Chapter 69: Chapter 69: The Aftermath
"Thirty thousand taels of silver?"
"That’s more like it."
Han Yuan finally nodded in satisfaction, then knocked him unconscious with a single palm strike.
That punch he had just thrown would have utterly obliterated a Body Tempering Martial Artist.
But Yan Xuan was an Inner Breath Martial Artist.
He had gathered the Inner Breath in his chest to offset much of the force.
Now, he was only severely injured and wouldn’t die so easily.
’I imagine Du Qiuxu will be more than happy to handle this.’
Han Yuan chuckled.
...
After Han Yuan left, a black-clad figure emerged quietly from the shadows.
’That guy is vicious. Good thing he didn’t catch up to me.’
’Otherwise, a single palm strike from him would have probably shattered every bone in my body.’
The black-clad figure felt a lingering fear.
He had witnessed the entire fight between Han Yuan and the monk Yan Xuan, and his heart pounded with excitement.
’Forget it. From now on, I’ll just stay far away from that guy.’
The black-clad figure shook his head, then turned, leaped, and quickly vanished into the street.
...
Han Yuan sprinted all the way, using the Seven Stars Step, afraid of being intercepted.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he finally rushed back to the Observatory.
A short while later, Supervisor Du Qiuxu of the Demon Extermination Tribe was alerted by his subordinates.
Even though the cold of winter was fast approaching, Du Qiuxu still wore the same gray robes.
When he arrived at the Demon Extermination Hall, he saw only Han Yuan standing there proudly.
Beside him was a monk with a mangled chest, looking more dead than alive.
"Supervisor Du."
Han Yuan cupped his fist in salute as his direct superior entered.
"You said you were ambushed."
"By this guy?"
Du Qiuxu asked.
"The very same."
Han Yuan nodded.
"This man... he must be the Tattooed Monk, Yan Xuan."
"And you actually managed to beat him into this state..."
As the Supervisor of the Demon Extermination Tribe, Du Qiuxu was naturally well-acquainted with the figures on the Black List.
"This subordinate happened to break through to the Inner Breath Realm not long ago."
"Perhaps this Yan Xuan didn’t know... he underestimated me," Han Yuan explained.
But Du Qiuxu’s eyes flew wide open. "What?! You’ve broken through to the Inner Breath Realm?!"
A normal Body Tempering Realm Perfection Martial Artist needs at least a few years to go from cultivating an Inner Breath Breathing Method to achieving Qi Sensitivity.
Many never break through in their entire lives.
Even geniuses with outstanding foundations and comprehension need at least a year.
But how long had Han Yuan been with the Observatory?!
Not even a month.
In other words, it only took him a month to break through after obtaining an Inner Breath Technique.
That was the most terrifying part.
Such talent was simply unheard of in Cangshui County.
"Yes."
"I just kept practicing, and then I felt a trace of Qi Sensitivity," Han Yuan said softly.
"If those who can’t achieve Qi Sensitivity in a lifetime heard you say that, they’d probably die of anger."
Du Qiuxu shook his head and gave a wry smile.
He calmed himself and began to inquire about the situation.
Han Yuan told him everything, holding nothing back.
He didn’t even hide the fact that Huang Xian’Er had given him a subtle warning.
"Hmph!"
"Bai Muxin!"
"I even went to his residence to warn him personally."
"I can’t believe that fool didn’t take my words seriously at all."
Du Qiuxu’s expression turned grim; he had lost face.
Bai Muxin’s act of hiring an assassin was a sharp slap to his face.
Han Yuan hadn’t expected this part of the story.
His expression remained unchanged. "Supervisor, Yan Xuan is not dead yet."
"We might be able to get something out of him."
"It’s useless... I can guess the Bai Family’s methods."
"They must have hired the killer through the Black Market. All traces would have been wiped clean long ago."
"I’m afraid Yan Xuan has no idea who he was working for," Du Qiuxu said with a frown.
