Dual Transmigration: American Prison, Surviving to a Fantasy Development Stage

Looking towards the sound, one could see a man of about forty years old, dressed in a worn-out cloth shirt, standing by the corner of the wall next to the entrance of the charity hall, his face showing a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.

The person who came was the landlord of the small courtyard that Lin Feng had previously rented in the west of the city.

Lin Feng paused slightly, understanding the landlord's intentions at a glance, but his expression remained unchanged as he asked, "Landlord? How did you find your way here?"

The landlord took two steps forward, lowered his voice, and said in a tone that was a mixture of resentment and a hint of barely perceptible relief: "Of course I came here specifically to wait for you."

Young Master Lin, my perfectly good courtyard was burned to the ground by that damned beast Huang Shouye just because I rented it to you.

There has to be an explanation for this loss, right?

As he spoke, he spat on the ground, "Hmph, God has finally opened his eyes. I heard that beast Huang Shouye also got his comeuppance last night and was crippled in the fire. He deserved it."

It's a pity it wasn't killed; keeping it alive would only cause more trouble.

Fortunately, the Huang Family Martial Arts School is no longer viable, and that beast Huang Shouye won't be able to cause trouble for much longer.

Lin Feng listened quietly, then nodded. "Landlord, your house was indeed burned down because of me. I acknowledge this debt, so don't worry."

Tell me, how much is that house worth?

Seeing that Lin Feng was so straightforward and had no intention of shirking his debt, the landlord was first relieved, then delighted.

He rubbed his hands together, pretending to consider his words carefully, and said, "Young Master Lin is a reasonable person."

Although my courtyard is a bit out of the way, it's still a proper three mud-brick houses with a yard and some furniture.

Back then, building the house and buying the land together took a considerable amount of money.

The land is still mine, how about you just compensate me for the cost of materials and labor?

"In that case, I won't try to extort you. You just need to compensate me eight taels of silver, and we'll be even. How about that?"

"Eight taels of silver is a reasonable price, I agree."

Lin Feng quickly calculated the actual value of the courtyard in his mind. The asking price was about the same as the market price and not outrageous.

However, we currently lack funds, with only two gold tickets left. We do have some handicrafts such as liquor in the available space, but it's not the right time to use them yet.

"However, I don't have enough cash on me right now."

"Tomorrow at this time, in the same place, I'll give it to you, shall I?"

A hint of hesitation flashed across the landlord's face; when it came to money, empty promises always made people uneasy. He hesitated and said, "Giving it to me tomorrow... that's not impossible."

But words are no proof, Young Master Lin, you must give me an IOU. Only in black and white will I feel at ease.

"OK."

Lin Feng readily agreed, "Come with me into the charity hall, and I'll find paper and pen for you to write."

"No, no, no!" Upon hearing this, the landlord's face immediately showed a look of apprehension. He waved his hands repeatedly, and his body involuntarily shrank back, his eyes filled with fear.

"The charity hall... that's where the dead are buried, it's filled with yin energy, I... I won't go in."

I'll wait right outside this door. Please hurry, young master.

Seeing his timid appearance, Lin Feng didn't insist: "Then you wait outside."

After saying that, he turned and went into the charity hall.

The front hall of the charity hall remained empty and quiet, filled with the faint scent of incense ash and wood chips.

Lin Feng easily found the corner where miscellaneous items and writing implements were stored, pulled over a slightly rough piece of paper, ground the ink, and picked up his brush.

The few lines formed a clear IOU, stating that due to his own fault, the landlord's house was burned down, and he was willing to compensate for the repair costs of 8 taels of silver, to be paid in full at this time and place tomorrow.

At the end of the signature, he paused slightly before writing the two characters "Lin Feng".

Lin Feng doesn't like owing others either, and if the landlord tries to take advantage of the situation to make exorbitant demands, he has his own ways of dealing with it.

But the other party's asking price was reasonable, so he followed the rules and didn't renege on the debt.

Holding the still-wet ink IOU, he walked out the door and handed it to the landlord who was waiting anxiously.

"Tomorrow at this time, in this place, don't forget," Lin Feng instructed.

The landlord took the IOU, read it carefully twice, especially the words "8 taels" and the signature, before carefully folding it and putting it in his pocket, a smile spreading across his face.

"Of course, of course! I will definitely be there on time tomorrow! Young Master Lin is truly kind and righteous."

He felt a weight lifted from his heart. After all, Lin Feng was a martial artist, and if he really turned his back on him, there was really nothing he, an ordinary citizen, could do.

