178: Chapter 177: The Liquidation Begins

It saw a giant screen hanging on the exterior wall of a building. A woman was singing on the screen, her voice drifting out from the speakers. Although it couldn't hear clearly through the car window, the moving images made it very curious.

It thought back to the square object Lin Feng used last night called a "phone"—that little square could also display images and even transmit sound.

Was there some connection between these two things?

The car turned into a narrow alley, lined on both sides with old residential buildings.

The plaster was peeling, the water pipes were rusty, and clothes of various colors hung on the second-floor balconies. An old man sat in a rattan chair by a doorway listening to a radio, an orange cat lying at his feet.

The cat squinted its eyes while sunbathing, its tail flicking back and forth, completely ignoring Xiao Jin—it probably mistook the golden dung beetle for some kind of common beetle not worth wasting energy on.

"We're here." The middle-aged man stopped the car. "Young man, be careful. The houses around here are quite old. Don't lean too close to the walls; half a wall collapsed last month, luckily without hitting anyone."

Lin Feng scanned a code to pay and pushed the door open to get out.

Xiao Guang poked its head out of his pocket and looked back at the car, watching it start up, reverse, and drive out of the alley. Its taillights flashed twice at the corner before disappearing.

It had been too embarrassed to ask when Lin Feng was paying just now, but how exactly did that square called a "phone" pay for things? He didn't have to take out Spirit Stones or copper coins; he just scanned it? Was that square connected to a bank?

"Lin Feng, that car just now—"

"Stop."

"I just wanted to ask one thing—"

"Not even half a question. Read a book about it later."

"You don't even know what I was going to ask!"

"You want to ask why the car can run when there are no Spirit Beasts pulling it and no one pushing it, and yet it moves on its own, right?"

Xiao Guang fell silent.

It did indeed want to ask that.

It felt seen through by Lin Feng and was a bit disgruntled, but didn't dare talk back. It could only sulkily shrink back into the pocket, turning over to face its back toward Lin Feng.

The alley was very quiet, with only the distant sound of cars and the radio from upstairs.

The old man was still sunbathing by the door. The radio was playing Beijing Opera, with its long, drawn-out singing style.

The orange cat yawned, revealing its pink palate, then squinted its eyes again.

Lin Feng walked along the flagstone path, his soles making crisp clicking sounds that echoed in the narrow alley.

After walking for about five minutes, a three-story building appeared ahead.

The cement on the exterior walls had cracked, with moss growing in the fissures. Several panes of glass on the windows were broken and boarded up with wood.

Junk was piled by the door, along with several half-dead plants with drooping leaves. One cactus was mostly withered, its spines all gone.

This was where Zhao Ritian lived, and also the place Lin Feng had visited most frequently since his Awakening.

He walked to the door, and just as he raised his hand to knock, the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.

He took it out and saw an encrypted message from the Shadow Organization. Only one line appeared on the screen: "Heard you're back in Donghai. Come by when you have time."

It was signed with the character for "Shadow."

He finished reading, deleted the message, and put the phone back in his pocket.

"Fine," he said to the air, without calling back or replying to the message.

He knew the Shadow people would see it.

Then he raised his hand and knocked.

Knock, knock, knock.

No one answered.

He knocked three more times, harder.

"Come in!" Zhao Ritian's lazy voice came from inside, sounding a bit muffled through the door.

Lin Feng pushed the door open and entered.

The room was the same as ever: dim yellow light, a wooden table with peeling paint, a few bamboo chairs, and that old-fashioned radio sitting on a cabinet.

A few yellowed photos hung on the wall, looking even more ancient under the light.

Zhao Ritian sat in a wheelchair, holding a purple clay teapot and drinking tea directly from the spout.

He wore a faded gray robe, and his hair was a mess, as if he had just woken up.

But those seemingly cloudy eyes brightened for a moment the second Lin Feng entered—like embers buried in ash, reigniting with a dark red glow when blown by a breeze.

"You're here?" He put down the teapot and looked Lin Feng up and down.

His gaze swept from the top of Lin Feng's head to his toes, then back up again.

He looked very carefully, as if scrutinizing a weapon fresh out of the forge.

