Chapter Eighty-Six: Interrogation

The people around seemed lost in thought.

Of the three Sun brothers, only the youngest remained, grievously wounded; the eldest and second had already perished. While Lu Han and the eldest Sun brother fought, the youngest seized the opportunity, slipping away unnoticed as the crowd’s attention was drawn elsewhere.

It was common knowledge in Peace Town that the Sun brothers possessed a mysterious martial art of the Profound Rank. Now, with only the injured youngest remaining, anyone who found him and learned the secret would see their own strength rise dramatically.

One after another, the onlookers dispersed, each harboring their own designs.

At that moment, inside the Ten Thousand Delicacies Pavilion—

The innkeeper, having witnessed everything at the door, was left deeply shaken. For years, the Sun brothers had tyrannized Peace Town, only to meet their end at the hands of this white-robed youth.

“Sir, is your hand badly injured?” the innkeeper asked uneasily.

“Hm?” A chill flickered in Lu Han’s eyes.

“No, no, don’t misunderstand! I meant nothing by it. I only wanted to remind you—your martial skill is sure to tempt everyone in Peace Town. I’m simply warning you…” The innkeeper waved his hands in explanation.

He truly meant well. Just months earlier, the Sun brothers had caused trouble in this very establishment, beating a long-serving waiter to death for speaking out of turn. Lu Han’s act had, in a way, avenged them.

“Don’t worry. Their attention lies elsewhere now,” Lu Han replied.

In truth, when the youngest Sun brother tried to sneak away, Old Man Ling had already noticed. Just as Lu Han was about to stop him, Old Man Ling said a few words that made Lu Han abandon the idea.

“Young man, you are now the focus of all Peace Town. The moment you leave, trouble will follow you like a shadow. It’s better that the Sun brother escaped; now the spotlight will fall on him instead.”

Lu Han quickly understood. In the eyes of outsiders, he was now wounded. Most here on the chaotic Soul-Scattered Plains were desperate men, some willing to risk it all. To them, an injured Lu Han was a gold mine. Not that Lu Han was afraid—he just didn’t have time to waste.

With the third Sun brother on the run, much of the attention shifted away. Two of the brothers were dead, and only he knew the whereabouts of the Profound Rank technique.

Between a youth who had defeated the Sun brothers and a severely wounded survivor, the choice was obvious.

“I’d wager the last Sun brother is already being hunted,” Lu Han remarked quietly as he gazed out the pavilion doors.

...

Time passed.

Lu Han finished his meal.

After days on the road, living on dry rations, his palate had grown numb.

“Innkeeper, the bill!” he called.

“That’ll be ten gold coins for the meal, and with all the rations you bought earlier, the total comes to one hundred gold,” the innkeeper replied.

Lu Han was taken aback.

A hundred gold coins would buy out an entire inn for days elsewhere—yet here it barely covered two dishes and some dried food.

The innkeeper noticed Lu Han’s surprise.

“Sir, please understand—this is not like the outside world. Everything is more expensive here in the lawless region,” he explained.

Lu Han nodded. He was merely surprised, not lacking in gold. Excluding what he’d sold at the Treasure Pavilion, he’d made over a million at the betting tables in Tianlan City, since almost no one believed he’d defeat Zhang Mang and so his odds had been exceptionally high.

He produced a white gold card and handed it to the innkeeper. Understanding, the innkeeper swiped it with his own, deducting one hundred gold from Lu Han’s account.

“Innkeeper, may I ask you something? Do you know of the Soul-Stealing Marten?” Lu Han asked, reclaiming his card.

He had no other choice—the map gave no indication of the creature’s whereabouts, so he could only ask.

“Soul-Stealing Marten? Sir, are you from the Wen family of the Imperial Capital?” the innkeeper dropped his voice.

“The Wen family? What do they have to do with it?” Lu Han inquired.

“One of the Wen family’s main reasons for stationing themselves on the Soul-Scattered Plains is to capture the Soul-Stealing Marten. The Wen family rose to become one of the five great houses of the capital thanks to two spirit beasts. The first is the Black Flood Dragon their ancestor brought back a thousand years ago, and the family’s martial arts, ‘Black Flood Heaven-Reversing,’ was created based on it. The second is the Tiger Toad, which they alone have tamed.”

It turned out that the blood of the Soul-Stealing Marten was a rare antidote to the Tiger Toad’s venom. Throughout the Soul-Scattered Plains, if anyone caught one, the Wen family would go to any lengths to acquire it. Other great houses or sects might let it pass, but those without background had only death awaiting them if they refused to hand it over.

“The Wen family again,” Lu Han murmured.

“What? Sir, you haven’t been poisoned by the Tiger Toad, have you? They say those afflicted cannot use their inner strength…” The innkeeper did not catch Lu Han’s words.

“No, I just heard the Soul-Stealing Marten is a rare creature, and apart from here on the Soul-Scattered Plains, it’s found nowhere else in the Grand Xia Empire. That’s why I asked,” Lu Han replied, his eyes gleaming.

...

Across the gray, dusky plains, Lu Han walked alone, occasionally studying the map given to him by Qian Santong.

“Master, what should I do?” he suddenly asked.

“What else? The Soul-Stealing Marten must be found. Frankly, the Wen family’s actions make sense. If everyone possessed the Marten, the Tiger Toad’s poison would become useless. If I were them, I’d keep the Marten to myself too,” Old Man Ling replied.

Lu Han understood this logic, but did it mean he had to go to the Wen family’s base? That would be walking into a tiger’s den—openly declaring he needed the antidote to the Tiger Toad’s poison, which only the Wen family’s direct line carried. He would be marking himself as their enemy.

Stealing it was even less feasible—the Wen family’s base was guarded by at least a peak third-tier innate expert. Lu Han might handle a first, perhaps even a second-tier opponent, but against a third-tier, he’d have to run. And who could say how many more experts they had?

“Is there no choice but to search for it myself?” Lu Han muttered.

The Soul-Scattered Plains were vast—it could take ages to find the creature alone.

...

Within the Grand Xia Empire, three great sects reigned: the Skyward Sect, the Blood Spider Barge, and the Flying Serpent Sect.

In recent years, the Skyward Sect had shown signs of becoming the foremost sect in the empire.

Naturally, each had its own base within the lawless lands.

At this moment, in the tent of the Flying Serpent Sect’s encampment, a black-robed youth stood beside a middle-aged man.

“Young master, our people are in position. However, the old Hua beside Princess Qingcheng, though suppressed to the third tier of the innate realm, may be stronger than she appears,” the man reported.

“Don’t worry. My father will support anything that harms the Skyward Sect. I’ve already written to him; our reinforcements should arrive soon,” the youth answered darkly.

“But Princess Qingcheng is the emperor’s favorite daughter. If word of this leaks out…” the man hesitated.

“Few know of this. Besides, if they’re all dead, who will be left to tell the tale? Ha ha!” The youth burst into wild laughter.

“Hmph, Shen Tai, they call you the greatest genius among the three sects. I look forward to meeting you. But before that, I’ll claim the life of your fiancée!”

A sinister voice echoed through the tent.

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