Immortality by Merit and Sin Coins

RUSTLE.

The night wind stirred the dense treetops, revealing a white figure perched on the wall.

The young man sat on the high wall, leaning against the tree’s trunk. Dressed in a luxurious fur cloak, he looked like a theater spectator, completely detached from the affair.

And yet, all eyes on the "stage" below were now focused on him.

"Lin Shu?"

As the newcomer’s face came into view, Master Liu San’s forced, ferocious grin became a little more genuine.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t panicking.

This was West City. With just a few of them, forget running into one of the city’s Cultivators—even a random Official would be more than they could handle.

The shock completely sobered him up, and his previous lust twisted into murderous intent.

’So it’s this worthless bastard.’

’He was lucky to get away with his life for one more day, but he’s still not satisfied. How dare he leave the courtyard... If I let him live, who knows what kind of trouble he’ll stir up.’

"How the fuck did you get out? Where’s Wang Xu?" The two brothers, their fun interrupted, looked utterly annoyed.

When they saw Master Liu’s expression change, they knew the show was over for the night. Their disappointment quickly morphed into a blazing rage directed at Lin Shu.

"..."

Miss Yun silently opened her eyes, her pupils holding only a blank confusion.

She’d already guessed that the newcomer wasn’t very confident; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been hiding nearby for so long.

Still, she never expected it to be *him*.

Though she couldn’t make out the youthful face in the distance, she recognized the cloak from the troupe’s parade. She also knew that the old woman had gone with him to report to the officials.

This young man was just another poor soul in the troupe, his fate not his own. How could he possibly save her and the child inside?

"You got my mother-in-law killed! Are you trying to get me and my child killed now, too? ...Run!"

Miss Yun didn’t try to reason with him. She knew that a hot-blooded, simple-minded do-gooder like him couldn’t be talked out of it with just a few words.

Helpless, her face a mask of grief and indignation, she used the last of her breath to scream, hoping to prevent another innocent life from being dragged into this.

"Hooo."

Lin Shu regulated his breathing, a clear look of disappointment on his face.

According to the memories left by this body’s previous owner, Cultivators who had mastered Immortal Techniques held an overwhelming advantage over ordinary people.

But neither the body’s previous owner, nor anyone else in the opera troupe—Master Liu included—had ever actually seen a so-called Immortal Technique.

To be on the safe side, Lin Shu had chosen the method he was best at.

Observing quietly, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

But he hadn’t expected Master Liu San to be this vigilant, even while drunk.

Lin Shu glanced at the sharp tile fragment in his hand, then casually tossed it aside.

CRACK.

As the tile shattered, the white figure leaped from the wall, landing steadily in the courtyard.

Master Liu San’s eyes twitched. He had personally watched Lin Shu receive one hundred lashes, each one laid on with full force.

Anyone else would have been beaten to death. Yet now, only one afternoon later, the young man was acting as if nothing had happened.

At this thought, his hand reached for his lower back, fingers tightening around the hilt of his blade.

"Stop playing dumb! I asked you, where’s Wang Xu!" The brothers lacked Master Liu’s sharp senses. Seeing Lin Shu toss aside that laughable tile fragment, their eyes filled with scorn. They simply couldn’t feel any sense of alarm toward such a coward.

"Him?"

Lin Shu spread his palms and walked toward them, looking completely harmless. He stopped at the most advantageous position.

The young man’s lips curled into a smile. "I’ll take you to him."

Before his words had even faded, the white fur cloak billowed, and a sharp dagger shot out from his sleeve, falling perfectly into his grasp.

The position Lin Shu had chosen placed him in a perfect line with the three brutes.

As a result, the moment he moved, Da Ma’s line of sight was blocked by his brother’s body, preventing him from seeing what was happening.

"You... you..."

Only when a flash of silver crossed his vision and a chill crept over his skin did Xiaoma finally snap out of his stupor.

The blade sliced across his neck, making a sound like a knife scraping against cowhide.

From his perspective, Lin Shu’s once-gentle face was now twisted into a vicious sneer, like a soul-reaping demon. The savagery in it was no less than Master Liu San’s. This was clearly a veteran killer who danced with death!

’So this is what a Martial Artist is like.’

Lin Shu instantly felt that the cut wasn’t right and lamented inwardly.

Such a clean strike had only left a gash on Xiaoma’s neck instead of lopping his head clean off.

But he didn’t falter. He expertly dropped his shoulder and slammed it into Xiaoma’s chest.

BANG!

The burly man staggered backward.

Seeing this, Da Ma’s pupils constricted. His already alcohol-fuddled brain seemed to short-circuit.

