A Blazing Deception

Han Li’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the dwarf, his mind dissecting every detail of the man’s words and demeanor.

The instant the dwarf claimed to be from the Ye clan, his chest had puffed out with pride. It was as if the name alone lent him legitimacy, a shield he clung to desperately. Han Li was familiar with this tactic. The Qinling Ye clan had a reputation among cultivators, it seemed.

But Han Li was far from impressed. A man who truly had the backing of a powerful family would not have been so panicked from the start. This dwarf was either outright lying or was an insignificant nobody whose life and death meant nothing to the clan. Either way, the calculations in Han Li’s mind clicked into place with cold finality.

Killing this man would not bring any significant repercussions.

The last trace of hesitation vanished, replaced by a sharp, burgeoning intent to kill. A cultivator like this—weaker in magical power and a complete fool in his behavior—was a rare find. Even without this forced confrontation, Han Li would not have let such a prey wander right into his trap. And from the dwarf's own words and actions, he was no righteous man. There was nothing to hesitate about.

“The Qinling Ye clan? The renowned Ye clan?” Han Li’s face was a mask of surprise, as if he could hardly believe it. If the dwarf was using the name as a crutch, it must carry significant weight amongst cultivators.

“That’s right, that Ye clan. Since you know of them, you wouldn’t dare make things difficult for me, would you?” The dwarf, seeing his trump card work so well, immediately raised his voice, a new bravado in his tone.

“The Ye clan…” Han Li pretended to ponder, scratching his head and putting on a show of indecisive incompetence.

The dwarf’s heart leaped with joy. Seeing his opening, he began to plead and subtly threaten, his words flowing like a drumbeat to push the situation in his favor.

“How about this? I’ll take you to see one of the clan’s elders. Let them decide how to handle you, Fellow Daoist, what do you say?” Han Li said, sounding somewhat troubled.

“There’s no need for all that trouble! This is a trivial matter. If you need an elder’s permission for such a small thing, it would leave a bad impression on the higher-ups. It would be very detrimental to your future!” the dwarf replied quickly, startled by the suggestion, trying to sound concerned for his opponent's well-being.

He had now completely sized up Han Li as a naive, sheltered youth. In his mind, Han Li was a disciple who had been secluded in his clan cultivating since childhood and had only just come down to the mortal world to gain experience. It was the only explanation for such profound magical power at such a young age.

“Ah, thank you so much for the reminder, Fellow Daoist!” Han Li said, looking genuinely touched. After pretending to think for a moment, he reached into his robe and pulled out the talisman with the painting of a small sword.

“We’ve only just met, and you’re already so considerate. Perhaps I should return this treasure to you,” Han Li said with a sincere tone, a hint of reluctance in his eyes.

The dwarf was overjoyed. He couldn’t believe this young man was so naive as to return a treasure he had already won. Without a second thought, and afraid the other might change his mind, he hurriedly made a hand seal and waved his hand. The golden protective barrier around his body shattered and dissipated into nothing. He then eagerly reached out to grab the talisman, saying with a brash shamelessness, “Since you’re being so sincere, I won’t be polite!”

Just as his outstretched hand was about to touch the talisman, Han Li’s expression suddenly changed dramatically. He stared in shock over the dwarf’s shoulder and exclaimed, “Patriarch! Why have you come personally?!”

The dwarf instantly froze, a violent shudder running through him. Forgetting the treasure entirely, he whipped his head around to look behind him.

He saw nothing. The area was silent and empty.

“Shit!” Even the dimmest fool knew he had been tricked. Before he could turn his head back, he felt a sudden, intense heat on his chest. His vision filled with a roaring red flame, and in the blink of an eye, his body was engulfed, burning him into a pile of ash.

Han Li let out a long, slow breath, retracting the hand that had just launched the small fireball. Killing the man with a simple ‘Fireball Technique’ had appeared effortless, but it had required considerable mental planning and a great deal of pressure. Having the sneak attack succeed so smoothly filled him with a quiet sense of relief and a flicker of satisfaction.

Jia Tianlong and Wang Juechu had witnessed everything that happened, but they understood very little of it. Han Li and the dwarf had kept their voices low, and the onlookers were far too distant to hear a single word of their conversation.

All they had seen was the dwarf acting afraid as soon as he saw Han Li, then doing a lot of pleading. Finally, they’d watched Han Li materialize a ball of fire from thin air when the dwarf turned his head, reducing the Wild Wolf Gang’s great immortal backer—the Brilliant Gold Elder—to a puff of white ash.

A bitter taste filled Jia Tianlong’s mouth, a bitterness that sank all the way to his heart and lungs. What was happening? The perfect situation had turned on a dime the moment this unremarkable Seven Mysteries Sect disciple appeared. Even an Immortal Master like the Brilliant Gold Elder had been burned to death.

For Wang Juechu, the feeling was the exact opposite. He gripped the longsword at his waist, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he watched Han Li crouch down in an ungracious posture, poking through the pile of ash. A wild fervor spread across his face.

Han Li, for his part, was not excited, but pleased. He was happy because, from the ashes of the dwarf, he had found a few items that hadn't been burned by the fire.

There wasn’t much. A single talisman, one token, and a book.

The talisman was the same one the dwarf had used to create the golden defensive barrier. Even without knowing the incantation, just owning it was a cause for delight. Han Li was acutely aware that protective measures were his most glaring weakness.

The token was a black, triangular plaque. On one side, two golden archaic characters were embossed: “Ascend to Immortality” (升仙). The other side bore a single silver character: “Command” (令). It didn’t feel like metal, yet it was heavy and dense. He had no idea what it was for.

As for the book, Han Li had initially thought that if it had survived a Fireball Technique, it must be extraordinary. But after flipping through a few pages, he realized it was a genealogy—specifically, a genealogy of the Qin clan. He couldn’t figure out what connection this dwarf had to it, or why he would keep it so close to his person.

“The dwarf claims to be from the Ye family but carries a Qin family tree? Was he the illegitimate child of some Ye member?” Han Li mused with a hint of malicious amusement after his initial disappointment.