Chapter 18: Yang Gaoli

Lin Chen’s movements were ghost-like, his speed comparable to an arrow released from a taut string. With a fierce thrust, his bamboo staff pierced straight through the masked man’s skull.

A moment later, the masked man collapsed slowly to the ground. Blood and brain matter mingled, staining the earth red and white. He died on the spot, not even managing a single cry; the scene was gruesome.

Rumble!

A muffled sound echoed in the air as the entrance to the secret realm began to close slowly. Lin Chen turned his head in a hurry. Just as the gap narrowed to less than two yards, a donkey burst out from within, braying loudly as it galloped toward him.

Seeing this, the corners of Lin Chen’s mouth lifted, his face filled with excitement. He couldn’t help but scold, "You old donkey, you heartless creature, where on earth have you been?"

In the blink of an eye, the old donkey was at his side, rubbing against him affectionately, clearly just as delighted to see Lin Chen again.

Caught up in the surprise, Lin Chen remembered the masked man he had just killed and realized he hadn’t yet retrieved his storage bag. He walked over to the corpse, crouched down, and collected the bag. He then tried to recall any "Wang" the man might have mentioned. Yet, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t recall offending anyone by that name; he didn’t even know anyone surnamed Wang. Confused by the man’s dying words, he decided to stop dwelling on it.

He hopped onto the donkey’s back and said softly, "Old donkey, don't ever come to a place like this again. You had me worried sick."

Hearing this, the donkey let out a series of "Oh-ohs," sounding as if it were protesting the decision, as if to say it didn't want to miss out on such fun places in the future.

Lin Chen flicked his bamboo staff and said with mock severity, "Fine, we’ll talk about that later. Let’s go... let’s go home."

Had Lin Chen known that the only reason the donkey had emerged so late was its own gluttony, he likely would have been furious enough to cough up blood.

After Lin Chen rode off, a woman emerged slowly from the woods. Watching the direction of his departure, a satisfied smile played on her lips. She muttered to herself, "My judgment was correct. To kill someone across cultivation realms, and with such ease—truly remarkable."

Meanwhile, at the inn, Fu Rongcheng was battered and bruised, looking utterly wretched. What angered him most was that he didn’t even know who had attacked him, or why.

Grimacing in pain, he cursed furiously, "Damn it! If I find out who did this, I will make them pay a hundred, a thousand times over!"

Knock, knock, knock! Just as he was ranting, a knock sounded at the door, followed by a sweet voice: "Junior Brother Fu, it’s time to go!"

It was Xue Chan. Fu Rongcheng forced himself to suppress his rage and stepped out of the room, shielding his face—which was swollen like a pig’s head—with his hand, hoping to hide his miserable state.

Yan Ruyu, standing to the side, couldn't help but burst into laughter upon seeing him. "Junior Brother, what happened to you? You look just like a pig’s head!"

Mortified to be seen in such a state by the woman he admired, Fu Rongcheng felt a storm of frustration rising within him. He stammered awkwardly for a long time before finally saying, "I tripped and fell. Let’s go!"

He strode ahead, desperate to get away before she could mock him further. However, this only gave Yan Ruyu more chances to snicker; every time she caught sight of his red, swollen face, she couldn't stop laughing.

Fu Rongcheng’s internal rage boiled, but he had no choice but to suppress it, constantly adjusting his expression to appear less angry. In truth, even if he tried to show emotion, his current state made it impossible for anyone to tell what he was feeling.

He pondered to himself that there were very few people capable of beating him so thoroughly without a sound. His eyes drifted toward Yan Ruyu, wondering if she was the culprit. Even if she were, he had to swallow his pride; he didn't want to cause a rift between them, or all his previous efforts to win her favor would be in vain.

Back in Qinghe Town.

"Old Huang, Baoping, I’m back! Open the door!" Lin Chen shouted toward the courtyard.

With a creak, the gate opened, and Li Baoping ran out in a flurry of excitement. Seeing Lin Chen from a distance, she sprinted over and threw herself into his arms, blinking her large, watery eyes. "Brother Lin, you’re finally back!"

As she spoke, she reached her chubby little hand into the pouch at Lin Chen’s waist, rummaging around. Finding nothing, her face fell with a trace of disappointment.

Lin Chen laughed at her antics and said, "Come on, let’s go inside. I have good things for you."

"Oh!" Li Baoping replied, pouting her lips, half-believing him, looking as adorable as could be.

"Old Huang, thank you for your hard work," Lin Chen said, turning to the old man.

"Sigh, don't talk about hard work. If it weren't for you, I’d probably still be begging on the streets!" Old Huang waved his hands, his face full of gratitude.

As they reminisced, a young boy about Li Baoping’s age ran in and said, "Sister Baoping, come on, let’s go catch loaches!"

Li Baoping glanced at Lin Chen, then turned to the boy with a smile. "Brother Li Er, I won’t go today. You go ahead!"

The boy looked disappointed, hanging his head as he said, "Alright, then. I’m off." With that, he ran out of the courtyard.

Lin Chen asked curiously, "Whose child is that?"

"Him? He’s the son of the Widow Li. That poor woman... her husband fell into the habit of gambling, couldn't pay his debts, and was killed by creditors. The mother and son had no choice but to flee here. They rented the courtyard next door a few days ago. They’re getting by, but those creditors will find them sooner or later," Old Huang said with a heavy, regretful sigh.

"I see. There are many in this world who suffer more than they do. Debts must be paid; that is only natural," Lin Chen said calmly.

"True, but this situation... it doesn't seem as simple as it looks," Old Huang added.

"Is it the 'Sheep Usury'?" Lin Chen’s expression darkened.

Old Huang nodded. "It seems so."

This "Sheep Usury" was a terrifying form of loan sharking. Once entangled, there was almost no escape from a life ruined and a family destroyed. The interest rates were whatever the lenders decided; they would use a small sum to gradually bleed a family dry, leading to total ruin. When the victim could no longer pay, the creditors would set their sights on the women of the household. Most would be humiliated and sold into brothels to earn money for the lenders for the rest of their lives. Those with beauty would be kept for the lenders’ own amusement. It was easy to imagine how difficult their future would be.

"Sigh," Lin Chen let out a long breath and said nothing more.

He then took the *Heavenly Star Sword Manual* from his storage bag and handed it to Li Baoping, along with a separate storage bag.

Li Baoping’s face lit up with joy, and she beamed. "Thank you, Brother Lin! You’re the best!"

Lin Chen just smiled, ignoring her. He thought to himself that this little girl seemed to care only about these treasures; it felt as though his safe return didn't bring her nearly as much joy as the gifts did.

As Lin Chen prepared to head out, the Widow Li entered the courtyard, holding five steaming bean paste buns. She wore a long black dress with her hair swept up high. Her brows and eyes carried an air of endless sorrow. She appeared to be only about twenty years old; to be a widow at such a young age was truly pitiful.

As she passed Lin Chen, she glanced at him with interest but said nothing.

Lin Chen didn't linger. He walked toward the pork shop, intending to buy some dried pork to treat everyone.

Seeing Lin Chen walk away, the Widow Li asked Old Huang curiously, "Is that the head of your household?"

Old Huang, mouth full of food, mumbled, "Uh... yes. But don't underestimate him; he is a cultivator."