Double Acquisition

Chapter 39: Double Acquisition

Yang Yilong was covered in blood. Only after seeing He Jun's corpse lying before him, cleaved in two, did the fury on his face gradually fade. At the same time, the razor-sharp sword extending from his right arm slowly dissipated, finally vanishing completely before the eyes of the Spirit Medium Realm cultivators.

Yet faced with this sudden turn of events, everyone found it unbelievable.

Had Yang Yilong really killed He Jun?

This was An Ding District, after all, and killing someone was against the law. Killing a cultivator in particular would attract the Investigation Bureau and bring an investigation. If the crime was verified, he would face enormous trouble.

But soon, the others reacted.

Given what He Jun had done just now, Yang Yilong had done the right thing by killing him.

A person who sold out his teammates to survive, then twisted right and wrong and turned around to accuse others—if someone like that did not die, there truly would be no justice left in the world.

"Good! Well killed! That beast should have died long ago." After a brief silence, someone immediately clapped and shouted.

"Director Yang, He Jun deserved to die. Rest assured, I won't reveal a single word about what happened today. We can all agree on one story and tell outsiders that He Jun died in the Danger Zone and that his body couldn't be found. That way, you won't get into trouble, Director Yang."

"Exactly. If none of us says anything about today, who would know?"

The others soon grew indignant as well.

Yet faced with the cultivators' kind offer of help, Yang Yilong remained calm. He merely accepted the towel Xu Ming, the supervisor, handed him and wiped the blood from his face before saying, "I'll explain this matter to the Investigation Bureau myself. It has nothing to do with any of you. I, Yang Yilong, am not so cowardly that I'd conceal myself over the death of a petty man like that."

"Take care of the corpse. Tomorrow morning, I'll personally bring it to the Investigation Bureau."

He took full responsibility for the matter without implicating anyone else. It was a show of true responsibility.

"Li Yi, this was my fault. I failed to judge people properly, and that led to such a great disaster. I owe you an apology." Yang Yilong tossed down the bloodstained towel, then looked seriously at Li Yi and apologized.

Li Yi immediately said, "Director Yang, you're too kind. This has nothing to do with you. Besides, if you hadn't intervened just now, I might have been killed by He Jun. I should be thanking you."

"I'm glad you can understand. But now that it has happened, I, Yang Yilong, will never shirk the responsibility I should bear. Every cultivator who participated in this operation and returned alive will receive one million in compensation. As for anyone who was injured, I'll not only cover their treatment in full, but also pay an additional one million as recuperation expenses," Yang Yilong said.

As soon as he said this, all the cultivators' resentment toward Yang Yilong in the Medical Room vanished without a trace. They praised Director Yang for being fair and generous. Some even declared outright that if Director Yang had another mission in the future, he only needed to give the word, and they would definitely come running.

Yang Yilong continued, "Li Yi, you were the one who hunted this Biao, and I'm willing to buy it at a high price as well. Xiao Xu, what are the current offers from the major merchants for this Fierce Beast?"

Xu Ming, standing nearby, took out a tablet computer and checked the information. "At present, Tianhe Medical Company has offered the highest price: 9.8 million. Since the Biao is merely a variant of a tiger and is neither an Extraordinary Creature nor an unknown species, the price isn't particularly optimistic."

Yang Yilong nodded. "Li Yi, as personal compensation from me, I'm willing to buy this Biao for 20 million. If you're willing to sell, I'll have Xu Ming sign the acquisition contract with you later."

A purchase at double the price?

The other cultivators were astonished as well. Doubling the price meant giving away more than ten million for nothing.

Wasn't he being far too generous?

When they looked at Li Yi again, their eyes were inevitably filled with envy.

"Good. I have no objections to that price. Thank you for looking after me, Director Yang." Li Yi immediately agreed and expressed his gratitude to Yang Yilong.

After all, this was a real benefit. It would be a lie to say he was not grateful. He was short of money everywhere at the moment, and such a huge sum could solve many problems.

