Chapter 146

146. Chapter 144: You Have Quite a Bold Heart

As soon as Ding Huan stepped out of Xiao Xingjiao Market, he saw Jin waiting at a distance.

This guy was waiting for him.

Ding Huan quickened his pace toward the place where he had killed Tou Jie and the others, and sure enough, Jin quickly followed.

"Not bad, you've got guts—knowing I was coming to find you, you still came to this remote spot."

Jin's tone carried a hint of mockery.

Ding Huan replied calmly:

"You know I'm bold, yet you still dare follow me—you've got quite a bold heart too."

Jin froze. That was true—if he knew Jin meant him harm, why did Ding Huan come?

Could this Ding Huan really be a strong one who killed Kan Ni?

But then he reminded himself: he was a top-level martialist—how could he fear some outsider kid?

Even so, he took a few steps back.

I should've brought a few others with me.

"Do you know why I brought you here?"

Seeing Jin's wary expression, Ding Huan sneered:

"Because Tou Jie was killed right here by me."

"What?"

Jin stared blankly at Ding Huan.

Though Tou Jie was merely a thug, far beneath him in status,

he still dared not touch her, because she was backed by the Zu family, one of the Four Great Clans.

"By the way, I also killed Kan Ni. See? Your answer is this simple—why bother finding Ding Dui?"

Ding Huan spread his hands.

"So it was you…"

Jin immediately drew his longsword, spun it in a flourish, and slashed at Ding Huan.

Ding Huan didn't move—he simply raised his hand and sent a wind blade flying.

"Puff!" Blood exploded.

Jin's leg was torn open by Ding Huan's wind blade.

"Thud!"

Jin collapsed two meters in front of Ding Huan, screaming in agony, his heart filled with terror.

Ding Huan's strength was at least equal to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He couldn't understand: a Foundation Establishment cultivator could establish a family anywhere in the Four Directions Star Continent—why would he hide in this corner pretending to be weak?

Was this even human behavior?

"With your level of strength, you dare show off before me?"

Ding Huan walked over and kicked Jin in the face; Jin could hear the crack of his own nasal bone breaking.

"Your humble servant was blind—Master, please show mercy! I beg to serve you as your dog!"

Jin cried out in terror.

"Being my dog? No thanks. I'm not killing you for a reason. Speak—why did you go to Four Directions City for so long?"

Ding Huan asked casually.

In truth, this was his main purpose in bringing Jin here today.

After learning from Li Di Ding that a high-level civilization starship would arrive in two years, Ding Huan had begun to plan.

He couldn't just sit here and wait to die—there were no cultivation techniques here, and the ambient Qi was extremely scarce; staying meant nothing but death.

"I came to secure a spot on the high-level civilization starship. In two years, a starship from a high-level civilization will arrive at Four Directions City."

Jin appeared arrogant on the surface, but once his life was in someone else's hands, he was even weaker than Kan Ni—his fear could not be hidden.

"Did you get it?" Ding Huan asked.

Jin's tone grew even more deferential:

"When a high-level civilization warship arrives, it usually takes no more than ten talented cultivators."

The Four Great Clans and the Three Planets negotiated together—they agreed each of the seven factions could send one person aboard the alien ship."

"The remaining three spots go to whoever offers the most valuable treasure—the one with the best treasure gets to leave with the high-level civilization ship."

Though Jin tried to steady himself, his voice still trembled.

Ding Huan frowned:

"Didn't you say ten talented ones? What if the other three aren't talented but bring something valuable?"

Jin forcibly stopped the bleeding from his broken leg, his face growing paler—Ding Huan's question demanded an answer:

"Actually, only seven talented cultivators are needed. The other three go to whoever offers the best treasure."

Ding Huan was even more confused:

"If it's just about who brings the best treasure, why did you go to Four Directions City? Just bring your best treasure then."

Jin hurried to explain:

"No—it's not like that. Even if you have the best treasure, if you never get the chance to meet the high-level civilization's powerhouses, it's all for nothing."

Ding Huan finally understood—so this guy went to Four Directions City just to secure a chance to deliver a gift.

"Did you get that meeting opportunity?" Ding Huan fixed his gaze on Jin.

Jin seemed to have been waiting for this exact question:

"Elder, I've obtained it, and it's stored at the Qian Bank in Six Directions City."

Ding Huan's spiritual sense had already scanned Jin's person and found another cloth bag, inside which lay two bank deposit tokens and one white access token.

The white access token bore the inscription: Treasure Submission Entry Token.

"Good. Then tell me what treasure you prepared."

As Ding Huan spoke these words, a powerful aura of killing intent surged forth.

