Chapter 1603 - 1604: Hei Shui Gang
The man chuckled lightly, "This young brother, I know the secret alliance you mentioned."
"Is that so?" Lin Chen squinted at the guy.
"But to get information, you need to pay some fees," the skinny man said with a smile.
Lin Chen nodded, "Sure, name your price."
Upon hearing this, the skinny man laughed, "Brother, you're indeed straightforward, let's settle at a flat rate of three hundred crystal stones."
Upon hearing the price offered, Feng Jiu immediately cursed, "This kid is really damn greedy, three hundred crystal stones, why doesn't he just rob, Lin Chen, this message is worth at most thirty crystal stones, not a single more."
Feng Jiu was well-versed in the celestial realm and very familiar with the market.
Lin Chen looked at the skinny man and smiled faintly, "It doesn't matter, if his information is genuine, I'm willing to pay three hundred crystal stones."
"You fellow, you're quite a romantic. If you're willing to be taken advantage of, I won't interfere," Feng Jiu said, slightly frustrated.
Lin Chen looked coldly at the skinny man, "I can pay you the three hundred crystal stones, but you must ensure your information is accurate."
The skinny man chuckled, "Rest assured, brother, my information is absolutely correct."
"How do you prove it?" Lin Chen asked solemnly.
The skinny man thought for a moment, "I can swear an oath to the heavens, guaranteeing the information is true."
Lin Chen wasn't fond of oaths and was about to refuse, but Feng Jiu said, "If he's willing to swear an oath, it means this matter might be true."
"Hmm!" Lin Chen was taken aback.
On Earth, oaths are meaningless to those who lack integrity.
Feng Jiu explained, "Here, oaths can affect future cultivation. If a false oath is made, inner demons will arise when trying to reach higher levels of power, so generally, people don't joke with oaths here."
With Feng Jiu's explanation, Lin Chen relaxed and said to the man, "Alright, swear your oath."
With one hand raised to the heavens, the skinny man declared, "If the information I provide is false or inaccurate, may I die without a whole corpse, struck down by thunder."
Upon hearing the oath, Lin Chen nodded, and with a thought, placed three hundred crystal stones on the table.
Seeing the three hundred crystal stones on Lin Chen's table, many eyes around gleamed with greed.
Lin Chen naturally understood the principle of not flaunting wealth, but he was desperate to save Xue Ying and needed the information immediately.
The man glanced at the crystal stones on the table, his eyes filled with joy, and said, "I went to Heishui City recently, joined the Hei Shui gang, and heard that its predecessor was linked to the secret alliance. Our gang leader seems to be named Xu Fu."
To prove his words, he also took out a token.
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen felt a burst of excitement in his heart.
Everything matched, proving the man's words were not false.
Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction, "Alright, since your information is genuine, the crystal stones on the table are yours."
The man hurriedly pocketed the crystal stones and left happily.
Lin Chen quickly finished his meal and left the restaurant.
As Lin Chen walked away, many eyes watched with envy.
This kid whipped out so many crystal stones at once without blinking, he must be wealthy.
Though some lacking strength were tempted, they dared not act.
But they say people die for wealth and birds die for food; just after Lin Chen left, a figure followed him.
The person was none other than the one who sold Lin Chen information.
The skinny man loved gambling and had recently lost all his crystal stones, accumulating heavy debts.
From his perception, the skinny man sensed Lin Chen's strength was only at the initial stage of immortal, while he had just advanced to high-stage immortal, so killing Lin Chen was no difficult task.
Once he killed Lin Chen and hid, no one would know. He could pay off his debts and gamble happily again.
Greed finally outweighed reason.
As Lin Chen just left the restaurant, Feng Jiu alerted him, "Lin Chen, someone seems to be eyeing you."
Lin Chen had already noticed a tail, he smiled faintly, "Since this guy seeks death, I shall grant him."
Feng Jiu had already briefed him on this world; here, it's a cultivation world where the strong prey on the weak.
If one is strong enough, they can kill freely. If weak, one must either cower or be killed.
Lin Chen didn't walk fast but to the skinny man's surprise, he walked into an empty forest.
Seeing Lin Chen enter the forest, the skinny man's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he rushed in.
As he entered the forest, he found no one around.
Just then, a lazy voice came from overhead, "Are you looking for me?"
Seeing Lin Chen, the man's face changed slightly, but he steadied himself, sneering, "Kid, if you're smart enough to hand over your crystal stones, I'll spare your life."
Lin Chen leaped down from the tree, "Really? Sorry, I'm not in the habit of giving away my money."
Upon hearing Lin Chen's words, the skinny man's eyes chilled, "Kid, you seek death, and I'll grant it."
Saying this, the skinny man's body shot out like lightning, lunging at Lin Chen.
However, just as his knife was about to strike Lin Chen, a golden light flashed before him, and he found himself immobile.
The next moment, he felt a tightness in his throat, Lin Chen had gripped it.
"Kid, be a decent person in your next life," Lin Chen said, then exerted force, crushing the skinny man's throat.
"Thud!" The skinny man fell to the ground with his eyes wide open.
Though Lin Chen's strength was only at the initial immortal stage, his means were such that even facing an immortal lord wouldn't faze him, so the man was simply unlucky.
After killing the martial artist, Lin Chen took his Qiankun Bag.
Disappointed, he found nothing valuable aside from the three hundred crystal stones he gave.
The only intriguing item was the token from Hei Shui gang in the Qiankun Bag.
This token would make Lin Chen's affairs in Heishui City much easier.
At this moment, Feng Jiu thought of something.
"You, you deliberately agreed to give that guy so many crystal stones to incite greed and have him attack you, didn't you?"
Lin Chen smiled, "Can't blame me if he's greedy. I was merely defending myself."
"Clever, but that's the way to survive in the celestial realm, or you won't know how you were killed," Feng Jiu sighed.
Having experienced much on Earth, Lin Chen was no longer the naive boy he once was.
Now, he was decisive in killing, knowing only by growing stronger could he truly protect those he loves.