YM778.TV Book 2: Chapter 49: Everyone Knows
Han Xiao sat quietly at the table, a faint smile playing on his lips. In front of him, the celadon teapot hissed with rolling steam, filling the room with a rich tea fragrance.
“What excellent tea!” Deputy Hall Master Chai Yunsheng took a sip from his cup, inhaling deeply as he praised the brew.
Han Xiao stroked his beard with a chuckle. “Naturally! This Yunshan Small-Leaf tea is picked from Donglai Mountain on the misty morning of September 5th every year. Only girls born at the hour of Mao are allowed to pluck the leaves with their mouths. The annual quota for the entire Hanyuan City is less than five catties. I rarely drink it myself—consider yourself lucky to have a taste!”
“That’s a given,” Chai Yunsheng said with curiosity. “You seem particularly cheerful today—has something good happened?”
Taking another sip, Han Xiao exhaled contentedly. “Indeed! The competition between Feng Zhaoting and Ling Buyang has gone on for so long, and it looks like the result for the Deputy Hall Master position will be finalized soon!”
Chai Yunsheng’s eyes lit up. “Who will come out on top?”
Han Xiao laughed heartily. “Between the two of them, their cultivation, talent, and the backing of their sects are nearly equal. The title of Deputy Hall Master is just a name—why not give it to both?”
Chai Yunsheng blinked in surprise. “Both? Didn’t you clearly state earlier that there was only one position, and they had to compete for it?”“Competition is the key to the Destiny Hall’s growth. Not only before they become Deputy Hall Masters, but also after. Regular evaluations will ensure the one who underperforms loses the title,” Han Xiao explained. “Competition fosters balance and continuous improvement.”
Chai Yunsheng nodded, though he didn’t fully understand. Just as he was about to take another sip of tea, he noticed Han Xiao’s face suddenly turn pale.
“Pfft!”
A mouthful of blood spurted from Han Xiao’s lips, and his body trembled violently. The robust aura around him dimmed as if extinguished like a candle in the wind.
“Hall Master, what’s wrong?”
Chai Yunsheng shot to his feet, scanning the surroundings with alarm.
Han Xiao clenched his fists. “My cultivation has suffered a backlash… Quickly investigate! Could it be that Feng Zhaoting and Ling Buyang have started fighting?”
He had carefully balanced the two to reap substantial benefits. A backlash likely meant something had upset that equilibrium.
Could it be that Ling Buyang used a pill to break through and sought out Feng Zhaoting to defeat him? Only a crushing victory would break the balance and cause such a severe backlash!
Before he could finish speaking, Elder Liu Bingshan rushed into the room, cupped his hands, and bowed.
“Dean, Vice Dean… bad news! We just received word—Feng Zhaoting has been killed!”
“Feng Zhaoting… is dead?”
Han Xiao’s vision darkened. His voice was urgent. “Who did it? Was it… Ling Buyang? How dare he!”
No wonder the backlash was so severe—the balance had been utterly shattered!
“It wasn’t Elder Ling,” Liu Bingshan quickly explained. “According to information from the Wanchang Sect, it was Li Yue’an who killed Elder Feng and collected the reward!” R
Han Xiao’s face turned livid with rage. “That rogue cultivator! I’ve ignored him all this time, and he dares kill my Destiny Hall’s Deputy Hall Master! Chai Yunsheng, find this scoundrel immediately—I’ll see him torn to pieces!”
Before Chai Yunsheng could reply, Liu Bingshan stepped forward again. “Hall Master, please calm down… Actually, Li Yue’an is also dead!”
“He’s dead too? Who killed him?” Han Xiao was stunned.
“It was Elder Ling Buyang. It’s said that after learning of Elder Feng’s death, he was so furious he tracked Li Yue’an down and killed him,” Liu Bingshan reported.
Chai Yunsheng’s eyelids twitched. “That doesn’t add up. First, why would all three of them be together? Second, if Feng Zhaoting is dead, Ling Buyang would only feel relieved—why would he avenge him?”
Han Xiao nodded in agreement. Since he had dangled the Deputy Hall Master position before them, their relationship had only worsened. A few days earlier, Ling Buyang had even killed Feng Zhaoting’s brother. How could he suddenly avenge Feng?
After a moment of silence, Han Xiao’s eyes narrowed. “Ask the Wanchang Sect for clarification.”
