Chapter 9: Speak Up, I Can't Hear You

Staring at the crumpled fifty-cent bill, Old Xue felt his mind was in disarray—more precisely, his killer’s resolve was on the verge of collapse.

Is this what you call payment?

Such a paragon of upholding the codes of the underworld!

Watching Old Xue stand there dumbstruck, Qin Chuan’s face instantly darkened. “What, too little?”

“How could I think that? Since I entered the profession, I’ve never received such a generous reward; you’ve really gone out of your way.” Old Xue hurriedly replied with righteous conviction, though it was entirely insincere.

Qin Chuan’s lips twitched. He strongly suspected that this killer was mocking his stinginess, but he had no evidence.

“These are my conditions,” Qin Chuan continued, leaning in to whisper instructions, then warned, “If you don’t complete the task satisfactorily, I’ll have the Ghost Assassins hunt you to the ends of the earth.”

Old Xue’s body jolted, the shock in his eyes deepening as he looked at Qin Chuan. He originally belonged to the Ghost Assassins but was expelled after his strength declined due to injury.

This young man had discerned Old Xue’s origins after just a brief encounter—such perception and insight were truly terrifying.

“Who exactly are you?” Old Xue couldn’t help but ask.

Qin Chuan replied with a question, “Are you sure you want the answer?”

His smile grew ever brighter, but to Old Xue it was more terrifying than the devil’s grin, sending an involuntary chill down his spine.

Years of surviving on the edge of life and death had honed Old Xue’s instincts; he quickly shook his head, knowing full well that some answers come at the cost of one’s life.

“Wise enough to know when to advance and retreat—clever,” Qin Chuan said with a chuckle.

Old Xue, flattered by the praise, quickly replied with respectful deference, “Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”

“After teaching that bastard a lesson, leave the Guo family as soon as you can,” Qin Chuan said after a brief pause.

Old Xue nodded instinctively, then realized something was wrong; he’d unwittingly fallen into Qin Chuan’s trap.

“How did you—”

“Get lost!” Qin Chuan cut him off impatiently, waving him away, giving Old Xue no chance to continue rambling.

Old Xue, as if granted amnesty, vanished swiftly into the night.

Qin Chuan lingered for a long moment before turning toward the depths of the woods. “If you’ve seen enough, come out now! Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to make mischief in this pitch-dark wilderness.”

Footsteps echoed, and a graceful figure gradually entered Qin Chuan’s sight. It was Lan Jin, the woman who had tried to tease him earlier, only to find herself teased instead.

But now, Lan Jin was nothing like her earlier bold and carefree self. Her beautiful, doe-like eyes were filled with shock and curiosity.

“You saw it all?” Qin Chuan asked, smiling.

With his keen senses, Qin Chuan had noticed Lan Jin’s arrival and hiding the moment he clashed with the killer.

Lan Jin nodded at first, then shook her head like a rattle.

“What does that mean?” Qin Chuan was baffled.

Lan Jin, feigning innocence, said, “If I told you it was too dark and I saw nothing, would you believe me?”

She knew all too well that seeing what shouldn’t be seen could cost one their life.

“Say something nice and maybe I’ll believe you,” Qin Chuan said, deliberately putting on a stern face.

“Brother!” Lan Jin took the hint, instantly adopting a coquettish tone.

Qin Chuan shook his head, unimpressed.

“Good brother!”

Lan Jin bit her lip, lips glistening.

Qin Chuan raised an eyebrow, still feeling it wasn’t quite right.

“Good uncle!”

Lan Jin decided to raise her rank.

Qin Chuan gave her an encouraging look, signaling she was close to the correct answer.

Lan Jin’s cheeks flushed crimson. She knew exactly what Qin Chuan wanted, but such a term was too embarrassing.

“I find dead men keep secrets best—what do you think?” Qin Chuan said, feigning severity.

Lan Jin gritted her teeth, steeling herself, and whispered, “Daddy…”

“Louder, I can’t hear you!” Qin Chuan cupped his hands around his ears, exaggerating his gestures and expression.

“You’re awful! I’m not talking to you anymore!” Lan Jin’s face was so red it could almost bleed.

No matter how wild Lady Lan was with her friends, her audacity never extended to someone like Qin Chuan—the little dragon of the waves—so she could only flee in panic.

“Come on, let’s have some fun, anyway there’s plenty of time…” Qin Chuan’s melodic singing drifted through the night, making Lan Jin run even faster until she disappeared into the darkness.

Qin Chuan didn’t linger in the woods either; the surging heat within threatened to roast his internal organs, but he managed to return to the Lan family estate and circulate his energy to disperse it. Otherwise, the consequences would have been dire.

“Damn it, this can’t go on!” Qin Chuan exhaled hot breath, and a faint red vapor appeared in the air—an outsider would surely think he was performing some fire-breathing act.

Frankly, Qin Chuan was feeling annoyed. First, he healed Lan Weimin with the Fortune Needle, then battled the assassin, which only fueled the already uncontrollable Nine Suns’ fire within him.

“Should I have finished Guo Zikun off? Maybe I let him off too easily,” Qin Chuan suddenly regretted his earlier decision. Cutting the grass at its roots would have suited his character better.

Qin Chuan sighed softly. The task of finding a woman with the Mysterious Yin constitution was daunting.

Just then, a chilling sensation spread from his chest, instantly cooling his entire body and soothing his overheated dantian.

Qin Chuan reached into his shirt and pulled out a jade pendant entwined with a dragon and phoenix. The pendant glowed with a haunting blue, and staring at it for long made one feel as though they’d fall into its depths.

He gazed at the dragon-phoenix pendant for a long time before murmuring, “Mom and Dad, where are you?”

Twenty years ago, the core members of the Qin family were wiped out on New Year’s Eve. Six-year-old Qin Chuan survived only because he had sneaked off to the river to set off firecrackers.

Later, masked men pursued him. The old housekeeper of the Qin family sacrificed his life to stall them, giving Qin Chuan a slim chance to escape.

With nowhere left to run, Qin Chuan jumped into the Qinglong Bay River. When he awoke, he was in his master’s thatched hut.

Twenty years blurred by in a flash.

Now Qin Chuan had returned, fully trained.

The blood feud that destroyed his family must be avenged.

“I’ll have to start from the beginning and investigate,” Qin Chuan sighed. The passage of time had made his enemies vanish without a trace, and the masked men were just blades wielded by someone in the shadows.

Elsewhere.

Purple Mist Valley Villa District.

Guo Zikun, unable to get any news from Old Xue, was restless, anxious, and unable to sleep.

Calls went unanswered!

Messages ignored!

Guo Zikun was overcome by the same anxiety he’d felt when fawning over Lan Jin.

“Damn it, is Old Xue courting death?”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Before he finished, Guo Zikun heard heavy thuds outside his door.

Crash!

The wooden door splintered, and a burly figure burst in.

“Old Xue, you’d better have a damn good explanation for me,” Guo Zikun said, thoroughly displeased.