It was deep in the night. In the dark and complicated alley that seemed to extend and twist endlessly like a cobweb, a youngster was frantically running with a little girl in his arms.

The biting cold wind felt like a knife stabbing into his wounds. But compared to the worry in his heart, it was nothing.

Lin Xun didn’t know when it had started, but for the first time, he realized that Xia Zhi had somehow occupied an irreplaceable place in his heart.

He felt his entire world collapsing when he saw her wounded and sent flying. All his thoughts, all his willpower were gone at that moment, leaving him with only uncontrollable anger and madness.

That feeling made Lin Xun’s heart tremble because, for the first time, he saw that he had an irrational side.

Xia Zhi, who was held in his arms, opened her eyes and silently gazed at Lin Xun’s face. She said nothing but there seemed to be an imperceptible smile on her pale little face.

He saw that Courtyard No. 49 was within sight, but before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he saw someone waiting by his door.

At the same time, the figure turned around and met Lin Xun’s gaze. It turned out to be Gu Yanping, the owner of Golden Jade Hall.

He swept a glance over Lin Xun and, as though realized something, he assumed a serious expression and said, “If you believe in me, I can stand guard here.”

“Thank you.” Lin Xun’s voice sounded hoarse.

While expressing his gratitude, he was already rushing into the house with Xia Zhi in his arms. He was too occupied to think about why Gu Yanping would appear at his door at this hour.

Gu Yanping watched Lin Xun disappear into the house and then turned around and stood silently in front of his door like a gate guardian.

His appearance was average, but when he stood there, he exuded an unshakable might.

Not long afterwards, a young man was hurrying along the alley in the distance. It was Gu Yanping’s son Gu Liang. “Father, we have already investigated carefully. The Black Tiger Gang’s den had been set aflame. It is said that a powerful enemy broke in, but the specific details aren't clear now.”

“I see.” Gu Yanping nodded. “Lin Xun has returned. You should get ready. I don’t think it will be peaceful tonight.”

A chilling murderous look flashed in his eyes.

“Father, I heard that the Black Tiger Gang is working for a Spirit Dipper cultivator. We—”

Before Gu Liang could finish his sentence, Gu Yanping interrupted. “No matter who it is, no one can step through this door tonight.”

His voice was resolute.

Gu Liang was taken aback at first, but he then nodded silently.

“Liang’er, remember that a business cultivator isn’t a deceitful and sly person, and even more isn’t a lowly person who takes advantage of a situation.”

After a moment of silence, Gu Yanping suddenly said calmly, “We owe Lin Xun a debt of gratitude and we have to repay him with kindness. It has nothing to do with whether he will work with us in the future.”

Gu Liang was shocked by his father’s words, but he nodded solemnly. “I understand.”

Gu Yanping nodded, peering into the deep night sky. Tonight will likely be very long.

In the room, Lin Xun carefully set Xia Zhi down on the bed. While he was worried about what medicine to use to treat her, she suddenly said aloud, “I just need to cultivate for a while to recover. You don’t need to worry.”

Lin Xun breathed a sigh of relief. “You really don’t need to take medicine?”

Xia Zhi shook her head. “We’ve killed Old Tiger Lu and so it will inevitably lead to chaos within the Black Tiger Gang and attract the other gangs’ attention. The Chopstick Gang will no doubt be impacted so you have to be extra careful.”

Lin Xun understood what she meant.

After the death of Old Tiger Lu, the Black Tiger Gang would fall into chaos without a leader. It was the perfect opportunity for other gangs to attack, and so the other forces in the slums, of course, wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

This had nothing to do with Lin Xun, but he still had to be on guard in case the other gangs wanted to take the opportunity to deal with him and Xia Zhi.

Everyone in the slums knew that Lin Xun was the brain of the Chopstick Gang, and the Chopstick Gang was constantly expanding and had already seriously threatened the survival of other gangs.

If the other gang members learned that he and Xia Zhi were wounded, they would be delighted to take advantage of the situation to kill him and Xia Zhi.

When the snipe and the clam fough, only the fisherman profited.

Given the circumstances, the other gangs would no doubt act when they clearly understood the situation.

Xia Zhi was already beginning to cultivate on the bed. Her method was extremely unique. She sat on her knees, straightened her back, and pulled her shoulders back. Then, she put her hands together, intertwined her fingers to form a strange hand seal, and placed it in front of her chest.

An invisible force was released from her, and her entire body started to float in the air.

It was unknown when the bone spear began to rest on her knees. Wisps of clear and bright silvery light floated up from the spear’s surface and seeped into Xia Zhi’s body. Her breathing was long and quiet like she had sunk into a mysterious cultivation training.

In the past, Xia Zhi only ate and slept. She didn’t seem like she had to cultivate and this was also the first time that Lin Xun saw her cultivate.

So mysterious!

This was the strongest feeling in Lin Xun. He quietly stared at her for a long while until he saw that her breathing was stable, and then, he breathed a sigh of relief and quietly walked out the room.

