Chapter 257: Third Tempering of the Mud Pill, a Fool Comes Seeking

“The fool was coming to find Master Lin. I ran into him in the mountains. He kept asking me all sorts of strange things. The fool ignored him, and he tried to hit me.”

“He could fly, so the fool couldn’t run away. So we fought.”

The man explained seriously, shrugging off his ragged clothes and tossing the burlap-wrapped bundle to the ground.

Only then did Lin Shu notice that the man’s clothes had been torn by thorns. But once the clothes were off, he saw that the man’s body, already covered in old scars, was now riddled with terrifying new wounds!

It was as if he’d been subjected to death by a thousand cuts, or as though spider silk had snaked under his clothes and constricted his flesh.

But no blood was seeping out, so the injuries hadn’t been visible through his clothes.

“Someone told the fool he can’t fight back in the academy, but this is outside the academy, GA GA!”

The man laughed again. “Besides, you said if the fool gets hit, he can come find Master Lin. That’s why the fool wasn’t scared of him!”

“I did say that, but that’s not what I meant…”

Lin Shu sighed softly. With a flick of his finger, he unleashed his Spiritual Power and tore the tattered burlap sack to shreds.

‘Inside the academy, I have a bit of clout, but that might not be the case outside.’

“Wait.”

When he got a clear look at the person on the ground, Lin Shu’s breath caught for a moment.

A middle-aged man lay on the ground, his breath as faint as a gossamer thread. He wore a magnificent, deep black long robe, its fabric embroidered with spider-leg patterns in gold thread.

A delicate carving knife pendant hung from his waist, its hilt also adorned with a domineeringly-styled Profound Spider.

Though Lin Shu hadn’t left his courtyard during his time in Anren Prefecture, he had been constantly reading books and papers. He was no longer the ignorant greenhorn he once was.

Both his robes and the carving knife pendant clearly indicated the man’s identity.

The Chen Family’s Mountain Master!

‘This is bad.’

The middle-aged man’s eyelids twitched, a sign he was about to regain consciousness.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lin Shu shot forward, his tall boot ruthlessly stomping down and crushing the man’s skull.

A sickening CRUNCH echoed as red and white matter splattered across the ground.

[Murderers and arsonists get golden belts; bridge-builders and road-menders are left with no remains. One Spiritual Object killed. Reward: 5,000 taels of Sin Coin. Additional reward: one mace of Karma Fire Gold Essence.]

The moment he saw the prompt, Lin Shu’s eyelid twitched.

As he looked again at the man’s wretched state, covered in sword-like gashes, a strange feeling stirred deep within him.

‘Now I don’t have to worry about how to handle this fool anymore.’

‘As if I have the power to “handle” him…’

Despite his madness and severe injuries, he had genuinely bested a Golden Core Cultivator in a deadly fight!

“GA GA! Master Lin is so strong.”

The fool gave a simple-minded laugh and put his clothes back on.

In his simple mind, Master Lin had said he could come to him if he got beaten up. He had done just that, and Master Lin had unhesitatingly helped him get even.

This proved that their earlier promise was real.

He said earnestly, “If Master Lin gets beaten up, you have to tell the fool, too.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Lin Shu gave a helpless smile, rolled up the man’s corpse, and put it into his Storage Bag.

‘He had a good guess as to what had happened. This Golden Core Realm disciple from the Chen Family had mysteriously appeared deep in the mountains, likely hunting Demon Monarch Bi Hai, and had then run into the fool.’

‘Forget anyone else; even Lin Shu himself would have been curious if he’d seen such a bizarre figure running wildly around the Demon Mountain.’

‘It was just that this disciple was far too arrogant, attacking at the slightest provocation. Who could have known he’d picked a fight with someone he couldn’t handle?’

Judging from the fool’s injuries, while they were severe, they were clearly not life-threatening.

The Chen Family’s Mountain Master’s only chance to win was the wound on the man’s Adam’s apple, but unfortunately, he hadn’t managed to cut deep enough.

Even taking into account the factor of ‘carelessness’ on his part.

The fool’s strength was likely greater than this Mountain Master Disciple’s; he was a genuine Golden Core Powerhouse.

“Hurry back now. Don’t tell anyone you saw me.”

Lin Shu glanced over, his expression complex. He had inexplicably scored five thousand taels of Sin Coin. ‘What a bizarre situation.’

‘After all, the fool had been quite hostile toward me at first.’

‘It was all thanks to Old Yang that the two of them had their current relationship.’

‘The world works in strange and mysterious ways.’

“Okay! The fool is going back now.”

The man nodded as if he half-understood, then turned and trotted off down the mountain.

Then his foot slipped, and he rolled down to the foot of the mountain like a barrel. He climbed back up, dusted off his behind, and continued running off as if nothing had happened.

“Sigh.”

Lin Shu stood on the spot, lost in thought for a long time.

He wasn’t reveling in the joy of his windfall; instead, his brows were tightly knit.

‘A Golden Core Senior of such immense power, who had lost his mind and hidden in an academy sweeping floors for decades… To say he wasn’t carrying some earth-shattering trouble with him? I wouldn’t believe it.’

‘Knowing myself, now that I have benefited from the man, it’s inevitable that I’ll get dragged into his affairs down the line.’

But soon, Lin Shu’s furrowed brow relaxed.

‘Speaking of trouble, I’m already planning to provoke that Young Master Qi. What right do I have to be picky about who I get involved with?’

‘In for a penny, in for a pound. No point in worrying needlessly.’

‘Better to regulate my breathing first.’

He turned, returned to his cave residence, and sat down. He poured all five thousand taels of Sin Coin into the Jade-Boned Golden Lion Statue.

The already-loosened barrier was now easily broken through.

[Golden Core Eighth Grade. Demon Lion Suppressing Treasure Body: Perfection]

A vast black light transformed entirely into Qi and Blood Power, merging into Lin Shu’s Physique.

Not only had his Immortal Technique broken through the Eighth Grade, it had even reached the threshold of the Seventh Grade.

“Seriously? Why am I still stuck in the middle!”

Lin Shu clenched his fists, not knowing whether to laugh or be angry.

‘But one had to know when to be content.’

‘It was Sin Coin I got for free, after all.’

The gains from this trip had already far exceeded his expectations.

An Eighth Grade Perfection Body Tempering Technique, with quite a bit of overflow on top of that. As long as he didn’t run into any of those monstrously talented freaks, it was enough for him to secure a firm footing among Early-stage Golden Core cultivators.

Besides, as long as he was qualified to fight a Golden Core, his efficiency at earning money would surely take a quantum leap!

He stood up, not even taking the time to acclimate to his new Physique.

‘Time is short. I should head back.’