Chapter 42 : Chapter 42
Chapter 42: The Fish Has Taken the Bait
Outside the Demon Extermination Bureau!
Zhang Ziliang had just passed the entrance of a large supermarket called Yudonglai.
Two figures suddenly blocked his path. He turned and ran at once. Damn it, why were those two Xu brothers here?
“Zhang Ziliang, stop right there.”
One of the young men in a sun hat barked the order in a commanding tone.
Stop?
Impossible. He absolutely could not let them catch him.
He bolted down the road in desperation, vaulting over roadside obstacles from time to time. In the end, he smashed straight through the glass door of a shopfront. Shards of glass flew everywhere, and the shelves inside were knocked over one after another.
It caused quite a disturbance on the street, though no one was injured. It only left the nearby ordinary civilians with some property damage.
“Zhang Ziliang, I warned you yesterday. I told you to leave that marrow-cleansing pill to me. How is it that you just can’t understand plain human speech?”
The Xu brothers pursued him without letting up.
“Damn it. They’ve been chasing me for this long, and there hasn’t been a single response from the jurisdiction head of this area. Looks like they really do mean to stand by and watch.”
Zhang Ziliang was inwardly frantic.
He knew that if he stopped, at most he would only lose some resources. His life would not be in danger.
But in times like these, how was he supposed to make any progress without resources?
Inside an office building.
A man in a suit stood with his hands behind his back, calmly watching the three people chasing one another on the street below.
One of his subordinates hesitated before saying, “Brother Seven, aren’t we going down to stop them? This whole stretch of Duckweed Road is our jurisdiction, after all.”
Han Qi did not react in the slightest. Expressionless, he said, “Relax. They’re all Jurisdiction Heads. If they really come to blows, they’ll know where the line is. We don’t need to go sticking our noses into it.”
“At worst, we’ll only lose a bit of property. Besides, more than half the month is already gone, and we still haven’t used up the three million in compensation funds we’ve got left.”
“We can afford it!”
He paid no attention to Zhang Ziliang and the others. Instead, he leisurely sat down in his office chair and enjoyed a massage from a young married woman in red.
Snatching resources inside the Demon Extermination Bureau was a common enough occurrence.
Especially when it came to a top-grade pill like the Marrow Cleansing Pill, which could help an Aperture Opening Realm Martial Artist cleanse the marrow and remold the body. He had eaten one himself before. As for what it felt like... after that, his cultivation had felt as though someone had opened up his Ren and Du Meridians.
It was hard to imagine what it would be like if he took another one.
“Oh, right. I heard Lu Zhan became an official demon exterminator. What did you find out about that?”
The man hesitated slightly. “I found out. Lu Zhan went to the Demon-Suppressing Tower, bought some demon beast flesh, and then returned to his jurisdiction... but it seems he didn’t take the Marrow Cleansing Pill inside the Demon Extermination Bureau.”
Lu Zhan had not concealed his movements, so tracking his whereabouts had been easy.
“What?”
The moment Han Qi heard that, he sprang straight out of his chair, startling the woman in the red dress behind him.
In that instant, all his former calm and composure vanished, replaced by a trace of alarm on his face.
“Damn it, that madman is bold beyond belief.”
He could not help cursing.
He truly could not understand it. He simply could not understand what that neighbor of his was trying to do.
Lu Zhan could have swallowed the Marrow Cleansing Pill inside the Demon Extermination Bureau before returning to his jurisdiction. If he had done that, no one else would have set their sights on him.
But now, plenty of people had probably already gotten the news. Perhaps at this very moment, they were already rushing toward Peach Blossom Alley.
Then, in a clipped tone, he issued a long string of orders.
“Changyu, go gather every jurisdiction head on our side of Duckweed Road who isn’t out on a mission. Fortify every route that must be passed between Duckweed Road and Peach Blossom Alley. If anyone dares stir up trouble, warn them first. If they won’t listen, take them down by force. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility!”
“And notify all the brothers who’ve already come back from their missions. Tell them not to take any missions for the next few days. Strengthen patrols in the Northern District.”
“Yes!”
The Northern District of Duckweed Road lay just ahead, and beyond that was Peach Blossom Alley.
Han Qi’s purpose was simple.
Fight if you want, but do not cause trouble in my jurisdiction. Otherwise, do not blame Duckweed Road for showing no mercy.
