Chapter 78: 78. Serenity Powder

“…I think you must have mistaken me for someone else.” After a prolonged silence, Lin Fan put the ring back on and shook his head. “This precious ring is a relic from my mother. She told me it was given to her by my grandmaster long ago.”

“No, your subordinate couldn’t possibly be mistaken! This is the Moderator’s token!” Master Feng quickly wiped away his tears, his face earnest as he spoke urgently. “The rule of the Vermilion Bird Tower is to recognize the ring, not the person!”

“Whoever holds this Vermilion Bird Ring is the Human Tower Master!”

“Alright, get up. Come inside so we can talk this over.” With his mind in a whirl, Lin Fan exhaled heavily, deciding to go inside to get the full story.

“Young Master, these people now know the deepest secrets of our Human Tower. They cannot be left alive.” Master Feng got to his feet, turned to the prostrate Yuan Ruohai, and made a throat-slitting gesture.

“Bring him in first. We’ll deal with him later.”

Ignoring Yuan Ruohai’s panicked expression as he desperately scrambled on the ground, Lin Fan turned and strode back into the clinic.

THUMP!

Master Feng grabbed Yuan Ruohai by the collar and threw him heavily inside, as if tossing a large garbage bag.

Seeing Lin Fan and Master Feng inexplicably reconciled, Stubborn Su Gang was utterly bewildered, hiding in a corner and not daring to get any closer.

Xiao Jie’s eyes glazed over. He let out a terrified wail, trembling as he pointed at Master Feng. “Brother-in-law, save me! He’s the one who’s been hunting me!”

“Reporting to the Young Master,” Master Feng explained awkwardly, his face filled with embarrassment, “this person is a key fugitive designated for strict surveillance by the Holy Poison Sect. He escaped by accident, and I chased him all the way to Haicheng to bring him back.”

“Aren’t you the Vice Moderator of the Human Tower? How did you end up with the Holy Poison Sect?” Lin Fan asked in confusion, shielding Xiao Jie behind him.

The man’s revelations were a tremendous shock. Even now, Lin Fan’s head was still spinning. My mother, whom I had always regarded as gentle and kind, was once the leader of a notorious assassin organization? It would be incredible for anyone to believe, let alone me. My mother, who couldn’t even bring herself to kill a chicken during the holidays… Lin Fan shook his head. The idea was utterly preposterous.

“Young Master, you may not know this, but to ensure our loyalty, the Tower bestows Serenity Powder upon us annually,” Master Feng said, his expression bitter as he gazed at the Vermilion Bird Ring in Lin Fan’s hand.

“It is both a miraculous medicine that can relax the muscles, invigorate the blood, strengthen the body, and enhance one’s martial arts cultivation. But if you stop taking it for a long time, your qi and blood will flow in reverse, causing unbearable pain!

“Seven years ago, the previous Human Tower Master suddenly lost contact with us,” he sighed helplessly. “To suppress the adverse effects of the Serenity Powder, I had no choice but to take my brothers and join the Holy Poison Sect, relying on their elixirs to alleviate the pain.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan’s heart stirred. He touched the face of the ring and, slowly twisting it, managed to remove it completely. The face of the ring was hollow, stuffed with specks of scarlet powder.

“Young Master! This is the Serenity Powder! Please bestow some upon your subordinate; just a little bit will do!” Master Feng’s pupils shrank as he stared at the scarlet powder, crying out in a mixture of shock and joy.

Serenity Powder… I should be able to replicate this. Lin Fan nodded, bringing the powder to his nose and sniffing it carefully. With a plan forming in his mind, he looked at Master Feng, who was swallowing repeatedly in anticipation.

“Gather the old members of the Human Tower and pledge your loyalty to me. In return, I will continue to supply you with Serenity Powder.”

“Of course! On behalf of all our brothers, I thank you for your immense grace, Young Master!” Overjoyed, Master Feng once again prostrated himself before Lin Fan, kowtowing repeatedly.

“From now on, no killing without my command. And don’t take on any of those messy assassination bounties.” Lin Fan used the tip of a silver needle to carefully pick up a tiny amount of Serenity Powder and handed it to Master Feng.

The latter eagerly took it and licked the needle clean, an expression of blissful relief spreading across his face.