’That skinny kid, who looked too weak to even truss a chicken, actually managed to knock back his own brother, who had trained in martial arts for years?’

But he didn’t have much time to think. The instant his brother was knocked aside, a dagger shot out with lightning speed, aimed straight for his chest.

"Shit!"

Da Ma’s instincts, carved into his very bones, took over. He swung his own blade in a vicious counter-slash. Twenty-odd years of brutal training made his strike far superior to Lin Shu’s in both power and speed.

But the man facing him seemed to have expected this. He decisively dropped the dagger—a feint—and ducked in close, ramming his entire body into Da Ma’s torso. This was followed by a savage elbow strike, smashing into the big man’s abdomen.

BOOM!!

With a muffled thud, Da Ma fared even worse than his brother, sent flying a full three meters!

Only Lin Shu could see that every collision between their bodies caused the Fog enveloping him to shudder violently.

It was this Fog that gave him the strength to contend with these Martial Artists.

But it seemed that was all it did.

"Ah!"

Miss Yun stared, stunned, at the scene unfolding just inches away.

This young man had just barged in, viciously repelled two men, and now stood protectively in front of her.

But the problem was, while the entire exchange had been brief, it had been more than enough time for Master Liu San to react.

Yet the man hadn’t moved. He, too, was waiting for an opportunity.

And now, the young man, his momentum spent, had left his back completely exposed to his foe.

Miss Yun had been biting her lip raw, not daring to distract Lin Shu. But the moment she saw Master Liu San coldly draw a short dagger, she couldn’t stop herself from crying out a warning. "Watch out!"

"You’re a good actor. You even had me fooled."

Master Liu San’s icy voice rang out next to Lin Shu’s ear.

He had observed quietly for so long because something had felt off. No wonder the kid survived the troupe’s punishment; he was a trained fighter himself.

Now, with an opening right before him, he would give this man no chance to fight back.

"A pity your discipline is still lacking."

Master Liu San didn’t understand. The man had endured eating pig slop and taking a beating, so why would he expose himself now for a few complete strangers?

Of course, there was no need to think about it any longer.

As he spoke, the dagger flashed like silver, striking like a tiger’s claws at its prey’s most vulnerable spot!

But Miss Yun, standing directly in front of Lin Shu, saw that not only was there no panic on the young man’s face, but he had actually let out a quiet sigh.

He was like a patient angler who had finally seen a ripple on the water’s surface.

"..."

Lin Shu’s ferocious expression vanished. He licked his cracked, blood-stained lips.

He opened his right hand, which he had already lowered. A silver light rippled across his long, slender fingers, which now resembled sharp claws, a full three inches long.

The next moment, Lin Shu whipped his head around and brought his bare hand up in a reverse grip to catch the descending dagger.

His fingertips met the blade and sliced through it as if it were tofu. The motion continued, shearing off Master Liu San’s hand before viciously plunging into his jaw!

SQUELCH! SQUELCH!

Master Liu San’s pupils trembled. He looked down in disbelief at the blood-stained fingertips now protruding from his mouth.

"Gak... Gak..."

His entire body was lifted into the air. He tried to speak, but blood gushed relentlessly from his throat, choking him.

He had revered Immortal Techniques his entire life, only to witness one for the first time at the moment of his own death.

"You’re quite the spitter, aren’t you?"

Lin Shu held his right arm high, staring at the head impaled on his hand as his fingers slowly tightened their grip.

He murmured, the corners of his lips twisting into a cruel smirk.

Too bad Liu the Third would never get the chance to answer.

Lin Shu withdrew his hand. He pressed his warm, blood-soaked palm to his own face, casually wiping away the filth the man had spat on his forehead that afternoon.

He also wiped away the bloody scratch the old woman had left on the tip of his nose.

All debts, paid in full.

For Lin Shu, the greatest threat had been Master Liu.

According to his predecessor’s memories, the man was on a completely different level than the Ma Brothers.

The only thing he could rely on was that single Immortal Technique.

In every other aspect, from stamina to speed, he was far weaker than Master Liu.

There was only one chance. Had he revealed his hand, Liu San’s cautious nature meant he would never have gotten another opportunity to get close.

Fortunately, even though he had left that life behind in his previous incarnation and no longer had to practice his old trade, he hadn’t grown so complacent as to lose his edge.

As these thoughts passed through his mind, Lin Shu’s gaze fell upon the two brothers, who were frozen stiff in terror.

"..."

In the cramped, dilapidated courtyard, there were still four living people, but the silence was so profound you could hear a pin drop.