A Name Shakes the Region, Hidden Daggers in Every Smile

Chapter 658: A Name Shakes the Region, Hidden Daggers in Every Smile

“Did you see that flying sword he used when traveling with us? That was clearly a top-grade magic tool. And I noticed he has a good number of pouches on his belt, all bulging. Some of them are even spirit beast pouches. How could a mere rogue cultivator possess such things? He’s clearly a disciple from some small sect out on a training journey. If he were from a major sect, he’d be arrogant and would never have agreed to travel with us. Also, back at Purple Dao Mountain, he didn’t produce an invitation. Heh! With the demonic path growing so powerful, small sect cultivators naturally wouldn’t dare to act with high profiles. They all claim to be rogue cultivators and start sneaking around. They’re terrified the demonic path will take offense and come knocking to wipe out their lineage. So even though this man’s cultivation and tools are not weak, we’ve never heard of him before.” The short, stout cultivator spoke with a smug expression.

“If Brother Luo puts it that way, then this fellow named Han is indeed just that. That makes it safe to make our move. He might be a bit wary of us, but he would never guess the two of us are concealing our cultivation. Taking him out, a mere Initial Qi Condensation cultivator, with two Mid Foundation Establishment cultivators should be as easy as reaching into a bag! This kid has walked right into his own doom. Running into us, the ‘Twin Terrors of Peng and Yi,’ he can’t possibly be let off.” The bald, burly man’s ox-like eyes shone with a greed so intense it was almost tangible. He rubbed his hands together eagerly.

“Naturally. But to make things easier, we should lower his guard. A successful ambush is always better than a head-on clash. So we should drag things out until two days before the Patriarch Fu’s birthday celebration. During these few days, we can pretend to befriend him, and then suddenly unleash our ultimate techniques to finish him off.” The short, stout man licked his thick upper lip, his tone insidious.

“Good! I’ll follow Brother Luo’s lead on everything. It seems this trip won’t be a bust even if we can’t join a sect. Our haul will be substantial!” The bald giant seemed to have great faith in the short, stout cultivator, a broad grin splitting his face.

“Heh heh, of course! With such a fat lamb coming right to us, how could we, the Twin Terrors of Peng and Yi, ever return empty-handed?” The short, stout man also laughed, as if he already considered the loose-haired cultivator’s possessions his own.

In the next room over, separated by a single wall, the loose-haired cultivator sat cross-legged on his bed, his expression utterly blank. Yet, not a single word of the “Twin Terrors’ ” conversation escaped his ears. The sound-isolation barrier was as useless as air to him.

“Since you’re so eager to die, you can’t blame me,” the loose-haired cultivator murmured softly to himself, a cold glint flashing in his half-lidded eyes. He then closed his eyes again to resume his breathing and cultivation.

This loose-haired cultivator was, of course, Han Li in disguise.

In fact, Han Li had arrived in Yuanwu Country two months earlier. The journey had taken him through several nations under the control of both the righteous and demonic paths, but as a Nascent Soul cultivator, as long as he didn’t court trouble, no one could see through his disguise or his true cultivation level. The trip was uneventful.

Once in Yuanwu Country, he hadn’t rashly acted based on his superior cultivation. Instead, he first gathered information about the Fu Family from local rogue cultivators and market towns.

What he learned about the Fu Family’s influence gave him a considerable headache.

It wasn’t that the presence of three Core Formation cultivators in the Fu Family was a problem. The real issue was that quite a few of the Fu Family’s disciples had joined the Demon Flame Sect. Even with his formidable abilities, he couldn’t very well storm the Demon Flame Sect itself.

If he didn’t eliminate these people, burning the Fu Family’s main fortress to ashes would be useless; the family would simply rise from the ashes another day. He would have failed to fulfill his promise to Xin Ruyin.

Just as Han Li was considering other options, news began to spread throughout Yuanwu Country about the upcoming birthday celebration for Patriarch Fu.

Upon hearing this, Han Li was overjoyed.

Since the Fu Family’s patriarch was holding a birthday celebration, all direct-line descendants would certainly come to offer their congratulations. Even the Fu Family members who had joined the Demon Flame Sect would return to the Fu Family fortress. This was a perfect opportunity to wipe out the Fu Family’s entire direct bloodline in one fell swoop.

However, given the Fu Family’s current power, not just anyone could get in. Those coming to offer birthday wishes were either cultivators from other families or envoys from the various small and medium sects that were vassals to the demonic path. Rogue cultivators, while not explicitly barred, had to be at least at the Foundation Establishment stage to be allowed into the fortress.

After Han Li had gathered all the details, he calmly waited for over a month before leisurely heading towards his destination.

