Chapter 218: Ink Fox (II)

Not long after Lai Mao left, Lin Zheyu also stepped out of his room. Little Black had already disappeared early in the morning, having followed Liang Yuhan and her daughter Liang Yunhui off somewhere. After months of constant travel, Liang Yuhan knew her daughter had endured much hardship and boredom, so lately she had been taking her out to stroll through the streets, relax, and enjoy herself.

Outside Ruyang City flowed the great White Fury River, about a kilometer southwest of the city. The waters surged with power, rolling into wave upon wave that crashed into foaming sprays of white.

"Mother, over here! Look, such a huge boat!" Liang Yunhui cried out excitedly, bouncing on her toes as she pointed toward a distant pleasure barge.

It was a pleasure barge about thirty meters long with three decks, built with extravagant luxury. Two finely carved stone lions stood proudly at its prow.

"Mother, can we go take a look?" Liang Yunhui asked sweetly, hugging her mother's arm in a playful plea.

Liang Yuhan glanced at the barge and said calmly, "No."

She ignored her daughter's pitiful look entirely. That barge was none other than Ruyang City's infamous Red Pavilion Pleasure Barge, a lavish den of indulgence and a paradise for men. There was no way Liang Yuhan would let her daughter set foot in such a place.

Chirp, chirp.

Meanwhile, Little Black stood on the riverbank, eyes fixed intently on the leaping fish in the White Fury River. Suddenly, it darted forward, plunging into the roaring waters. When it resurfaced, it had a massive two-meter-long fish clamped in its jaws.

"Wow! Little Black, you're amazing!" Liang Yunhui instantly forgot all about the barge and ran over to Little Black, staring curiously at the enormous fish it had caught.

***

Not far from them.

Two burly men watched Liang Yuhan's group from a short distance away and nodded in satisfaction.

"It does resemble an Ink Fox. Though it looks far plumper than the descriptions in the texts, a ferocious beast with such sentience is extremely rare," the middle-aged man remarked after staring at Little Black for a while.

The Ink Fox was a ferocious beast known for its incredible speed and defense. Covered in sleek black fur, it resembled a fox. Its growth potential was immense, and its intelligence rivaled that of humans, making it highly suitable for taming. Many young masters and ladies of noble families favored keeping such creatures as pets. However, Ink Foxes were exceedingly rare, skilled at concealment, and astonishingly fast, making them difficult to capture.

"My lord, this Ink Fox looks rather fat. Are you sure it's fine? Will the young lady of the Zhu Family even like it?" the other man asked hesitantly. This beast looked so round that no one would doubt it if someone called it a pig instead.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"It's fine. Once it's been raised and trained for a while, it'll slim down naturally. A rare beast like this makes an impressive gift. It's perfect for showing status. Perhaps the young master can use this opportunity to win Miss Zhu's favor. Go find out who those two people are and buy the Ink Fox from them," the middle-aged man ordered calmly.

"Yes, my lord!" the subordinate said respectfully, cupping his fists before turning to leave.

After giving his orders, the subordinate left. The middle-aged man remained in place, quietly observing Little Black's every movement. The more he watched, the more pleased he became.

"Yes, there's no mistake. It's definitely an Ink Fox. Such a rare beast will make a fine gift," the middle-aged man said with a satisfied smile before turning to leave. The Ink Fox was only one of the presents he was preparing. The Zhu Family was renowned in Ruyang City, and for the third young lady's coming-of-age ceremony, a single Ink Fox gift alone would hardly be sufficient.

***

Lin Zheyu passed through the gates of Ruyang City. He noticed quite a few people bringing weapons into the city. As long as one registered at the gate and paid 10 taels of silver, they could carry ordinary weapons such as sabers, swords, or staves inside. However, bows and crossbows were strictly prohibited.

Not only weapons, but some were even allowed to bring their tamed beasts into the city. But that privilege was reserved for the few; ordinary folk had no such right.

"As expected of the Central Plains; even ferocious beasts can be brought into the city," Lin Zheyu murmured with some amazement.

Ahead of him, a young man in fine robes rode a Blood Qi Realm beast through the city gate. Ruyang City was truly a grand metropolis that was bustling and full of life. Martial cultivation thrived here, and martial artists filled the streets. Among them were many of the Marrow Refining Realm, and some whose depths Lin Zheyu couldn't even perceive. The difference in strength was too vast. No matter how sharp his senses, he couldn't see through those far beyond his realm.

Martial halls of every kind lined the streets, their signs flaunting their names proudly. In the martial-minded Central Plains, such establishments thrived. Lin Zheyu made some inquiries and learned that the black market would not open for another two days. So he spent his time wandering the city and gathering information about the major powers of the Guanghua Region.

The Inkfeather Sword Sect ranks among the top ten forces in the Guanghua Region... Liang Yunhui's father must be quite an extraordinary man,

Lin Zheyu thought with surprise.

These power rankings were drawn up by curious onlookers, with many different lists circulating, each one ranking the sects differently. These lists, however, did not include the ancient esteemed families. Some of those long-standing families possessed strength no weaker than the great sects, though they preferred to remain low-profile.

These rankings mainly depend on two factors: the strength of a sect's strongest expert and the overall talent of its younger disciples. They fluctuate every year. If I'm to join a sect, I should choose one with a long history, filled with powerful and even ancient techniques. Only then can I make the most of my own advantages,

Lin Zheyu thought as he began sifting through the names of various sects to find the one most suitable for him.

