Chapter 296: Talking to Smart People Is Effortless!

Outside Wulong Fucheng, deep within a secluded mountain forest.

The void rippled like water, and Chen Mu stepped out midair, dragging the stiff body of Zhang Yao.

He casually tossed Zhang Yao onto the ground like garbage, producing a dull "thump."

"Cough… cough~"

With some of his acupoints unsealed, Zhang Yao burst into violent coughing upon landing, his eyes darting fearfully around the dark forest, finally settling on the figure beneath the moonlight—towering like a demon god—his voice trembling as he asked,

"Y-you… who are you?"

"What grudge do you hold against me?"

"… " Chen Mu looked down, his tone flat and unshaken, "Where is the roster of elite members of the Gold Coin Gang? Who holds it?"

"I… I don't know…" Zhang Yao's eyes flickered, trying to evade the question.

"Crack!"

Chen Mu lifted his foot and stomped down without hesitation.

With a sickening crunch of bone, Zhang Yao's right palm was instantly crushed into pulp, every bone shattered.

"Aaaah—"

A piercing scream tore through the night.

Chen Mu's face remained expressionless; gang members never had clean hands.

Especially those who rose to the rank of Hall Master—each had killed at least eighty, if not a hundred.

Thus, Chen Mu's heart remained as still as a deep well, his voice unchanged as he asked again, "Where is the roster? Who holds it?"

Zhang Yao sweated profusely from pain, his lips trembling, yet he still gritted his teeth and refused to answer.

"Crack!"

Another sharp snap—his left palm met the same fate.

"Your feet, your legs, your arms," Chen Mu's voice came from the depths of hell, "If you still refuse to speak by the end, I'll find someone else to ask. After all, the Gold Coin Gang has nine Hall Masters."

Hearing this, Zhang Yao finally shattered completely.

The man's target was the entire Gold Coin Gang!

He was merely one expendable pawn among many!

Overwhelming fear drowned his defiance; through unbearable pain, gasping for breath, Zhang Yao croaked, "I… I'll tell you! The… the roster is at headquarters… kept personally by Elder Wang Haocheng!"

"Good."

Chen Mu gave a slight nod and asked further, "Who is Wang Haocheng's enemy? What are his habits? Tell me everything you know."

"Yes, yes…" Zhang Yao no longer dared to hide anything. Through searing pain, he spilled every detail he knew about Wang Haocheng: his bitter rivalry with another elder over profit division, his insatiable lust—especially for married women—and his secret rendezvous at a private residence in Santan Prefecture with the concubine of a local official.

"Good."

Chen Mu listened, then nodded in satisfaction. He asked next, "Where have you hidden all your wealth?"

"Huff… "

Zhang Yao exhaled, gave an address, then begged, "My lord, spare my life—I'm willing to defect…"

Puff~!

Zhang Yao's words cut off abruptly.

Chen Mu raised his hand; having confirmed no further useful information remained, a sharp blade of qi shot from his fingertip, piercing straight through Zhang Yao's forehead.

Fear froze in Zhang Yao's eyes; his body twitched twice, then fell still.

【Corpse detected. Retrieve?】

"Yes!"

Card acquired. Quick inspection.

Qi Card!

Contains one year and one month of Qi.

Acceptable.

Chen Mu tucked the card away, summoned flame from his palm to engulf Zhang Yao's corpse, erasing all traces.

Then he headed to Wulong Fucheng, went to the location Zhang Yao revealed, and took all the gold and silver.

…

The next day.

Chen Mu arrived at Santan Prefecture, where the Gold Coin Gang's headquarters lay.

Using the information from Zhang Yao, he located the secret villa Wang Haocheng used for his clandestine meetings.

He did not rush in. Instead, he concealed himself in a quiet alley corner outside the villa, like the most patient hunter, activating his "Listen to the Wind" skill to eavesdrop from afar.

From the midday sun to the glow of lanterns at night, then to the faint dawn after the stars and moon vanished.

The villa remained utterly silent, as if uninhabited.

Only near midday the next day did sounds finally emerge from within.

A deep, confident, and languid male voice, mingled with a seductive, breathy female laugh, drifted faintly from the inner courtyard.

Chen Mu heard it, and a faint smile curled his lips.

Finally!

Swish~

His form blurred, slipping over the high wall like a falling leaf, landing soundlessly inside the courtyard.

His steps followed an arcane pattern, weaving through winding corridors, jagged rockeries, and quiet paths, arriving precisely at the edge of a lush, flower-filled inner courtyard.

He made no effort to hide; only his face had subtly changed. Chen Mu leapt onto the courtyard wall, like a hawk surveying its prey, his gaze fixed on the soft grass at the center.

There, on the grass, a middle-aged man in a loose sleeping robe, hair disheveled, rolled with a woman whose clothes were torn, her hair loose and disarrayed, her beauty intoxicating.

The middle-aged man was none other than Wang Haocheng, elder of the Golden Money Gang!

"Huh~"

Chen Mu spoke softly, yet his voice exploded like thunder beside their ears.

"Elder Wang, you're in high spirits indeed. But I wonder—what would Lord Yang feel, if he learned his concubine, wed barely a year ago, was rolling in the grass with you?"

"Who?!"

Wang Haocheng, lost in the arms of pleasure, suddenly snapped awake, roaring in shock and fury, shoving the woman off him and leaping to his feet to stare at the wall.

When he saw it was a young, unfamiliar man, his eyes first widened in shock, then blazed with murderous intent; his Complete Primordial Qi surged violently, ready to kill this intruder who had uncovered his secret on the spot!

"Hmph!"

Chen Mu let out a cold roar, and the vast aura of a Earth Altar Realm cultivator erupted like a mountain, instantly engulfing the entire courtyard.

The cruelty and killing intent on Wang Haocheng's face froze visibly, then twisted into boundless terror and shock!

The crushing pressure, as solid as stone, made his bones groan; the Qi he had just summoned instantly collapsed, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

Earth Altar Realm!

This intruder was an Earth Altar Realm cultivator!

The seductive woman turned pale with fright, her clothes half-uncovered, collapsing onto the grass in a quivering heap, shaking like a leaf in a storm.

The "Lord Yang" Chen Mu mentioned was none other than the Prefect of Santan Prefecture—the highest official in the entire region.

If the Prefect's concubine was found committing adultery with a gang elder, the best outcome for her and Wang Haocheng would surely be secret execution and burial together in a mass grave.

Wang Haocheng's face turned deathly pale; sweat instantly soaked his back. His mind raced—weighing murder, lies, begging—but against absolute power and this fatal leverage, every struggle felt futile and hollow.

His face shifted like a dyer's palette, flushing crimson and ashen in rapid succession.

Finally, as if all strength had been drained, his shoulders slumped, and he let out a long, dry, powerless sigh.

"My… my lord… what do you want?"

Hearing this, Chen Mu smiled in satisfaction, his tone softening slightly.

"Talking with a wise man is indeed easier!"