Chapter 24

An hour later, several people carried two large chests inside.

Dong Xuan, drenched in sweat, said, "Time is too tight, I really couldn't gather that much cash. Here is a silver ticket worth 4,000 taels, which is all I have..."

"Fine."

Gu Yang didn't make it difficult for him. He took the silver ticket, picked up the two large chests, and left.

Tianshui City is a small town, and all the ways to make money are controlled by various forces. Dong Xuan is a martial artist with high expenses. This amount of money would leave him financially crippled, and he would have to sell a lot of things to gather it.

By squeezing out such a large sum, he felt he had vented his anger, and his desire to kill had diminished.

After all, Dong Xuan's daughter had been his wife in the simulation, so there was some affection between them.

That one strike should leave a shadow in Dong Xuan's heart, making it very difficult for him to advance in martial arts thereafter.

This was like personally ending his martial life, and the punishment was enough.

Gu Yang carried the two large wooden chests through the streets, drawing everyone's attention, but no one dared to approach, all keeping a safe distance.

Anyone who could carry two such large chests must be a martial artist, and ordinary people naturally kept their distance.

Back at the inn, he went upstairs. Seeing no one was paying attention, he opened the system and chose to recharge.

【Recharge successful, current balance: 8217.4.】

Seeing this balance, Gu Yang felt particularly reassured. Over 8,000 taels was enough for eight simulations. With good luck, he might even break through to the Fifth Rank.

At that time, he would have a good chance of dealing with the assassins sent by the Liu family.

He returned to his room, placed the two empty chests in the corner, and sat down by the bed. Before he could speak, Su Qingzhi had already brought a basin of hot water, washed a towel, and handed it to him.

So she had already adapted to her new role?

Gu Yang was somewhat surprised, having to admit that people's adaptability is truly remarkable.

Last night, she was still putting on the airs of a young lady, but now she was willing to bring him water.

He took out the jade hairpin and inserted it back into her hair, saying, "Returning it to its rightful owner."

Su Qingzhi and the other girl were both curious about how he had brought back the two chests, but neither asked.

After washing his face, Gu Yang said, "I'm going to practice my skills."

Su Qingzhi and the other girl left the room.

...

【Do you want to use the Life Simulator? Each use costs 1000 points.】

"Yes."

【At 22 years old, you are already a Sixth Rank martial artist. After leaving Liu Family Village, you saved Su Qingzhi in Wang Family Gully. The next day, the Liu family caught up with you, and you killed them all.】

【Ten days later, you arrived in Tianshui City. You designed a scheme to extort Dong Xuan, obtaining 12,000 taels.】

【You defeated Dong Xuan with one strike, which was witnessed by Lin Zhirui, a young man from the Lin family. That night, he came to the inn, trying to recruit you into the Lin family, but you refused.】

【Five days later, you encountered a swordsman on the road who challenged you. After three moves, he killed you and left. You died at the age of 22.】

After reading this, Gu Yang was stunned.

This time, he died even faster than in the previous simulation.

Where did this swordsman come from?

He originally thought that reaching the Sixth Rank would give him some self-defense ability, but it turned out he was still easily killed.

Last time, it was the assassins sent by the Liu family.

This time, who sent the swordsman?

"Could it be Lin Zhirui?"

Gu Yang thought that the only variable in this simulation was Lin Zhirui's attempt to recruit him, which he refused.

The Lin family, which he had encountered in several simulations, was one of the top families in Jiangzhou.

"Damn, are these aristocratic children all toxic? Refusing their recruitment means they want to kill you?"

He was almost trembling with anger. This world was too unfriendly to martial artists like him who came from humble backgrounds. Refuse to serve the aristocracy, and you're marked for death...

Wait, that's not right. In previous simulations, he had refused recruitment before without being killed.

"Then this Lin Zhirui must have a particularly narrow mind."

He recalled that when he defeated Dong Xuan in the pawnshop, there were indeed two people at the door, one old and one young, both with remarkable presence.

The young one must have been Lin Zhirui.

However, these two quickly left, and he didn't pay much attention at the time.

【Simulation ended. You can retain one of the following:】

【1. Martial realm at 22 years old.】

【2. Martial experience at 22 years old.】

【3. Life wisdom at 22 years old.】

Gu Yang thought for a moment and chose the third option.

Soon, his mind was filled with a new memory, the scene of Lin Zhirui coming to recruit him, and the moment he was killed by the swordsman.

"Seems normal enough."

From this memory, Lin Zhirui appeared to have the demeanor of a noble. He didn't get angry when refused, just showed some regret and left.

No one could tell that he had already harbored murderous intentions.

"Stay away from these aristocratic children, because you never know if you'll run into a psychopath."

This was his final insight before dying in this simulated life.

...

This world is truly dangerous.

Gu Yang sighed again. Even with Sixth Rank strength, he could still be killed over a small matter.

He was still too weak.

He felt a great sense of crisis and knew he needed to quickly improve his strength.

However, Gu Yang didn't rush into a second simulation. Each simulation was precious and couldn't be wasted.

"Qingzhi."

He called Su Qingzhi over and asked, "Do you know anything about the Lin family?"

Su Qingzhi was slightly taken aback, "Which Lin family?"

"Besides that Lin family, which other Lin family?"

Su Qingzhi, though puzzled by his sudden question, explained, "The Lin family is one of the top families in Jiangzhou, a branch of the Lin family, one of the ten major surnames in the world. Its head is a First Rank powerhouse, ranked 15th on the First Rank list..."

She recounted everything she knew about the Lin family.

The Lin family was the top family in Jiangzhou, and many people had to bow to them. Studying the Lin family's figures was a required course for all major and minor forces in Jiangzhou.

Gu Yang listened carefully and finally heard Lin Zhirui's name. He was a direct descendant of the Lin family, the current head's grandson, and had shown outstanding talent from a young age, receiving personal training from the head.

This meant that Lin Zhirui would inevitably become one of the core figures of the Lin family.

As for his specific cultivation level, Su Qingzhi didn't know.

After listening, Gu Yang felt quite troubled.

The Lin family was undoubtedly a massive force, far surpassing the Liu family. It had at least two First Rank experts and several Second Rank experts.

This was the top family that dominated a province.

How to deal with Lin Zhirui?