Han Li was standing with his back to the black bear, facing the brawling crowd. Although the black bear tread extremely lightly, how could he possibly evade Han Li’s notice?
So when the black bear was only a few steps away and began to pounce fiercely like a demon, Han Li shifted slightly, and his entire body suddenly and eerily turned to face the black bear. He smiled faintly at the charging beast.
The black bear was shocked, but he had already lunged forward and couldn’t retreat. Left with no choice, he let out a loud shout, stretched out his two large, black-fur-covered hands, and viciously grabbed at his opponent. He prayed inwardly that this young man had little combat experience and would be intimidated by his ferocious appearance, allowing him to succeed in one strike.
Seeing that this burly black man still recklessly attacked him, Han Li’s expression suddenly darkened. With a swift motion, he vanished from the black bear’s sight.
The black bear inwardly cursed his misfortune and hurriedly halted his steps, wanting to turn and flee. But suddenly, he felt a chill on the back of his neck, and a gleaming sword tip emerged from his throat before disappearing just as abruptly. The black bear desperately clutched the spurting wound on his throat, trying to say something, but only a few dry, hoarse sounds escaped his throat before he collapsed to the ground.
Sun Ergou’s face had turned ashen. He had witnessed the young man ghostly circle behind the black bear, draw a flexible sword from his waist, and effortlessly pierce the black bear’s throat. Now, the young man was taking out a white cloth to wipe the gleaming blade.
The young man seemed to sense Sun Ergou’s gaze. He looked up and gave Sun Ergou a light smile.
Sun Ergou immediately averted his eyes as if he had seen a venomous snake. He felt no joy at the death of his rival, the black bear; instead, his heart was filled with a sense of shared despair, like a rabbit mourning the death of a fox.
He now fully realized that this young man was no fat sheep—he was the King of Hell come to claim lives. And they, like minor demons, had foolishly thrown themselves into the palm of this King of Hell. They had truly brought about their own doom!
Sun Ergou’s only hope now was that his subordinates could subdue the giant man. That might give them a fighting chance to negotiate terms and save his own life.
But when Sun Ergou took a clear look at the situation with the giant man, he was stunned speechless.
More than twenty burly men now lay motionless on the ground, covered in blood. The giant man stood upright with his arms crossed over his chest. Noticing Sun Ergou’s gaze, he coldly returned the stare.
Though the giant man’s face was hidden beneath a hood, Sun Ergou could still feel a beastly, bloodthirsty aura washing over him, turning his ashen face pale.
Han Li had been coldly observing the changes in Sun Ergou’s expression. Seeing that this man had no martial skills and was utterly terrified, he lost interest in dealing with him personally.
“Qu Hun, kill him!” Han Li finally turned his head and said calmly.
“No, please! I surrender! I’m willing to offer all my wealth to you, young master! I’ll be your loyal ox or horse! I know all the major and minor news of Jiayuan City and can serve you with the loyalty of a dog or horse…” Sun Ergou, seeing the giant man approach him step by step like a demon, collapsed to the ground in fear, babbling pleas for mercy in panic.
“Oh?” Han Li had initially intended to ignore Sun Ergou’s words, but when he heard that the man was well-versed in the news of Jiayuan City, he felt a stir of interest.
“Hold off for now.” Han Li stopped Qu Hun, who was about to twist Sun Ergou’s neck, and walked a few steps forward to stand before the man.
“Are you familiar with Jiayuan City?” Han Li asked with a smile, putting on a very amiable expression.
But Sun Ergou, having just witnessed Han Li’s merciless brutality, didn’t dare show the slightest neglect. Trembling, he stammered, “Very familiar, extremely familiar! This lowly one grew up in Jiayuan City and knows every blade of grass and tree here like the back of his hand!”
Clutching at this lifeline, he wished he could exaggerate his earlier words tenfold to make himself seem useful.
Hearing this response, Han Li rubbed his nose, tilted his head in thought for a moment, and then pulled a porcelain bottle from his robe.
He poured out a white pill the size of a longan fruit and handed it to Sun Ergou.
“Either swallow this, or die,” Han Li said bluntly.
Sun Ergou’s hand trembled as he held the pill. He hesitated, looking at the object in his palm, but when his eyes met the icy gaze opposite him, he shuddered and finally threw his head back to swallow the pill.
“Good. Only now can I trust you,” Han Li nodded in satisfaction.
“This pill is called the Rotten Heart Pill. It’s my unique secret formula. You must take an antidote every month, or your internal organs will fester and you will die. I trust you’re a sensible man and won’t be of two minds about this,” Han Li said grimly.
Although Sun Ergou had been prepared for something like this, hearing the effects of the pill he had just swallowed made his face fall, and he looked utterly dejected.
“Don’t worry. Once you help me complete my business in Jiayuan City, I will fully neutralize this poison and grant you your freedom. With your skills, I really have no use for you elsewhere,” Han Li, well aware of the carrot-and-stick approach to ensure loyalty, gave Sun Ergou a glimmer of hope for eventual release.
“Really, young master?” Sun Ergou’s spirits lifted slightly upon hearing this.
“Take this silver for expenses. First, clean up this place. I don’t want anyone to know what happened here. Understood?” Han Li tossed a bag of broken silver to Sun Ergou and issued a light command.
Sun Ergou caught the silver bag and gave it a slight heft. It was heavy, probably containing over a hundred taels of loose silver inside.
A look of delight appeared on his face. Suddenly, working for this extremely generous young man didn’t seem like such a bad thing.
“Young master, rest assured! I will absolutely handle this place properly and won’t cause you any trouble!” He patted his chest obsequiously.
“Alright, I’ll go ahead first and find an inn to rest. Come find me tomorrow morning. As a local snake here, you should have no trouble tracking me down,” Han Li ordered without courtesy.
“Yes! Yes! Tomorrow morning, I will definitely come on time to receive your orders, young master!” Having reached this point, Sun Ergou readily slipped into the role of Han Li’s subordinate.
Han Li smiled, called for Qu Hun to shoulder the large bundle, and slowly left the area. After walking a considerable distance, Han Li glanced back at Sun Ergou and saw him still standing obediently in place, watching him leave with a look of utmost loyalty.
“Interesting!” Han Li suddenly found this man quite amusing and perceptive. Perhaps he could indeed be of great use.
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