Edward（part2）

"I, Lin Tan, am alive again!!!" He rose to his feet and let out a triumphant roar, tears streaming down his face. In the past hundred years, he had not failed to attempt to be reborn through a body, but whether he attached himself to a corpse or a **, there was never any response.

An hour later, Lin Tan found himself in an inn. He pushed away the food on the table and stuffed it all into his mouth, chewing vigorously. After a few bites, he choked and grabbed a jug of ale nearby, pouring it down his throat. His ravenous appearance made the inn's waitstaff mutter to themselves, "How long has this guy gone without food?" Of course, the reason for the waitstaff's expression was not just that; eating that much would be good for the inn's business, but looking at Lin Tan's clothes, which were barely better than a beggar's, they doubted whether he could afford to pay.

In fact, the innkeeper's concern was not unfounded. At least, Lin Tan indeed had no money to pay the bill. It was only halfway through his meal that he remembered the concept of paying for food after a hundred years.

He began to slow down his eating pace, partly because he was nearly full, and partly because he needed to buy time to think of a way out. He didn't want his first meal after rebirth to be a dine-and-dash.

Amidst the increasingly unfriendly gaze of the innkeeper, Lin Tan saw a group of people enter the inn and immediately thought of a solution to his current predicament, a sly smile appearing on his face.

The group that pushed through the inn's doors consisted of four or five young men dressed in gaudy attire. The one leading them was bald, with a large warhammer resembling an iron mallet tucked at his waist. The muscles bulging on his body made him look like someone not to be trifled with. As soon as the innkeeper saw them, he immediately left Lin Tan's side and approached them.

Lin Tan recognized these individuals, or rather, Edward did. Having inherited Edward's memories, he naturally knew who they were. He was currently in a small town near Fleyg Manor, and as a local young noble, he was acquainted with the town's ruffians and troublemakers. These guys were a group of annoying petty hooligans in the town, making a living through street fights, petty theft, and collecting protection fees. Of course, these fellows were just the "henchmen"; Lin Tan was familiar with their boss.

The hooligans, with their menacing expressions, said something to the innkeeper, who looked both helpless and fearful. Soon, the inn's owner emerged from the back and began negotiating with the thugs.

Lin Tan sat at his table, eating while observing the scene at the inn's entrance with his peripheral vision.

The negotiation between the innkeeper and the thugs seemed to break down. The bald leader drew the warhammer from his waist, swung it fiercely, and shattered a nearby wooden table. He grabbed the innkeeper by the collar and lifted him up.

"Damn it, no money? Do you still want to run this old build ?" the bald man said viciously.

The innkeeper was so frightened that he trembled and couldn't utter a word.

"Hey, didn't your boss say that protection fees shouldn't be collected where I am?" a languid voice came from the side. The thugs turned their heads in unison and saw a disheveled young man leaning against the wall, not even looking in their direction. This person was none other than Lin Tan, who had been eating just moments ago.

The bald man released the innkeeper and looked up and down at the man who was no different from a beggar. Soon, his gaze turned fierce: "Who are you? How dare you interfere with my business?"

Lin Tan spat a toothpick onto the bald man's face, wearing a look of disdain. This expression, as expected, ignited the other party's anger. A warhammer swung fiercely towards his head. The wind caused by the warhammer made the onlooking diners gasp in shock. If such a blow were to land, even an ox would likely have its brains dashed out, let alone a seemingly thin young man.

But Lin Tan effortlessly dodged the hammer with a quick sidestep. The warhammer struck the wall with a loud crash, kicking up a cloud of dust. The recoil from the impact numbed the bald man's grip. Before he could react, Lin Tan's fists were already in front of his eyes. With just a few punches, the menacing bald man was knocked to the ground. The remaining thugs swarmed forward, but these street fighters were no match for a properly trained third-level knight. Soon, they were all dispatched.

Watching the thugs flee, Lin Tan clapped his hands at the door and turned to the innkeeper, saying, "Your trouble has been resolved."

However, the innkeeper showed no gratitude, instead looking distressed: "Sir, you've really caused me trouble. Their boss won't spare our little shop..."

Lin Tan stopped the innkeeper from continuing: "I'll wait here for their boss to come..."