Chapter 00148: Deceived
# Deceived
Chapter 148
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 148: Deceived
Ding Huan sighed.
From the murderous glint in the man's eyes, he could tell that the other party was determined to get his hands on the Immortal Demon Pill.
If it weren’t for the fact that Ding Huan didn’t want to reveal his true strength, he would have taught this guy a lesson.
By purchasing the Immortal Demon Pill ahead of time, Ding Huan had essentially saved the man’s life.
Yet, this ungrateful fool had the audacity to chase after him, even harboring murderous intent.
Ding Huan had initially planned to use his movement technique to shake off the man and return to the inn.
However, when the merchant continued to pursue him, Ding Huan changed his mind.
Although Ding Huan had disguised himself, it was only a simple alteration.
If this man was dead set on getting the pill and started searching for him everywhere, it could spell trouble.
Moreover, based on Ding Huan’s calculations, the merchant seemed to have entered a trading house to clean off the filth from the Immortal Demon Pill.
If this man had powerful backing, Ding Huan’s peace could be disrupted.
He had come here to quietly wait for the arrival of the advanced civilization spaceship and didn’t want any disturbances along the way.
Thinking this, Ding Huan slowed his pace and stopped in a dark corner.
He decided to kill the man; otherwise, he wouldn’t feel safe.
One advantage of the black market was the lack of surveillance.
At this moment, the Old Wild Black Market had just opened, and not many people had arrived yet.
This corner was deserted.
Sure enough, the merchant followed Ding Huan to this spot.
Seeing Ding Huan with his back turned, as if preoccupied with something, the merchant’s eyes flashed with malice.
He reached for the dagger at his waist, ready to strike Ding Huan from behind.
Ding Huan had no choice but to turn around.
He couldn’t believe that someone would dare to kill so casually in the black market.
It seemed the merchant had some powerful backing.
Ding Huan hadn’t been wrong—the merchant wasn’t just obsessed with the Immortal Demon Pill; he was determined to get it at all costs.
When the merchant saw Ding Huan turn around, he quickly hid the dagger in his hand.
“You…” The merchant only managed to utter a single word before Ding Huan sprayed something in his face.
The merchant, clearly experienced, immediately held his breath as the mist enveloped him.
By the time he reacted, Ding Huan was already far away.
The merchant took a few steps back, wiping the mist from his face. “What the hell is this?”
Did Ding Huan think a little mist would help him escape Yao Tian’s pursuit? Dream on.
Just as Yao Tian was about to continue the chase, he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his chest.
The burning quickly spread throughout his body.
Yao Tian could even see his internal organs rotting and disintegrating.
How was this possible? It was too bizarre.
Yao Tian’s eyes filled with terror.
He had held his breath earlier.
No matter how toxic the mist was, it shouldn’t have poisoned him so quickly.
This didn’t make sense…
Yao Tian’s thoughts stopped there.
Black liquid dripped from his eyes, and his body collapsed.
He would never understand what genetic poison mist was.
…
In the black market, the death of one person, regardless of the cause, was of little concern to anyone.
However, Yao Tian was different.
He was the manager of the Tong Family’s trading house, one of the four great families of the Four Directions Star Continent.
Yao Tian had a habit of wandering through various black markets, always on the lookout for bargains.
And indeed, he often managed to acquire valuable items at low prices.
Almost immediately after Yao Tian’s body was discovered, the Old Wild Black Market was sealed off.
By then, Ding Huan had already returned to the inn.
He had stashed all his belongings in the Star Room.
Unlike Yao Tian, he wasn’t foolish enough to clean the filth off the Immortal Demon Pill in public.
Although the Tong Family of Four Directions City launched a search for Yao Tian’s killer, Ding Huan had acted swiftly and left no traces.
The Tong Family couldn’t dominate Four Directions City entirely, and the investigation fizzled out after a few days.
Ding Huan reduced his outings and focused on studying the Great Deduction Technique in the inn.
He set aside other pursuits like escape techniques, talismans, and cultivation.
He had become obsessed with the deduction technique.
His first deduction had led him to the Immortal Demon Pill and had even prevented a major conflict in Four Directions City.
That was a good outcome, right?
From then on, Ding Huan tirelessly practiced deduction, calculating various events every day.
Half a year later, he deduced that the advanced civilization spaceship would arrive at the Four Directions Star Continent in just four days and would only stay for one day.
Ding Huan was stunned.
Hadn’t it been said that the spaceship would arrive in two years? Why was it coming in just six months?
Ding Huan immediately realized that the information Li Diting had received was false.
If even Li Diting knew about it, wouldn’t the entire Four Directions Star Continent be swarming with people in two years?
According to his deduction, the spaceship would arrive in four days.
