C22 Rainy Night Killing!

Chapter Twenty-Two: A Rainy Night's Rampage

"This individual is somewhat unique..."

The warrior who first received the news wore an expression of apprehension. Glancing around as if seeking approval, he turned his gaze to Lu Xincheng.

In that moment, Lu Xincheng knew he couldn't afford to miss this chance to smooth things over with Lin Xi. The miraculous survival from poisoning and Lin Xi's astonishing deeds had convinced him of a formidable fate entwined with Lin Xi. Whatever befell Lin Xi seemed within the realm of possibility.

Lu Xincheng was unconcerned with who the mastermind might be. In all of Rosehaven, there were only so many powers and families—it was either them or us. Yet, of all these forces, it was the Lin family alone that he regarded with a hint of trepidation. To say he was scared or unwilling to provoke them might be an overstatement.

He had a compelling reason, after all:

Lin Xi was the esteemed son-in-law of the Lu family. If not him, then whom should he support?

Lu Xincheng gave a nod of affirmation.

"Let's be clear. Whoever dares to lay a hand on Lin Xi is challenging my Lu family. Neither the Lin family nor the Lu family will show any mercy to such a person!" His words rang with integrity and were beyond reproach, infuriating Feng Buyi to the point of nearly twisting his nose, while Hua Rong felt a nauseating sensation.

Even Lu Xiaoyun hadn't anticipated her father stepping forward so resolutely to defend Lin Xi. But considering Qin Sihuang, the Second Chief of the Wild Wolf Mercenary Group, who now called Lin Xi a brother, and the valuable storage bag gifted by Qu Shui of the Treasure Gathering Pot Trading Company, Lu Xiaoyun conceded that her father's actions were justified.

Moreover, with Lin Xi's meteoric rise, would Lin Batian remain indifferent? Could it be that all the elders of the Lin family would continue to treat Lin Xi with their former disdain? If so, the Lin family was surely on the brink of collapse.

The warrior, having received the head of the family's consent, swallowed hard:

"Yes... Patriarch..."

He bowed respectfully to Lin Xi.

"Young Master Lin, this man is an old servant of the Lin family, Qiu Jianmin, Old Qiu..."

A wave of astonishment swept through the crowd, leaving them bewildered.

"Really? Old Qiu has been with the Lin family for nearly twenty years, always keeping his head down and never showing any martial arts skills. I can believe he might have slipped Lin Erpo some poison—after all, you don't need martial arts for that, right? But to say he killed Lin Yongsheng and Lin Erpo? Who would buy that? Could he even kill a chicken if he had to?"

"That's not necessarily true. What if Old Qiu has been secretly practicing martial arts all this time, keeping his skills hidden from everyone?"

"Well, if it was Old Qiu, it would make some sense. Lin Xi is a constant pain for the Lin Qiu Clan, and a source of shame for Young Master Lin Dong. The desire to eliminate Lin Xi and prevent his rise is a powerful motive indeed..."

"But a motive isn't the same as evidence. Even if Old Qiu was behind it all, who saw him hand over the poison to Lin Erpo? Who witnessed him killing Lin Yongsheng and Lin Erpo? Without a confession, who could possibly hold him accountable?"

...

The hall was buzzing with various clamors and arguments.

Lu Xincheng, responsible for Lin Xi's well-being, remained silent. He was done discussing the lack of evidence.

In Rosehaven, as in the entire Qing Soup Region, strength was revered. With the right reason—or even without any reason at all—conflicts could escalate to bloodshed in an instant. The key was to be more powerful than your adversaries.

Though Old Qiu was a long-standing servant of the Lin Qiu Clan and by extension, part of the Lin family, he was also a member of the Qiu family. Who would dare to detain and interrogate him, let alone accuse him outright?

At that moment, Lin Xi was quietly slicing his wrist, ready to let his blood drip into a jade bottle.

Lu Xincheng stepped forward quickly, intervening.

"Lin Xi, this isn't the way! The Lu family helping you uncover the truth is a given; there's no need for your blood. Besides, losing too much blood is bad for your health!"

In that moment, Lu Xincheng truly embodied the image of a compassionate and protective father-in-law.

Lin Xi paused, fixing Lu Xincheng with a stare for a moment before breaking into a smile.

"Alright, I'll accept this favor from the Lu family head. Rest assured, I will repay it in the future..."

With that, Lin Xi rose and made his way to the kitchen.

He was intent on preparing the green lizard thigh he had acquired.

The leg of a level four demonic beast should yield a drop of green dew, potent enough to help him break through the late-stage threshold of a Realm of Might Warrior!

Despite the lack of evidence linking the poisoning and assassination attempt to him, Lin Xi was convinced that it all tied back to Lin Dong or the Qiu family.

He wondered if his next meal might catalyze another breakthrough.

...

The midday incidents at the Lucky Mug spread rapidly through Rosehaven like a gust of wind.

The news that Lin Xi had survived the poison and seemingly advanced to an early-stage Warrior, ascending to at least the fourth level of the Realm of Might, was met with disbelief.

Lin Xi could transform into four petals of flying flowers at the first level of the Fallen Leaves and Flying Flowers Steps.

Using his hand as a blade, he could execute a slash that bloomed like a flower. At the first level of the Flying Flower Blade, his hand transformed into four shadowy blades.

Such an extraordinary pace of progress caused an uproar among all the martial cultivators.

