菠萝漫画

Su Changkong’s face was expressionless as he strode towards the man in the green robe and slowly drew the Iron-Cutting Sword from his waist.

The man in the green robe stood up from his chair, and upon seeing Su Changkong’s uniquely shaped Iron-Cutting Sword, seemed to realize something. His eyes widened with alarm as he exclaimed, “You are… Iron Beast? The Iron Beast who killed Shi Zijian?”

Not long ago, Shi Zijian, the leader of the Black Cavalry Gang, was slain on his own turf by a master who claimed to be Iron Beast, a supposed expert from the Black Lotus Sect. Most outsiders didn’t doubt his identity.

However, the disciples of the Black Lotus Sect, including the man in the green robe, knew there was no such person within their ranks. Of course, they didn t explain this to outsiders. Iron Beast’s act of killing Shi Zijian in the name of the Black Lotus Sect also served to enhance the notorious reputation of the sect! Rumors said that Iron Beast’s blade technique was stunning, and it tookhim only one or two blows to slay Shi Zijian on the spot.

Now, seeing the Iron-Cutting Sword at Wen Tai’s waist, and considering that even a master like Liu Bairen had died at his hand, how could the man in the green robe not realize that the Iron Beast who killed Shi Zijian was none other than Ghost Face, or rather Wen Tai!

Only the mysterious and powerful Iron Beast could possibly have slain a master like Liu Bairen!

“The one who killed Shi Zijian… is Mr. Wen?

Wang Yun stood dumbfounded as well. Some time ago, Su Changkong had disappeared for a while, which coincided exactly with the period when Shi Zijian was slain by the mysterious Iron Beast.

But Wang Yun had never linked the two events. Firstly, in his mind, Wen Tai worked for money and had no reason to be enemies with Shi Zijian. Secondly, although Wen Tai was strong, he didn’t believe Wen Tai could single-handedly enter the thousand-man elite Black Cavalry Gang and kill Shi Zijian, who was known as the number one master of Clearwater City, and then leave unscathed.

It turned out… Iron Beast was not a high-ranking expert who suddenly emerged within the Black Lotus Sect, but was in fact the equally mysterious Wen Tai!

“Let’s… let’s talk this over…,” the man in the green robe swallowed his saliva, waving his hands continuously as if trying to say something.

But Su Changkong did not waste any words. The Iron-Cutting Sword was drawn from his waist!

“Pu!”

The man in the green robe’s head tumbled to the ground, and his headless body fell back onto the chair, blood from the severed neck spurting onto Wang Yun’s face.

“Who goes there!”

Outside the courtyard, shouts of challenge rang out, alarmed by the commotion here. They were the guards of the Yamen.

“No one come in!”

Wang Yun snapped out of his stupor, hastily yelling to prevent the guards from approaching.

A throng of guards crowded the courtyard, seeing Su Changkong sheathing his sword and the headless corpse of the man in the green robe. They looked at each other with bewilderment but complied with Wang Yun’s command, waiting at a distance, guarding the exits.

Su Changkong took a seat opposite Wang Yun, his eyes coldly fixed on him. Wang Yun organized his thoughts and managed to force a smile, saying, “It was… the Black Lotus Sect that forced me to do this. A while ago, my wife and daughter were abducted by a group of strangers and then released. After that, people from the Black Lotus Sect showed up at my door… it’s… it’s my fault…” The reasons behind Wang Yun’s betrayal were almost exactly as Su Changkong had surmised, the result of coercion.

“And then what?” Su Changkong asked calmly. No matter how valid Wang Yun’s reasons for his betrayal, it was still a betrayal that nearly cost Su Changkong his life!

Wang Yun gritted his teeth, “I am willing to compensate… to compensate you! Whatever conditions you have, I will agree!”

The blood splattered on his face from the man in the green robe was still not dry. The Black Lotus Sect experts and even the indomitable Shi Zijian had fallen to Wen Tai’s hand. The fearsomeness of the man sitting across from him, in Wang Yun’s eyes, was no different from a demon!

At this moment, Wang Yun wanted to save his life. He knew that only by agreeing to all of Su Changkong’s demands without refusal could he have a slim chance of survival.

Otherwise, such a ruthless person would not care about his status or position and would behead him on the spot just like the man in the green robe!

Su Changkong had no idle talk, taking out six tokens of the Black Lotus Sect disciples from his chest, and throwing them onto the table. At the same time, he glanced at the corpse of the man in the green shirt, and said coldly, “Seven in total, how much are they worth?”