Since they had issued the reward, they must have verified the deaths of Feng Zhaoting and Li Yue’an. Perhaps they knew more.
Han Xiao retrieved a Destiny Scroll and unfurled it. A wave of mysterious energy rippled out, and a hazy figure appeared on the projected screen—Yue Longxiao, the head of the Wanchang Sect’s Hanyuan City branch and second on the Hunter\'s List.
“Master Yue, what happened to Elder Feng?” Han Xiao asked directly.
Yue Longxiao hesitated before responding. “Half an hour ago, Li Yue’an brought Elder Feng’s blood and corpse to claim the reward. After verification, we issued the bounty. Shortly after, Ling Buyang arrived with Li Yue’an’s corpse and claimed the reward as well.”
“How much time elapsed between the two claims?” Han Xiao pressed.
“For others, I wouldn’t disclose this, but given our relationship and the involvement of two Deputy Hall Masters of the Destiny Hall, I’ll tell you. The time between claims was less than the duration of brewing a cup of tea. Moreover, during that interval, Li Yue’an transferred all the reward money and his savings to Ling Buyang,” Yue Longxiao revealed.
Hearing this, Han Xiao’s body swayed. “In such a short time, transferring funds and killing Li Yue’an means Ling Buyang must have been nearby when Feng Zhaoting was killed. In other words, he likely killed Feng himself!”
“This is only your conjecture. It has nothing to do with the Wanchang Sect,” Yue Longxiao said before cutting the connection.
Chai Yunsheng was visibly shaken. “We know Ling Buyang’s strength. How could he possibly defeat Feng Zhaoting? And Li Yue’an, despite being a rogue cultivator, is formidable enough to have survived years of bounties. How could Ling suddenly be this strong?”
Han Xiao stayed silent for a moment before nodding. “No wonder he dared to kill Feng Yizhou openly. His strength must have advanced significantly, but he hid it well. Chai Yunsheng, spread the news of Feng Zhaoting’s death to the Qiansi Hall, and subtly hint at their competition. Let’s see how the Zouyi Dynasty responds.”
“Understood!” Chai Yunsheng nodded and left. Liu Bingshan followed closely behind.
Left alone, Han Xiao gazed into the distance, his eyes narrowing.
Reaching the Ninth Level of the Source Pool Realm meant each step forward was fraught with difficulty. For Ling Buyang to kill Feng Zhaoting so easily in such a short time, his rapid improvement was nothing short of extraordinary.
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Meanwhile, at the Hanyuan City Palace
Han Qianchou, dressed in a python-patterned robe, stared at the report in his hand, lost in thought.
“Easily killing Feng Zhaoting and Li Yue’an… It seems Ling Buyang’s return to the Zouyi Dynasty brought him significant benefits,” he murmured.
After glancing at another document, his brows furrowed. “No one else may know, but I do. My younger brother, Han Qianye, will face this man in a duel! A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall—this is sheer recklessness!”
If it were the old Ling Buyang, he wouldn’t have been concerned. But now, having killed two experts in a row, Ling was a terrifying opponent.
Han Qianchou summoned an attendant. “Deliver my Cold Nether Armor to Qianye and tell him he must wear it during the duel.”
“Yes!”
After some thought, Han Qianchou rose to his feet. “Forget it—I’ll go personally!”
The attendant hesitated. “Your Majesty, personally going to the black market… isn’t that inappropriate?”
Han Qianchou waved it off. “What’s inappropriate? I joined such duels in my youth too. Prepare a disguise—I’ll make sure no one recognizes me.”
The attendant had no choice but to comply.
---
That day, the black market bustled more than ever.
“Isn’t the black market supposed to be highly secretive, catering to a select few? Why is it so crowded?” Zhang Xuan wondered aloud.
Fu Yingying smirked knowingly. “Do you think the Hanyuan royal family is unaware? In truth, they own shares in the market. At least half the annual profits flow directly into their coffers. That’s why, despite repeated crackdowns, the black market always reopens in a new location with the same people running it.”
Zhang Xuan nodded. No wonder Sun Qiang had easily found information about it. Despite its name, the “black market” wasn’t really clandestine—it operated in the open, much like certain establishments in his past life.
“Let’s go evaluate your odds,” Fu Yingying said with a playful smile, curiosity evident in her eyes. She was eager to see how Zhang Xuan’s betting odds would stack up against those of Prince Pingyuan.
Author\'s Note