Free Web NovelChapter 701: Chapter 293: A Gift for the Immortal
The most influential chief elder of the Hundred Martial Hall, Hua Qianzhan, has disappeared, without a trace, dead or alive.
This outcome shocked many people in Dragon Capital who were expecting a spectacle; everyone thought Hua Qianzhan would launch a fierce counterattack to save face after repeatedly losing face in front of Li Xin. Given Hua Qianzhan’s cunning nature and deep roots in Dragon Capital, venturing into the Night Patrol squad was sure to be a deeply laid trap.
However, it wasn’t Li Xin who "disappeared," but Hua Qianzhan.
Not only that, the upper echelons of Dragon Capital seemed to have gone deaf. Whether in the Cabinet, the Church Court, or inside the Hundred Martial Hall, there was an uncanny silence, as if nothing had happened.
Currently, the Hundred Martial Hall has four elders, the other three are in different parts of Liryong, and Hua Qianzhan has been stationed in Dragon Capital for over a decade. He himself is a strong figure with Five Lives, yet because of a conflict with a Night Patrol, he inexplicably vanished.
Li Xin, this seemingly ordinary young Night Patrol, came into everyone’s view.
White Dove Headquarters.
Longji and Qin Donglai arrived. Recently, the Night Patrol has been active, with funding allowing improvements to the team members’ lives, and expansion was inevitable, but manpower is really lacking.
"The team members have been very motivated lately, the case-solving rate has increased by thirty percent," Qin Donglai said with a smile.
"Could they not be motivated? We haven’t had such a fierce captain in a long time, they thought the past Shadow Owl captains were legends," Hong Ye said with a laugh.
The Night Patrol is not afraid of death, nor hardship, they fear having no one to support them.
At their peak, the Shadow Owl’s captain’s influence could rival that of the Red-robed Archbishop. They were truly mighty beings in the night, wielding hidden power, and at that time, the Night Patrol answered only to Luthor. Within Liryong’s territory, even dragons and tigers had to lay low.
"Is Hua Qianzhan really gone?" Qin Donglai was still somewhat incredulous.
"He should be truly gone. After escaping from Shadow Owl, he lost his trace. There’s been no sign of him for the past two days, and the key is that the Hundred Martial Hall has lost contact. The predictions of the Life Masters are roughly the same. One or two might be inaccurate, but all major forces predict this way, so Hua Qianzhan should be thoroughly gone." Longji said, knowing that Li Xin was strong, but not expecting him to be this powerful, let alone so daring.
The daring is one thing, but the ability to settle matters is truly terrifying.
"Initially, we thought he was young and needed our support, but now it seems he’s the one leading us forward," Qin Donglai said with a bitter smile, "What kind of person did Luo Jin really find?"
Qin Donglai and Hong Ye looked at Longji, who was silent for a moment, "Luo Jin mentioned in his letter that he saw the shadow of Luthor in Li Xin."
Both Qin Donglai and Hong Ye were shocked and somewhat incredulous. After all, such a great figure as Luthor doesn’t appear even once in centuries, yet Li Xin’s actions seem beyond ordinary capability, both strong and ruthless, with methods uncharacteristic of a young man.
"Is there any aftermath from this matter?" Hong Ye asked, still concerned, "The Hundred Martial Hall won’t swallow this easily."
"That’s what’s puzzling me; with Kathy as the secretary of the Church Court, if there’s any movement, we should know in advance. But why are the Cabinet and Hundred Martial Hall so quiet? This isn’t their usual style. The strongest power of the Hundred Martial Hall is their Inner Hall, but the Inner Hall has remained silent since the Black Market incident, like a bystander," Longji mused, "It even seems to be fanning the flames."
The Night Patrol fears the Inner Hall of the Hundred Martial Hall, with its Twelve Branch power being extremely formidable. Their intelligence network in Liryong is even more formidable than the Night Patrol’s.
"Currently, there are no intelligence reports of the Inner Hall making moves, although there is contact with Li Xin. However, we still need to be vigilant, especially regarding his family. Hong Ye, with the Freedom Daily under your jurisdiction, you need to keep a close eye," Longji thought and said.
"Rest assured, I’ve assigned experts. So far, only the Outer Hall of the Hundred Martial Hall has caused trouble once. What about his family?" Hong Ye asked.
"The opponents that could threaten him are beyond our help. Captain Li has a younger sister, but she lives in the Celestial Principle School as the final disciple of Grandmaster Philson, safer than here," Qin Donglai said.
"Captain Li must have grand plans; we just need to be ready and wait," Longji said, feeling from his experience that Li Xin was going to accomplish something big, though he couldn’t quite grasp the pattern.
The White Dove was bustling, with many Canon Law School students and scholars from the Celestial Principle School coming for interviews, all curious about how to join the Shadow Owl, given that it’s not yet publicly recruiting new members.
Not to mention newcomers, even veteran Night Patrol members were reignited with the honor of joining the Shadow Owl, as it had been reserved only for the most outstanding Night Patrol members in the past.
A Shadow Owl team member was tortured by the Hundred Martial Hall, an incident that would have left anyone else swallowing their pride, but not Li Xin. He dared to storm the main hall of the Hundred Martial Hall with a few people and ultimately used Hua Qianzhan’s life to appease his comrades.