“Seven thousand… no, thirty thousand taels! Thirty thousand taels of silver! That’s all my fortune, the money will be in place by tomorrow morning!” Wang Yun blurted out, but then immediately corrected himself.

In Clearwater City, Wang Yun held the lofty position of County Magistrate. Although he had not bullied the market or oppressed the common people, and was considered relatively incorruptible, the saying went, “Three years as a clean magistrate, one hundred thousand taels of snowflake silver.” Even if Wang Yun did not deliberately accumulate wealth, many of the city’s wealthy elites voluntarily gave him money, and he had still amassed a fortune that an ordinary person could not earn in ten lifetimes!

Thirty thousand taels of silver – that was all the cash Wang Yun could gather in a short amount of time.

At the same time, Wang Yun breathed a sigh of relief, understanding that if Su Changkong wanted money, he wouldn’t be after his life, and he would mostly likely be able to save himself!

“Agreed,” Su Changkong nodded, seemingly satisfied with the amount of money, but then his tone shifted abruptly, “But I have another demand.”

“Another demand?” Wang Yun was taken aback.

Staring at Wang Yun, Su Changkong said calmly, “I want you to use all your power to completely eradicate the influence of the Black Lotus Sect in Clearwater City and its vicinity.”

“You want me to eradicate the Black Lotus Sect?”

As soon as these words came out, Wang Yun’s cheeks twitched.

Openly confronting and making an enemy of the Black Lotus Sect? Wang Yun would rather pay a hefty sum than do such a thing.

This could be seen from the large amount of money Wang Yun had paid to hire Su Changkong to kill the disciples of the Black Lotus Sect – Wang Yun was very concerned about his own safety, and his opposition to the Black Lotus Sect was out of necessity, not volition!

Yet now, Su Changkong was demanding that he eradicate the sect!

With the Black Lotus Sect’s madness, if he openly opposed them, it’s likely that the sect would attempt to assassinate him and even his family members.

This demand was the result of Su Changkong’s deep contemplation throughout his journey.

Wang Yun had betrayed him, and by all accounts, Su Changkong should have killed him with a single strike!

But as he traveled, Su Changkong gradually calmed down and realized that killing Wang Yun might not actually bring him much satisfaction.

On the contrary, Wang Yun’s death would surely cause more chaos in Clearwater City. The Divine Detective Department would send people to investigate his death, relentless in capturing the criminal responsible for killing an official and would not give up easily. The Black Lotus Sect would become even more rampant. Wang Yun had betrayed him, but the Black Lotus Sect was the true instigator of evil!

Rather than killing him, it would be a greater revenge to make Wang Yun use his power to fight the Black Lotus Sect, thus leveling the playing field for them in the vicinity of Clearwater City – that would be the ultimate retaliation!

Of course, if Wang Yun failed and was killed by the Black Lotus Sect, that would be his just deserts. Moreover, if the Black Lotus Sect murdered Wang Yun, it would surely draw the attention of the Great Flame Empire’s upper echelons. Killing an official of high status in the Flame Empire is no trivial matter!

Once the higher-ups sent someone down to investigate, they would likely not tolerate the Black Lotus Sect wreaking havoc in Clearwater City after killing an official from the empire.

If Wang Yun could eradicate the influence of the Black Lotus Sect, it would be a good thing. If Wang Yun was killed by a master of the Black Lotus Sect, that too would be a good thing!

Su Changkong held great enmity towards the Black Lotus Sect, but with his strength alone, even if he killed its disciples as usual, the actual impact would be limited.

With Wang Yun in an official position, just one command from him, and all the forces and people who had already grown intolerant of the Black Lotus Sect’s lawlessness would rise up, heeding the call, and eradicate the sect’s influence in Clearwater City from the root, turning them into outcasts that everyone shouted down in the streets!

Who won and who lost was no longer Su Changkong’s concern. Once he received the money from Wang Yun, he would depart Clearwater City and head to the most flourishing center of Ink Forest Prefecture City!

Killing Wang Yun would be momentarily satisfying, but it would invite the full-force investigation of the Great Flame Empire’s higher-ups – a troublesome scenario. Making Wang Yun fight the Black Lotus Sect was the best strategy! “Mr. Wen… you don’t understand…” Wang Yun still wanted to say something. But Su Changkong cut him off with an icy expression, “These years you’ve held the position of this parent official of Clearwater City, yet you’ve done nothing for the people of Clearwater City. With banditry rampant and the Black Lotus Sect’s flagrance, the innocent civilians have suffered immensely. In your position, you’ve neglected your duties! I have no desire to preach lofty principles to you. You can refuse, but then we’ll have to settle our accounts, and one more ghost under my blade makes no difference to me!”