Yang Yilong said, "There's no need to thank me. You deserve it. Also, it's not only this Biao. If any of you hunt a Fierce Beast or an Extraordinary Creature in the future, you can sell it to me as well. I, Yang Yilong, guarantee my reputation: my private purchase prices will absolutely be higher than those offered by the major companies on the market."

"That's all for today. Everyone, recover well here, and don't rush to leave. If any of you need anything, tell Xiao Xu. I still have some personal matters to deal with, so I won't stay."

After saying this, he greeted everyone and turned to leave.

Once Yang Yilong left, all kinds of discussion broke out in the Medical Room.

"I have to say, Director Yang is truly generous. What happened in the Danger Zone this time can't really be blamed on him. Everyone who joined the mission volunteered, and no one forced us. We were simply unlucky enough to run into such a disaster."

"Exactly. Director Yang has already gone above and beyond. He's fair in everything he does. He Jun, that beast, killed two cultivators and still tried to frame Li Yi. Getting killed was only what he deserved."

"It's wonderful to know someone like Director Yang. If he has any work in the future, I'll definitely be the first to join."

They had been full of complaints earlier, but now the injured cultivators were all calling him Director Yang, sounding more familiar than ever.

As Li Yi listened, he secretly admired Yang Yilong's methods.

He had originally only wanted Xu Ming to invite Yang Yilong over as a witness. He had not expected Yang Yilong not only to quell the impact of the incident, but also to stabilize everyone's morale, establish his authority, and intimidate other people harboring malicious intentions by killing He Jun.

His high-priced acquisition of the Biao was meaningful as well. While winning over Li Yi as an investment, he had also laid the groundwork for future business.

Even if Yang Yilong had not done this, he would still have had to pay the compensation and medical expenses he owed. It simply would not have been paid in this way. A group of cultivators would probably have joined forces to cause a scene at his door.

"But what happened with He Jun has taught me a lesson. Even in An Ding District, where the law governs everything, cultivators will still kill when pushed too far. If I hadn't been vigilant, things really would have been dangerous just now."

Li Yi silently committed this scene to memory.

He had to remain highly vigilant toward cultivators who harbored hostility. He absolutely could not deal with such matters using an ordinary person's way of thinking.

If an ordinary person encountered something like this, they would probably say something like: "I did it. What can you do about it? If you're capable, kill me. Do you dare?"

Ordinary people naturally would not dare to act.

But cultivators did not indulge such people. They truly dared to kill.

Yang Yilong had killed He Jun just now without the slightest hesitation.

With these thoughts in mind, Li Yi left the Medical Room alone, both physically and mentally somewhat exhausted, then took the elevator back to the dormitory on the third floor.

After returning to his room, he did nothing at all. He simply slept soundly.

He slept until the afternoon of the following day.

News of what had happened the previous night quickly spread. Many people learned about it. While cursing He Jun, they also grew envious of Li Yi for successfully hunting a Biao in the Danger Zone and earning 20 million, becoming wealthy in one stroke. It became a topic of eager discussion.

Quite a few people even said they wanted to join forces and take a trip to the Danger Zone to see if they could pick up some bargains.

After waking in his room, Li Yi's exhaustion had completely vanished. He felt strength surging through his entire body.

The wound on his back had already scabbed over and was faintly itchy, a sign that it was healing.

After washing up quickly, Li Yi packed his things. He planned to go home today.

His parents still needed looking after, and he could not stay any longer.

Looking at the Mud Horse and the eerie Human Skin Mask he had brought back from the Danger Zone, Li Yi could not help thinking of his Master, whom he had only met once. Having no family by his side, this was the first time he had felt care and affection like that from Zhao Ge, the kind that came from a relative.

Although they had spent only an hour together, the memory had left an indelible impression on Li Yi.

He stopped letting his thoughts run wild. After packing everything, he washed up and prepared to grab a meal in the cafeteria before leaving.

