Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Interception and Assassination

Li Yuan remembered the hatred in Senior Brother Ren’s eyes.

He didn’t dare gamble.

With Master and Senior Sister standing up for him, and with the sect rules in place, it’s unlikely that Senior Brother Ren would openly strike at him.

But if Senior Brother Ren wants to vent his hatred, he certainly has ways.

The relationship between the proprietress and him is known to anyone who investigates within the Inner City, and if Senior Brother Ren targets Hengwu Restaurant, or even secretly kills the proprietress, would the Blood Saber Sect go after him?

The answer is no, at most he would face some punishment or be left to settle the grudge on his own.

So, if Senior Brother Ren suddenly harbors evil thoughts one day, the consequences would be unbearable for him.

As for him killing Senior Brother Ren, no one would believe it. After all, he’s merely a Ninth Grade, and just managing not to get secretly targeted by Senior Brother Ren would already be fortunate, let alone going after him?

This matter is not about good or evil, right or wrong; it’s merely a twist of fate, a grudge caused by trivial matters.

Li Yuan cannot withstand the risk, so… Senior Brother Ren must die.

…

At night…

The crescent moon hung in the sky, casting its dim, dull light on the ground.

Li Yuan packed a set of three items (mask, cloak, sleeve blade) into a small box, then followed the proprietress’s carriage out of the city.

The proprietress asked nothing along the way, only discussing future plans and intentions with him.

Li Yuan wanted to establish an intelligence system and expand channels, which she knew.

To achieve these, he needs people, money, and power.

Power, Li Yuan will soon have.

She can also work hard to earn money.

Now it’s the issue of people.

She can explore county affairs under the pretense of “opening a branch”.

She can also hire more nursing home staff and fellows under the guise of “opening a branch”, secretly working for Li Yuan.

Midway through the carriage journey, when there was no one around, Li Yuan softly said, “Sister Xue, let me off here.”

The proprietress paused for a moment, then suddenly hugged Li Yuan tightly, her voice tender, “You must take care… If you have nowhere to sleep tonight, come to Baiyun Alley to find me; I’ll instruct the maid to wait for you.”

Li Yuan replied, “No need, I’ll come to find you at the right time, then you’ll enter the city with me… just go with your own plan.”

“Alright…” The proprietress hugged him again, her eyes filled with concern and tenderness.

Immediately, Li Yuan said no more, putting on the cloak, mask, and hiding the sleeve blade in the carriage, then jumped off like a leopard at a corner, swiftly entering the range of tall grass and woodland shade.

His tracking skill has reached perfection, able to see floating numbers. If anyone or any creature approaches, he knows in advance. Combined, he moves like a phantom in the night, extremely difficult for anyone to find.

Li Yuan knows that due to the presence of Wei family’s ladies at the Black Market these days, those Inner Sect senior brothers love to wander there…

Senior Brother Ren is no exception.

After being upset today, he might just wander aimlessly at the Black Market.

Or he might have gone to the Celestial Fragrance Building.

Or other places.

This is the downside of not having an intelligence system.

Wanting to kill a person but not knowing where they are.

Even with an intelligence system, as long as this process involves someone who is not absolutely loyal, trouble could arise.

Today he asks someone to find Senior Brother Ren’s whereabouts; tomorrow Senior Brother Ren is dead, then there’s a problem unless everyone on this link is silenced, otherwise, it’s very likely to leak.

“I must find a way to use Beast Taming…”

“Otherwise, even handling things would be difficult…”

Li Yuan secretly sighed but had no alternative; he could only use the simplest method to stake out.

Nighttime boats to the Black Market are different from daytime, just a few, and all at a small dock. He’s squatting among the reeds outside.

Time passes slowly…

Soon, daybreak arrives.

The first day, he didn’t catch them.

Li Yuan went to Baiyun Alley, had breakfast at the proprietress’s house, then enjoyed a warm bath with the maid’s service, glancing around, finding Points still present, then quickly napping.

Then he followed the proprietress to the Inner City for a stroll, under the guise of a walk, observed Senior Brother Ren’s house from outside, and found Ren’s carriage was outside, clearly preparing to go out later.

Remembering yesterday Ren left the city after the meeting, indicating Ren likely made a day trip.

He silently noted the carriage’s approximate appearance, as well as the chauffeur’s look with floating “6~7” above.

That day, he decided to stake out the return road to the Inner City.

As long as Senior Brother Ren returns at night, they will meet.

He hid in the shadows, constantly vigilant of his surroundings.

Quickly, midnight passed…

A carriage returned to the city, but the chauffeur didn’t resemble him, with “8~9” floating on top, didn’t appear to be Ren’s.

The hour of the ox passed…

Deep into the night, the wind howled, and no one appeared.

Li Yuan yawned, leaning against an old tree, silently watching the road’s movements.

At the hour of the tiger…

In the distance, the sound of wheels rolling emerged again.

Li Yuan looked toward the distance.

Chauffeur’s head bore “6~7”, was male.

Car model seemed right.

Li Yuan secretly gripped a stone, when the carriage drew near, he suddenly threw it.

Bam!

The stone sliced through the night, hitting the horse’s belly.

The horse, in pain, lifted its hoof upright, screeching.

With this movement, the carriage tilted, and a figure shot out, clearly Senior Brother Ren.

Without hesitation, Li Yuan immediately activated Shadow Blood; dual blood fused as one, his face flushed instantly, hair danced wildly like flames, he pounced like a fierce beast.

Time seemed to slow…

In mid-air, Ren’s eyebrows furrowed, drawing the long blade from his waist, blood shirt rapidly surfaced, swelled on his body like a bloody inner armor, appearing difficult to cut through.

Li Yuan moved like a phantom, shot as swiftly as lightning, his right sleeve’s Broken Blade suddenly sprung out, with a violent burst akin to Jingzhe, slicing with a thunderous sound, sweeping across three thousand night winds, sharply cutting.

Swoosh!!

The two swiftly crossed paths.

Ren only felt a numbness in his palm, the grip forced backward by immense force, then the blade’s momentum was unyielding, like a rainbow across the sky, instantly cutting onto his blood shirt.

Ren drew on all his blood energy, his body’s redness more pronounced.

Boom!

Next moment, the blood shirt shattered.

Ren cried out in pain, eyes startled.

Yet Li Yuan’s blade stance didn’t falter, as he continued forward, the blade like a silk ribbon, swiftly slashed across Ren’s neck, sending him to the afterlife.

After killing one, he swiftly turned, dealing with the panicked chauffeur.

Afterward, he quickly scanned the surroundings, seeing no one, then rapidly searched the corpses.

Ren evidently wealthy, from his bosom he found three Silver Tickets, each worth one hundred taels, nothing else.

After pocketing the Silver Tickets, Li Yuan picked up Ren’s blade, intent on slashing several marks on the carriage, piercing few marks with the blade tip, yet decided against it, perhaps no marks are better…

He quickly wrapped blood-stained soil into his cloak’s side pocket, then cleaned the area, swiftly grabbed the two corpses, and sprinted from the wooded area to Silver Creek’s edge.

At the creek, reeds were lush green, long leaves swayed in the wind.

This spot rarely sees humans; unless one specifically checks, even passing close by wouldn’t discover the bodies.

Li Yuan tossed both bodies deep inside, watching them vanish in the green reed sea, then discarded the blade far away, disposed of the soil in his pocket, and hunched his form, darting out from another side, heading to the proprietress’s place in Baiyun Alley, washed up then slept directly.

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