Now that we have this IOU, at least it serves as proof.

Watching the landlord leave with light steps, Lin Feng turned around and truly stepped into the courtyard of the charity hall.

In the corner, Yang Laowu, who had been silently tidying up the hemp rope and straw mat, raised his cloudy eyes and looked at Lin Feng's figure as he walked in. A very faint look of surprise flashed across his old face.

But then he lowered his head again and continued to busy himself with the seemingly endless work in his hands, as if that glance just now was just an illusion.

Lin Feng had just returned to the front yard and hadn't even had a chance to go to his usual backyard when Sun Dayong's distinctive, slightly rough voice came from the hall:

"Lin Feng? Come in for a moment."

Lin Feng was slightly surprised.

Sun Dayong is a quiet and introverted man who is very methodical in his work. He rarely calls on people unless there is something important to do or he is assigned tasks.

There are no new bodies brought to the charity today that need to be dealt with, so why is he calling himself?

Despite his doubts, Lin Feng went inside as instructed.

The room was still dimly lit. Sun Dayong sat in his old wooden chair, his back ramrod straight, his face expressionless.

When she saw Lin Feng come in, she forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace.

Lin Feng really wanted to say, "You'd better not laugh."

"Senior Brother Sun, what do you want with me?" Lin Feng asked, stopping in his tracks.

Sun Dayong cleared his throat, his voice dry: "Senior Brother Yuan Chun came over just now to tell you to pack up and go to the Black Tiger Martial Arts School to learn martial arts. You don't need to stay at this charity hall anymore."

This is the master's intention.

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng's face showed surprise.

He frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "Senior Brother Sun, I remember that the Black Tiger Martial Arts School has a rule that newly admitted disciples must do odd jobs in the charity hall for three months to test their character, right?"

I've only been here for a little over half a month, it's far from the appointed time, how could it be...?

Sun Dayong interrupted him, his tone flat but unquestionable: "Rules are rules, but this is Master's will."

Just do as I say, pack your things, and report to the martial arts school today.

Lin Feng did feel a surge of reluctance.

He came to the charity hall not to simply endure the three-month menial labor period and then learn some basic martial arts.

What he needs is a stable opportunity to come into contact with "unclaimed corpses" here; that is the nourishment for the Black Lotus to grow rapidly.

As for his master's guidance? He has now advanced to the early stage of internal strength. In terms of realm alone, he is probably a level above Jiang Hu, the master of the Black Tiger Martial Arts School.

Once he went to the martial arts school, those basic body-refining techniques and fist and foot skills would be of little use to him; on the contrary, they might restrict his movements and expose his secrets.

Sun Dayong had been watching Lin Feng's expression closely. Seeing that Lin Feng was not as overjoyed as expected, but instead frowned and remained silent, Sun Dayong felt a sense of absurdity and astonishment.

He couldn't help but raise his voice, his tone filled with incomprehensible emotion: "Going to the Black Tiger Martial Arts School to formally learn martial arts is an opportunity that all the handymen disciples in the charity hall dream of."

You...you still won't agree?

In his eyes, Lin Feng's reaction was simply ungrateful and a betrayal of his master's exceptional promotion.

Lin Feng did not answer immediately; his mind was racing.

Now that his strength has reached the Inner Strength Realm, there are very few targets in the entire Yongguan County that can pose a real threat to him or have "high value".

Upon closer examination, there are probably only two people: one is the reclusive Lord of Yongguan City, who holds power over the entire county.

Secondly, there is the mysterious and unpredictable leader of Fuhu Mountain, who entrenched himself in the mountains.

Black Tiger Martial Arts School, at present, seems to offer limited direct help in improving his strength.

Seeing that Lin Feng remained silent, Sun Dayong's face darkened, and his tone became harsh: "No matter what you think in your heart, whether you are willing or not, you can no longer stay in the charity hall."

This is Master's decision.

Lin Feng looked up, his tone returning to calm: "I understand. I'll go there this afternoon."

"Why wait until the afternoon?" Sun Dayong pressed. "Your master wants you to go now."

Lin Feng explained, "I want to visit Zheng Hongwen first."

I heard that he and Zhou Ming both had their limbs broken by Huang Shouye's gang yesterday, and were seriously injured.

Mentioning this, Sun Dayong's expression softened slightly, and he said, "Then you should go straight to the Black Tiger Martial Arts School."

"What do you mean?"