Interests and Indifference, Killing With a Borrowed Knife

In Demon Capital, on the seventh basement floor of "Myriad Treasures Pavilion", in a quiet room.

An elderly man in a traditional Chinese suit stood in front of a map marked with a red cross, his fingers tapping lightly on the wall, making a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound.

As one of the largest underground trading companies in Demon Capital, Myriad Treasures Pavilion has always believed in "harmony brings wealth." They only do business and never easily get involved in the life-or-death power struggles between the authorities, the Night Watchers, the Resisters, or the Variants.

After all, whoever is in power will need to dispose of stolen goods and will need resources.

However, this time the situation is different.

"This person is powerful and decisive. Now that he knows Gray Wolf is from our Myriad Treasures Pavilion, this feud is officially established."

The old man in the Tang suit gradually turned cold.

"Moreover, his specific mention of concealment techniques and pupil arts clearly indicates that he is targeting those non-human beings. Our Myriad Treasures Pavilion's business of secretly supplying living 'blood food' to Variants forces is extremely profitable and is one of the core interests of the business."

"If we let this madman cause trouble in Demon Capital's underworld, this business will be affected sooner or later, and he might even track us down and ruin it!"

"We must strike first and eliminate him!"

With that thought in mind, the old man no longer hesitated and took out a specially made secure communicator from his pocket.

Since the other party is highly likely to be the murderer who slaughtered the Night Watchers Jinling, why not go with the flow and do the Night Watchers a huge favor? Using the Night Watchers to eliminate their own troubles is a trick that Myriad Treasures Pavilion excels at.

Communication established.

"Lord Demon Blade," the elderly man in the Tang suit said respectfully.

On the other end of the phone, Demon Blade sounded extremely irritated, "Get to the point, I'm busy."

"Regarding that 'murderer' in Jinling City, our Myriad Treasures Pavilion might have some clues," the old man said calmly, throwing out the bait.

"What?!"

Demon Blade's voice instantly rose eight octaves, his annoyance vanishing completely, "Where?! What does he look like?!"

The old man then told Demon Blade everything about Dongfang Yueming's purchase of a large number of Yellow Grade Qi Technique and Concealment Techniques from the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, his demand for Eye Techniques, and his speculation about Gray Wolf being instantly killed.

After hearing the report, Demon Blade gasped.

"You bought Yellow Grade basic Qi Technique worth hundreds of millions? And you still want a pupil technique?"

The Demon Blade was also in turmoil, but he dared not make a decision on his own.

"Send me that person's image data immediately! This matter is extremely important; I must report it to my superiors right away!"

Luxury high-rise apartments in Demon Capital.

Baihu was wearing a silk bathrobe, leaning back on a large leather sofa, holding a glass of red wine in his hand.

"Bite."

The encrypted report from the Demon Blade was sent to her terminal.

Baihu casually opened the report, looking at the information about Dongfang Yueming's purchase of a large number of Yellow Grade Qi Technique, as well as Myriad Treasures Pavilion's speculation.

"He bought several Yellow Grade Qi Gathering Method and dozens of Yellow Grade Qi Technique in one go?"

A hint of surprise flashed in the Baihu's silvery-white eyes, but it quickly turned into deep mockery.

She was incredibly intelligent and immediately guessed Dongfang Yueming's intention.

"This kid has quite the ambition. Buying so many similar basic techniques, is he trying to learn from others and refine his existing skills?"

The Baihu shook its head, a knowing smile playing on its lips.

"Unfortunately, that was too irrational."

"In the path of Martial Dao, the higher one climbs, the more formidable the barriers of the laws become. A martial artist at the Qi Gathering Realm attempting to fuse a bunch of common, low-level Yellow Grade techniques to deduce a Heaven -Heaven Grade Qi Gathering Method capable of breaking the shackles of heaven and earth? That's utterly delusional and a pipe dream!"

Even those ancient monsters who have lived for hundreds of years and Meridian Opening Realm wouldn't dare to have such a far-fetched idea.

However, although he found Dongfang Yueming's behavior extremely ridiculous, Baihu felt a rare sense of appreciation for this young man who dared to recklessly test the rules.

"At least, he's funny."

Baihu gently swirled the wine in his glass.

"I'd like to see if you, this moth drawn to the flame, will end up ashes or manage to create something special in this cannibalistic world."

She picked up the communicator and replied to Demon Blade with a few short words:

"Understood. Remain still."

At the Night Watchers headquarters, Demon Blade stared blankly at the six cold words on the screen, completely dumbfounded.

"Hold back and do nothing?!"

