Merchant

"My cheap half-brother? What was his name again..." Yaoguang pondered. He quickly pulled the name from the original owner's memories. Su Xiangyang. Although Su Huaifeng was a playboy with as many as six children, Su Xiangyang was his only son. That person... The original owner had been utterly terrified of him? By this point, the two men opposite him had snapped awake from the sudden, violent turn of events. Both fell back in a frantic retreat. One of them instantly drew a gun from inside his coat. Dayu strictly prohibited firearms; for someone to possess one... Well, it was only natural for a hitman to carry a gun. Almost the instant he drew the weapon, Yaoguang gave his hand a sharp flick. An invisible sword shot out in a flash, piercing the wrist of the man's gun hand with a faint, razor-sharp hiss before driving onward with undiminished momentum to sink straight into the center of his forehead, buried to the hilt. Immediately after, his figure moved. *Screech!* The sudden eruption of power nearly split the soles of his shoes. A wisp of dark smoke seemed to trail from the friction against the floor. He materialized beside the last short-haired man almost instantaneously. Under the man's terrified gaze, Yaoguang spread his five fingers wide, his palm slamming down over his entire face, and then... He shoved hard. The colossal force sent the man's eighty-kilogram frame flying backward. Yet just as the tips of his toes left the ground by half a meter, that momentum was abruptly cut short. The back of his head smashed violently into the wall. *Bang!* The wall fractured! Chips of stone flew! Accompanied by a violent splatter of blood. Lingering physical instinct made the man attempt to struggle, but Yaoguang's right hand held him pinned in an iron grip. Several seconds passed. All struggling ceased. Yaoguang let go, and the short-haired man's corpse slid to the floor. At this moment, Yaoguang seemed to realize something. Looking at the cracked wall, the splattered blood, and the three corpses awaiting cleanup, he furrowed his brows. "Hasty of me. Looks like hiring a cleanup crew is very necessary." Right away, he began searching the bodies. Very little cash. No more than a few thousand altogether. However, a black bank card among their belongings was quite conspicuous. "An anonymous card from Tairui Bank." He guessed the reason this card was here. Yaoguang took the trench-coat man's phone, pried open his eyelids, and performed facial recognition. Then, while the corpse was still warm, he unlocked it with a fingerprint and transferred out every bit of money that could be moved from the phone. Martial arts cultivation required resources. The ancient tree was like a search engine connecting myriad realms, granting him all information related to his professions. Yet after gaining that knowledge, the actual cultivation still depended on himself. Over the past year, by slaying demons disguised as martial masters, he had gathered no less than ten million in funds and spoils, all of which had been poured into cultivation; only through that had he polished his physique to the peak of the human body in just one year. He was broke. Naturally, he wouldn't let any moneymaking opportunity slip by. "810,000." Yaoguang tallied the figure. A combined gain of 810,000 from the three men. He glanced once more at the trench-coat man's broken neck. Although the transaction process had been a bit roundabout... He had gained 810,000, which naturally increased his [Merchant] experience. With a thought, he directed his attention toward the ancient tree in his mind. [Transaction profit: 810,000. Tier 1 Merchant branch gains growth nutrients... Growth halted as the trunk absorbs all nutrients.] Immediately after, nutrients were funneled into the branch belonging to [Martial Dao], and it began to grow. After Yaoguang digested the modest addition of experience regarding the viscera-refining realm, he looked down at the anonymous Tairui Bank card in his hand. "I wonder how much my life is worth." He had already found the PIN in the phone. The experience gained from merchant transactions fell far short of hunting demons. Yet as long as the sum was large enough, it could serve as a useful supplement and an unexpected windfall. In addition, he held a USB-like cipher key in his hand. This was an identity token of the underworld. It recognized the token, not the bearer. Just as Yaoguang planned to use the token to contact professional cleaners to tidy up the room, a flurry of hurried footsteps approached. Yaoguang listened for a moment, then rose and walked out to the living room, intending to shut the door. Right then, a call came from around the corridor corner. "Yaoguang!" Immediately after, two women came hurrying over. One of them... Her looks and demeanor were both exquisite, utterly out of place in this somewhat dingy apartment hallway. This was the original owner's elder sister, Su Yaoyu. And the only splash of warmth in the original owner's memories. Considering the original owner's relationship with her, Yaoguang stepped out and pulled the door shut behind him. "I'm heading out. Did you need something?" "Are you alright?" Su Yaoyu came up to Su Yaoguang and reached out to look him over. "If you have something to say, say it. Don't get handsy." Yaoguang dodged in an instant. For one thing, she was too close. For another, he wasn't accustomed to such intimacy. "All grown up and don't care for your big sister anymore? Or are you getting shy?" Su