After Changyu left, the mature woman in the tight red skirt tactfully lit a cigarette for Han Qi.
“Is something big going to happen?”
She nestled against him.
Han Qi’s large hand kneaded the woman’s full buttocks hard. They were wonderfully springy.
“When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer.”
“But this time, the commotion probably won’t be small. It might even draw one or two captain-level figures.”
The woman rolled her eyes at him coquettishly.
“Captain-level figures? How do they compare to you?”
She was only Han Qi’s secretary, an ordinary person, so she knew very little about the world of martial artists.
“Captains... those are all people with terrifying strength. Some of them are at the same realm as me, the seventh layer of the Aperture Opening Realm, but their actual combat power far surpasses mine.”
“I was once put forward for a captain’s slot too, but against those monsters, I couldn’t even last ten exchanges.”
“But losing to those freaks isn’t shameful. Honestly, just being able to cross hands with them was already an immense honor.”
Han Qi let out a heavy breath of smoke, deliberately blowing it into the red-clad woman’s face, drawing a series of coquettish complaints from her.
He, however, was amused into roaring laughter.
“Hongyuan, I heard you ran into the rat tide at Anxi Residential Complex, and in the end Lu Zhan even saved you. What do you think of him?”
Hongyuan could not help recalling that figure, and ripples stirred in her heart.
If she had to describe him, there were only two words for it— Utterly overbearing.
That sort of domineering air, as though he looked down upon all under heaven, came from the marrow of his bones.
Coming back to herself, she gave a crisp one-word answer.
“Strong!”
Han Qi’s lips curved slightly upward.
“Who do you think is stronger, Lu Zhan or a captain?”
Hongyuan tilted her head slightly in thought, inadvertently revealing a swath of snowy skin.
“Lu Zhan is stronger?”
“No.”
“Then the captain is stronger?”
“Also no.”
“Then who is?”
“Of course I’m stronger. If you don’t believe me, come find out yourself... Hahaha!”
Even the summer air seemed tinged with springtime desire.
Poor Zhang Ziliang, meanwhile, was in a miserable state. Disheveled and bedraggled, he dodged and hid wherever he could.
In his panic, he fled all the way north.
...
Peach Blossom Alley.
Lu Zhan had just returned when Wang Botao and Shangguan Ling came over.
“Brother Lu, just like you asked, we found a villa. It’s three stories, and the main thing is that it’s big—more than twice the size of my place... but...”
“What is it? Don’t tell me there’s something wrong with the house?”
That morning, he had asked the two of them to help see whether there were any suitable villas up for sale.
He had not expected them to work so efficiently.
“There’s nothing to complain about when it comes to the location or the house itself. It’s just... some of the elderly people nearby say that something seems to have been buried underground in that area before. Or maybe it’s a feng shui problem. In any case, people always feel as though their qi flow is obstructed when they cultivate there.”
Lu Zhan frowned. The spiritual energy was insufficient? That meant the results of cultivation there would be greatly reduced.
“I see. Fine, there’s no rush. Keep looking and see whether there are any other suitable houses. If there really aren’t any, I’ll go take a look myself when I have time.”
Lu Zhan took out a Pattern-Scaled Fish. Tonight, he planned to make a pickled fish dish.
“Since you’re here, come lend a hand. Tonight, we’re going to have a proper feast. And Shangguan Ling, go buy some seasonings and a few dishes to go with the wine...”
“Got it, Brother Lu!”
Before Shangguan Ling had even gone far, Lu Zhan slightly raised his head in the kitchen, and the corners of his lips curved upward.
Looks like the fish had taken the bait.
“Remember to buy the better seasonings. Tonight... we may have guests.”
“Don’t worry, Brother Lu. I’ll make sure you’re satisfied.”
Shangguan Ling hurried off without noticing anything unusual.
Wang Botao, however, sensed that something was off.
After all, even unwelcome guests were still guests.
“Brother Lu, is something big about to happen?”
A trace of tension entered Wang Botao’s expression.
“Something big? How big does it have to be before it counts as big? Some people just want to come here and die. Don’t make a fuss.”
Lu Zhan’s expression remained calm.
After all, if they didn’t die and he didn’t kill them, where would his Slaughter Points come from?
The only question was how many people this bait would hook this time.
The more, the better. He still had two Spirit Rank martial arts he had yet to learn.