Jiang Chen heard Lin Yanyu's voice transmission, but his expression didn't change in the slightest.
Lin Yanyu transmitted again: "The first two points are absolutely true. The third, I don't have solid evidence, but from my own quiet observation, there's a good seventy to eighty percent chance it's real. Fellow Daoist Huang can feel it out for himself over time. Just… whatever you do, don't tell anyone I was the one who told you. If that gets out, Lin here wouldn't have enough lives to survive."
Lin Yanyu gave a bitter smile, cupped his fists toward Jiang Chen, and only then did he tiptoe away.
Jiang Chen furrowed his brow and didn't even watch the retreating figure.
A man as cautious as Lin Yanyu must have summoned a great deal of courage to share this kind of intel. Looking at him, he really had steeled himself.
Jiang Chen sighed inwardly: Everyone has their own way of surviving. This Lin Yanyu might seem meek, but he had his own principles. I gave him a few extra spirit stones, but that was really just the fair price for the Eight Treasures Misfortune-Breaking Pill. Yet he refused to take it for free and tossed in several bits of information instead. An interesting fellow.
Truth be told, Jiang Chen genuinely respected this kind of man.
His life wasn't exactly bold or commanding — even overly cautious, if anything. But the man had a backbone. Even when down on his luck, he wouldn't take advantage of anyone.
That sort of character was something many of the true top powerhouses in the martial world couldn't necessarily claim.
As for the Eight Treasures Misfortune-Breaking Pill, Jiang Chen had no use for it.
Having refined the Golden Cicada bloodline, both he and Huang'er were immune to all poisons. No miasma or toxic fog could touch them.
What did catch Jiang Chen's attention, however, were the pieces of information Lin Yanyu had provided.
The first point, after his own observations, Jiang Chen had already figured out — this position was indeed one that the strong had willingly yielded and had no interest in fighting over.
The second, too, he had noticed on his own. There were indeed hidden powerhouses lurking nearby, easily ten times stronger than the Five Friends of Ghost Den.
But the third point was critical.
If there really was a secret alliance in the shadows, Jiang Chen absolutely had to investigate. Such alliances were never reliable, and he had no intention of allying with anyone.
Still, an alliance like this was, in plain terms, a way to set the rules and carve up the spoils.
To put it more bluntly, the strong wanted a monopoly — to shut everyone else out so that only their small circle would profit.
Jiang Chen didn't want to be excluded by this alliance, nor did he want such a group secretly sabotaging his plans.
So knowing about this alliance was essential. Even if he couldn't break it, he needed to become part of it. Not because he particularly needed their help, but because he refused to sit there like a fool while being left out.
While his thoughts were churning, a furious shout suddenly erupted from not far away: "Beat it!"
Jiang Chen's attention snapped toward the source of the voice, brow furrowing. Lin Yanyu's figure had reappeared in his line of sight.
Lin Yanyu was biting his lip, his face set with stubborn defiance as he stared at the burly man who had shouted at him. "Friend, you accepted the pill, so you owe me the money. It's not as if you can't afford two hundred thousand saint-grade spirit stones. If you don't want it, return the pill."
The man he was speaking to was a hulking brute with a tiger's back and a bear's waist. Several cultivators had gathered around him, all watching Lin Yanyu with mocking grins.
These cultivators looked a notch stronger than the Five Friends of Ghost Den and had staked out a position reasonably close to the entrance.
"I'm doing you a favor by even taking one of your pills — raising your reputation, you hear? If it's really as good as you say, I'll consider paying you after we come out of the Wasteland. Pay you now? Who knows if you're just a scammer, right, brothers?"
The brute's logic was absurd, yet he delivered it with absolute conviction, as though stiffing someone was the most reasonable thing in the world.
Lin Yanyu had been out in the jianghu long enough to recognize a deadbeat when he saw one. The promise to pay after coming out? Total nonsense.
If they wouldn't pay now, why would they pay later?
"Friend, this is a small business, and since we've only just met, I can't extend credit. If you won't pay, please return the pill."
Lin Yanyu's voice trembled slightly, but he had mustered the nerve to collect his debt.
"Are you going to scram or not?" The brute's expression darkened, his gaze turning murderous as he stared Lin Yanyu down. "Believe it or not, I'll slap you to death with one palm?"
Lin Yanyu's eyes reddened, hesitation flickering across his face, but he still shook his head. "Return my pill and I'll leave immediately."
The brute let out a savage laugh. "You're asking for death."
In the world of rogue cultivators, the law of the jungle was nothing new. Seeing Lin Yanyu dare to pitch pills to the Six Wolves of Yanshan was like a lamb walking straight into a tiger's mouth.
And he wanted payment? He'd be lucky to keep his life.
The Five Friends of Ghost Den were arrogant, sure, but they were mainly just posturing. If you wanted to talk about real evil, even all five of them combined wouldn't amount to a tenth of the Six Wolves of Yanshan.
The Six Wolves of Yanshan were notorious bandits who operated across the various regions of the human domain. They specifically targeted isolated rogue cultivators, and they were ruthless — never leaving any room for mercy. Anyone who fell into their hands, if the Wolves were in a good mood, would get a quick blade and that was that. In a bad mood, they would torture their victim slowly before finally killing them. And if the captive was a female cultivator, things were far worse.
A female cultivator captured by the Six Wolves of Yanshan would wish for death. The six of them would take turns, using every twisted torture technique imaginable. They wouldn't even need to kill her with their own hands — she would simply be tormented to death.