Chapter 78: Those who do not submit shall die!

The strike from the Raincoat Guest was undeniably fierce.

The fishing line, carrying unparalleled killing intent, surged toward Su Xuan.

Su Xuan’s expression remained indifferent, showing no change whatsoever.

When the fishing line and hook reached him, they were driven by an invisible force and instantly shattered into pieces; the hook, too, plummeted to the ground.

The eyes beneath the Raincoat Guest’s cloak lit up, shooting out a brilliant, piercing radiance.

Su Xuan was strong. Whether based on his visible combat record or the intelligence he had gathered, this conclusion was inescapable.

He had defeated Yan Yan Lingji, was suspected of defeating Tian Ze, and had killed Ji Ji Wuye.

Although he had not struck many times, every person defeated by Su Xuan was a master.

Especially Ji Ji Wuye.

As the master of the Night Net, the Raincoat Guest had worked for him for many years and knew exactly what kind of strength this arrogant and domineering Grand General of Han possessed.

Yet, such a powerful Ji Ji Wuye had been killed head-on by Su Xuan on the main street, in front of thousands of troops, after which Su Xuan had departed with ease.

Although he did not know when Lady Mingzhu had hooked up with Su Xuan, this was certainly not the reason he chose to serve Su Xuan as his master.

After the fishing line in his hand snapped, he poured his internal energy into the fishing rod. At the tip of the rod, a silvery-white stream of light emerged, as if dozens of fishing lines had been conjured from thin air. These fine lines, condensed from internal energy, crisscrossed and layered toward Su Xuan.

If the world were a pond, then Su Xuan was the fish within it.

And he, the Raincoat Guest, was the angler sitting on the bank.

Fishing was a technique, and even more so, a martial art.

Having fished by the water’s edge for years, the Raincoat Guest had practiced this angling skill to the extreme. He viewed all living beings as fish in the water; once the line was pulled, the fish left the water, which was also the moment of their death.

"I thought you were a man who knew the times. I didn't expect you to have more backbone than I imagined!"

Su Xuan said lightly, his words filled with a sense of regret.

The wind arose, and the energy dissipated.

The fishing lines condensed from the Raincoat Guest’s internal energy suddenly vanished into thin air. Then, the fishing rod in his hand instantly snapped into several sections and scattered. Su Xuan flicked his finger, and a burst of force shot out, striking the Raincoat Guest’s body heavily. A mouthful of blood was immediately spat from his mouth.

The Raincoat Guest’s heart jolted, and he prepared to leap toward the nearby lake, intending to jump into the water and escape.

Su Xuan seemed to have anticipated his intentions, and his voice continued, "Have you thought it through? Are you sure you want to jump into the water?"

A section of the Raincoat Guest’s previously scattered fishing rod happened to fall into the water. As if corroded by something, it turned into powder the moment it touched the surface.

The Raincoat Guest noticed this, and his movement to jump into the water stopped abruptly.

There was clearly something wrong with this water. If he jumped in voluntarily, it would be tantamount to seeking his own death.

Through Su Xuan’s earlier words, the Raincoat Guest understood Su Xuan’s goal. Enduring the pain in his chest, he said in a deep voice, "You want to control the Night Net?"

"Ji Ji Wuye and Bai Bai Yifei conspired to harm the King of Han, cutting off my source of wealth. Although they died at my hands one after another, the things I lost have not been compensated. Using the Night Net to make up for my losses—I think that is a reasonable thing to do."

Su Xuan did not speak often, but when he did, he revealed something that shocked the Raincoat Guest.

That was that Bai Bai Yifei had already died at Su Xuan’s hands.

During the earlier battle on the main street, Su Xuan had used Bai Bai Yifei’s sword to kill Ji Ji Wuye in public. Although this had led the Raincoat Guest to form some guesses, as long as he hadn't seen Bai Bai Yifei’s corpse or found concrete evidence, he could not prove Bai Bai Yifei was dead.

He had not expected that Bai Bai Yifei had truly died at Su Xuan’s hands.

Afterward, he looked at Lady Mingzhu with a strange gaze.

To his surprise, Lady Mingzhu’s expression remained indifferent upon hearing this, as if it were not her cousin who had died.

Su Xuan also noticed the Raincoat Guest’s gaze toward Lady Mingzhu but didn't mind, continuing to ask the Raincoat Guest, "So, what is your answer?"

"Submission, or death!"

The brief words reached the Raincoat Guest’s ears, and his mood suddenly became heavy.

Of course, he did not want to submit to Su Xuan. After all, he had already planned his own retreat: the Net of the Qin State.

The Net relied on the Qin State and possessed great power. If he were to take the Night Net and defect to the Net, he would, in any case, be able to gain immense benefits—far better than defecting to Su Xuan, a wanted criminal of Han.

Su Xuan was strong, but in the end, he only possessed individual courage.

No matter how strong one’s power, one could still be killed if faced with a well-planned encirclement.

But if he did not submit, then only death awaited him.

Su Xuan had already killed Bai Bai Yifei and Ji Ji Wuye. Both of these men were higher than him in terms of power and status, yet Su Xuan had killed them without the slightest hesitation—let alone him, the Raincoat Guest.

He was the most mysterious person in the Night Net; in other words, if Su Xuan killed him, many people wouldn't even know he was dead.

Soon, the Raincoat Guest made his decision.

"I have seen the Master!"

He lowered his head, signaling his submission to Su Xuan.

However, Su Xuan could see that the Raincoat Guest’s heart was actually filled with extreme unwillingness. This so-called submission was merely forced by the situation; in order to survive, he had no choice but to bow his head.

But it didn't matter.

Su Xuan had long been prepared.

Lady Mingzhu was controlled by Su Xuan due to the ethereal "poison" in her body. It was impossible to make the Raincoat Guest submit willingly, but he could be forced to submit by the situation.

"Give the item to him!"

Su Xuan said to Lady Mingzhu beside him.

Lady Mingzhu immediately took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve.

Seeing this bottle, the Raincoat Guest immediately guessed what was inside, and the expression beneath his bamboo hat turned very ugly.

"Eat this!" Su Xuan commanded the Raincoat Guest.

Although the Raincoat Guest did not want to eat it.

But feeling Su Xuan’s gaze fixed upon him, in the end, with a sense of humiliation, he took the bottle handed over by Lady Mingzhu and swallowed the elixir inside.

As he swallowed the elixir, he immediately felt something extra in his body—it was... a Gu insect!

As he swallowed this elixir, he immediately felt an extra brother inside his body; it was... a gu-insect!

This elixir was, in fact, a gu!