Lin Zheyu's greatest advantage lay in being able to cultivate any technique to perfection in an extremely short time. Thanks to the unique nature of his Origin Force, he could train in techniques that ordinary martial artists could not.

Take the Barbaric Bear Demon Art, a savage technique from the barbarian tribes, for instance. For most martial artists, its side effects were devastating. Yet by advancing it within his consciousness space using Origin Force, Lin Zheyu left no hidden damage in his real body; only the enhanced results manifested in reality.

No, it doesn't have to be one of the top-ranked sects. It must be the one with the widest variety of techniques,

Lin Zheyu corrected himself inwardly.

The techniques he had purchased from the black market were far from top-tier. No one would willingly sell truly powerful arts. Almost none of the high-level techniques were circulated publicly. Only by joining a major power could one gain access to such treasures. Typically, the higher-ranked sects did indeed possess exceptional techniques, but that only meant they had at least one truly strong art, not necessarily many.

Unlike ordinary martial artists who could only devote their limited energy to a few techniques, Lin Zheyu had no such restriction. His superiority lay in being able to master many powerful martial arts simultaneously. What he sought was not one almighty technique, but a multitude of them. The more potent and the more dangerous, the better. Those were his favorite kinds. A mere common martial skill, the Mountain Shattering Palm, had once been refined by him into a blood qi burst technique capable of unleashing sixfold strength with no restraint.

I'll make inquiries in that direction, find out which sect has gathered the most strange and powerful techniques, and that will be the one I join.

Having made up his mind, Lin Zheyu began asking around, though information of that sort was hard to come by. By the time he left Ruyang City and returned to the inn, the sky had already darkened. There, by the window, he saw Liang Yunhui and her mother Liang Yuhan sitting together, and across from them sat two burly men.

"Uncle Zhao, over here!" Liang Yunhui called out excitedly when she saw Lin Zheyu return.

Lin Zheyu smiled and nodded to her before walking over and taking a seat beside them.

"These two are?" Lin Zheyu asked curiously, glancing at Liang Yuhan.

Both men were quite capable; one was at the Marrow Refining Realm, while the other was a fourth transformation martial artist. The Marrow Refining Realm martial artist's aura wasn't particularly strong, only slightly above that of Lei Chuangcheng, who had once forcibly elevated himself to that level using a joint attack technique. He was likely a recent breakthrough.

"I'll speak. I am Pei Jian, from the Pei Family of Ruyang City's western district. That ferocious beast is your pet, yes? Might you be willing to part with it? Name your price," said the man. His tone carried a quiet but unmistakable authority that brooked no refusal.

Lin Zheyu's brows furrowed slightly, and his expression turned cold. He said evenly, "Sorry, it's not for sale—at any price."

"At least hear the offer. If you're willing to sell, I'll pay 1000 taels of silver and add a Marrow Refining Pill to the deal. It can increase your chances of breaking through to the Marrow Refining Realm. What do you think?" Pei Jian said calmly.

In his mind, itinerant martial artists like Lin Zheyu came to Ruyang City for one purpose only, and that was to seek a chance at breaking through to the Marrow Refining Realm. A Marrow Refining Pill, which could raise that chance, was a rare treasure unavailable on the open market. It was monopolized by the great families and powers.

Lin Zheyu froze for a moment and couldn't help glancing at Little Black, who was lying on its back, belly round and eyes half-closed in lazy contentment.

What the hell, Little Black is actually worth that much?

Lin Zheyu was utterly shocked.

Truth be told, that offer tempted him. 1000 taels of silver plus a Marrow Refining Pill, he had never heard of such a pill before, but anything that could increase one's chances of breaking into the Marrow Refining Realm was undeniably precious. Compared to the pill, the 1000 taels were merely a bonus.

"I wonder, what kind of beast Little Black is, that you'd pay such a high price for it?" Lin Zheyu asked, unable to resist.

"It's an Ink Fox. Fat as it looks, almost like a pig, it truly is one. This type of beast is extremely popular among the esteemed families, especially female Ink Foxes. The young masters and ladies adore them," Pei Jian replied bluntly, without concealment. In his view, the creature held little real worth to Lin Zheyu; selling it to him would be its greatest use.

"Ink Fox?" Lin Zheyu was intrigued but chose not to ask further.

He didn't know much about the classifications or names of ferocious beasts and had never even heard of the Ink Fox before. Still, if it was popular among esteemed young ladies, it must be something special. Turning to look at Little Black again, he honestly couldn't see what was so appealing about the creature, as it looked more like a plump pig than anything else.

Could Little Black actually be some kind of beast with enormous potential?

Lin Zheyu couldn't help muttering inwardly, suddenly tempted to give the drowsy, squinting creature a good kick just to make it open its eyes.

When he had first decided to keep Little Black by his side, it was only because the creature was intelligent and useful for hunting. He had never imagined it might one day grow into a powerful beast. By the time that happened, he himself would likely have advanced far beyond his current stage.

"Sorry, it's not for sale," Lin Zheyu said, shaking his head.

No matter how high the offer, he had no desire to sell. Throughout their journey together, he and Little Black had gotten along well. The little creature had become his companion, bound to him by a quiet bond. Lin Zheyu simply couldn't bring himself to sell it off for money.