You Can't Handle It

Meanwhile, in the small courtyard where Lin Xiao resided within Emerald Cloud Valley.

"Brother Lin, six days have already passed, yet we have zero leads. It seems our good days are coming to an end."

In the courtyard's rain pavilion, Kong Mingyuan sipped his tea and spoke in a hollow tone.

The position of Master in Emerald Cloud Valley is a lucrative prize. Now that such a massive blunder has occurred, the other masters are all watching, waiting to step in and replace them.

Once this case fails to identify the culprits, the two of them will have to pack their bags.

"What is there to fear? We are both ranked martial artists. If we can't kill a first-tier demonic beast, surely killing unranked ones is as easy as reaching out to grab them?"

Lin Xiao said with an air of indifference, "Besides, a disaster like this is unavoidable regardless of who is in charge..."

Kong Mingyuan sighed softly, "Those damned thieves. We were too lenient with them in the past. If we manage to keep our positions as masters in Emerald Cloud Valley, I will never show mercy to anyone who dares to cause trouble again."

Lin Xiao lamented, "It is too late to say such things now. I fear we cannot escape the fallout of this incident. Who could have imagined those fellows would be so bold as to lure a Dark Gold Red Tiger off a cliff to create chaos just to sneak into the valley and steal Origin Mulberry Fruit?"

"The losses this time are simply too great; even Hall Master Gu cannot suppress this matter."

Just then, a knock sounded at the courtyard gate.

"Who is it?"

Lin Xiao looked toward the gate and asked with an impatient tone.

"Master Lin, it is I, Hong Jingcheng!"

Hong Jingcheng's voice rang out clearly from outside the gate.

Lin Xiao asked, "What is the matter?"

Hong Jingcheng replied, "Master Lin, I have captured two of the masterminds behind that night's incident."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Lin Xiao and Kong Mingyuan shifted, and they stood up abruptly, heading straight for the gate.

Creak.

The gate pushed open. Beside Hong Jingcheng, Guo Jinchuan and Yue Kun were tossed carelessly onto the ground, both currently unconscious.

"Hong Jingcheng, are you saying these two are the culprits who lured the Dark Gold Red Tiger off the cliff that night?"

Lin Xiao glanced at Guo Jinchuan and Yue Kun, asking with a look of hesitation.

"Indeed."

Hong Jingcheng nodded, his expression appearing somewhat excited.

Kong Mingyuan said in a deep voice, "Tell us the full sequence of events in detail."

"Yes."

Hong Jingcheng spoke slowly, "It happened like this..."

He recounted the situation regarding Guo Jinchuan's gambling debts and the Money Gang entering the valley to collect.

He followed this with how he trailed Guo Jinchuan, discovered the meeting between him and Yue Kun, and accidentally stumbled upon the plot.

He gave a rough account of how Guo Jinchuan and Yue Kun organized their men and set the traps to lure the Dark Gold Red Tiger to its fall.

Naturally, Hong Jingcheng omitted everything regarding Shen Mu, framing it as him sensing something was wrong and conducting an investigation that finally cracked the case.

This merit is too great; Brother Shen, you wouldn't be able to handle the weight of it... Hong Jingcheng thought to himself.

"Good, good, good! Hong Jingcheng, I truly did not misjudge you. Well done!"

Lin Xiao repeated the word 'good' three times. When he looked at Guo Jinchuan, his expression turned ugly, "I never imagined this disaster was an inside job. It seems our Firewood Gang has produced some traitors as well."

"Truly, we searched high and low, only to find it without any effort."

Kong Mingyuan's expression was also filled with excitement as he laughed, "Now that these two masterminds are in custody, the next step is to follow the vine to the melon and capture everyone else involved in this case."

Hong Jingcheng fetched a basin of water and splashed it onto Yue Kun's face, causing him to wake up once more.

Seeing Lin Xiao and Kong Mingyuan, Yue Kun's face twitched, knowing his life was likely hanging by a thread.

"Your name is Yue Kun, correct?"

Lin Xiao wiped away his smile, looked down at him from above, and said in a deep voice, "Tell us, who else was involved in that night's operation?"

A sneer appeared on the corner of Yue Kun's mouth, "Since I am a dead man walking anyway, why should I waste my breath?"

Though he said this, Yue Kun was secretly hoping to use this as a bargaining chip to secure a glimmer of survival.

"A dead man walking?"

Kong Mingyuan said coldly, "It won't be that easy for you to die. Before you reveal the whereabouts of the others, I advise you to be sensible and confess everything, otherwise, you are going to suffer some physical agony."

Upon hearing this, a mocking smile played on Yue Kun's lips, and he remained silent.

