Chapter 00144: You’re Quite Bold Too
# You’re Quite Bold Too
Chapter 144
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 144: You’re Quite Bold Too
As soon as Ding Huan stepped out of the Little Star Corner Market, he spotted Jin waiting in the distance.
The guy was clearly waiting for him.
Ding Huan quickened his pace, heading toward the spot where he had killed Tou Jie and her gang.
Sure enough, Jin followed closely behind.
"You’ve got some guts, huh? Knowing I’d come for you, and yet you still came to this remote place," Jin sneered, his tone laced with mockery.
Ding Huan replied calmly, "Since you know I’m not afraid, you’re the bold one for following me here."
Jin was momentarily stunned.
That’s right, if Ding Huan knew he was here with ill intentions, why would he dare to come? Could it be that Ding Huan was truly a powerful figure, capable of killing Kan Ni?
But then he remembered that he was a top-tier martial artist.
How could he possibly fear some outsider kid? Despite this thought, he still took a few steps back.
He should’ve brought some backup.
"Do you know why I brought you here?" Ding Huan asked, seeing Jin’s wary expression.
He then added mockingly, "Because this is where I killed Tou Jie."
"What?!" Jin stared at Ding Huan in shock.
Tou Jie might have been just a lowly thug, far beneath his status, but even he wouldn’t dare to touch her.
After all, she was backed by the Zuo Shi family, one of the four great families.
"Oh, and by the way, I also killed Kan Ni. See? The answers you’re looking for are so simple. Why bother involving the town guards?" Ding Huan spread his hands casually.
"So it really was you…" Jin immediately drew the long sword from his waist, twirling it in his hand before slashing toward Ding Huan.
Ding Huan didn’t even move.
With a flick of his hand, a wind blade shot out.
"Pfft!" Blood sprayed as the wind blade tore through Jin’s leg.
"Thud!" Jin collapsed to the ground just two meters away from Ding Huan, howling in pain and terror.
Ding Huan’s strength was clearly on par with a Foundation Establishment expert.
What Jin couldn’t understand was why a Foundation Establishment expert would hide in this backwater, pretending to be weak.
What kind of person does that?
"With your level of strength, you really thought you could act tough in front of me?" Ding Huan walked over and kicked Jin in the face.
Jin could hear the sound of his nose breaking.
"Senior, I was blind! Please spare me! I’m willing to serve you, to be your loyal dog!" Jin cried out in terror.
"Being my dog? No thanks. I’m not killing you for a reason. Tell me, why did you spend so much time in Four Directions City this time?" Ding Huan asked casually.
This was actually the main reason he had brought Jin here today.
After learning from Li Di that a spaceship from a high-level civilization would arrive in two years, Ding Huan had started making plans.
He couldn’t just sit around waiting to die.
This place had no cultivation techniques, and the spiritual energy was extremely scarce.
Staying here would only lead to his demise.
"I was trying to secure a spot on the spaceship from the high-level civilization. In two years, a ship from a high-level civilization will arrive in Four Directions City," Jin explained, his tone growing more respectful.
Despite his usual arrogance, when his life was on the line, he was even more cowardly than Kan Ni.
"Did you get it?" Ding Huan asked.
Jin replied cautiously, "Usually, when a high-level civilization’s ship arrives, they take no more than ten talented cultivators. The four great families and the three major planets have already negotiated. Each of the seven families gets one spot on the ship. The remaining three spots are determined by who can offer the most valuable treasures. Whoever has the best treasure gets to board the ship."
Though Jin tried to stay calm, his voice still trembled.
Ding Huan frowned, "You said ten talented cultivators. What if the other three offer treasures but aren’t talented?"
Jin, struggling to stop the bleeding from his leg, grew paler by the second.
He had no choice but to answer, "Actually, as long as there are seven talented cultivators, the other three spots are given to whoever offers the best treasures."
Ding Huan was even more confused, "If it’s just about who offers the best treasure, why did you go to Four Directions City? Couldn’t you just bring your best treasure when the time comes?"
Jin quickly explained, "It’s not that simple. Even if you have the best treasure, if you don’t get a chance to meet the envoys from the high-level civilization, it’s all for nothing."
Finally, Ding Huan understood.
So this guy had been running around Four Directions City just to secure a chance to present his treasure.
"Did you manage to get that meeting opportunity?" Ding Huan asked, staring at Jin.
Jin seemed to have been waiting for this question, "Senior, I did. It’s stored in the Four Directions City bank."
