Lin Heng felt that lately, the atmosphere in the village had gotten a bit strange.
The out-of-town cultivators who used to show up looking to freeload now went out of their way to avoid him.
Even Butcher Wang, who'd owed him money for ages, came over respectfully to return the debt — with two fat chickens as a bonus.
"Weird…?"
Biting into a chicken leg, Lin Heng wondered — when did he become so prestigious?
But in truth—
Just three days ago, investigation teams from three sects and five clans had snuck into Qingyun Village at night, intending to uncover the identity of the "tiger-slaying expert."
What actually happened was—
[First Wave · Alchemy Sect]
The moment they scaled Lin Heng's courtyard wall, the big black dog showed up holding a dragon bone from who-knows-where. It slapped the bone onto the ground, and the air itself cracked with a boom.
The lead cultivator dropped to his knees on the spot. "Forgive us, Senior!" Then he backed out as if they had never been there.
[Second Wave · Wind-Chasing Gate]
They were hiding on the roof to spy when the gray cat looked up at them once.
Just that single glance froze the roof over in a sheet of frost, the tiles creaking and cracking.
"...Retreat! That's a Nascent Soul–stage demon king!" the leader blanched.
[Third Wave · Seven-Star Hall]
They had barely stepped past the village gate when Jiji dropped from the sky, swatted all their flying swords out of the air with one wing, then sat down and started pecking at its foot.
The intruders didn't even manage to announce themselves before they panicked and broke formation on the spot.
—
And the only person actually present for all this — Lin Heng — had been sitting in the courtyard shelling peanuts the entire time.
He never even realized anything had happened outside, only thinking the wind at the gate was a bit strong.
—
That day, Su Wanning finally couldn't hold it in anymore. "You really don't know why they're afraid of you?"
Lin Heng blinked. "Hm… probably because I'm good with words."
"...Good with words?"
"Yeah, I used to talk my way into free meals when I was a kid." Lin Heng said this with total sincerity. "I figure these past few days, maybe they take one look at me and think I have an extraordinary bearing."
Su Wanning: …
She decided to shut up — explaining was pointless. This man would never believe he was being protected to the heavens by a few "pets."
—
That night, Lin Heng walked into the courtyard carrying a bowl of stewed meat.
"Lao Zhong, meat for you."
The turtle slowly raised its head and lightly tapped the ground with its claw — the raindrops that should have fallen from the air stopped in place, like they'd been painted there.
Lin Heng shook the bowl. "Alright, knock it off. No magic tricks during dinner."
The big black dog bit off half a golden-winged eagle's wing; the gray cat hooked the fish tail on the table with one claw; Jiji pecked at a beef bone that had been stewed to mush.
Su Wanning sat to the side, watching this "dinner party," feeling like she was sitting in on the council of demon kings.
Silently, she noted down in her mind:
— Chiyan Sect Intelligence: Target still claims to be a mortal, suspected to be using an extremely high-level disguise technique to conceal true cultivation.
Meanwhile, Lin Heng was thinking—
Sigh, I really am just an ordinary man. If I had cultivation, I'd have opened a noodle shop in town by now.