Watching Bai Yong leave with his tail between his legs, the onlookers in the restaurant sighed and began to disperse.

Zhai Mu, who was also in the crowd, slipped away quietly.

"Shopkeeper, the check."

Han Yuan called out casually.

Hearing Han Yuan’s voice, Shopkeeper Tong, the one who had been kicked down the stairs, scrambled back up, bloodied head and all.

"Lord Han."

"This time, my Drunken Immortal Tower was in the wrong."

"How could we possibly ask you to pay?"

Shopkeeper Tong said with a placating smile.

Now that he knew Han Yuan’s identity, he understood this was a ruthless man he couldn’t afford to cross.

’I just need to get this powerhouse out of here, and fast.’

"Business is business."

"Running a business isn’t easy for you either."

Han Yuan shook his head, left a five hundred taels silver note on the table, and walked out.

Shopkeeper Tong didn’t dare to refuse, respectfully putting it away.

Han Yuan leaped, soaring from the fifth floor to the first like a great roc, and made a stylish exit.

...

The matter quickly spread throughout Cangshui County Town.

The grudge between Han Yuan and the Bai Family was already a well-known affair.

Now with this new incident, everyone was waiting to see how the Bai Family would react.

BANG!

A rosewood table was shattered by Bai Muxin’s palm, sending splinters flying.

Seeing his father like this, Bai Yong was naturally too terrified to utter a word.

"I told you to entertain Xu Yunyao, and you go and provoke Han Yuan!"

"I’d really like to see how much guts you have!"

Bai Muxin roared furiously.

"Father... I didn’t know."

"Who knew Han Yuan was in that room? And then Bai Liang just had to burst in, giving that guy an excuse to attack."

Bai Yong explained.

"You’ve all gotten used to being arrogant and domineering in Cangshui County Town."

"This time you’ve finally picked a fight you can’t win."

Bai Muxin said coldly.

"Father... even though we were in the wrong first."

"But Han Yuan was too heavy-handed. He nearly killed Bai Liang."

"That guy is just provoking us."

Bai Yong recalled the night’s events, his face twisting with fury.

Leaving in disgrace in front of so many people.

’When I walk down the street from now on, I’ll probably be laughed at.’

"You think I don’t know that?"

"That guy Han Yuan is already so arrogant before even reaching the True Qi Realm."

"If he breaks through to the True Qi Realm, he will surely become a grave threat to our Bai Family."

Bai Muxin snorted coldly.

He’d hired a master ranked in the top thirty of the Black List to kill Han Yuan before.

But the kid had hidden in the Observatory for two months, causing him to lose his deposit.

He never expected that as soon as Han Yuan came out of seclusion, he would clash with their Bai Family again.

At this moment,

Bai Muxin’s desire to eliminate Han Yuan reached its peak.

"You go and check on Bai Liang’s condition first."

"As for Han Yuan, I will figure out a way to deal with him."

Bai Muxin said with a wave of his hand.

Hearing this, Bai Yong hurriedly cupped his fists. "Then I will take my leave."

After Bai Yong left, Bai Muxin fell into deep thought.

Getting rid of Han Yuan wasn’t going to be that simple.

He had to contact another master from the top thirty of the Black List through the Black Market.

But these people’s whereabouts were erratic; finding a suitable one at a moment’s notice was far from easy.

Bai Muxin was afraid that by the time he found a Black List master willing to act, that bastard Han Yuan would be hiding in seclusion at the Observatory again.

Then, just like last time, he would lose his deposit.

"Patriarch Bai seems to be troubled."

Just as Bai Muxin was pondering, a sinister, hoarse voice suddenly sounded.

"Who’s there?!"

Bai Muxin, who was deep in thought, snapped back to reality and looked toward the entrance of the main hall.

A black-robed figure stood silently at the entrance.

"Patriarch Bai."

"You don’t need to know who I am."

"You only need to know that, like you, I want Han Yuan dead."

The black-robed figure said faintly.

His voice was very hoarse, like the caw of a crow.

Bai Muxin narrowed his eyes. "Why should I believe you?"

He did not act rashly.

’To be able to slip past the many guards of the Bai Mansion, and for even I, a True Qi Realm master, to not notice him... This mysterious person’s strength is unfathomable.’

"You don’t have to believe me."

"You only need to provide me with Han Yuan’s whereabouts."

"And he will die without a burial place."

"I imagine this shouldn’t be too difficult for Patriarch Bai."

The man in black robes said softly.

Bai Muxin sneered. "Why should I help you?"

The black-robed man retorted, "Why shouldn’t you help me?"

"You just need to give me information on Han Yuan’s whereabouts."

"This shouldn’t have any negative impact on your Bai Family, right?"

Bai Muxin fell silent.

If it was just a matter of providing information on Han Yuan’s whereabouts, it was indeed a small matter for his Bai Family.

Even if the other party was playing him, he wouldn’t suffer any loss.

"I don’t know who you people are."

"I only hope you can make sure Han Yuan dies without a trace."

Bai Muxin finally spoke.

"Rest assured."

"Han Yuan won’t be able to escape."

The black-robed man chuckled.

...

The events of the following days left many people in the city dumbfounded.

The Bai Family, one of the esteemed Five Great Noble Families, seemed powerless against Han Yuan, apparently just swallowing their anger.

On second thought, however, people realized the truth of the matter.

The Bai Family really had no way to deal with Han Yuan.

Primarily, Bai Liang had started the whole affair. Han Yuan’s actions were a bit heavy-handed, but that was a grudge between the younger generation.

The three True Qi Realm masters of the Bai Family would be too embarrassed to act.

Besides, Han Yuan himself was a Demon Exterminator from the Observatory. With that status, he was indeed someone to be feared.

Han Yuan couldn’t be bothered with these matters. He continued to accept various missions in the Dust Hall to earn Contribution Points.

「Five days later.」

He once again rode his horse furiously out of the city.

At the city gate, a thug hiding in a corner watched Han Yuan leave, his eyes flickering.

...

This time,

Han Yuan’s mission was to capture a wanted criminal ranked in the forties on the Black List, known in the Martial World as Tian Xiong, the "Life-Reaping Twin Blades".

This man was brutal by nature. He had appeared in a town near Cangshui County Town, killed several families overnight, and then mysteriously vanished, his whereabouts unknown.

Normally, Han Yuan would not have accepted this kind of mission.

Mainly because Tian Xiong’s whereabouts were extremely difficult to confirm; they only knew his last seen location.

Spending time investigating might not even lead to finding him.

But this time was different.

That kid Zhai Mu was well-informed, and he had actually managed to find out Tian Xiong’s hiding place.

It was precisely because of this that Han Yuan accepted the mission.

「One day later.」

Han Yuan arrived at a place called Dragon Pool Town.

Legend had it that there was a deep pool in the mountains near this town. Long ago, someone had seen a Divine Dragon fly up from its depths, so it was named Dragon Pool Town.

He first found an inn to stay in, stabled his horse, and after downing three catties of cooked beef and a jar of fine wine, he got up and left to ask about a certain place.

The place where Tian Xiong was hiding was actually very simple: an ordinary residence within the town.

According to Zhai Mu, this residence was one of Tian Xiong’s hideouts. Every time he got into trouble, Tian Xiong would hide there, waiting for the heat to die down before coming out again.