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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Nine: Blood Puppet
Generally speaking, Ye Huan looked down on matters like killing and silencing, as he had long since developed the habit of involving entire families when dealing with Eastern Japan Fusang on the battlefield. If he chose to kill, he would do it thoroughly to avoid leaving any future troubles. However, for someone he had previously extorted, Ye Huan felt it was more appropriate to leave him alive. After all, who would want to go against gold?
The thought of vast amounts of gold and jewels made Ye Huan's mouth water uncontrollably. This wasn't because he was inexperienced or had never seen money; rather, as Zuo Yi would say, "The income earned on the battlefield belongs to Huaxia..."
Thus, after more than two months of war, Ye Huan hadn't earned even a couple of silver coins, which was enough to make him envious.
It seemed that Qin Mu noticed Ye Huan's thoughts. Under Han Liu's lead, once they entered the Main Hall of Han Residence, Qin Mu boldly took a seat and said to Ye Huan, "Ye Huan, name your price! How many boxes of gold bars will it take for me to leave?"
"Money? What does money matter? Do you think I, Ye Huan, lack money given my current strength?"
Seeing his thoughts exposed, Ye Huan couldn't help but adopt a righteous demeanor, making Qin Mu doubt whether he had misjudged him. However, considering the strength of Ye Huan and his subordinates from the Three Hundred Dragon Hall, it did seem unlikely that they were short on funds. Thus, Qin Mu hurriedly feigned misunderstanding and awkwardly said, "Right, my mistake. I won't mention money anymore. Let's talk about how you can let me go..."
"Wait a minute, why are we not talking about money anymore? Three hundred boxes of gold bars—no negotiation..."
Upon hearing Qin Mu say they wouldn't discuss money anymore, Ye Huan's expression changed instantly, startling both Qin Mu and Han Liu. In fact, they completely overlooked the three hundred boxes of gold bars mentioned by Ye Huan. Qin Mu didn't even think twice before responding, "Alright, I'll instruct someone to prepare three hundred boxes of gold bars for you right now!"
"Hold on! I misspoke earlier—six hundred boxes of gold bars and one additional condition..."
Witnessing Qin Mu's wealth firsthand made Ye Huan quickly change his tune. This nearly caused Qin Mu to choke in disbelief. Even Han Liu couldn't help but intervene, saying to Ye Huan, "Ye Huan, can you handle six hundred boxes?"
'If I can't carry them all, I have a Spatial Ring—do you have one?'
Rolling his eyes at Han Liu internally, Ye Huan had already made up his mind but couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. Instead of getting caught up in the issue of money any longer, he took the initiative to propose a condition. With a smile on his face, he said to Qin Mu, "Six hundred boxes of gold bars—it's settled. Now let's talk about my conditions!"
"What conditions?"
Qin Mu Mo looked at Ye Huan with a confused expression, feeling that the smile on Ye Huan's face was incredibly annoying, evoking an indescribable feeling within him.
'Could this guy be asking for six hundred boxes of gold bars?'
This thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and the more he pondered, the more he felt it was a possibility. Without waiting for Ye Huan to speak, he boldly declared, “Alright, no need to mention the conditions. I’ll give you a thousand boxes of gold bars. Is that enough?”
“Ah?!”
With his mouth agape in shock, Ye Huan clearly remembered that when he attacked a city near the South Sea, there hadn’t been a thousand boxes of gold bars in the entire city. How could it be that in Flame Sun City, gold bars were suddenly so worthless?
Seeing the expression on Ye Huan's face, Han Liu smiled and shook his head. He leaned closer to Ye Huan and whispered a few words in his ear, which finally made Ye Huan understand what had happened. It turned out that during the six months Ye Huan had been away, the Southern Xiongnu Empire had been engaged in war. Even Zuo Yi could think of using war to sustain war; how could Xuan Ziming, who aspired to be the greatest emperor of the Southern Xiongnu Empire, not think of it?