Then he smiled, a smile that held a bit of satisfaction and a bit of some indescribable emotion.

"Good kid, I heard about the Kunlun Ruins. General Chen called me last night and praised you to high heaven. He said that ten-meter-tall giant book smashed a hole in the meeting room floor, said you killed over a hundred foreign thieves, and even killed Taotie—Taotie, mind you; I never even saw that thing in my youth."

He paused and pointed to a bamboo chair. "Sit."

"Master, you're being too modest." Lin Feng walked over and sat down.

The bamboo chair gave a creak as it bore his weight.

"Haha," Zhao Ritian glanced at him and placed the teapot on the table. "But seriously, Taotie is something from ancient times, a legendary grade monster. Even though the one you encountered was weakened—just having broken its seal with its power unrecovered—it still shouldn't have been something a person of your Rank could handle. Tell me, how exactly did you kill it?"

Lin Feng sat down and recounted the entire Secret Realm journey from start to finish.

From entering the Secret Realm to encountering the Illusory Meadow, to that ball of black stuff—Xiao Guang—to the Library Pavilion, the Pill Room, the underground cave, and then meeting Taotie, the life-and-death struggle, clashing with the Law of Heaven and Earth, and finally using the Seven-Colored Exploding Candy to blow it up.

He explained in great detail, but intentionally omitted the part about the Fusion Talent.

He only said he was lucky, finding a Treasure Trove left by a Senior and winning by using the items they had left behind.

Zhao Ritian listened intently, never interrupting from beginning to end.

When Lin Feng mentioned being led into the illusion by the black blob, he nodded slightly.

When he spoke of the long time and every means exhausted to narrowly defeat Taotie, Zhao Ritian inhaled sharply, his hand holding the tea pausing mid-air.

"You kid, you've got incredible luck." Zhao Ritian leaned back in his chair, a rare hint of emotion in his voice. "First, the Sand Clan's holy relic almost got you possessed, then a monster of Taotie's level... what Rank are you? Not even Rank 50. Anyone else would have died ten times over."

"Just lucky," Lin Feng said.

"Luck? Tell me the truth, do you have some other trump cards? That day at the Zhou Family gates, when you blocked Zhou Tiannan's Fire Gods Descent, your aura surged explosively. That was no ordinary technique."

Lin Feng remained silent for a moment.

Zhao Ritian waved his hand and didn't press further.

"Fine, if you don't want to say, don't say it. Everyone has their secrets." He picked up the teapot, took a swig, and then looked at Lin Feng. "What do you plan to do next?"

"Settle things with the Zhou Family." Lin Feng's voice was calm, but Zhao Ritian could hear the coldness beneath those words. "I'm doing it today."

Zhao Ritian looked into Lin Feng's eyes for several seconds, as if looking at someone he had just met.

There was a hint of complexity in those cloudy old eyes—he remembered when Lin Feng first came to him, a newcomer who had been coughed up blood and nearly died from a single punch by Zhou Tiannan.

Back then, Lin Feng was stubborn, but his eyes were still full of confusion.

It was different now. Now his eyes were like blades—cold, sharp, and without a single tremor.

Then he laughed, a raspy sound like sandpaper on wood.

"Good. This is more like a disciple of Zhao Ritian." He set the teapot on the table with a sharp clack. "The Zhou Family has suppressed you for so long; it's time they paid their debt. That Zhou Tiannan almost killed you last time; it's only natural you hit back this time. Go ahead and do it boldly; I've got your back."

"Thank you, Master." Lin Feng stood up.

His movements weren't fast, but they were steady, as if he had rehearsed what he was about to do countless times in his mind.

"Don't be so quick to thank me." Zhao Ritian stood up from his wheelchair—yes, stood up—walked to the cabinet, opened the door, and took something out.

It was a small porcelain bottle, white and palm-sized, with the mouth sealed with red wax.

He handed the bottle to Lin Feng.

"What is this?"

"Something to save your life," Zhao Ritian said. "I refined it when I was young; there were only three in total. I took one, your Senior Brother took one, and this is the last. If you take it, all your attributes will triple for two hours. And there are no side effects; you won't be weakened afterward. If you can't beat Zhou Tiannan, take it—though it's best not to. Save it for a time of greater need. After all, I only have this one left."