"It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t know."
"His life is in our hands."
"We can make him say whatever we want him to say," Han Yuan said bluntly, without any reservation.
The internal strife within the Observatory was endless.
Generally, it was a game between the orthodox faction and the Noble Family factions.
The orthodox faction consisted of those who prioritized the interests of the Great Ling Dynasty.
The scions of the Noble Families were the complete opposite; they cared more about the interests of their own clans.
When interests were irreconcilable, resorting to certain tactics was perfectly normal.
"It won’t work... Yan Xuan’s testimony alone, without other evidence, isn’t enough to take down the Bai Family," Du Qiuxu said, shaking his head.
Han Yuan understood this principle as well. He had said it only to angle for something.
He asked in a low voice, "I wonder how Supervisor Du plans to handle this?"
"Rest assured... I will give you a satisfactory resolution for this matter."
"After all, the attempted assassination of a Demon Exterminator... is a provocation against our Demon Extermination Tribe," Du Qiuxu assured him.
After confirming a few more details, he told Han Yuan to go back and rest.
...
「Bai Mansion.」
"What?!"
"Yan Xuan was no match for Han Yuan, and he was beaten unconscious and taken to the Observatory?!"
Bai Muxin’s expression was one of shock as he heard the report from his family’s spy.
"Patriarch!"
"This subordinate saw it clearly. There is no mistake," the spy said hurriedly, cupping his fist.
"Damn it!"
"That Han Yuan is just a Body Tempering Martial Artist! How could he possibly defeat even Yan Xuan?!" Bai Muxin said coldly.
The Tattooed Monk wasn’t just for show.
He was considered quite skilled even among Inner Breath Experts.
A man like that couldn’t even beat Han Yuan?!
Bai Muxin couldn’t understand it, nor could he accept it.
"That Han Yuan... must have secretly broken through to the Inner Breath Realm," the spy said in a low voice.
"How long has he been at the Demon Extermination Department to have already broken through to the Inner Breath Realm?" Bai Muxin was even more astonished.
"It would seem so," the spy said with a wry smile.
’To think that after all my calculations, I failed to account for this.’
’Failing to kill Han Yuan this time... will make things difficult in the future.’
Bai Muxin waved the spy away and began to ponder how to clean up the mess.
He could already imagine Du Qiuxu’s fury.
After all, assassinating a Demon Exterminator was no small matter.
’I left no evidence in this matter.’
’Everything was arranged through a middleman.’
’Even if Du Qiuxu suspects me, it’s useless.’
’I just have to pretend I don’t know anything.’
’But I’ll probably have to keep a low profile for a while.’
As the Patriarch of the Bai Family, he had weathered many storms.
Although everything that night had exceeded his expectations, he quickly calmed down and formulated a countermeasure.
...
「The next day.」
Han Yuan was once again summoned to the Demon Extermination Hall by Du Qiuxu.
"Han Yuan, Yan Xuan himself is the 70th ranked expert on the Black List, with a bounty of seven hundred Contribution Points."
"You captured him alive last night, so those seven hundred Contribution Points have been credited to your Demon Extermination Token," Du Qiuxu said seriously.
Han Yuan only gave a perfunctory thanks.
After all, those seven hundred Contribution Points were what he deserved.
Du Qiuxu seemed to understand what Han Yuan was thinking and announced loudly, "Furthermore, according to Yan Xuan’s testimony, the Fugui Gambling House in the city is very likely involved in this matter."
"I will dispatch the Black Death Guard to assist you in shutting down the Fugui Gambling House."
"Upon its completion, you will be rewarded with another three hundred Contribution Points."
Hearing this, Han Yuan seemed to understand something. He cupped his fist and said, "This subordinate obeys."
"Go."
"The Black Death Guard is already waiting for you at the entrance."
"Go raise as much hell as you want," Du Qiuxu chuckled softly.