At the Lin family estate, Lin Dong shattered a valuable teacup, struggling to maintain the composure expected of a noble and preeminent genius.

...

Lin Nan stood in a daze as his underling reported back to him, the buzzing in his ears like a swarm of bees. He later sought out his mother, Lin Huangshi, to demand that certain item.

"Mother, do you still believe that you shouldn't give it to me?"

...

Upon hearing the news, Lin Yuantu, Lin Fan's father, was drenched in a cold sweat, his murderous intent palpable. Glancing at Lin Fan, who was recovering in bed, he gritted his teeth and stormed out without a word.

...

Lin Xi, who had been diligently training in a secret chamber, was interrupted by an attendant who burst in to relay the latest on Lin Xi.

Stunned for a moment, Lin Xi then burst into laughter:

"Truly defying the heavens. Excellent, excellent. He will make a fine adversary..."

As he spoke, he continued his rigorous training with laughter.

...

At that moment, the Lin family's head steward was being assaulted by Lin Qiu, who demanded to know who had given Lin Xi the Lin family's yellow level cultivation techniques and four skills.

Lin Biyun was bloodied and nearly beaten to death.

Lin Qiu, being at the Half Step of the Realm of Essence, faced no difficulty in delivering the punishment.

Yet, regardless of Lin Qiu's ferocious beating, Lin Biyun remained silent.

Just then, Lin Batian arrived on the scene and, for the first time, intervened to stop Lin Qiu's rampage.

"I was the one who gave them to him. If you're angry, take it out on me!"

Lin Qiu was on the brink of madness, screaming furiously:

"Lin Batian, you'll regret this. If you think you can bully me like this, you're mistaken. My maternal family won't stand for it!"

...

The Lin family was already in disarray.

Throughout Rosehaven, from the afternoon until the stroke of midnight, the Lucky Mug was a hub of tension and eerie quietude as it closed up for the night.

...

Closing time had come at last.

Lin Xi finally removed his leather apron and let out a sigh.

This was his first time consuming Green Lizard meat. He believed that with this meal, advancing to the later stages of the Realm of Might, beyond the strength of six pythons, should be well within reach.

It's worth noting that while he wasn't the first in Rosehaven to feast on the flesh of a near-fourth-level demonic beast, he was certainly the first youth to do so.

Lin Dong was considered the top prodigy of Rosehaven, but would he dare to try the Green Lizard meat?

It would be surprising if his body could withstand the overwhelming energy.

Yet, despite this, the Green Lizard meat failed to fully condense the droplet of Green Dew on the eaves.

To Lin Xi, the droplet seemed ripe and plump enough to fall at any moment.

But no matter how much Lin Xi willed it, the Green Dew remained stubbornly in place.

It appeared that for the droplet to fall, it still required the absorption of more energy.

By this time, Lin Xi had transformed an entire Green Lizard thigh into jerky and packed it into his storage bag.

While installing it, Lin Xi was startled.

He discovered that the space inside the storage bag was a whopping ten feet in all dimensions. A storage bag of this caliber was truly a rarity in Rosehaven.

After cleaning the countertop, Reed eagerly assisted him.

Reed resided in the inn, which provided him with both lodging and a night watch position, covering all his needs.

This comforted Lin Xi.

"Remember, do not open the door for any noises you hear at night. No exceptions, not even for members of the Lin family."

Reed was sharp-witted, feeling a mix of fear and excitement in his heart.

"Xi, I've reached Level Three Warrior status now. I should have some ability to defend myself, right?"

Level Three...

Lin Xi patted Reed's head.

"Trust me, Reed. Don't make me worry about you, okay?"

Reed understood that Lin Xi was up against a great deal of malice and targeting.

Determined not to cause Xi any trouble, he wholeheartedly agreed.

Lin Xi stepped out of the Lucky Mug and gazed at the sky, shrouded in dark clouds and distant thunder. The air felt oppressively heavy and moist, constricting his breathing.

"The rainy season is here, and it truly does rain every day..."

...

At that moment, Rosehaven was shrouded in darkness and gloom, with the silhouettes of various buildings casting monstrous shadows.

The streets were deserted.

Nobody was out wandering just before a downpour.

Yet, there were those few who had their sights set on Lin Xi.

He could hear faint, disordered footsteps trailing him from a distance. His heart raced with nervousness, yet he was also tingling with excitement.

"Green lizard meat is tough for extracting the perfect drop of green dew, but the stick man... Hmph..."

He was convinced that by continuously studying the stick man's execution of the first stage of the Fallen Leaves Flying Flower Steps and the Flying Flower Blade Technique, he could master the first stage of these two skills to the fifth or even the sixth petal.

The Fallen Leaves Flying Flower Steps, a technique that allowed for instantaneous shifts between five positions, might not overpower a late-stage Warrior, but it would be very difficult for them to harm or capture him.

And with the first stage of the Flying Flower Blade Technique, he had already demonstrated the ability to wield the blade with the agility of four petals.

In the blink of an eye, the blade shifted through four positions. How many in a place like Rosehaven could possibly block that? As long as I can successfully unleash the Five Petal Flower Blade, even if my strength doesn't match that of a late-stage Realm of Might Warrior, who can match my blade speed?

With this thought, Lin Xi pulled a large chunk of green lizard meat from his storage bag and began to chew vigorously.

In his mind, he silently summoned, "Stick man, come out!"