Lin Xun had long known that Xia Zhi was very mysterious so he wasn’t too surprised.

Night dropped its curtain and the sky was covered with thick clouds and not a star or the moon was visible, making the night particularly dim and dull.

Lin Xun came to the courtyard and started to treat his wounds.

He took off his shoulder armor, wrist guards and inner armor, exposing his body to the air. A criss-cross of bloody scars and bruises peppered his body. He also had sustained internal injuries to his shoulders, ribs and waist.

Each injury represented unbearable pain. Hence, the sum of all of them together could only be incredibly agonizing.

However, Lin Xun didn’t seem to notice. His brows didn’t furrow once.

He had to quickly recover because tonight was undoubtedly going to be tough.

“Young Master, if you don’t mind, I can help you.”

It was unknown when Gu Yanping had walked into the courtyard. He studied the wounds on Lin Xun’s body and couldn’t help feeling aghast.

“No need. I’ll treat them myself.” Lin Xun smiled and went to clean each wound with clean water.

Gu Yanping said regretfully, “If my son hadn’t come back to tell me in time, Young Master, you might have been in a bit of trouble. I’m afraid I still don’t know how you suffered such serious injuries.”

It was only then that Lin Xun remembered that Gu Liang had come by in the evening. It was obvious that what he told Gu Liang caught Gu Yanping’s attention and made him make a trip to his house in the middle of the night.

“It's nothing. The people from the Black Tiger Gang wanted to kill me, so I have to kill them first.”

After Lin Xun cleaned his wounds, he took out the medicine that he had prepared and carefully applied it to each wound. He suddenly smiled. “Fortunately, I have killed Old Tiger Lu and I can relax a little.”

Old Tiger Lu is dead.

Gu Yanping gasped in shock and his gaze towards Lin Xun started to change. He was certain that Lin Xun didn’t lie.

That meant that Old Tiger Lu, a Spirit Dipper cultivator, was no longer in this world.

Gu Yanping couldn’t calm his emotions when he thought about how Lin Xun could possibly kill a Spirit Dipper cultivator. This youngster is indeed incredible.

However, Gu Yanping didn’t question Lin Xun. By the time he finally calmed down, he remembered another thing he wanted to tell Lin Xun. “The death of Old Tiger Lu will inevitably tear his gang apart. And when such a situation arises, other gangs will cast covetous eyes at the Black Tiger Gang.”

Lin Xun interjected. “Shopkeeper Gu, you might not know that those forces will likely be coming to find me tonight.”

He frankly recounted the sequence of events to Gu Yanping and hid nothing about the Chopstick Gang.

Hearing this, Gu Yanping seemed to see through Lin Xun’s intention. He nodded sincerely. “The Flame Blade that you sold us last time had helped greatly Golden Jade Hall. Tonight, let me help you guard the door.”

Lin Xun got up and respectfully bowed. “I’m sorry to trouble Shopkeeper Gu. If you have anything you need me for in the future, just tell me.”

Gu Yanping chuckled. “Alright, but don’t call me Shopkeeper Gu, it sounds too distant.”

Lin Xun also laughed. “Then I’ll take the liberty to call you Uncle Gu.”

Gu Yanping chuckled again, seemingly quite happy. “Don’t worry and rest well. I will go outside to take a look now and see how many people will come to die tonight.”

He turned around and left.

Lin Xun overflowed with emotions as he watched him disappear out of the door. Uncle Gu isn’t ordinary.

Gu Yanping was indeed not ordinary. He had created a sensation in Donglin City with just a Flame Blade and made Golden Jade Hall rise to fame.

This surely wasn’t something that ordinary people could achieve.

Now, based on a sentence from his son Gu Liang, he paid Lin Xun a visit and helped Lin Xun a great deal. The man wasn’t just gilding the lily; he was providing much needed coal during a cold snow. But even so, Gu Yanping had never made any demands from Lin Xun. He simply didn’t seem like a businessman.

However, Lin Xun knew that he owed him a huge favor. If Gu Yanping had any request in the future, Lin Xun wouldn’t refuse.

This is intelligence and capability. He not only made me feel extremely grateful but also handled the matter beautifully.

Lin Xun was thoroughly impressed.

Meanwhile, Gu Yanping, who was standing outside the door, was also feeling quite emotional. He had lots of life experience and had met many talented young people with remarkable cultivation aptitudes. There were all sorts of people. Some had abnormal intelligence and some had abnormal skills. Compared to those people, Lin Xun wasn’t that great yet there was something unique that made him completely different from the others. Gu Yanping couldn't put his finger on what it was, but he was certain that, without any accident, Lin Xun would no doubt reveal his brilliance and amaze the world in the future.

Would there be such a day?

Gu Yanping’s mind drifted off and he recalled a lot of past events.

Suddenly, footsteps from the alley snapped him out of those thoughts and made him narrow his eyes vigilantly.

He was still standing there motionless, but a terrifying aura was faintly gathering and circulating around his body. Although his appearance was average and his face honest-looking, he exuded a threatening and imposing presence.