Yaoyu teased with a smile. Seeing that he was lively and unharmed, she felt relieved. In contrast, the woman behind Su Yaoyu—who stood fully 1.75 meters tall and carried a valiant, dashing air in her attire—showed a flicker of astonishment in her eyes. Yaoguang's dodge just now... She hadn't even caught it clearly. Was it because her attention had been focused on Su Yaoyu, causing her to miss it? By now, Su Yaoyu had put aside her teasing and said with gravity, "Yaoguang, you can't stay here anymore. The fourth brother has gone mad—he actually dared to hire people to target his own family! The bounty he put out in the underworld has already been accepted, and it's too late to withdraw it. As things stand, you can only avoid danger by coming back to the Su family with me as soon as possible." "Su Xiangyang? Gone mad?" Yaoguang was slightly surprised. "Not literally mad, but what he did is no different from madness. In short, he's finished. Once you return, you won't ever have to worry about being bullied again." Su Yaoyu didn't go into detail. Hearing no gossip to glean, Yaoguang didn't press further, merely saying, "The Su family—I'm not going. I'm doing fine right now." "Third Young Master, you don't understand the situation you're facing. If you don't return, you will be in grave danger." At this point, the woman behind Su Yaoyu spoke up. Yaoguang glanced at her. Caiyun. One of the orphans adopted by the Su family. Dayu had endured for four hundred and thirty years; ancient clans generally held the custom of adopting orphans and meticulously cultivating them. The Su family couldn't compare to those ancient clans, but they had been rooted in Tiannan for over a century, and they had adopted a fair few orphans like Caiyun. "We've already identified the gang that took your bounty: the Black Tri-Star. A crew of four, they've committed numerous crimes across Tiannan, audacious enough to dare anything and take any job." Caiyun said gravely, "According to the leads we have, their vehicle has already entered Yunmeng City. I'm afraid they will make a move on you soon." "Named Black Tri-Star, but there are four members?" Yaoguang asked. "Yes. Three in the open, and one in the shadows." Caiyun nodded. Yaoguang had a feeling the money on that anonymous bank card of his was probably out of reach now. "I see. Then I'd like to know: how will the Su family handle Su Xiangyang for hiring killers against me?" he asked. This question was evidently something Caiyun couldn't answer. Su Yaoyu also looked somewhat hesitant. Yaoguang wasn't injured... Presumably the punishment wouldn't be too severe. After a brief pause, as if coming to a decision, she said resolutely, "Don't worry. I believe the Family Disciplinary Hall will give you a satisfactory answer." "Fair enough." Yaoguang nodded slightly. He had originally wanted to say, "If the Su family doesn't give me a satisfactory answer, then when the time comes, I'll give the Su family one." Yet he felt there was little point. In the end, he merely said, "When the Su family administers the disciplinary punishment, I'll be present." Seeing that Su Yaoguang finally seemed willing to return home, Su Yaoyu's eyes lit up. Before she could speak again, Yaoguang added, "I have things to do, so I'm leaving." "Your big sister drove six hundred li from the provincial capital just to find you, and this is how you treat me? You're breaking my heart." As Su Yaoyu spoke, she even put on an aggrieved pout. Yaoguang looked on, speechless. Seeing him remain silent, Su Yaoyu grew somewhat worried. She hurriedly changed the subject: "Yaoguang, if you really feel it's too stifling at home, why not stay at Mother's place for a while? Once the Black Tri-Star are rooted out, you can come back..." "No need." Yaoguang shook his head. "I'll take you to get a hotel room." "Don't you live right here? I can just sleep on the couch." "It's not convenient," Yaoguang said. After all, three corpses were laid out inside; explaining them would be too much trouble. Far better to just book a room for her to sleep in and send her on her way. "Oh, I get it. My little brother has grown up..." Su Yaoyu smiled rather mysteriously. Yaoguang didn't bother explaining. He simply said, "Let's go," and turned to walk away. Seeing him like this, Su Yaoyu felt worried, but even more helpless. Yet mindful of his past experiences, she didn't dare force anything. She could only turn to Caiyun and say, "Sister Caiyun, I'll have to trouble you a lot over the next few days. The family has already contacted local connections to thoroughly investigate criminal lawbreakers; they'll root out Black Tri-Star very soon." "Rest assured, I won't let anything happen to Third Young Master," Caiyun said gravely. Then she added, "It's just, Miss, Third Young Master carrying on like this isn't a long-term solution either..." "I know," Su Yaoyu replied, looking quite helpless as well. The relationships between her, their parents, Su Yaoguang, and Su Anping were extremely complicated. Over the years, she had made immense efforts to mend the relationships among the family, yet this only brother of hers still drifted further and further away. It had been manageable in the past, but over the last year they barely even talked on the phone. She didn't know if she had said something wrong or done something wrong somewhere that had touched his sensitive nerves. The only thing she could do was to be as natural and affectionate as possible, letting him feel the warmth of family.