Chapter 189 – Sixth Rank Enforcer Woodson, Raking in The Blood Gold - Part 3

The next day.

With Yan Mu backing him up, and after showing a glimpse of his strength, Li Yuan officially became a freelance enforcer and moved into the provisional lodging for enforcers, the Peakside Pavilion.

The Peakside Pavilion was a series of detached buildings along Heart Hill, originally built by wealthy locals as a scenic retreat. Now the martial alliance had requisitioned it as housing for its new hires. Given the danger of undying husk infiltration, it made sense to keep everyone spread out in separate quarters.

There, Li Yuan met the only other freelance enforcer, a figure who lived next door, wearing a conical hat and wrapped in a cloak from head to toe.

Upon seeing Li Yuan, the stranger rasped out a single phrase, “Chang Tianli.”

Li Yuan glanced at the numbers hovering above this man’s head, 500~520. He felt his confidence grow. Imitating that hoarse tone, he replied, “Woodson.”

[1]

The two exchanged a curt nod before swiftly returning to their respective rooms, making no attempt at further conversation.

Not long after, a few seventh rank martial artists came by to pay Li Yuan a visit. He declined to see them, and after a couple of rejections, they stopped coming.

By dusk, the pounding of hooves echoed at the base of Heart HIll, a lone rider galloping at full speed. One of the disciples stationed to watch the mountain hurried up to deliver Li Yuan’s first assignment.

There had been outbreaks of madness in four separate townships on the far western side of Eastspring County. Yuan Zongzi of the Sacred Fire Palace and Yan Mu of the Holy Tree Temple had already departed to two of those areas. The remaining two spots needed Li Yuan and Zhou Qing to check them out.

For each location, they’d send a sixth rank enforcer, plus two seventh rank experts and a contingent of sect followers. Li Yuan randomly picked Fishgut Wharf and set out with over a hundred men.

Despite being called a town, Fishgut Wharf was really just a slightly larger version of Little Ink Village—a small settlement with cramped housing and people living close together.

The rhythmic

clip-clop

of hooves rang out as they left Eastspring County. But even before Li Yuan’s group arrived, his two chameleon parakeets had already reached the ward, blending in and covertly observing the scene below. These flying demonic beasts were far superior to ordinary white finches, much harder to detect when spying.

From above, they saw little out of the ordinary, aside from a few households in ruins. As Li Yuan rode onward, he continued to watch the feed through the parakeets’ senses.

Suddenly, from a dark, muddy alley came the muffled voice of two people talking.

“These goods from the ghost street marketplace are pretty good for disguising.”

“Right? No one would suspect a thing. But the offensive power is weak. That copper hairpin’s got some punch, but the activation requirements are too strict. It needs a lock of the target’s hair. Too hard to get. The item from our ghost street marketplace is much better. As soon as you shut the door and create a sealed space, the curse can be triggered.”

“I’ve already swapped out the door handle with one I bought for just four candareens at that ghost shop. If it triggers successfully, it can kill an ordinary sixth ranker outright. Once the sixth rankers go down, the seventh rankers won’t matter. Nobody under fifth rank can stand in our way.”

“But can the imperial tutor really nullify the curse for us, so we don’t have to hide in the ancient street forever?”

“Supposedly, yes. Some of the undying husks have pulled it off already.”

“You’ve seen it yourself?”

“With my own eyes. You know the former top courtesan of Snow Moon Heights in the Jade Capital? Everyone said she was doomed by a deadly curse. If she ever left the ancient ghost street, she’d be finished.

“But I saw her step right out, perfectly fine. That imperial tutor has some extraordinary methods, enchantments that lead right into the ancient street. You could call them supernatural.”

They spoke without sensing the chameleon parakeet perched overhead. Meanwhile, the other parakeet was scouring a different spot in the township. Piece by piece, Li Yuan compiled the scattered clues and images into a coherent story.

Riding through the night, he couldn’t help massaging his temples with a wry smile.

“First assignment, and it’s a trap. These people went

mad

from poison, unrelated to whatever happened at Spring Breeze. Their real goal is to lure a sixth rank enforcer here and kill them. They plan to pose as distressed residents, invite the enforcer inside, shut the door, and then unleash some dreadful hidden attack.”

By the time Li Yuan and his group of over a hundred reached Fishgut Wharf, a stick of incense had passed.

Under the hazy moonlight, the squat houses and their low fences cast eerie shadows on the ground.

Li Yuan dismounted in front of a certain dilapidated residence, the place rumored to be where the trouble started.

At the entrance, he glanced at the supposed distressed housewife who was guiding them. She had equipment on her, and her strength was around eighth rank. In reality, she was an undying husk, putting on a pitiful act.

The woman sobbed theatrically, wiping tears from her sleeves. “Sir, my husband was fine this morning, and then he suddenly went crazy, grabbed a knife and tried to kill me...”

All the while, her gaze kept darting to the door handle. In her mind, this was going to be easy. She’d let the big shot in, slam the door, and the target would be eliminated. That was how undying husks carried out assassinations.

The disciples behind Li Yuan hesitated, not daring to step forward. After all, dealing with this was exactly the reason the three major factions had recruited a sixth rank enforcer.

Li Yuan didn’t bother trying to convince anyone. He strode up to the door and

kicked

it hard.