Lin Feng took the porcelain bottle. It felt light in his hand, but he could feel the weight of the Medicinal Pill inside.

He looked at Zhao Ritian, his lips moving as if to say thank you, but in the end, he just nodded.

"One more thing." Zhao Ritian sat back in his wheelchair, leaning against the backrest and looking at the swaying hanging lamp on the ceiling. His voice became much lower, no longer possessing its previous free-spirited tone. "You said you were going to the Void Corridor, right?"

"Yes. I'll go after I've settled things with the Zhou Family."

"That Dungeon is not easy to enter," Zhao Ritian said slowly. "The Void Corridor connects to the Void Interlayer. Inside, there are not only monsters but also unstable spatial rifts. After your parents entered six years ago, the government sealed the entrance—not because they were afraid of monsters coming out, but because they were afraid more people would go in and never come out. If you're going in, you must be prepared—mentally and in terms of strength."

He paused and looked at Lin Feng. "So, before you go to the Dungeon, come see me one more time. I have something for you."

Lin Feng was taken aback.

"What is it?"

"You'll know when you come." Zhao Ritian closed his eyes as if he didn't want to say more.

Lin Feng didn't ask again.

He knew his Master's temperament; if he said "you'll know when you come," he wouldn't say another word.

He tucked the porcelain bottle away and turned toward the door.

He reached the door, stopped, and looked back.

Zhao Ritian was sitting in the wheelchair, teapot in hand again, taking a swig.

The dim yellow light fell on him, casting a large but hunched shadow on the wall.

"Master, I'm leaving."

"Mm."

"Once I've finished with the Zhou Family this time, I'll treat you to a drink—not this tea of yours, but real alcohol. I heard there's a liquor shop hidden next to a noodle house in the old street alley that has thirty-year-old Nu'er Hong."

The corner of Zhao Ritian's mouth twitched as if he wanted to smile, but he didn't quite manage it.

"Talk about it when you get back."

Lin Feng pushed the door and went out.

The sunlight outside was even more dazzling. He squinted, standing in the alley, watching the old residential buildings standing quietly in the morning light.

The radio on the second floor was still playing Beijing Opera, the singing being "Dingjun Mountain."

The old man was still sunbathing by the door. The orange cat at his feet had changed its posture, lying on the rattan chair with its tail hanging down, swaying slightly.

Xiao Guang poked its head out of his pocket, its golden face filled with curiosity.

"Lin Feng, your Master... who exactly is he? Why can't I feel his aura? He was clearly sitting right there, but when I reached out with my Spiritual Sense, it felt like reaching into a void."

"He's just very strong; I don't know his exact level either." Lin Feng set off toward the mouth of the alley.

"A powerhouse?!" Xiao Guang's voice suddenly rose an octave, almost jumping out of the pocket. "Then why does he live in such a dump? With his strength, he could live in a palace!"

"He likes living here."

Xiao Guang fell silent.

This old man was definitely not simple.

Lin Feng reached the alley entrance, took out his phone, and opened a ride-hailing app.

This time a match was found quickly, and a silver-gray car pulled up in front of him.

The window rolled down, and this time it was a young female driver, looking to be in her early twenties, with her hair in a ponytail, wearing sunglasses, and earbuds in her ears.

"Hello, going to the Zhou Family Manor?" She glanced at the destination on the order, then at Lin Feng with a look of surprise, pushing up her sunglasses to reveal eyes with light makeup. "The Zhou Family Manor is over on West Mountain. It's quite far, over an hour. Plus, it's a private estate; ordinary people can't get in—are you a guest of the Zhous?"

"No. A debt collector." Lin Feng pulled open the car door and sat in the back.

The female driver blinked and glanced at him through the rearview mirror but didn't ask further.

She started the car and drove away from the old street alley.

As the car turned out of the alley, the tires rolled over a loose flagstone, and the car body swayed slightly.

Xiao Guang leaned against the edge of Lin Feng's pocket, watching the street scenery recede rapidly outside the window. The dilapidated little building grew further and further away, finally disappearing around the corner.

The morning light was just right for collecting debts.