As for the “Twin Terrors of Peng and Yi,” Han Li had met them on the road. Upon seeing the exceptional quality of Han Li’s magic tools, they had enthusiastically struck up a conversation. When they learned he was also headed for the Fu Family fortress, they had become even more delighted and proposed they travel together.

Han Li saw through their ill intentions at a glance. But given his own level of cultivation, he had nothing to fear from their schemes. In fact, he planned to use their company as a cover to more easily infiltrate the Fu Family.

So, without a second thought, he agreed.

What he hadn’t expected was that upon arriving at Purple Dao Mountain today, only cultivators with invitations could enter the fortress before the actual birthday. The rest of the rogue cultivators who had come to offer their congratulations would have to wait until the day itself.

This took Han Li a bit by surprise, but it was ultimately a trivial matter.

After all, the birthday itself was the day when all the Fu Family members would be gathered. Attacking earlier would just mean leaving stragglers to escape.

Having only just settled into the inn, he hadn’t yet decided how to deal with the short, stout cultivator and his companion when the two of them had already lost patience and started plotting against him. A cold sneer echoed in Han Li’s heart as he resolved to show them no mercy.

Over the next ten or so days, Han Li and the “Twin Terrors” would take walks in nearby areas during the day and return to the inn to meditate at night. The patriarch’s birthday was now just a few days away.

During this time, the two acted incredibly friendly, constantly addressing Han Li as “Brother Han” as if they had been old friends for years.

In the small city, the number of rogue cultivators coming to celebrate Patriarch Fu’s birthday was also growing. While most rogue cultivators were used to sleeping out under the stars, a few who were accustomed to worldly pleasures took rooms in the city’s only two inns.

Thus, Han Li did encounter a few other rogue cultivators staying at the same inn. But upon seeing the short, stout man and the bald giant at Han Li’s side, they all wore expressions of alarm and quickly gave the group a wide berth. This left Han Li feeling somewhat amused. It seemed his two companions had a rather notorious reputation among rogue cultivators.

Seeing this, the short, stout man and his partner, worried that Han Li might grow suspicious, fabricated a story about being on bad terms with other cultivators. They took turns sticking close to Han Li, preventing him from talking to anyone else.

Han Li, noncommittal, showed no reaction at all. This made the short, stout man inwardly mutter a few words of doubt. But his greed soon overcame his caution, and he cast the matter aside.

Two days later, the short, stout man and the bald giant enthusiastically invited Han Li to visit a so-called “scenic spot” nearby, insisting it was stunningly beautiful and that it would be a shame to miss it.

Han Li knew the time for them to strike had finally come. He readily agreed. Then, with a smile plastered on their faces, the three of them left the inn, heading straight for the “scenic spot.”

Seeing as many cultivators had gathered in the area, the duo took great pains to lead Han Li out of the city for more than a hundred li, finally landing before a quiet, deserted small mountain range.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, the short, stout man spoke to Han Li with a beaming smile:

“Brother Han, do you see? Once we pass this mountain, there will be a small valley. Inside, a clear stream flows, and rare flowers blanket the ground. It is absolutely…” The fellow, despite his ugly appearance, was an incredibly smooth talker, praising the valley as if it were a paradise on earth.

Listening, Han Li sneered inwardly.

Yes, beyond this small mountain, there was indeed a hidden valley. While the scenery might be nice, there was also the faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation of spiritual energy from a restriction array. It was very weak, but to Han Li’s spiritual sense, it was as clear as day. It seemed these two were seasoned veterans at murder and robbery, even going so far as to set up a simple trapping formation in this valley.

If Han Li were truly an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, lured into that formation and then ambushed by these two, his life would certainly have been forfeit.

“The scenery here is quite nice, and no one else is around. I don’t think we need to bother with that little valley. Right here is fine. What do you two think? If someone were killed here, the body destroyed and traces erased, no one would bother us, and no one would ever find out, would they?” Han Li said after casually glancing around. A faint, knowing smile touched his lips as he spoke to the two men.

“Brother Han, what do you mean by that? Could it be you’ve misjudged us?” The short, stout man’s expression shifted slightly, but he immediately put on a look of great surprise, as if he were truly taken aback.

All the while, one of his pudgy hands had somehow found its way to a storage pouch on his belt.

As for the bald giant, after a moment of shock, a flash of savage brutality crossed his eyes. Without a word, he clenched his massive fists and silently moved to one side of Han Li.

Han Li acted as if he hadn’t noticed their subtle movements. He simply stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression one of complete calm.

Seeing this, the short, stout man felt a surge of unease and sensed that something was terribly wrong. But things had already come to this point; he could not back down. He could only shoot a covert signal at the giant, preparing for the two of them to attack together.