Thus, after conquering half of Huaxia's territory, a large amount of gold, jewels, and treasures had already been sent by Xuan Ziming to the Southern Xiongnu Empire Palace. Eventually, there was no room left in the palace to store them. In a fit of joy, Xuan Ziming decided to distribute the excess wealth among the other three cities within the Southern Xiongnu Empire and even instructed the city lords to renovate their cities. As for how much remained and how much could be taken, that was beyond Han Liu's understanding…
After hearing what Han Liu said, Ye Huan felt an unusual frustration. He secretly regretted not adding a zero after six hundred boxes earlier. Filled with envy and resentment, he revealed his stubborn nature as he spoke up angrily, “Damn it! What’s so great about having money? I only want six hundred boxes of gold bars along with one condition. What? You won’t agree?”
As he spoke, Ye Huan summoned a Desert Eagle and waved it around in his hand, startling Qin Mu. Fortunately, as a city lord who had weathered many storms, Qin Mu managed to maintain a serious expression despite being frightened. He cleared his throat twice before saying, “Ahem! Of course I agree. Since you’ve said so, how could I possibly refuse?”
“Hey! That’s more like it. To be honest with you, my request isn’t difficult at all. In the next three days, regardless of what happens outside, you must keep the gates of Flame Sun City closed and not allow anyone in or out…”
With his signature smile reappearing on his face as he spoke, Ye Huan suddenly transformed that smile into a cold grin as if recalling something unpleasant. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees instantly. The two men before him hurriedly nodded in response; especially Han Liu, who cautiously asked Ye Huan, “Ye Huan, are you planning to make your move in these three days?”
“Pretty much! I might leave soon,” Ye Huan replied. “Qin Mu, I want to see six hundred boxes of gold within an hour along with the gates sealed. Is that enough time?”
Nodding at Han Liu to indicate he was correct, Ye Huan truly didn’t want to linger in Flame Sun City any longer. After all, given their exchange of information between him and Qin Mu, it would be nonsense to say that news wouldn’t get out. As long as he could act before everyone else caught wind of it, it wouldn’t be an issue for him; as for Xuan Ziming—he seemed destined to wait for death!
“One hour? That’s enough! Absolutely enough…”
Understanding the implications of Ye Huan’s conversation with Han Liu, Qin Mu hurriedly responded to Ye Huan and couldn’t help but glance gratefully at Han Liu. Clearly aware that Han Liu’s question was also considering him as the city lord of Flame Sun City; otherwise, if Xuan Ziming were to suddenly die, chaos would ensue throughout the Southern Xiongnu Empire. If Flame Sun City wasn’t prepared for such an event, it would inevitably suffer as one of only four cities within the Southern Xiongnu Empire!
Thinking of this, Qin Mu hurriedly left, and Ye Huan did not stop him. After all, with Ye Huan's current abilities, finding anyone in the Nine Provinces Continent was a piece of cake, especially after acquiring the Infrared Sensor. Even the top ninjas from Japan could not escape its tracking, let alone a lord from the Southern Xiongnu Empire.
However, after watching Qin Mu leave, Ye Huan suddenly remembered something and turned to Han Liu, asking, "Old Man Han, I just realized something. According to logic, Xuan Ziming is your emperor. Why do I see that you all seem indifferent to his death? Don't you love your country? Can you tell me what’s going on?"
"Love my country? What a joke! In this world, strength is respected! Have you forgotten the first law of being a Professional?"
Staring at Ye Huan in disbelief, Han Liu wondered if he had misheard. He was astonished, but when he saw the confusion on Ye Huan's face, he realized that Ye Huan must not have heard of the Professional's Law. He frowned slightly and continued:
"I really don't know who your teacher is that they didn't tell you this. Well, let me explain! The so-called Professional's Law is something every Professional must understand upon entering the field. There are only three rules: First, as a Professional, strength is respected; you speak with your fists. Second, those who achieve greatness become teachers; simply put, the relationship between master and disciple is not fixed. Third, and most importantly, always be cautious of your master because one day you might surpass them in strength and they may end up calling you 'teacher,' leading to their jealousy..."
