Chapter 6: A Reunion with Wang Tiezhu and Moving to the T-Junction Neighborhood

“Bang!”

Lin Chuan awoke from a pleasant dream with a start, initially thinking it was the landlord coming to demand rent—until he saw the dilapidated door of his home shattered into pieces like brittle crackers. Three towering, ironclad men blocked the doorway, their six eyes glowing green as they stared at him.

“Kid,” sneered the scar-faced leader, rubbing his hands together maliciously, “you bought those things from the Herbal Hall, didn’t you?”

Lin Chuan scrambled upright on his makeshift “bed,” his mind still foggy. “Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb!” roared the pudgy man on the left, his face rough and brutish. “The gray crystal ore with its companion minerals!”

Lin Chuan instantly snapped to attention, frantically calling out to his companion in his mind. “Damn! How do they know?!”

His friend’s voice was equally shocked. “That shouldn’t be possible... besides the Herbal Hall’s shopkeeper, no one knew about it...”

“The shopkeeper?!” Lin Chuan nearly shouted. “Didn’t he sell that pile of stones off as worthless scrap? Could this all be his trap?”

“Highly likely...” his friend quickly analyzed, “though other possibilities can’t be ruled out either.”

Before the analysis could finish, the three burly men grew impatient. The scar-faced one waved his hand. “If you won’t drink the toast, you’ll have to drink the penalty! Charge!”

Like three human tanks, they charged forward. Lin Chuan could even smell the mixture of sweat and alcohol emanating from them.

At the critical moment, his companion shouted in his mind, “Jump off the bed!”

Lin Chuan reacted instinctively, pushing off with his feet, propelling himself backward.

With a rumble, the bed made of dirt and straw collapsed instantly, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

“Cough, cough...” The three men were momentarily blinded by the dust, their movements faltering.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Chuan smashed through the unstable wooden rear wall and somersaulted outside like a lazy donkey rolling on the ground.

The morning sunlight stabbed his eyes, but he had no time to care—he sprinted away.

“Bad luck! Bad luck! Bad luck!” Lin Chuan wailed in his mind, his feet flying. “It’s only my second day in Destiny City, and I’m already being hunted!”

His companion calmly directed, “Turn left! That house ahead! Block C, number 311!”

Lin Chuan made a sharp turn, crashing like a cannonball into another equally decrepit wooden shack.

Just as he was about to collide with the door, it suddenly swung open from inside—

“Bang!”

“Ouch!”

Lin Chuan crashed solidly into a rock-hard chest, and both tumbled to the ground.

When he staggered to his feet, dazed, he met a familiar face.

“Brother Wang?!”

The owner of the solid chest was none other than Wang Tiezhu, who had rushed to the market outside the city to aid Lin Chuan after he was struck by lightning yesterday.

Wang obviously recognized him too. “Little brother Lin, what are you doing here...?”

Before Lin Chuan could explain, raucous footsteps sounded behind them.

The three men chased after with murderous intent, the scar-faced one now brandishing a gleaming short knife.

Thinking quickly, Lin Chuan grabbed Wang Tiezhu’s arm. “Brother Wang, help! They’re trying to assault me!”

“What?!” Wang’s eyes widened like copper bells, his dark face flushed with anger. “To dare to forcibly seize an innocent man in broad daylight!”

The three men reached the doorway, ignoring Wang’s blocking stance, reaching out to grab Lin Chuan.

“Get lost!” the scar-faced man snarled viciously.

Wang, enraged, laughed defiantly. “You’ve got some nerve!”

What followed was a masterclass in professional combat. Wang stepped forward like an arrow, grabbing the scar-faced man’s wrist holding the knife with his left hand, and with his right fist, he struck solidly into the man’s nose.

“Crack!” The crisp sound of bones breaking was accompanied by the scar-faced man’s agonized scream.

The other two men hadn’t reacted yet when Wang swept one’s legs, toppling the fat man, then spun to deliver an elbow strike squarely to the third man’s chin.

The latter collapsed like a felled log, spitting out a bloodied tooth.

The entire sequence took less than three seconds.

“Brother Wang is mighty!” Lin Chuan watched in awe, applauding involuntarily.

The scar-faced man clutched his bloodied nose, threatening feebly, “You... do you even know who we work for? Dare to meddle...”

Wang sneered and swung his huge fist. “I don’t care who you work for!”

“Thud!” The scar-faced man fell, joining his unconscious comrades.