“Does the Hai City Yuan Family have any relation to the Human Tower?” Lin Fan asked, his eyes sharp as he recalled Mr. Yuan Sr.’s strange deference.

“This… your subordinate does not know, Young Master,” Master Feng said, standing up and shaking his head awkwardly.

“Years ago, the Tower did invest a great deal of money to support Sect Managers in various regions, having them help with finances and daily expenses.

“However, as the assassination bounties we accepted became more numerous, the status of these Sect Managers became less important, and we gradually fell out of contact.”

Sect Managers… I see now. Lin Fan’s brow furrowed as the pieces fell into place. Mr. Yuan Sr. only knelt and called himself ’this humble servant’ after he saw my ring. I thought it was baffling at the time, but now it’s clear. The entire Yuan family must be an asset of the Vermilion Bird Tower’s Human Tower!

Suppressing these thoughts, Lin Fan turned to Xiao Jie. “What’s the situation in Sha Country? Has the Holy Poison Sect taken complete control of the royal family?”

“Reporting to Young Master,” Master Feng interjected, bowing respectfully. “The situation in Sha Country is merely one of the Holy Poison Sect’s schemes. They aim to prop up the Crown Prince as a puppet to gain control of the entire country’s mineral resources!

“Speaking of which, the people in charge of detaining the Sha Country Royal Family are basically our brothers!”

“Very well. I want you to sever ties with the Holy Poison Sect immediately and take back royal authority in Sha Country from the Crown Prince’s hands.” Lin Fan hesitated, but he ultimately couldn’t withstand Xiao Jie’s pleading gaze.

An image of Adele’s smiling face flashed through his mind. A pang of pain struck his heart. Steeling himself, he gave Master Feng a stern command.

“I’ll give you one day. Assemble in Haicheng and pledge your loyalty to me.”

“Rest assured, Young Master! I will contact our Human Tower brothers in every region immediately!” Master Feng hesitated for only a moment before nodding firmly, his jaw set.

The Holy Poison Sect’s elixirs could alleviate the pain from the Serenity Powder, but they never treated us as their own. We were just lowly enforcers. Otherwise, they certainly wouldn’t have made the Vice Moderator of the dignified Human Tower personally chase down a fugitive.

“As for these two…” Master Feng looked toward Stubborn Su Gang and Yuan Ruohai, once again making a throat-slitting gesture.

THUMP!

Yuan Ruohai’s face turned deathly pale as he dropped to his knees before Lin Fan. “I… I am willing to join the Human Tower and pledge my loyalty to Young Master Lin!”

His forehead was drenched in cold sweat, his back completely soaked. At this moment, Yuan Ruohai’s face burned with shame, and he was sick with regret. After hearing so many secrets, if I don’t become one of them, death is the only other path! If only I’d known how formidable his background was, I would have never dared to oppose him!

“I’m willing too! I’m willing!” Under four pairs of watchful eyes, Stubborn Su Gang shuddered and scrambled to his knees beside Yuan Ruohai, forcing a smile that was more painful than a grimace.

“If you want to join the Human Tower, you must consume the Serenity Powder,” Master Feng said with a sinister smile before Lin Fan could speak.

“Alright, alright, we’ll take it… we’ll both take it…”

After taking the small bit of powder Lin Fan scraped off with the needle, Stubborn Su Gang and Yuan Ruohai exchanged a look and, with pained expressions, consumed it.

“…You’re an exception,” Lin Fan said, patting an eager-looking Xiao Jie on the shoulder. “You’re the Prince of Sha Country; there’s no need for you to get involved in the struggles of the Jianghu.”

The so-called Serenity Powder is just a tool for control. I trust Xiao Jie’s character; there’s no need to use it on him. Besides, I’ll eventually have to return to the Imperial Capital to face the Ying family head-on. Having a wealthy supporter like Xiao Jie on my side will give me a huge advantage.

Xiao Jie chuckled, nodding with a crafty smile. “Heh, you’re going to be my brother-in-law sooner or later anyway. We’ve been on the same side for a long time.”

Lin Fan pretended not to hear him. He turned to the kneeling Yuan Ruohai and Stubborn Su Gang, rubbing his fingers together suggestively. “Since you’re pledging loyalty,” he began, “you two must have made quite a bit of money by now, right? I don’t expect you to charge into battle, but you can certainly contribute some funds.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep