Not That Easy

Iwamoto watched Lin Nan's actions and couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

People who turned on others the moment they gained power were usually the most efficient to use. To gain more influence and benefits, they would stop at nothing, often achieving their goals in the most direct and quickest way possible.

And once their power and status surpassed their former superior's, they were often the most dangerous sort of people.

But... this brat would never get that chance. Iwamoto chuckled inwardly. He would never let Lin Nan live long enough to surpass him.

Lin Nan's slap had completely stunned Kyoraku Shunsui. A bright red handprint quickly appeared on his fair cheek.

Masaki, Kuramoto, and the other men standing nearby all let out a silent hiss.

That kid sure hit hard! He'd been desperately protecting his young master just moments ago, and now he could hit him that hard without hesitation.

Lin Nan let go of Kyoraku's collar and staggered before straightening up. He slowly turned around and tilted his head, surveying the group watching behind him.

His gaze swept over each person's face, finally settling on Masaki.

Masaki's knees turned inward. He hunched over and gave Lin Nan a sidelong glare, looking rather displeased.

Lin Nan tilted his head and met Masaki's eyes. "Well, look who it is—the big guy. What're you staring at me for? All healed up?"

Provoked right to his face, Masaki remembered the humiliation of Lin Nan kicking him square in the crotch. A flicker of anger rose within him. "Bastard, what do you think you're doing?!"

Lin Nan's eyes narrowed. Without another word, he kicked Masaki in the crotch again.

With a shrill, hurried cry, the towering Masaki was launched into the air for half a second before dropping to his knees. His cry was nowhere near as loud as last time. He curled up on the ground, his face already turning ashen.

The others watching felt a chill between their legs. They instinctively hunched over and took half a step back.

Even Iwamoto frowned and asked, "Lin, what are you doing?"

Lin Nan ignored Iwamoto's question and rubbed his lower back. "Still can't put much strength into it with an injury~"

Then he bent over and pointed at Masaki, who was barely able to roll on the ground, and the other guards. "You, and all of you, remember this. We may be in this together now, but don't go picking a fight with me. Whether Boss Iwamoto's around or not. Got it?"

They glanced at Masaki on the ground, then at the ferocity in Lin Nan's eyes, and helplessly looked to Iwamoto.

Iwamoto glanced back at them and said helplessly, "You're comrades, no matter what. What sort of conduct is this?"

Lin Nan flashed a wicked smile. "I'm helping you set things straight. These useless fools are a disgrace to you."

Iwamoto held Lin Nan's gaze for a moment.

He'd just joined a new group, yet instead of trying to win over his new teammates, he'd started making enemies. That made him either a fool or a genuine genius.

At that thought, Iwamoto gave a scornful laugh and turned to leave.

If the kid wanted to make enemies, let him. If he could eventually bring the others to heel, they could serve as whetstones for him. If he couldn't, Iwamoto had nothing to lose.

Lin Nan's words had stirred up anger in everyone, but since their boss, Iwamoto, hadn't said anything, they didn't dare speak up. They could only force down their resentment.

Seeing that nobody was saying anything, Lin Nan gave a soft snort and gingerly rolled his sore neck.

Just then, a hand grabbed his shoulder and yanked him backward.

The morning sun shone bright. With the help of his family's servants, Kyoraku Seishu had followed the family crest marks Lin Nan left behind, crossing most of Danzhao District.

The marks along the way had been placed very cleverly, clearly indicating the direction at every fork. They hadn't wasted much time on the journey.

However, after finding the final mark, they could no longer locate the next one.

"My lord, the servants have all searched, but they couldn't find the next mark."

"Big Brother Kyoraku, we checked the houses nearby but couldn't find any traces of a mark. It shouldn't have been wiped away afterward."

After hearing the reports from the servant and the Soul Reaper, Kyoraku Seishu narrowed his eyes and looked around. "Who left the marks?"

The servant bowed and replied, "The young master's classmate, Lin Nan. I heard he's a new disciple of Lord Genryūsai."

Kyoraku Seishu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? The Captain-Commander has taken on a new disciple?"

This young man named Lin Nan seemed quite perceptive. The Captain-Commander had been right to take him on as a disciple. The marks he'd left along the way were clever, too. Once they found the first few, they could quickly locate the next by following the pattern, while keeping the marks well hidden.

If someone so clever had suddenly stopped leaving marks, there could only be one explanation.

Something had happened.

Kyoraku Seishu's sharp, hawklike gaze swept across the area. Before long, he spotted a small hole, about the thickness of a little finger, on the roof of a nearby building.

He went closer and examined it carefully. The hole's edges were smooth and even, with signs of melting.

"Kido... probably a low-level spell like Byakurai." Qingqiu nodded slightly, then ordered loudly, "Spread out and search the area. Stay alert! Watch out for ambushes! There may be enemies nearby who can use Kido!"