Before Wang could ask why Lin Chuan was being hunted by these three burly men, Lin Chuan dragged him away, fleeing with all their might.

The reason was clear: his companion had spotted the infuriated landlord rushing over.

Knowing the landlord’s greedy nature, Lin Chuan was sure he’d demand exorbitant compensation for the broken wooden house.

The two slipped out of Block C like thieves, slowing only after confirming no one pursued them.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Wang finally asked, “Lin, little brother, how did you end up with those three on your tail?”

Lin Chuan sighed and recounted every detail of his lucky find at the Herbal Hall.

Wang slapped his thigh after hearing it all. “Sounds like it’s the Herbal Hall’s shopkeeper, Zhou, who set this up!”

“I thought so too,” Lin Chuan shook his head ruefully. “Times are hard; crooked merchants are everywhere.”

Suddenly, Lin Chuan had a question. “Wait, where do we go now? Won’t the Herbal Hall people...”

“Don’t worry,” Wang said with a mysterious smile. “I’ll take you somewhere safe.”

Half an hour later, Lin Chuan stood in front of a modest but proper brick-and-wood house, tears of gratitude welling up. “Brother Wang, is this... heaven?”

Compared to the leaky, drafty, and downright shabby “shack” he slept in last night, this humble brick courtyard was like a five-star hotel!

“This is Block D in Destiny City,” Wang explained. “The spiritual energy concentration here is twice that of Block W. The key is—” he lowered his voice, “the landlords here are at least late-stage Spirit Martial cultivators. The Herbal Hall people wouldn’t dare cause trouble here.”

Lin Chuan’s eyes lit up. “And the rent...?”

“Four taels of silver a day,” Wang replied.

“Four taels?!” Lin Chuan nearly bit his tongue. “That’s enough to live in Block W for four days!”

Wang patted his shoulder. “Safety first. Besides, don’t you have Stardust Sand to sell now? Selling it will cover eighty-four days here easily.”

Before finishing, Lin Chuan had already pulled out his purse. “I’ll rent it! Absolutely!”

While registering, Lin Chuan looked at the landlord’s swollen temples and large, fan-like hands, instantly feeling secure—this man was clearly a master!

“Brother Wang,” Lin suddenly had an idea, “why don’t we share a courtyard? We can watch out for each other.”

Wang scratched his head. “I... don’t have the money...”

“That’s easy!” Lin slapped down two months’ rent grandly. “My treat! Consider it thanks for your help twice!”

In truth, Lin’s mental calculations were firing wildly: Wang Tiezhu could take down three early Body Refinement warriors in mere moves; he must be at least late Body Refinement or even Spirit Martial realm.

Hiring a possibly Spirit Martial-level bodyguard for four taels of silver a day was a steal.

Wang’s eyes reddened with emotion. “Lin, little brother, I don’t know how to thank you...”

“No need!” Lin pulled him into a shoulder hug. “We’re brothers now!”

And so, the two happily moved into their new home. The courtyard was small but fully equipped: four side rooms, a tiny kitchen, and a shared yard.

The greatest delight for Lin Chuan was that the yard had a well and its own privy! No more scary surprises when going to the latrine at night.

After settling in, Lin collapsed onto the solid wooden bed, sighing contentedly, “Now this is living...”

His companion murmured softly inside the ring, “Your hands were shaking when you paid just now.”

“Of course!” Lin rolled his eyes inwardly. “Two months’ rent is thirty taels of gold—I’m bleeding inside!”

...

After breakfast, Lin lay on the bed lost in thought. The spiritual energy in the commoner district was indeed much stronger, and he could feel the cool energy subtly permeating his body with every breath.

“Little buddy,” Lin suddenly asked, “when do you think I’ll break through to Body Refinement level three?”

Yesterday’s herbal bath, a first for Lin Chuan, had catapulted him from an ordinary youth to the early stage of Body Refinement level two.

But the benefits of being a “first-timer” would not come again; as his body grew stronger, each herbal bath and training session would yield diminishing returns.

“At the current rate, two more baths should do it,” his companion replied. “But...”

“But what?”

“You need a better formula,” his friend said. “The spiritual energy here can support a more potent herbal bath. I’ll improve the recipe for you.”

Lin suddenly grew anxious. “Wait, this time’s ‘a bit painful’ won’t be like pouring acid on me again, right?”

His companion chuckled. “Don’t worry, at worst, it’ll feel like being stung by a swarm of hornets.”

Lin: “...”