Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 139: Starting An Act (Castle Bonus)

Han Yu spent the next two days cautiously gathering more information.

From the scraps of gossip, murmured conversations and the report he had obtained, he pieced together a full picture:

No one had ever gone back to Black Moss Ridge.

The appearance of the Core Condensation Realm beast had turned the place into a death zone.

The sect deemed it too dangerous to send anyone else. Even Inner Court Disciples would find it too dangerous. Plus the Black Moss Ridge wasn’t of any particular importance to the sect anyways. The only reason they had sent disciples there was as a routine mission to find out just what was happening there, which they now knew.

The dead were simply declared lost.

Han Yu’s name was forgotten, quietly brushed under the rug.

Han Yu’s lips curled into a cold smile.

Perfect.

He could use this negligence.If no one confirmed the deaths, then no one could argue if he simply... came back.

But he needed a plan.

A convincing one.

After a night of thinking, Han Yu decided:He would stage his return.Make it look like he had barely survived, wandering for months, trapped far from the sect.

He needed to go far enough, so it would be believable.

Without wasting time, Han Yu packed up.Using some of the gold coins he had left, he bought minimal supplies from the arena people, covering his tracks carefully.

Then, wearing his Shadow Melding Robes, he slipped out of the sect.

The Spirit Beast Forest lay ahead—dense, wild, and once considered perilous.

But now?

Han Yu realized with some shock that it wasn’t hard at all.

His new body, forged from countless rare treasures and saturated with potent energy, was vastly superior.

Even the strongest beasts he encountered barely gave him any trouble.

Each clash ended swiftly—Han Yu easily defeating and even killing them.

The forest became nothing more than a path for him to tread.

Once he had gone far enough, Han Yu stopped near an abandoned cliffside a few kilometers away from the edge of the Black Moss Ridge region. He had to leave foot tracks after all, just in case someone did a deep dive into his whereabouts.

He carefully changed into the outer court robes he had taken from the vault.

The pristine robes were torn by hand, dirtied thoroughly.

He rolled in the mud, smeared dust across his body, tangled his hair into a mess.

He even bit his own lips to make them cracked and dry, finishing the look of a man half-dead from wandering.

’Perfect.’

He was completely unrecognizable at a glance.

Then, staggering and dragging his feet, Han Yu slowly made his way back toward the sect, crying out weakly for help at intervals.

Day after day passed.

Four days in total.

He moved slowly, making his act more convincing.

He looked for any passing disciples along the outer routes but didn’t find anyone until—

On the morning of the fifth day, as the sun rose gently over the misty trees, he finally spotted someone.

A figure in white and pale blue robes approached, carrying a light sword at her side but walking quietly on foot.

Han Yu cried out again, stumbling toward her.

The girl turned sharply, alert, hand hovering near her sword hilt—but when she saw the pitiful figure covered in mud and rags, her eyes widened.

She hurried over, cautious but concerned. "Who... who are you?"

Han Yu fell to his knees, panting, forcing his voice to sound raspy. "Han Yu... Outer Court... disciple..."

The girl gasped, her small, delicate face full of shock.

’Wu Huian.’

He recognized her now—a quiet, polite inner court disciple known for being soft-hearted.

"I... I remember hearing your name before..." she whispered, confused. "You... you were supposed to be..."

Han Yu trembled and cut her off, lowering his head."Please... food..."

The girl hesitated only a moment before reaching into her storage pouch and pulling out some food which was just grain pills.

Han Yu accepted it gratefully, wolfing them down like a man starved half to death, keeping his act perfect.

Wu Huian sat beside him, worried and unsure.

After resting for a bit, Han Yu stood shakily.

He had assumed she would have a flying sword, but surprisingly, Wu Huian walked on foot—evidently, she either hadn’t reached the required level for flying on a sword or just didn’t have the right one yet.

She supported him gently by the arm, and together they made their way back to the sect.

By afternoon, the towering gates of Twin Leaf Peak came into view.

Han Yu looked at the familiar scene with strange, complicated emotions swirling in his chest.

I’m back...

But this time, things would be different.

As Han Yu and Wu Huian made their way through the sect grounds, whispers and gasps followed them like a growing tide.

"Is that—?"

"Han Yu?! Wasn’t he dead?"

"Nine months! How could he survive?"

Eyes widened, mouths hung open, and disciples froze in place to stare as the two passed by.It was as if a ghost had appeared in broad daylight.

Han Yu kept his head lowered, his body trembling slightly—not from fear, but from the strain of maintaining his act.

At last, just before they reached the central square, a sharp voice called out.

"Stop right there!"

Han Yu and Wu Huian paused, looking up to see a stern figure approaching swiftly.

It was none other than Elder Nie Jing, the very man who had overseen Han Yu’s initial entrance assessment into the sect. The commotion had been enough to reach his ears and he had come to check personally.

The rumors were too shocking, after all. Plus, the appearance of the Black Claw Giza Lizard had been concerning enough that he had been informed of it too. He also knew of all those that had died in that mission, only five returning alive... barely.

The Elder’s long robes fluttered in the breeze, his sharp, hawk-like eyes narrowing in confusion and disbelief.

He strode forward, stopping just short of them.

"Han Yu?" Elder Nie Jing asked, voice low with both suspicion and concern. "Is that truly you?"