CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 43: MEETING

"Master Li," Li Xin called as he entered the room.

"Ah, Li Xin, you’re back," Qing Yu said with a smile.

"Who was that just now?" Li Xin was referring to Xiao Gao.

"A young man..." Qing Yu said with a playful smile.

"Young man..."

Li Xin looked speechlessly at Qing Yu’s slightly childish face, finding the phrase awkward.

After all, Xiao Gao was too young, or rather, too confident in himself.

Qing Yu gestured with his eyes, and Li Xin understood his intention to watch from the shadows outside.

Confident in his Innate Realm skills, Xiao Gao did not check his surroundings as he came and went. Li Xin watched him leave.

Compared to Qing Yu, who appeared fifteen but had the mindset of a nearly fifty-year-old veteran, Xiao Gao was still too naive.

’This Xiao Gao is quite interesting...’ Qing Yu thought to himself.

Initially, he thought Xiao Gao was a Death Soldier nurtured by Xuan Guang. Now it seemed, if Death Soldiers were like this, Xuan Guang must be blind.

’It seems he is someone with a background. But still, at the Innate Realm, he’s not someone to provoke for now. Forget it, forget it...’

Although curious about Xiao Gao’s background, escaping this quagmire was Qing Yu’s top priority. Everything else could wait until he had survived.

"Li Xin. Night breeds many dreams; let’s start the plan," he said.

"Yes," Li Xin responded and then truly left the house.

That night.

It was a dark, windy night, perfect for murder and arson.

The Third Elder sneakily approached a civilian house, knocking and whispering, "Boss Li, Boss Li..."

"Come in, the door’s unlocked," Li Xin’s voice came from inside.

The Third Elder pushed open the door, entered, and quietly closed it behind him, then bowed to Li Xin seated inside, "Paying respects to Boss Li."

Li Xin looked at the Third Elder and asked, "Why come here so late at night?"

The Third Elder evasively asked, "Is that gentleman not here?"

People in the Iron Saber Association knew that Boss Li had a close relationship with a mysterious person, and the Li Family had risen with this person’s help.

"Third Elder!" Li Xin said sharply.

The Third Elder straightened up, looking directly into Li Xin’s eyes, "Please, Boss Li, tell me where that gentleman is."

Ever since being forced to take the Three Corpses Brain God Pill, the Third Elder had lost his backbone and could never stand up straight before Li Xin.

In just less than a month, which felt longer than ten years, the Third Elder felt his lost pride returning as he could stand upright and talk to Li Xin.

The sternness in Li Xin’s eyes slightly diminished, and he suddenly smirked, "You must have found a new backer to be so bold in front of me. Let him come out and meet me."

The Third Elder felt as if his spine was being extracted again, Li Xin’s figure once more transforming into an insurmountable mountain, crushing him down.

Third Elder: "Li Xin, you..."

"Idiot, he already knew you had betrayed him."

The door was pushed open by an invisible Qi Force; Luo Yan, with his hands behind his back, strode in with his head held high.

"The door wasn’t locked; you must have known this fool would come, right, Boss Li?" His words expressed doubt, yet they carried absolute certainty.

Li Xin smiled and said, "It seems that Lord Luo is your newly found support; no wonder you feel so confident. But, you’ve betrayed me. What will you do when the Three Corpses Brain God Pill activates next Dragon Boat Festival?"

Thinking about the consequences of the Three Corpses Brain God Pill activation, the Third Elder’s face turned as pale as a corpse, and his body started to shudder.

Luo Yan, ignored by Li Xin, didn’t get angry and continued, "It’s more frightening to live a life worse than death now than to die next year. After all, a bad life is still life, and surviving one more year is a gain, isn’t it?

Besides, where there is poison, there is an antidote. Li Xin, hand over the antidote."

The Third Elder also harshly followed with, "Yes, Li Xin, hand over the antidote obediently."

Li Xin, with a smile unchanged, said, "I believe, Lord Luo, what you really want is the antidote for Zhang Qingfeng’s poisoning. However, you should know that the poison was administered by my friend. You’re mistaken in coming to me."

The Third Elder’s face turned even paler as he looked at Luo Yan pleadingly.

Luo Yan calmly said, "Capturing you, I’ll have no problem finding him. Besides, I’m also very interested in your Three Corpses Brain God Pill."

As he spoke, Luo Yan extended his palm, gathering Qi Force, ready to strike.

Seeing this, Li Xin quickly said, "Hold on, I have a piece of information that could spare me this once, Lord Luo."

"Oh?" Luo Yan slightly withdrew his palm force and said, "Let’s hear it."

"It’s about the Song Family at the Yang City Lord’s Mansion; their relationship with the Zhen Shan Army is closer than you think, they must be die-hard supporters of the Zhen Shan Army."

Xuan Guang had only been transferred to Yang City three years ago, so Song Ziqi must be related to the Zhen Shan Army, which involves Xuan Guang. Regardless of whether it’s right or wrong, throwing blame costs nothing.

Luo Yan began to seriously consider this minor gang leader’s worth, saying, "It seems you know quite a lot."

Li Xin said, "Li Pingsheng fell into my hands, so what he knows, I know."

"That’s not enough; I still need the antidote for Zhang Qingfeng."

Li Xin took out a bottle and threw it to Luo Yan, sincerely saying, "My previous words were just a joke. Our attempt to assassinate Patriarch Zhang was a last resort. After all, we are citizens of Daqian; there are lines we must not cross."

Luo Yan’s stern expression finally softened, and he weighed the medicine bottle in his hand, then put it away. He was confident that Li Xin wouldn’t dare to deceive him.

"Good," Luo Yan said simply and turned to leave.

The Third Elder, standing by, was confused but he understood enough to know that Luo Yan had given up on him as a gesture of good will for releasing Li Xin.

Remembering the manner of Li Qiuyan’s death, the Third Elder scrambled to Li Xin’s feet, weeping and begging, "Boss, Boss, I know I was wrong, please spare me, please... spare my life, I had no choice..."

"How disgraceful." Qing Yu emerged; he had been hidden all along.

Of course, this had not escaped Luo Yan, who was confident in capturing Qing Yu due to the proximity. For Luo Yan, Qing Yu’s energy was as conspicuous as fireflies in the dark.

Li Xin shook off the Third Elder and silently retreated behind Qing Yu.

The Third Elder finally realized that the person in front of him was the one who could save his life.

Seeing the Third Elder with tears streaming down his face at such an old age, ending up in such a sorry state, Qing Yu’s expression was indescribable, unsure whether he felt compassion.

"How disgraceful," Qing Yu said again.

The Third Elder, hearing this, hurriedly pulled up his sleeves to wipe away the tears and snot, his will to survive extremely strong.

A streak of cold light flashed; the Third Elder, who had just wiped his face clean, clutched his bleeding throat and slowly collapsed to the ground.

Qing Yu slowly wiped the Mystic Iron dagger, silently watching the Third Elder’s resentful eyes.

"I don’t know if I’ll show an ugly face like yours when facing death. So, I must never let myself fall into such a situation..."