The space suddenly shattered and collapsed but restored to normal in an instant.
All the Gu Worms disappeared, leaving only the empty shells of their molting on the ground, making one's scalp tingle.
In the blink of an eye, the girl wearing a cat-face mask disappeared from the spot, as if she had never been there.
The Butcher sighed in relief and spat on the ground: "Damn unlucky, encountering a Gu Master here? Fortunately, my boss is nearby. Dealing with this kind of old silver coin, the Ghost Slayer Path is still reliable."
Gu Jianlin remained silent, speculating about the girl's background.
However, the Butcher did not reply. Instead, he was rummaging on the ground, picking up rings, necklaces, and gold earrings that fell off the corpses and stuffing them into the hemp bag he carried. He said, "Don't you loot the bodies after killing? Clearly, you're not someone who knows how to live frugally."
Gu Jianlin was stunned; this guy really had greed burning in his head.
He only did such looting deep in the Forbidden Zone, primarily for the sake of the shelter's people.
"Let's go quickly; this is Mr. Liu's turf. With such a commotion, their people will be here soon. You're from the association and quite famous; they'll recognize you."
The Butcher signaled him with a wink: "I'll cover for you, and no one will know you were here."
At this point, Gu Jianlin was a bit surprised: "Aren't you afraid I'll sell you out?"
After all, he was from the Ether Association, natural enemies with these Fallen.
"Your father wasn't the kind of person to do that, and neither are you."
The Butcher pulled something from his bosom and tossed it over: "This is for you as a keepsake. If the day comes that your association can't sustain you anymore, you can come to find me. If I'm still alive, I can help you out."
Gu Jianlin took it and found it was the dagger his father had left, encased in crocodile skin.
Something in his heart seemed to be stirred, and he asked, "Are you sure you can handle Mr. Liu's men?"
The Butcher waved his hand and said grandly: "Do you even know who I am? Besides, I'm very clever!"
Gu Jianlin remained silent; he truly didn't see it.
"There's one more thing I must remind you of. Just now, that Gu Master mentioned the Qilin Wedge is in your hands? Let me give you a piece of advice: if your father really left you that cursed thing, hand it over quickly. You can't handle that! Whether you give it to the association or someone else, do it. Ideally, give it to me."
The Butcher said with a sly smile: "To be honest, there's a big shot behind me! I won't tell you who exactly, afraid of scaring you. But let me just say this: if the Qilin Wedge is really with you, and I help you transfer it to Him, you'll make a great achievement, never to... "
Gu Jianlin's face turned extremely strange.
Scholar, hiding in the corner, nearly burst out laughing.
"That thing is indeed not with me."
"Alright, if you say it isn't, then it isn't."
The Butcher was indeed easy to deal with. Suddenly, he remembered something and quickly said: "Oh right, the matter of the Parasitic Gu must be reported to the association. They won't believe us, so you have to handle it. A high-level Gu Master is like a troublemaker, a disaster wherever they go, and must be eliminated quickly."
Gu Jianlin was silent for a second, indicating he understood.
Meanwhile, familiar rhythms began to echo in his Life Perception.
Hmm, the captains were approaching.
The window of the bar's restroom was shattered, and a figure fell down with the broken glass.
The severely injured Lin Yuan staggered to his feet, his body convulsing with pain and drenched in cold sweat.
"Indeed, just a bunch of young brats. Coming to the Forbidden Zone to catch me without even setting an ambush."
He sneered: "Utterly foolish!"
Outside the restroom stood a bodyguard with a rabbit-face mask. Seeing him fall, he exclaimed in shock: "Boss! Why did you come out from here? I just heard an explosion upstairs and was about to take a shortcut up there!"
Lin Yuan was overjoyed to see there was still a bodyguard here.
Because he was seriously injured, he could hardly run.
With a bodyguard, he had a chance to escape alive!
Suddenly, Lin Yuan seemed to sense something, turning to look in the direction of the Forbidden Zone, his face changing drastically: "Not good, my substitute poison is dead! The Ether Association has found us, they might be storming in tonight! We must run, Peak City is no longer safe. Head to the harbor, find a ship to leave!"
The rabbit-faced bodyguard asked, "Shouldn't we consult that lord first?"
Lin Yuan was stunned; that lord didn't leave him any means of contact, just instructions.
His left leg was kicked and broke, the sound of the bone fracturing was horrifying.
Lin Yuan was in so much pain that his vision blackened, pitching forward to the ground.
In that moment, only two words echoed in his mind.
"No one would wait for you there."
Scholar removed the rabbit-face mask, smiling as he extended his hands and crushed the bones of his limbs, then grabbed him by the collar to drag him out, calmly saying: "Except for me."