"If that is the case, we shall see if your mouth is harder, or your bones."

Lin Xiao glanced at Hong Jingcheng and said flatly, "Do it."

"Right away, Master Lin, Master Kong. You two should step back a bit, lest the blood splatter onto you."

After Hong Jingcheng finished speaking, he stepped forward with a sinister grin.

"Yue Kun, I'll give you one more chance. Are you going to talk or not?"

Hong Jingcheng asked, his gaze chilling.

Seeing that Yue Kun still remained silent, Hong Jingcheng didn't waste any more breath. With a cold sneer, he stepped forward and brought his fist down heavily onto Yue Kun's left thumb.

The force of the blow flattened Yue Kun's thumb instantly, turning bone and flesh into a mangled mess.

"Aaaah!"

The fingers are connected to the heart; the excruciating pain twisted Yue Kun's face as he let out a shrill scream that echoed throughout Emerald Cloud Valley.

"Kill me, just kill me."

Yue Kun howled in madness.

Only now did he realize his mistake; it turned out that not everyone could endure the process of torture.

"Kid, you still have nine fingers and ten toes left. If you still won't confess, I don't mind smashing them one by one!"

Hong Jingcheng chuckled with a sinister grin.

"No, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything."

Seeing Hong Jingcheng raise his fist again, Yue Kun finally lost his nerve completely.

For him now, death had become a luxury.

He knew very well that until he had confessed the whereabouts of all his accomplices, the three men before him would never let him die so easily.

This endless torture left him unable to maintain his defiance any longer.

"What are you stalling for? Give me their names, their cultivation levels, and where they live, one by one."

Lin Xiao glanced at the sky, his tone impatient.

He couldn't wait to start making arrests and collect that bounty.

One had to remember that Ren Yunzhao had said there was no cap on the bounty; catching one person was worth five hundred taels of silver.

Yue Kun took a deep breath and said with a trembling voice, "He Shanliu, Boiling Blood Third Realm, lives at No. 59 Willow Cloud Alley, Pine Suburb Street..."

"Chen Yunyuan, Boiling Blood Third Realm, lives at No. 13 Boluo Alley, Tai Gang Street..."

"Fu Bohong, Boiling Blood Fourth Realm, lives at No. 95 Changyang Alley, Kunhua Street..."

"..."

Yue Kun reported the information of twenty-two participants in total, even spilling the location where the Origin Mulberry Fruit was hidden, which made Lin Xiao and Kong Mingyuan beam with joy.

The more participants there were, the more they could earn, right?

"Is that all?"

Seeing Yue Kun finally stop, Lin Xiao asked in a deep voice.

"That's all, there were twenty-four of us in total."

Yue Kun's eyes were unfocused as he shook his head.

"Very good."

Lin Xiao looked at Hong Jingcheng and asked, "Did you write down everything this man just said?"

"I did."

Hong Jingcheng handed over the list, then hesitated. "Market Master Lin, these participants are all from the Hundred Generations Martial Hall. If we round them all up, will it provoke the Hundred Generations Martial Hall?"

"Hmph, provoke the Hundred Generations Martial Hall?"

Kong Mingyuan let out a cold snort. "What is their Hundred Generations Martial Hall worth? The students they teach are nothing but petty thieves."

"If this matter reached the ears of their Hall Master, he would have to come to our door and apologize to our Gang Leader himself."

Lin Xiao took the list and sneered, "Since we now know where they live, let's start making arrests."

He looked at Hong Jingcheng and ordered, "Jingcheng, you are responsible for guarding these two from now on. Market Master Kong and I will handle the rest of the arrests."

Hong Jingcheng's mouth twitched at these words, and he bowed respectfully. "Understood."

It was clear, just as he had expected, that these two guys wanted to take this opportunity to make a fortune.

However, for him, the two people currently in his custody were enough to net him a thousand taels of silver, which was already a bountiful haul.

"Hong Jingcheng, you have performed a great service this time. We will report this to Incense Master Ren, and your fair share will certainly not be shorted."

"But as for what doesn't belong to you, you shouldn't try to grasp it. You understand what I mean, right?"

Hong Jingcheng nodded repeatedly and smiled. "I understand."

Before leaving, Kong Mingyuan laughed, "Consider this a favor owed to you by Market Master Lin and myself. In the future, as long as it is within our power, feel free to ask."

Hearing Kong Mingyuan's words, Hong Jingcheng's eyes lit up, and he declined modestly, "Market Master Kong, you are too kind. As a member of the Firewood Gang, this is merely my duty..."

Though he said this, Hong Jingcheng was overjoyed inside.

A favor from two Market Masters was worth far more than a thousand taels of silver.