Listening thoughtfully, Ye Huan understood the first two rules of the Professional's Law well. However, the third rule...
The memory of Durei IV's indifferent and hostile gaze when he had just returned to the capital resurfaced in his mind. Ye Huan felt it was necessary to return to Huaxia after ending Xuan Ziming's life...
Just as Ye Huan was lost in thought, Han Liu slowly stood up, startling Ye Huan back to reality. He then saw Han Liu seemingly making a decision; he opened the door and called for a servant, instructing them, "Go find the young master for me and tell him I want to see him!"
The young master?!
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Ye Huan suddenly remembered that he seemed to have forgotten about Han Lin during this time. After all, he had promised Han Lin that he would bring his little lover to Southern Xiongnu!
'Could it be that Old Man Han knows about this and wants me to fulfill my promise to Han Lin?'
A thought flashed through his mind but was quickly dismissed. Considering Ye Huan's current reputation, Han Liu would be more likely to curry favor than bring trouble by summoning his son. Unsure of Han Liu's true intentions, Ye Huan decided to wait quietly.
Before long, after the servant relayed the message, Han Lin quickly arrived at the Main Hall of Han Residence. However, for some reason, Han Lin looked quite haggard now; his face was ashen and lacked the demeanor of a Sixth-Level Practitioner from the battlefield.
"What’s this…"
Staring at Han Lin with confusion, Ye Huan noticed that even when their eyes met, Han Lin’s gaze appeared hollow and unfocused as if he had lost his soul entirely.
Beside Ye Huan, Han Liu observed Ye Huan's expression closely and a faint bitter smile appeared on his face as he explained, "Ever since he returned with the army that attacked Huaxia over two months ago, he has completely turned into this state. No matter what others say, he seems somewhat distracted. Ye Huan, can you figure out what's going on with him?"
"Over two months ago?"
A hint of confusion escaped Ye Huan's lips. He felt something strange about events from two months prior, especially regarding Xuan Ziming withdrawing troops from Huaxia Nation, which was something Ye Huan had never anticipated. Coupled with the fact that he hadn't seen Lingxiao for a long time, looking back now, everything indeed seemed suspicious.
Setting aside his inner doubts, Ye Huan stood up. With Han Liu having already spoken, he quickly approached Han Lin. However, at that moment, Han Lin, who had been standing still without any movement, suddenly revealed a short blade glowing with a faint green light from his sleeve and swung it directly towards Ye Huan. The speed was so fast it resembled a shooting star, even surpassing the strength of an average Ninth-Level Practitioner’s attack!
Ye Huan swiftly stepped back; the blade tip grazed his nose at less than a centimeter away. This was only possible because Ye Huan exerted all his strength to evade; had he held back even slightly, he would have been disfigured by now.
It was only then that Han Liu finally reacted. He rushed forward and attempted to grab Han Lin's wrist while shouting angrily, "Han Lin, have you gone mad?"
Gone mad? It certainly seemed so. At the very least, being a Sixth-Level Warrior yet able to evade a grip from a Ninth-Level Warrior spoke volumes. Perhaps even Han Liu, as a Ninth-Level Practitioner himself, did not expect Han Lin to easily dodge his attack with such nonchalance; it was merely a quick flick of his arm with minimal movement as if he had just swayed slightly in place. Yet this subtle motion left Han Liu unable to see clearly.
Fortunately for Ye Huan, just because Han Liu didn’t see it didn’t mean that Ye Huan missed anything. A flash of golden light appeared as the sound of metal clashing filled the air. In front of Han Liu, the short blade glowing with blue light came to an abrupt halt against Ye Huan's Flame Sun Sword, which had caught its blade. If it advanced just five more centimeters, it would surely result in a fatal wound for Han Liu—this was not to mention the deadly poison coating the blade.
"Old Man Han, it seems your son has truly lost his mind; you should step aside!"
Speaking calmly, Ye Huan noticed that at this moment, a hint of red flickered in Han Lin's eyes, instantly reminding him of a dark spell prevalent in the Eastern Continent—Blood Puppet!
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