Demon Blade scratched his head in frustration. Clues to the murderer had been delivered right to his doorstep, yet Lord Baihu still maintained this indifferent attitude!

"Could it be that Lady Baihu really has an old grudge against the Judge and wishes he were dead? Or does she simply not take this murderer seriously?"

Demon Blade paced back and forth in his office, his heart filled with anxiety.

It's important to understand that in the vast area of Demon Capital, Baihu isn't the only Moon Grade Investigator! The Night Watchers is riddled with factions, and the competition is extremely fierce.

If other Moon Grade investigators learn of this clue and catch the murderer first, thus making a great contribution, then Demon Blade's status within the Night Watchers will surely plummet!

"Buzz."

The communicator on the table rang again; it was the same old man in a Tang suit from the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.

"Lord Demon Blade, our Myriad Treasures Pavilion is willing to deploy our elite forces to cooperate with the Night Watchers in conducting a comprehensive search of the ruins in the east of the city to find the murderer..." the old man proposed obsequiously.

"No."

Demon Blade interrupted him rudely, his tone full of disinterest and impatience, "This matter will be decided by the higher authorities. Your Myriad Treasures Pavilion should mind its own business and stop interfering in the affairs of the Night Watchers!"

"Snap."

The call was disconnected.

Inside the quiet room of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, an elderly man in a Tang suit listened to the busy tone on the receiver, his face so gloomy it seemed as if water could drip from it.

"Has this Demon Blade lost its mind? It won't even accept credit that's offered to it?"

The old man pondered for a moment, and quickly guessed the reason.

"It seems that Demon Blade consulted with that Baihu investigator. And that woman's attitude was clearly extremely indifferent, even indifferent."

"What a cold-blooded woman," the old man sneered.

"Elder, since Demon Blade isn't taking the bait, should we leak this information to another Moon Grade investigator in the Demon Capital?" the supervisor standing to the side cautiously suggested.

"Idiot!"

The elderly man in the Tang suit turned his head abruptly and shouted angrily, "Are you trying to make sure our Myriad Treasures Pavilion dies soon enough?!"

"You tell Baihu first, and when Baihu doesn't answer, you turn around and tell another Moon Grade master. Isn't that blatantly slapping that other master in the face, implying that in our hearts, he's only fit to pick up Baihu's leftovers?!"

"In the eyes of these important figures, face is more important than anything! This two-faced behavior will cause Myriad Treasures Pavilion to completely offend that person!"

The supervisor was severely reprimanded and, terrified, repeatedly agreed, wiping away cold sweat and daring not to say another word.

"Then... what should we do?"

"Hmph, since we can't say it outright, let's find an opportunity to 'accidentally' spread the news of this kid's presence in the ruins of the eastern city to the black market's intelligence network."

A glint of venomous ruthlessness flashed in the old man's eyes.

"If Night Watchers come to buy information and ask about this matter, pretend to be hesitant and subtly mention that 'Lord Baihu Tiger suppressed this matter.'"

"Let's use their strength against them, let the Night Watchers fight amongst themselves, and then we can reap the benefits."

"Yes, Elder is wise!" The supervisor accepted the order and left.

The quiet room fell silent once more.

The elderly man in the Tang suit stood with his hands behind his back, staring coldly at the map on the wall.

"Kid, I hope you're a smart man and don't be ungrateful."

"If you take the money and the cultivation technique, then we'll let it go obediently and leave Demon Capital. But if you dare to continue loitering in the black market, or even attempt to disrupt our Myriad Treasures Pavilion's transaction with them..."

"Boom--!!!"

Suddenly, a terrifying, suffocating pressure erupted from the old man's withered body!

This oppressive force far exceeded the limits of the Qi Gathering Realm, as if even the space around him was being distorted by this power! The true qi within his body not only churned in his dantian, but also formed a flawless great cycle along the eight extraordinary meridians throughout his body!

[Meridian Opening Realm... Sixth Level]!

Moreover, a mysterious, earthy-yellow halo faintly appeared on the old man's right palm. The weight and destructive power contained within that halo were even more terrifying than all the attacks Dongfang Yueming had encountered before combined!

"Not only do I cultivate the Profound Grade Meridian Opening Method, but I have also devoted thirty years of arduous practice to cultivating this Earth -Earth Grade Qi Technique, the Great Wilderness Earth-Splitting Palm, to near Major Accomplishment!"

A smug and cruel smile appeared on the old man's face.

"Unless you, a mere brat, can unleash a legendary Heaven Grade Qi Technique, I will show you what it truly means to wish you were dead before my Earth Grade Palm Technique!"