Once it landed, three men and two women from the spaceship would enter the city lord’s mansion.
That same day, they would announce a test for the talented young men and women sent by the major families and sects.
Seven geniuses would be selected to join the advanced civilization.
After selecting the geniuses, the advanced civilization representatives would begin purchasing various treasures.
They would also accept offerings of rare items, all within a single day.
They would choose three individuals who offered the best treasures to accompany them back to the advanced civilization.
If the treasures were valuable but not enough to earn a spot on the spaceship, they could be sold to the advanced civilization representatives.
Ding Huan wiped the sweat from his forehead.
If he hadn’t mastered the deduction technique, he would have missed this opportunity entirely.
The families of the Four Directions Star Continent had kept this information tightly under wraps and even spread false rumors.
The only thing Ding Huan hadn’t miscalculated was that the treasure offerings would take place in the city lord’s mansion.
After informing Qi Xin Yue of the news, Ding Huan headed to the black market and exchanged the tens of thousands of purple gold coins he had obtained from Tou Jie.
Leaving the black market, Ding Huan immediately visited various trading houses.
He still had a pile of purple gold coins, and there was no point in letting them gather dust.
In the trading houses, Ding Huan purchased as many materials as he could.
By the time he had spent over a million purple gold coins, leaving only about seventy or eighty thousand, Ding Huan finally stopped his shopping spree, carrying a large bag.
“Senior…” As Ding Huan was heading back to the inn with his heavy bag, a familiar voice called out to him, tinged with nervousness.
“Oh, it’s you,” Ding Huan said, surprised to run into an acquaintance.
It was the young man who had knocked on his courtyard door to warn him about Tou Jie’s impending visit.
“I didn’t expect you to remember me, Senior,” the young man said, his face lighting up with joy.
“Come with me,” Ding Huan said, leading the young man to a quieter spot.
“Senior, I never thought I’d see you here,” the young man said, his eyes filled with admiration.
He knew exactly what Ding Huan’s presence here meant.
Tou Jie had disappeared, Kan Ni had vanished, and their backers had gone after Ding Huan.
Yet, here Ding Huan was, unscathed and thriving in Four Directions City.
This could only mean one thing: Ding Huan was a true master.
“You seem to be in some trouble?” Ding Huan asked tactfully, though it was clear the young man was in dire straits.
The young man was emaciated, clearly starving, and his clothes were tattered.
Compared to the last time they had met, his situation had worsened.
The young man hung his head in shame.
They were about the same age, yet Ding Huan was flourishing, buying up a storm in the trading houses, while he could barely scrape together a meal.
“What’s your name? Why did you help me back then?” Ding Huan asked.
The young man’s warning had been a great help.
If Tou Jie had found him first, Ding Huan’s actions would have drawn far more suspicion.
“My name is Ji Feng. The house Kan Ni took was my sister’s. They forced her to sell it and then killed her and my brother-in-law,” Ji Feng said, clenching his fists.
He wanted revenge, but compared to Kan Ni and Jin, he was as insignificant as an ant.
Ding Huan patted Ji Feng’s shoulder. “Don’t think about revenge. The wicked may already be dead. Focus on finding a way to make a living and survive.”
“Yes, thank you, Senior,” Ji Feng said, bowing deeply.
He understood what Ding Huan meant.
Previously, it had been just a guess, but now Ding Huan’s words confirmed that his enemies had been dealt with.
Ding Huan handed Ji Feng a leather pouch. “There’s some gold inside. Use it as you see fit. There’s also a cultivation manual. If you can cultivate, go ahead. If not, destroy it.”
The manual was the Thousand Veins Gene Technique, something Ding Huan considered worthless.
Giving it to Ji Feng was a way to help him protect himself.
“Ah…” Ji Feng, who had been about to refuse, couldn’t bring himself to do so upon hearing about the cultivation manual.
“Take care. We’ll meet again,” Ding Huan said, quickly disappearing into the distance.
“Senior, what’s your name?” Ji Feng called out, finally realizing he hadn’t asked.
“Ding Huan,” came the reply, though Ding Huan was already out of sight.
Ji Feng looked around.
No one was nearby.
The pouch in his hand felt heavy, as if it contained a lot.
He carefully opened it and was stunned.
Inside were tens of thousands of purple gold coins, along with several ten-thousand purple gold notes.
This was more money than he could earn in several lifetimes.
What excited him even more was the cultivation manual.
Ji Feng quickly tied the pouch shut.
He needed to leave immediately and find a safe, quiet place to cultivate.
He dreamed of one day living like Ding Huan, no longer卑微, no longer hiding like a stray dog.
If anyone dared to harm him, he would kill them.
(That’s all for today’s update.
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(End of Chapter)