Life still had to go on.

"Li Yi, are you awake? It's me, Xu Ming." At that moment, a knock came from outside the door.

"Coming." Li Yi answered and opened the door.

"How was it? Did you sleep well yesterday?" Xu Ming asked with a smile. The two had interacted many times and had become fairly familiar with each other.

Li Yi smiled. "I slept very well. Now that I think about it, An Ding District really is comfortable. The Danger Zone is no place for humans."

"You can't grow without tempering yourself. Many powerful cultivators take the initiative to go to the Danger Zone to train. I believe you'll do the same in the future." Xu Ming said, "All right, let's not talk about that yet. Take a look at this acquisition contract. If everything's fine, sign it. This is 20 million in cash, plus another two million in compensation. On top of that, the wages for this operation—800,000—are included too. You can count it if you like."

"No need. I trust you." Li Yi took the contract, read it over, and signed it after confirming there were no problems.

Xu Ming took the contract and gestured for his assistant to put the money in the room. He then glanced around and asked, "What? You're packing up already? Planning to go home? Why not stay a few more days? Food and lodging are covered here, and the conditions are quite good. You can cultivate for a while before going back. Besides, your injuries haven't fully healed, have they?"

"I'd like to, but something came up at home. My parents still need looking after, so I have no choice." Li Yi spoke with great regret.

"I see. Once you've dealt with things at home, you can come back whenever you have time. I'll arrange food and lodging for you. Don't worry, I still have that much authority." Xu Ming lowered his voice and said with a laugh.

Li Yi was immediately tempted. "Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

"It's fine. Do you think Director Yang would care about such a minor matter? Come whenever you want. If there's a problem, find me." Xu Ming assured him.

"Since you've put it that way, Supervisor, I won't stand on ceremony. Once I've dealt with things at home, I'll definitely come back and freeload on the food and lodging here." Li Yi said.

Xu Ming looked around, then entered the room and whispered, "Li Yi, let me tell you one more thing. Do you know why Yang Yilong was willing to buy the Biao you hunted at such a high price?"

"Well, I'm not entirely sure." Li Yi tried to guess. "Does he want to invest in me?"

"That's part of it, but not the whole story. This is information I'm giving you privately. Once I leave this room, I'll deny ever saying it." Xu Ming said, "Yang Yilong saw the wounds left on your Biao. Ordinary punches couldn't have left fist prints like those."

"Yang Yilong speculated that you had encountered some fortuitous opportunity in the Danger Zone and learned a technique—a Fist Technique."

Li Yi's expression shifted slightly. He had overlooked that point.

Now that he thought about it, after beating the Biao to death, he had indeed left special fist prints on its body.

Any cultivator with a discerning eye would realize that those punches were extraordinary.

"Yang Yilong guessed correctly. I accidentally entered Ghost Street in the Danger Zone and learned an art that doesn't belong to our world." Li Yi no longer concealed the truth and openly admitted it. Since the conversation had reached this point, continuing to hide it would have seemed hypocritical.

"Ghost Street? That really was dangerous." Xu Ming sighed. "By the way, whatever Fist Technique you learned, don't spread it carelessly."

"Why?" Li Yi asked casually.

Xu Ming immediately said, "A technique is more valuable than hunting ten Biaos. You'd better keep it secret. If you need money and want to sell it, I suggest contacting Yang Yilong."

"He's very generous. I'm sure he'll offer a price you'll be satisfied with."

"For now, I have no intention of selling the Fist Technique." Li Yi spoke seriously.

"That's fine. I'm only reminding you." Xu Ming said.

Li Yi nodded. "Thanks. Now that you've told me, I know what to do."

"Good. Since there's nothing else, I'll leave first. You have my contact information. Contact me if you need anything." After giving him a few more reminders, Xu Ming left with his assistant.

Afterward, he took out his phone and sent a text message: Director Yang, Li Yi is leaving. At present, he's unwilling to sell the Fist Technique.