The group acknowledged the order and quickly spread out to search. Before long, they found another damaged spot at the edge of a wall near the end of the road ahead. As soon as he heard the report, Qingqiu hurried over to inspect it.

It was a cylindrical mark that had split the surface of the wall in two, a little over an inch tall. Its edges were just as smooth. The cut thatch inside the wall was exposed, and there was a faint scorch mark along the cut.

On the snowy white wall, the mark looked like a narrow groove someone had scooped out of tofu with a spoon.

Because it was on a wall behind a corner, not in one of the usual places for marks, the Soul Reaper squad members had overlooked it while searching earlier.

Qingqiu examined the mark, frowning in confusion. It looked like another trace left by Kido. But what kind of spell could leave such a thick scorch mark and cut across such a long stretch?

Byakurai again? That seemed unlikely... Byakurai didn't make marks that thick...

"Big Brother Kyoraku, we found signs of a fight beside the woods behind us," a squad member reported.

Qingqiu turned at once and followed him.

This was the edge of Danzhao District, separated from neighboring South Rukongai Second District by a dense stretch of woods. Few people passed through here, so the traces on the ground had barely been disturbed.

Qingqiu picked his way forward, taking care not to step on the traces as he studied them.

"There was a fight here... Someone fell here... Judging by the imprint of the knees on the ground, it was someone quite large... Hm? Is that blood?"

Following the traces on the ground, Qingqiu finally spotted a patch of blood at the far end, covered with dirt. But it hadn't been covered completely; thin streaks of red still showed through.

"Damn it..." Qingqiu felt his temple throb. Kyoraku and his classmate wouldn't have been carrying swords. So whose blood was this?

Had one of them been injured?

"Search the area carefully, especially the woods. Don't overlook a single detail!"

Lin Nan was caught off guard as he was dragged halfway around, ending up face-to-face with the furious Kyoraku.

Kyoraku's eyes were wide with rage, bloodshot around the edges. "You dare hit me!"

His hands were still tied, so he clenched them into fists and swung at Lin Nan with all his strength.

But he'd just been tortured and was covered in injuries. He could barely muster any strength, and his swing only landed feebly on Lin Nan's shoulder.

"You lowly house slave! You dare hit me! I'll kill you!"

Lin Nan sprang backward and let out a scream, then doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach. Kyoraku's blow landed squarely on his head. "Fuck! My stomach wound's split open... Damn it, I'm injured, and you sneak-attacked me! I'll beat you to death!"

As he spoke, he held one hand over the wound in his stomach and shuffled forward, reaching out with the other to hit Kyoraku.

Kyoraku staggered forward too, swinging both hands around to block and strike.

After a couple of exchanges, they both realized they couldn't hurt each other. So they changed tactics and started grabbing at each other's hair.

"You lowlife! Die! I'll teach you to mess with me!"

"You're the lowlife! I'm the Kyoraku family's second young master!"

"I'll send you to a brothel and make you their young master! Go play with a spinning top there!"

As everyone watched, Kyoraku and Lin Nan rolled into a heap, one with a bruised and swollen face, the other bleeding from his stomach. Like a pair of children, they rolled around on the ground, clawing and beating each other.

At that moment, all of Iwamoto's men stared at them, utterly baffled.

What kind of ridiculous situation was this? Lin Nan had seemed so vicious just moments ago, and now he was rolling around on the ground like a child in a fight?

Everyone was speechless. What were you supposed to do when the boss's newly recruited muscle started fighting the hostage? Asking for a friend...

But that arrogant Lin Nan didn't seem to be getting the upper hand. In fact, watching him get beaten was pretty satisfying. A few of them already had smug smiles tugging at their mouths.

Iwamoto stopped and calmly looked back at the two men on the ground without saying a word. When they had rolled around for the third time, he said quietly, "That's enough. Go separate them."

Kuramoto stepped forward and hauled Lin Nan off the ground. "The boss says to stop fighting."

Panting, Lin Nan got to his feet. He pointed at Kyoraku, who was panting just as hard on the ground. "Just you wait. I'll go upstairs, patch up my wound, and come back to beat you up!"

Kyoraku refused to back down. "Tell them to untie me, and we'll see which one of us beats the other!"

"Just you wait, then. We'll see if your mouth's tougher or my fists are!"

A few of them concealed their laughter as they dragged Lin Nan out of the basement. Watching him get beaten had felt pretty good.

Iwamoto walked ahead and glanced back at Lin Nan. "Your wound's split open. Get it treated upstairs right away, and don't move around. We still have a use for that kid. We can't let him die."

Lin Nan still looked angry, but he forced his anger down at Iwamoto's words and nodded in thanks. "Got it. Thanks, Boss Iwamoto!

Don't worry. I absolutely won't let him die that easily!"