode forward without expression, heading straight for the Zhao Family Courtyard.
Crimson light pulsed around him, a clear sign of his Immortal Spiritual Qi leaking out, and he had no intention of reining it in.
Soon, a dozen or so figures appeared quietly on the street.
"Third Boss, aren’t you going to do something?"
Bai Feng mustered the courage to ask. It wasn’t that he was worried about Lin Shu, but he didn’t want Xia Mingtang to set this precedent.
If a Tiger could slaughter a Fierce Wolf at will, how could he ever sleep soundly again?
"He’s lost his mind. Why don’t you go talk some sense into him?" another Tiger sneered.
Enjoying the show was one thing, but they understood how Old Xia felt.
If the same thing had happened to them, they’d probably have lost their minds too.
’For a wild dog to dare ruin an important matter for the White Tiger Hall...’
’Even if he died for it, he would have brought it on himself.’
Cheng Yi said nothing, merely glancing at a two-story tavern on the side of the street.
It was early morning and the shop wasn’t open yet, but two figures were seated on the second floor.
A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
’Let them make a scene. That would be just fine.’
"Auntie!" On the second floor of the tavern, Chang Yi felt the oppressive might wash over him and couldn’t help but call out.
"You seem to be in quite a hurry."
Gu Nanzhi slowly rose to her feet, her gaze drifting downward to meet that of the Overseas Dragon.
The superficial balance in Black Water City had been maintained for a full ten years.
In just over ten days, Lin Shu had first destroyed the Cunning Fox Hall and then driven a Tiger to madness, threatening to shatter that very balance.
The situation was giving Gu Nanzhi a bit of a headache.
But now that she was here, she was confident she could control the situation.
"Let’s go."
Gu Nanzhi also transformed into a streak of light, landing on a rooftop in the blink of an eye.
Her steps seemed slow, yet she covered a hundred feet in an instant.
Sifang Street was not large.
Xia Mingtang soon reached the street where the Zhao Family lived and slowly came to a halt.
"Huh?"
The crowd’s gaze passed over his figure to the rather shabby courtyard beyond.
Immediately after, Bai Feng couldn’t help but let out a gasp of surprise.
The hour was still early.
There was only a small food stall in front of the Zhao Family’s home.
The grease-stained owner had a look of resignation, wondering why trouble had found him even after he had specifically tried to avoid it.
’Does this Master Wolf have a taste for grubby food or something?’
A handsome young man sat at the stall. He wore a simple, clean robe, his hair was still slightly damp as if he’d just bathed, and a toothpick dangled from his lips.
He looked refreshed and utterly at ease.
It was as if he was completely unaware that the members of the Black Water Gang had been waiting for him in North City all night long.
On the rooftop, Gu Nanzhi stood with her hands at her sides. Watching this scene unfold, her sense of absurdity grew even stronger.
’If she didn’t know better, who would believe that this nonchalant young man had just slaughtered dozens of people last night?’
’The whole of Black Water City was in an uproar because of him, yet here he was, with the presence of mind to be eating breakfast.’
At the center of everyone’s attention, Xia Mingtang walked up to the stall and sat down next to the young man.
His expression was devoid of joy or sorrow. He turned his head slightly, staring at Lin Shu’s face as if looking at a dead man.
His hoarse voice sounded faintly. "Where is the Spirit Medicine you promised me?"
After all, with Lin Shu sitting right at the Zhao Family’s doorstep, it looked as if he intended to deliver the Spirit Medicine right after he finished his meal.
’Of course, no matter what his answer was, it couldn’t make up for the loss of that furnace of elixirs.’
’He was definitely going to die. If his attitude was sincere enough, perhaps he might suffer a little less torture.’
Hearing the Tiger’s question, everyone waited to see how the young man would explain himself.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lin Shu sat up a little straighter and turned to size up Xia Mingtang beside him.
He smiled, then spat the toothpick onto the old man’s face.
"Who said I promised you anything?"

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