And two Divine Skills were born, one was "Devouring Evil Qi," and the other was "Demon Suppression."
Having lived two lifetimes, he thought more deeply and knew that the Divine Skill of "Devouring Evil Qi" would mostly lead to a life of licking blood off the knife's edge.
Who knows when he might attract enemies.
Additionally, practicing his cultivation, inconvenience was inevitable, so he didn't move into the new house.
Because of this, his elder brother was so angry that his face turned red, but being stubborn himself, he eventually let it go.
Still unable to stop worrying about him, every three or five days, his brother would bring over cooked food, or rice and fish, making a trip here.
"First sleep for two hours, then get up to cook some plain porridge; it's about time to go to the slaughterhouse for work."
Although Lin Yan had entered the threshold of the Observatory under an assumed name, he had not given up his job at the slaughterhouse.
After all, slaughtering pigs and sheep would also generate Evil Qi.
Furthermore, this job was quite popular in the city.
It was his sister-in-law's family who had pulled some strings at the beginning to get him this job as a butcher.
And, he received two taels of Silver every month, which could be said to be a generous salary.
"Helping the night patrol solve cases at night, slaying pigs and sheep at the slaughterhouse during the day, not a single day off... After deducting expenses for food, clothing, and cultivation, I have saved over forty taels of Silver."
Lin Yan thought to himself: "Save for another ten or so years, and I could probably buy a plot of land in the outer districts, then continue saving for another three to five years to build a house."
As he was thinking this, he was about to disrobe to bathe when he heard a noise from outside.
"Ah Lei, the water vat at home is cracked; you need to come back and fix it."
That was his sister-in-law's voice.
"Hm?"
Lin Yan hurried out and opened the door.
The woman outside the door, in her early twenties, was beautiful with a modest dress.
"Ah Yan, where's your elder brother?"
"Elder brother hasn't come home?" Lin Yan's heart suddenly tightened, and he asked in a low voice.
"In the afternoon, he bought a roast chicken, saying he'd bring half of it to you, and then he didn't come home."
His sister-in-law seemed somewhat bewildered, saying distractedly: "I thought you brothers had a few drinks and he stayed over at your place. If it weren't for the crack in the water vat, I wouldn't have come to call him..."
"..."
Hearing this, Lin Yan grew slightly colder inside, unconsciously glancing outside the city.
In this world, the day belongs to the realm of the living, the night to The Peaceful Realms.
Inside the town, Divine Lamps shine, warding off ghosts and Evil Spirits.
Outside the city walls, where Divine Lamps do not reach, Evil Spirits roam freely.
He instantly turned his gaze back, thinking to himself: "Elder brother is prudent and aware of the dangers outside the city. It's afternoon; he shouldn't have left the city."
"Why are you shouting by my window when the sky's already dark?"
At that moment, the next-door neighbor opened their window, an old man grumbled impatiently: "That unwed girl of yours came by, just in time to see your brother, had him go home, to discuss dowry matters with your future father-in-law."
"The unwed girl?"
The sister-in-law paused, then looked at Lin Yan.
Lin Yan, with a smile, said: "I see, then it's nothing, I will go and check on it later, asking the elder brother to come home early."
"Good to know where he went, remember to tell him to come back early."
The sister-in-law breathed a sigh of relief and turned to go home, but then suddenly turned back, taking some small Silver coins from her pocket.
"You're about to start a family, in a few days there will be a temple fair, take the girl out for a stroll, don't be stingy with money."
"I know, I know."
Lin Yan said this, watching his sister-in-law leave, then knocked on the neighbor's window.
"Uncle Liu, whose unwed girl is it that is mine?"
"How many sweethearts do you have that you're asking me?" The old man stuck his head out, his face full of shock mixed with disdain and envy: "Isn't it just Chen Jiangbao's daughter? Who else are you carrying on with?"
"Chen Jiangbao? Got it, you go to bed early."
Lin Yan said emotionlessly, closing the opened window back in place.
He went back inside to get his knife and headed directly towards the south of the city.
Under the night sky, his handsome face became even colder.
Chen Jiangbao did not have a daughter!
And Chen Jiangbao was dead.
Just yesterday morning, outside the city, all that was left of Chen Jiangbao was half a head, not fully gnawed clean.