Ding Huan’s spiritual sense had already detected a small pouch on Jin’s person.
Inside were two bank deposit tokens and a white pass.
The pass read: "Treasure Presentation Entry Pass."
"Good. Now, what treasure did you prepare?" Ding Huan asked, his voice laced with killing intent.
"It’s a medicinal herb," Jin said nervously, his heart filled with dread.
If this herb was taken, he was finished.
He regretted keeping it on him.
Before Jin could react, the pouch at his waist suddenly vanished.
He then saw it in Ding Huan’s hand.
Ding Huan’s spiritual sense scanned the pouch, revealing a long jade box inside.
The box contained a one-foot-long green herb.
"Seven-Toothed Jade Grass?" The name automatically popped into Ding Huan’s mind.
This was one of the main ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment pills.
Ding Huan didn’t know much about alchemy, but he knew this herb was priceless.
If he wanted to achieve Foundation Establishment through genetic modification, he might need this herb.
Even if he didn’t need Foundation Establishment pills, he would still need Foundation Establishment gene potions, and this Seven-Toothed Jade Grass was his hope.
The pouch also contained about ten to twenty thousand purple gold coins and some personal items.
Ding Huan stored the coins and the herb in his star room, then tossed the pouch back to Jin.
With a wave of his hand, he also took the small pouch Jin had been carrying.
Seeing that Ding Huan had even taken his small pouch, Jin was utterly despairing.
That pouch contained the white pass to meet the envoys from the high-level civilization.
Without it, he had no way to save himself.
Sure enough, he heard Ding Huan’s voice, "In your next life, don’t go around bullying others. What’s owed will always be repaid."
A blade of light slashed across Jin’s neck, followed by a burst of flame that consumed his body.
...
The next morning, Li Di arrived at the law enforcement office.
He had prepared himself.
If Jin came to pester him today, he would hold another meeting to show his seriousness about the matter.
He would even interrogate the Gu brothers in front of Jin.
But to his surprise, he waited all day without hearing a single word about Jin, let alone seeing him.
Li Di waved over a nearby law enforcement officer, "Go find out what Jin has been up to in the market today."
"Yes, sir," the officer quickly left.
Li Di sat at his desk, frowning and tapping his fingers on the table.
Yesterday, he had treated Ding Huan to a meal and hinted that he was willing to help him.
Truth be told, these were just free favors.
When the envoys from the high-level civilization arrived, he wouldn’t gain anything.
The reason he offered these favors was because he suspected that Ding Huan was involved in the deaths of Tou Jie and Kan Ni.
If Ding Huan could kill those two without anyone noticing, he was no ordinary man.
But Li Di wasn’t entirely sure.
Ding Huan didn’t seem like someone with such power.
In no time, the officer returned, "Captain, Jin didn’t show up in the Little Star Corner Market today. Maybe he went somewhere nearby. We haven’t heard anything yet. But…"
"But what?" Li Di suddenly stood up.
His professional instincts told him that something unusual was going on.
Before avenging Kan Ni or getting Ding Huan’s house, would Jin just disappear?
The officer replied, "Some of our men said they saw Jin following Ding Huan out of the market yesterday. Where they went, I don’t know."
Hearing this, Li Di’s jaw dropped in disbelief.
He had suspected that Ding Huan was behind the deaths of Kan Ni and Tou Jie, and he had even subtly encouraged Ding Huan to kill Jin.
But that was just suspicion and his dislike for Jin.
Now he was absolutely certain that Jin had been killed by Ding Huan.
And if Jin was dead, then his suspicions about Kan Ni and Tou Jie were correct.
Li Di let out a long sigh, "Good. Jin probably knew the case was closed, so he left the Little Star Corner Market and returned to his territory. He’s a busy man; he can’t stay here forever. Take a few men and kill the Gu brothers, then issue a statement. This matter is over."
"Yes, sir," the officer quickly left to carry out the order.
Li Di sat back down, muttering to himself after a while, "Impressive, truly impressive."
"Captain, Zuo Shi Gou from the Zuo Shi family is here to see you," another officer reported.
Li Di immediately understood.
This was about Tou Jie’s death.
He laughed and went to the door to greet him, "Ah, Manager Gou, it’s been a while."
Standing at the entrance was a man in his thirties with a gloomy expression, as if he had lost a bet and was in a bad mood.
But upon seeing Li Di, he still performed a polite gesture, "Captain Li, you must know why I’m here."
(End of Chapter)