BOOM!

With a thunderous noise, the door went flying, and then blew apart midair in a shower of splinters.

Li Yuan charged through and roared, “Who’s gone mad?!”

Meanwhile, the undying husk who’d planned to slam the door behind him stood there in dumb silence, eyes wide. No door, no plan.

Inside, Li Yuan leaped across the room and grabbed the raving man on the bed, who was laughing one second and weeping the next. After a quick look, he muttered, “He’s been poisoned!”

“Men!” Li Yuan shouted. “Arrest this woman! She claims it’s just madness when it’s obviously poison. No doubt she’s guilty of a heinous crime!”

The disguised undying husk stared at him in disbelief. She’d imagined every possible scenario except the one unfolding before her eyes. In a panic, she dropped to her knees, tears brimming pitifully. “Sir, I-I didn’t poison him! Truly, I had nothing to do with this...”

The hundred or so disciples behind Li Yuan stood gaping, but none were foolish enough to contradict a sixth rank enforcer. Two of them stepped forward and seized the

housewife

. She sobbed louder.

“Sir, please, I didn’t do anything!”

Li Yuan’s reply was curt. “You can tell it all in prison. We’ll see what the interrogation says.”

Without giving the undying husk another glance, he went off to inspect the other households suffering from the so-called

madness

, making a show of arresting a few more suspects to keep up appearances.

In truth, each victim was simply poisoned, completely different from the rampant hysteria that occurred in Spring Breeze,

Among his retinue was a disciple well-versed in poisons, who confirmed Li Yuan’s assessment. After leaving behind some prescribed remedies, they all headed back to Eastspring County.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The captured undying husk, meanwhile, was tossed unceremoniously into the county jail to await questioning. Panic set in quickly. There was no narrow doorway for her to slip away into the ancient street. She was cursed and couldn’t remain outside that realm for long. That very night, her cries for help rang through the cells, but went ignored.

Back at the Peakside Pavilion in Heart Hill, Li Yuan returned to his quarters. The freelance enforcer next door, Chang Tianli, hadn’t come back yet. Li Yuan took a quick walk around, secretly tied his thousand-mile thread to a nearby seventh rank neighbor, then slipped home to the Hundred Lotus Manor for the night.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Early the next morning.

Li Yuan returned to the Peakside Pavilion, emerging from a grove of trees with a casual yawn. That was when he spotted his neighbor, Chang Tianli. The man was missing an arm, bloodshot eyes betraying agony as he gazed into the distance. When he noticed Li Yuan, his stare became even more incredulous.

“Y-you...you’re still alive?”

Li Yuan shrugged.

Chang Tianli’s voice was raspy as he continued, “I’m done with this enforcer business. Not another day!”

“What happened?” Li Yuan asked.

Chang Tianli didn’t answer. Instead, he gave Li Yuan a grave look and said,

“Since we’ve been neighbors, let me offer you some advice. Get out while you can. The longer you stay, the more likely you’ll lose your life. I got off easy, all things considered.”

Li Yuan gave him a polite bow. “Thank you. I appreciate the warning.”

That very afternoon, Chang Tianli departed. A disciple arrived soon after with Li Yuan’s pay—20 taels of blood gold, the standard for a single outing.

Li Yuan hefted the pouch and muttered to himself, “What a dangerous way to make a living...”

Not long after, he was summoned for his second assignment. Having learned the routine, he sent his chameleon parakeets to scout ahead. Once again, he singled out the undying husks immediately, staged a small performance, and collected another 20 taels of blood gold.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Time slipped by.

In the span of a month, Li Yuan was dispatched 13 times, earning a total of 260 taels of blood gold. With so much in hand, he requested each of the three major factions’ catalogs of available supplies. Then he spent 150 taels on materials for crafting a sixth rank puppet.

Those faction listings clearly had links to some major merchant guilds, offering an incredible range of items. As for the sixth rank demonic beast heart needed to power the puppet? Li Yuan didn’t have to buy one, because Tang Nian already possessed the

Daemonheart

.

Unlike a regular sixth rank demonic beast heart, usable only once and ruined if one tried to remove it, the Daemonheart could be reused. Li Yuan planned to have Tang Nian practice with that first. Once she got the hang of it, he’d purchase a demonic beast heart to finalize the process.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

That night, Li Yuan went to the Martial Lodge, knocking on his goddaughter’s door. He found her dressed in a simple white robe and sporting short hair, no trace of her former seductive style. She looked at him with mild irritation.

“Godfather, it’s the middle of the night...you came just to tell me to go home?”

He broke into a cheerful grin. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Li Yuan pulled her into the carriage, and the two returned to the Hundred Lotus Manor.

After a long absence, Tang Nian stepped inside the residence. With each step, she found herself retracing old memories, passing through winding hallways and around familiar corners before stopping in front of a door. On it hung a dusty sign reading,

Do Not Disturb!

She pushed open the door and was met with a gleaming pile of metal components.

In a heartbeat, she dove at the materials, stroking them as though they were priceless treasures. Then she turned back to her godfather with a radiant smile. “You’re the best!”

1. He’s continuing the

wood

theme. One alias was Mister Wood. This one translates literally as

Wood Two

, hence

Woodson

. ☜