Investigation

Chen Han remained unmoved, showing not the slightest interest in the woman's flirtations. "Do you have beast blood?"

Beast blood?

Qing Xue was taken aback. She was quite surprised that this man remained indifferent in the face of her seduction. She asked, "I have some, but what do you need beast blood for?"

Both the blood and meat of exotic beasts are rich in vital energy and blood, which can quickly replenish a martial artist's stamina after consumption. However, the former has a flaw: drinking too much of it can affect the brain.

It might make one stupid, or more likely, drive one insane.

Ordinary people usually buy it to use as a medicinal primer or as bait to capture exotic beasts.

Chen Han's voice was devoid of emotion. "Just sell it to me, Aunt Xue'er. Don't ask too many questions. Oh, and I need it clotted."

"Clotted?"

Qing Xue took a deep look at Chen Han. Could it be that this kid has a litter of exotic beast cubs?

Strange occurrences involving the raising of exotic beasts were not unheard of in the Black Market, though they were rare. The best food for these beasts was, indeed, clotted beast blood.

However, exotic beasts rarely submit to humans easily; they usually run away or die within a few days, unless they are a few specific types of cubs.

Yet, such cubs are worth a fortune. Without deep pockets, one couldn't even afford to buy them, let alone cover the massive daily costs of feeding them.

Could this kid have struck gold and actually found a litter of exotic beast cubs?

Qing Xue's heart shook violently, and her gaze toward Chen Han became even more alluring.

She wanted to make a move on this young lad tonight.

In the Black Market, killing for wealth is forbidden—that is the rule. But rules are meant to be broken. It wasn't that she lacked the nerve, but rather that the time wasn't right, or the profit wasn't large enough.

But now, this possibility was laid out before her. Should she make a move?

After pondering for a moment, she smiled lightly. "Very well, I'll wait two more days. If the kid's brain is fried by the beast blood by then, it will prove there are no cubs as I suspected."

If the kid is perfectly fine, that would be proof enough that there is something going on.

This was safer, and she wasn't in such a rush that she couldn't wait two days.

The thoughts of the luscious, beautiful woman raced; though it seemed like a long time had passed, in reality, it had only been three breaths.

Qing Xue smiled winsomely at Chen Han. "Auntie is in the business of selling meat, so naturally, I have blood. How much do you want?"

"Two pounds. Don't go watering it down, Aunt Xue'er."

Qing Xue giggled, her slender hand half-covering her cherry lips. "Auntie is an honest businesswoman; I would never do such a disgraceful thing. Wait a moment, good nephew, I'll go prepare it."

As she spoke, Qing Xue rose and strode toward the back room.

Before long, she returned carrying two large water gourds. Her tall frame was stained with fresh, crimson blood, clearly indicating she had been quite busy.

Chen Han took the gourds, and the beautiful woman deliberately brushed her hand against his, causing Chen Han to frown in deep discomfort.

This woman had placed a gu-poison on him; he wished he could be a hundred thousand miles away and never encounter her again in this lifetime.

"I'm off. Remember to have it ready next time, Aunt Xue'er. I'll be back."

With that, Chen Han left the shop.

Qing Xue's beautiful eyes watched the direction in which Chen Han departed, lingering for a long time.

On the other side, Chen Han left the Black Market and headed straight for the outskirts of the city.

Tonight, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, with a cold wind blowing gently.

With his face covered by a black veil, Chen Han walked along a small path. Along the way, he saw dozens of huddled beggars; some of the young and elderly had already frozen stiff, while others knelt and begged as people passed by.

Chen Han sternly refused, but they were persistent. A few of the more brazen ones even blocked his path, acting as if they wouldn't leave without a handout.

Chen Han remained expressionless. Naturally, he wouldn't indulge them; without a word, he raised his leg and kicked them several meters away.

Immediately, wails of pain filled the air.

The others were stunned and dared not linger near Chen Han, retreating back to the warmer corners to huddle.

Chen Han's expression didn't change, and he strode away as if nothing had happened.

Before long, he arrived at a small, dilapidated wooden shack that looked relatively intact. There was a campfire inside, its glow standing out starkly in the dark night.

Yet, no one dared to come and share the warmth, simply because those who had tried previously had already had their legs broken.

Chen Han pushed the door open and entered. Inside were two people: one was disheveled and unkempt—the same old man who had been arguing with Qing Xue earlier—and the other was a young man with a lean, powerful build and a face as sharp as a blade, looking quite spirited.

"Done? Did that vixen have any reaction?"

Seeing Chen Han enter, the old man squinted his eyes and asked.

Chen Han closed the door, the cold wind howling outside. He went straight to the campfire and sat down, looking relaxed.

"It seems there was an unusual reaction. I suspect, just as you predicted, Senior, that she has become suspicious."

The matter of the beast blood had naturally been orchestrated by the old man. He knew full well that Qing Xue was greedy and lustful, so he had deliberately sent Chen Han to plant such a signal to lure her into the trap.

Given Qing Xue's money-grubbing nature, if Chen Han went to tease her a few more times, she would surely be tempted. Once she followed them, she would fall right into the old man's hands.

Three against one—the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

"The two of you, one old and one young, certainly have a clever scheme."

At this moment, the lean young man spoke up.

This man was named Wu Duan, a secret investigator for the government who relied on his formidable tracking abilities to navigate both the underworld and the righteous path to earn silver; as long as the money was good, he would serve anyone!

It was rumored that as long as a person was still alive and hadn't been burned to ash, there was no one he couldn't track down.

Because of this, he earned the nickname—Duancha!

"However, I have no interest in waiting around here. Unless you are hiring me to take action, and it won't be cheap—two hundred taels of silver."

The little old man glanced at him with great displeasure, "Young man, we brothers already paid you four hundred taels to bring you here. What is the harm in lending a hand while you're at it? You want more money? Have you fallen into a pit of coins?"

Wu Duan ignored the little old man entirely, "One thing is one thing. Tracking is tracking, and killing is killing. If you aren't satisfied, I'll return half your silver and leave. How about it?"

The little old man was left speechless. To return only half the silver after having found absolutely nothing was simply heartless.

He was so angry he could neither curse nor strike; this brat had connections in both the underworld and the government, and killing him would likely offend half the city.

"Forget it. Senior, you could easily take this woman down by yourself. With me added to the mix, it will surely be foolproof. Why bother lowering yourself to rely on others?"

"Hahaha, now that is what I like to hear."

The little old man laughed heartily.

After a while, seeing that the timing was right, Chen Han asked with feigned curiosity, "I wonder who it is that you and the other seniors would spend such a fortune to hire the renowned Duancha to track?"

The little old man downed a cup of fine wine, smacked his lips, and replied, "Naturally, we are tracking a fiend. In the span of a single night, this person slaughtered over fifty of our gang's brothers, including five Dark Force martial artists and dozens of Mingjin Martial Artists. Looking at the corpses, you couldn't tell a thing; their bones had been pulverized into dust."

"That powerful!"

Chen Han widened his eyes, feigning astonishment.