"It's a medicinal herb."

Jin said this in fearful agitation, his heart filled with dread—if the herb was taken, he was finished.

At this moment, he regretted having kept the herb on his person.

Before Jin could react, the leather pouch at his waist vanished suddenly.

Immediately, Jin saw the leather pouch in Ding Huan's hand.

Ding Huan's spiritual sense settled inside the pouch and saw a long jade box, within which rested a green medicinal herb, only one foot long.

Seven-Toothed Verdant Grass?

The name surfaced automatically in Ding Huan's mind—it was one of the main ingredients for cultivating Foundation Establishment pills.

Ding Huan didn't understand alchemy, but he knew this herb was priceless.

He intended to achieve Gene Foundation Establishment; he very likely needed this herb.

Perhaps Gene Foundation Establishment didn't require Foundation Establishment pills at all.

But even the worst Gene Foundation Establishment still needed Gene Foundation Elixir—and this Seven-Toothed Verdant Grass was his only hope.

The pouch also contained ten to twenty thousand purple gold coins and some personal items.

Ding Huan sent the purple gold coins and the Seven-Toothed Verdant Grass into the Star House, then tossed the pouch back onto Jin's body, and with a flick of his hand, seized the cloth bag on Jin's person as well.

Seeing that Ding Huan knew about his cloth bag, Jin was utterly despairing.

Inside that bag was the white token granting access to high-civilization powerhouses—now that the white token was taken, he had nothing left to save his life.

Then he heard Ding Huan's voice:

"In your next life, don't forget to stop bullying others—what's owed must eventually be repaid."

Immediately, a blade of light severed his neck, followed by a burst of flame that engulfed him entirely.

……

The next morning, Li Diting arrived at the Enforcement Guard headquarters.

He had prepared himself—if Jin came today to complain, he would call another meeting to show how seriously he took this matter.

And he would interrogate the four Gu brothers in front of him.

What puzzled him was that he waited all day without hearing any news of Jin, let alone seeing him show up.

Li Diting waved his hand and summoned a nearby Enforcement Team member:

"Go find out what Jin has been doing in the marketplace today."

"Yes." The Enforcement Team member quickly left.

Li Diting sat frowning in his seat, tapping his desk incessantly.

Yesterday, he had invited Ding Huan to dinner and subtly hinted that he intended to help Ding Huan.

Honestly, these were all free favors—costing him nothing.

Because the high-civilization extraterrestrial powerhouses had arrived, he gained no benefit from it.

He offered these favors because he felt Tie Jie and Kan Ni's deaths were tied to Ding Huan.

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Ding Huan had eliminated these two without a trace—his ability was no ordinary thing.

But he wasn't certain; Ding Huan didn't look like someone with such power.

In just a short time, the team member returned swiftly:

"Captain, Jin didn't appear at Xiao Xingjiao Marketplace today—could he have gone somewhere nearby? No news has come in yet. But…"

"But what?" Li Diting suddenly stood up.

His sensitive professional instincts told him this matter was far from ordinary.

Before avenging Kan Ni—or obtaining Ding Huan's house—would Jin simply vanish?

The team member replied:

"One of our members said that yesterday, Jin seemed to have chased Ding Huan out of the marketplace. I don't know where to."

Hearing this, Li Diting gaped, utterly incredulous.

He had suspected Kan Ni and Tie Jie were killed by Ding Huan, and even subtly encouraged Ding Huan to kill Jin—that was mere suspicion and personal annoyance toward Jin.

Now he was one hundred percent certain: Jin had been killed by Ding Huan.

If Jin was dead, then Kan Ni and Tie Jie's deaths were exactly as he had guessed.

Li Diting let out a long breath:

"Good. Jin must have realized the case is closed, so he left Xiao Xingjiao Marketplace and returned to his territory. He has too many affairs to stay here long."

"Take a few men, kill the murderers—the four Gu brothers—and issue a public notice: this matter is closed."

"Yes." The Enforcement Guard member received the order and turned to leave swiftly.

Li Diting finally sat down, and after a long while, murmured:

"Powerful. Truly powerful."

"Captain, Zuo Shigou of the Zuo Family has come to pay his respects." An Enforcement Team member entered to report.

Li Diting immediately understood—it was about Tie Jie. He laughed heartily and went to the door himself:

"Ah, it's Manager Gou. Long time no see."

At the entrance of the Law Enforcement Guard stood a man in his thirties, his face sullen, as if he had lost money gambling and was in a foul mood.

Yet upon seeing Liditing, he still bowed in greeting:

"Captain Ding is too kind; surely Captain Ding knows why I've come here?"