Immortality by Merit and Sin Coins

Lin Shu returned to the Old Woodshed.

Before Dong Cheng brought back news, he planned to absorb the four new Merit Coins he had just obtained.

But just as he stepped through the gate, he saw a familiar figure.

"Brother Lin, I’ve come on behalf of the Zhao Family to thank—"

Chang Yi stood up. He had changed into a brand-new uniform, and an Iron Token now hung at his waist. It was clearly the attire of a Chief Constable.

"Hold on a second." Lin Shu subconsciously glanced at the sky. It was the time he should be on patrol.

A strange expression crept onto his face. "Which street are you in charge of now?"

"Sifang Street," Chang Yi said, scratching his head.

"Fine."

Speechless, Lin Shu walked into the yard, sat down at the low table, and poured himself a cup of cool water.

’Well, well. No wonder that County Captain was so enthusiastic. So this was her plan all along.’

’She knew this little Blackhead couldn’t outplay those Fierce Wolves, so she just tossed him onto my turf.’

’With Chang Yi’s brains, he definitely won’t be able to stir up any trouble on Sifang Street. He’ll most likely just become a wooden post with the title of Chief Constable.’

’But I won’t actually hurt him either.’

’This way, it saves me a lot of trouble, and I can secure my control over Sifang Street for good.’

’The Chang Family can also take this opportunity to continue raising this kid like a pampered baby, without him ever noticing.’

’From the looks of it, they’ll probably keep this up until the city gates reopen.’

TSK TSK.

Although Lin Shu could sympathize with the pain of losing a child, he still found this act of treating their own son like an idiot a bit over the top.

But Gu Nanzhi had a point. This was, after all, someone else’s family matter.

"Brother Lin, please don’t be offended. I should have come sooner, but these past two days have been just too busy."

After Liu Zhen’s death, Chang Yi’s perception of this Greedy Wolf had suddenly soared to an unprecedented height.

’A great Hero with a heart full of justice, infiltrating the Black Water Gang at great personal risk, enduring the cold glares of the world, all to gather evidence.’

At this thought, self-reproach gradually appeared on his dark face. "That ledger... my... my superior confiscated it."

’Brother Lin entrusted this item to me. I can’t imagine how high his expectations were.’

’He must have hoped I could thoroughly investigate the cases in it.’

"But it’s okay. On the way back, I managed to memorize a good portion of it."

Chang Yi clenched his fist, that sense of destiny reappearing on his face as he declared in a resonant voice, "I will not fail your trust!"

His face was haggard; he clearly hadn’t slept in days.

"..."

Lin Shu’s expression froze. He silently stared at the tumultuous emotional changes on the young man’s face.

He even forgot to drink the water in his cup.

’This is bad. When I gave him the ledger, I only considered Blackhead’s personality and background.’

’I completely forgot his true nature as an overthinking, wannabe hero!’

"Hold it right there. I didn’t entrust you with anything," Lin Shu said, setting down his cup with a deadpan expression.

"Uh." Chang Yi paused for a moment, then had a realization. "I understand. This is all on me!"

’He’s a member of the Black Water Gang. Just giving me the evidence was a huge risk. Of course, the rest is up to the Government Office.’

"Once I’m done with this, I’ll come back and treat you to a banquet, Brother Lin."

Chang Yi rubbed his face, wiping away the fatigue from under his eyes. A slightly boyish smile appeared on his face.

"Don’t worry, I will definitely give you a proper resolution!" he said, lowering his voice. He picked up his Treasure Saber and prepared to leave.

"..."

Lin Shu had no idea what grand opera was playing out in the other man’s head.

But one thing was crystal clear.

’First it was "I will not fail your trust," and now it’s "give you a proper resolution."’

’If this Brother Baodao gets himself killed, my name is going to be all over his suicide note!’

"You’re the only son. Can’t you just settle down and stop looking for trouble?" Lin Shu sighed softly, already picturing Gu Nanzhi storming his home with Father Chang and Mrs. Chang in tow.

At these words, Chang Yi’s steps faltered.

After the Zhao Family incident, his mind had clearly become much sharper. He instantly realized that his family must have already spoken to Brother Lin.

Evidently, he had experienced similar situations too many times, and they always ended with his aunt dragging him back.

Without another word, Chang Yi quickly activated his Formulas. Wind gathered at his feet as he turned, intending to slip out of the yard.

"If you think you’re so much stronger than Liu Zhen, go ahead and try to run." Lin Shu couldn’t even be bothered to stand up, bluffing the young hothead with a single sentence.

Blackhead’s face soured, and he obediently halted his steps.

He looked at Lin Shu, a pleading look in his eyes, and said in a low voice, "I don’t understand. What’s the big deal about being the only son? Among the people of Black Water City, forget only sons, there are plenty who have no descendants at all."

"So many people die every day. Doesn’t everyone have family who worries about them?"

"I know my parents dote on me, but... since I’ve put on this uniform and I’m taking a full forty taels of the people’s hard-earned money every month, I have to do something! Otherwise, I can’t sleep at night!"

"Stop, stop, stop. You’re blinding me." Lin Shu raised a hand, cutting him off.

’This dazzling little sun is a bit too much for my filthy, corrupted soul.’

"Thank you, Brother Lin, for your mercy."

A smile returned to Chang Yi’s face. He clasped his hands in a firm salute, then turned and strode out of the Old Woodshed.

"My god, they can actually raise someone like that in Black Water City?" Yu Sheng curiously climbed onto the windowsill, looking into the yard. Her amazed voice transmitted to him. "You really let him go?"

"As if."

Lin Shu also felt a bit impressed.