Such a captain, who wouldn’t want to follow?
At this moment, Li Xin was at the Black Market. Since leaving last time, he hadn’t had the chance to come back and take a look. This place was indeed a small gold mine for the Night Patrol’s development, extremely crucial, and could not be afforded to lose.
The instant Li Xin stepped into the bar, the previously noisy bar suddenly seemed to have been hit by a time-stopping spell. Many awakened who were previously swaggering pulled their caps and lowered their heads.
The boss was still Sister Yan, not only was she skilled but also quite capable in terms of handling social relations. Although she was a person from the Hundred Martial Hall, since Li Xin found her useful, he continued to employ her. The Freedom Newspaper was not yet in mass production, so they were still using Well Moon.
Hong Ye also looked complexly at the young man before her. The Hundred Martial Hall had already exploded internally with rumors saying that Hua Qianzhan had died after going to Shadow Owl, which led to fierce disputes within the Hundred Martial Hall. The specifics were unclear, but the result was that the Outer Hall ultimately fell silent, and the Inner Hall tacitly approved of this outcome, as though it wasn’t an elder of the Hundred Martial Hall who had died.
Her job in this position was for the Inner Hall to let her do well, making her tread lightly every day, unsure whether she should do well or not.
"Captain Li."
"Sister Yan, why so distant? How’s business recently? My monthly perks depend on you." Li Xin leaned against the bar with a smiling face and asked.
"Customers were a bit few at the beginning, but traffic has returned to normal in the last couple of days, even more than usual." Luo Yan replied respectfully.
"That’s good. The operations of the Black Market shall continue as usual. The Night Patrol will only ensure security, and there will be some incentive policies introduced later on." Li Xin said.
"Incentive policies?"
"Yes, the prosperity of the Black Market is beneficial for the development of our Hidden Power, naturally requiring encouragement. As long as order is adhered to, we welcome people from all walks of life. No fighting is allowed in the Black Market, conflicts should be resolved with the Manager, personal vendettas can be handled outside." Li Xin explained, fully aware of the importance of safety in transactions; it was the baseline.
Hong Ye could only nod, remaining uncertain about which of Li Xin’s words were true or false.
Li Xin did not linger in the Copper Market and Silver Market, observing as he moved along; indeed, it had become much busier. As long as the Night Patrol did not interfere with market operations and safety improved, those from the hidden world were more willing to trade in such assured places. It held little effect on Secret Organizations but was extremely beneficial to individual traders.
Li Xin’s appearance immediately drew everyone’s attention.
The Gourmet Association’s members noticed it too but seeing Li Xin had no intention of coming over, they dared not disturb him. If it was relaxed before, they mainly regarded him as young and easy-going. But now, they realized he was indeed a star, with everyone contemplative of the repercussions of offending Hua Qianzhan, leaving Li Xin overlooked.
With more intricate methods in the hidden world, it was confirmed in the Black Market that Hua Qianzhan was dead. This prominent individual from the Hundred Martial Hall in Dragon Capital had vanished without a ripple—more terrifying than actually eliminating Hua Qianzhan. Old Du from the Adventurer Association was tight-lipped, certainly privy to insider facts.
Li Xin breathed a sigh of relief observing the Black Market’s trade resume normally; if it collapsed under his leadership, that impact would be too much. Moreover, the Night Patrol desperately needed the Black Market’s resources for further development; a single sum wouldn’t suffice. Strategic vision and sustainable growth were essential.
Wherever Li Xin went, a path would automatically clear with instant quiet following until he left.
Li Xin did not mind, proceeding to the very end of the Silver Market, pausing for a moment as mist swirled, and the giant silhouette of the Immortal slowly emerged.
Li Xin pulled out a specially made large book from the Yazama Karashi, handing it to the Immortal, saying, "A gift, penned by me, the first complete official version of the Dao Yuan path."
When fleeing from the Secret Castle, he couldn’t wait to sever ties with it for the rest of his life, yet now found himself tightly clinging to this pillar. His time spent with the Immortal wasn’t brief either. They had almost no desires or needs, neither requiring food nor monetary significance, naturally conducting transactions. It was from the Secret Castle that Li Xin had obtained his Divine Relic, with the only worthwhile item he had being this ’Utopia Mountain Enmity Record’. Whether or not the Immortal liked reading novels—or even recognized words—was uncertain.
The Immortal stared at Li Xin with dark eyes, seemingly processing, and slowly extended a hand. Li Xin placed the book in the Immortal’s hand.
"Next month or the end of the month, I’ll come to collect the management fee. If I don’t appear, Qi Badao will come, the person who previously accompanied me. He can act on my behalf." Li Xin disclosed.
Though the bell could summon, the Immortal seemed particularly adherent to rules; sending someone wouldn’t be quite appropriate for such tasks, best to have them retrieved.
... It was absolutely not for saving a single gold coin.
The Immortal gently nodded, holding the book as it slowly vanished into the mist. When Li Xin turned back, suddenly, all the intrigued, envious, and fearful gazes had entirely disappeared.
Wherever his gaze fell, everyone bowed their heads, evading Li Xin’s glance.