’I thought he was just a wannabe hero dreaming of being a great Hero, but it turns out his thoughts are quite complex.’

’To think that despite being so coddled at home, he can still think about things like responsibility.’

’But responsibility is one thing; you still have to take things one step at a time.’

’That ledger already involves the Tiger, the Fierce Wolves, and the constables. And when those three groups are involved, Cunning Fox Hall is definitely participating too.’

’That’s equivalent to investigating more than half of the Black Water Gang. It’s not something that can be handled in a few mere days.’

’On top of that, Chang Yi has very little experience. Not only will he not find anything, but he’ll also easily provoke those foxes and Fierce Wolves.’

"Did you get the information?" Lin Shu glanced at the furtive figure outside the yard.

"I got it. South Suburb Ancient Pine Ridge. It’s not just Cunning Fox Hall involved; it seems there are several Fierce Wolves there too. They’re preparing the Hundred Heart Birthday Gift, which involves at least two or three hundred lives."

Dong Cheng walked into the yard, feeling a slight chill.

Black Water City was already under lockdown; every person killed meant one less person in the city. Even looking back over the past decade, this qualified as a major event.

But he still couldn’t understand. The Tiger had already made it clear that Sifang Street didn’t need to prepare a gift; they just had to deliver the Immortal Elixir.

’Why did Master Lin still want to snoop around about other people’s gifts?’

"Make a trip to East City. Report to the County Captain and have her take her nephew back."

Lin Shu slowly stood up.

’After waiting for so long, I can finally stretch my legs.’

...

Night had not yet fully fallen, but the crescent moon was unusually clear.

「South Suburb, Ancient Pine Ridge.」

This place was a desolate, uninhabited hillside. A few small bamboo buildings were scattered crookedly across it, their faintly glowing lanterns like will-o’-the-wisps.

Occasionally, figures would dart between them.

Below the hillside, several cave entrances had been carved out on all sides, leading directly into the low mountain.

Each entrance was guarded by burly, well-built martial artists.

At this moment, at the westernmost entrance.

A phantom-like figure approached. His palms suddenly pressed against the two guards’ backs, and Spiritual Power pulsed out!

There was no sound. The expressions on the guards’ faces didn’t even have time to change before their internal organs were pulverized.

The moment they fell, the newcomer reached out, caught their bodies, and carefully laid them on the ground.

"..."

Everything went as if it had been planned in advance, without a single hitch.

Under the moonlight, the man’s dark face was revealed. His expression was tense, a complete mismatch for the proficiency of his actions.

’At first, I just wanted to investigate the "foxes" from the ledger. I never thought that by following the clues, I’d uncover the Black Water Gang’s conspiracy in the South Suburbs.’

Chang Yi struggled to control his breathing. This was the first time he had ever killed someone with his own hands, and also the first time he was saving someone.

He had no outside help to rely on.

’The veteran constables wouldn’t dare investigate the Black Water Gang, and besides, they aren’t clean themselves. There’d be a risk of leaks.’

’As for asking superiors for help... interfering with the Tiger’s Alchemy is a major taboo in the Government Office, not to mention my family would never let me take such a risk.’

’The only other person I could think of was Brother Lin.’

’But he’s inside the gang. If this gets out, with at least thirty to fifty gang members gathered at Ancient Pine Ridge today, how could he possibly silence all the wagging tongues?’

So, Chang Yi was handling the entire matter himself. He hadn’t slept for several days, using the nights to scout the terrain and find a viable escape route.

He had gone over every step in his mind countless times, allowing for no mistakes.

Chang Yi once again slipped into the darkness and entered the cave.

Inside Ancient Pine Ridge, several small prisons had been dug out. They were divided into four sections—east, south, west, and north—separated from each other and large enough to hold several hundred people.

SHHH!

In the dim candlelight, Chang Yi raised a finger to his lips, gesturing to the many weak figures on both sides who hadn’t had food or water.

Then, he channeled his Spiritual Power, releasing a gray Fog that enveloped them, concealing their figures and sounds.

After doing all this, Blackhead used both palms, shattering the iron chains with several strikes, opening the cell doors, and letting the people out.

"Don’t make a sound. Follow me if you want to live!"

Chang Yi didn’t waste words.

He had snuck in to check beforehand. Most of the people imprisoned here were from the South Suburbs, which was why this location had been chosen.

The South Suburbs were chaotic; it wasn’t easy to survive there in the first place.

Therefore, these people had decent character. Now, seeing a chance to escape, none of them hesitated. They all forced their weak bodies to follow.

Chang Yi waited quietly, but couldn’t resist glancing to the side.

There were only a few dozen people here. There were many more in the other sections of the mountain.

But he quickly reined in his thoughts, his mind filled with Lin Shu’s casual advice.

’You have to be flexible when you do things!’

’With my abilities, this is all I can save. I can’t delay any longer.’

He shrouded everyone in the gray Fog and carefully led them out of the cave. He had already laid down a similar Fog along the path he had prepared in advance.

The entire hill remained completely silent.

Seeing this, the imprisoned South Suburbs commoners’ faces filled with joy, and they all followed the young man’s steps without a sound.

The crowd rustled as it crept into the distance.

Just then, a girl dressed as a maid in a green dress, who looked quite different from the other commoners...

She was already trailing at the very back due to her timidness. Just as she stepped out of the cave entrance, she stepped on something.

The maid looked down and saw an arm.

She averted her gaze, but the moment she saw the two corpses, her pupils contracted violently.

The next moment, a shrill scream pierced through the gray Fog, shattering the dead silence of Ancient Pine Ridge.

"AHHH!!"