Before Su Yaoyu's arrival, Yaoguang had ridden his bicycle every day, searching for martial artists while using his secret art to sense their presence.
Demons possessed dense, vigorous qi and blood. Even when hiding inside a human vessel, they made the body visibly burly, and their ferocious, terrifying aura radiated outward.
Furthermore, demons were generally unwilling to exert mental effort, so they tended to hide among martial artists, gangs, and other violent circles.
In fact, by using this method, his search was far more efficient than wandering aimlessly.
However, Su Yaoyu's arrival had disrupted his plans.
To avoid harming innocents, he put the plan on hold.
Especially since...
Su Yaoyu had clearly come to Yunmeng City to resolve problems.
After leaving Caiyun behind, she went straight to the local Security Division, demanding that they step up their efforts to protect Yaoguang.
This left Yaoguang somewhat speechless.
Once she departed, Yaoguang returned home.
"The Su family found my location with ease... Though that's partly because I made no deliberate effort to hide, it also indirectly proves my counter-reconnaissance techniques aren't proficient enough."
Pondering this, he walked into the study.
In his mind, various minor techniques for altering his physique and changing his appearance surfaced one after another.
At the same time, he turned on the computer, navigated to a website, and inserted the secret key token retrieved from the Black Tri-Star squad.
Soon, the website redirected.
Across the screen lay various service sections.
Bodyguarding, assassinations, transportation, cleanup—everything was accounted for.
He clicked into the Cleanup section.
The services inside were numerous.
Taking the fall, expunging records, cleaning scenes, arranging identities, and more were all listed.
Yaoguang selected the corpse cleanup service, entered his address, and added a note: Urgent.
After paying the one-hundred-thousand-yuan service fee, he posted a bounty.
Basic profiles on all Martial Masters in Tiannan.
Since he only needed basic information, the bounty was not high, sitting at a mere three hundred thousand.
After posting the bounty, he browsed the orders listed under the personal account.
Every order Black Tri-Star accepted was in the millions.
The latest order...
Fifteen million.
He took out the black bank card.
Cards like this could not be operated online; funds could only be spent through physical card-swipe terminals.
In other words, the fifteen million was still inside.
"With this money, I can purchase special medicines to stimulate my potential and push my physical constitution to the human limit. Once my physique reaches perfection, blood exchange and marrow cleansing will follow naturally, setting me on the path to breaking past the human limit."
He put the card away.
Then he glanced at the balance in the personal account.
Gone.
Withdrawn by Black Tri-Star's hidden survivor.
Still, Su Xiangyang had been willing to spend fifteen million to hire assassins to kill him, meaning his personal assets had to be far greater than that amount.
When the Su family enforced their family discipline, asking for a hundred and fifty million in emotional damages as compensation wouldn't be excessive, right?
After a moment, Yaoguang shook his head.
Forget it. No need.
That was no small sum.
Those who kill will inevitably be killed.
A life for a life would suffice.
Right then, he switched to the country's largest medicinal herb website—Yangxin Hall—and purchased the medicinal herbs capable of stimulating the body and tempering the physique one by one.
The order total exceeded ten million.
Soon, Yangxin Hall called to confirm the order.
Both sides confirmed the branch store for pickup.
After he finished sorting everything out, a knock sounded at the door.
Yaoguang glanced at his phone, walked over, and opened the door.
Three figures dressed as cleaners, wearing raincoats and face masks, appeared at the threshold.
Yaoguang stepped aside.
The three entered tacitly without uttering a word. Two bagged the corpses, while the third wiped down the bloodstains.
There was no communication throughout the entire process.
In under ten minutes, the three completed the cleanup, sprayed freshening agents to clear the air, and loaded the corpses into a cleaning cart.
It even bore the watermark of a legitimate cleaning company.
The three wheeled the cart out and waited for the freight elevator.
*Ding.*
The freight elevator doors slid open.
It was crowded inside, with five people in total.
A shared freight and passenger elevator.
Besides Su Yaoyu, there was Lin Xiaowei from the Security Bureau, two inspectors, and a figure from the martial arts world.
As the elevator doors opened, Lin Xiaowei's voice drifted out: "Our Su and Lin families have been friends for decades, and you and I have known each other for six years. Yaoyu, since you've spoken up, I will naturally do everything I can to drag Black Tri-Star into the light and ensure Su Yaoguang comes to no harm."
"Haha, Inspector Lin is the ace of our Yunmeng City special task force. Plus, with Consultant Ye Yuhe of Zhenwu Gate here, President Su should be reassured, right? Our Yunmeng City will never let a single criminal off the hook," Superintendent Zhao said with a smile.
"I naturally trust the abilities of Inspector Lin and Martial Master Ye," Su Yaoyu said, turning to the woman in martial attire. "Thank you for your trouble."
The woman nodded.
This woman was none other than the junior martial sister who had accompanied Xia Wuyuan not long ago.
The group stepped out of the elevator.
The three cleaners lowered their heads, swiftly pushing the cleaning cart toward the elevator.
However, their attire quickly aroused the sharp Lin Xiaowei's suspicion.
"Wait."
She called out.
Almost at the same moment, a voice came from down the hallway.
"Why are you here?"
"Yaoguang?"
Su Yaoyu gasped softly, then immediately made introductions: "I've brought true professionals to help you. Inspector Lin Xiaowei, top graduate of the Central Capital Royal Police Academy, six years on the force, with countless criminals apprehended to her name."
With that, she turned to introduce the woman in martial attire: "This is Ye Yuhe, one of the most outstanding disciples of this generation in the martial arts circle's Zhenwu Gate, certified as a Fourth Rank Martial Master by the National Martial Arts Association. I remember you began practicing martial arts a year ago? If you could receive a pointer or two from Martial Master Ye, it would definitely cause your strength to advance by leaps and bounds."
With this introduction, Lin Xiaowei had no choice but to shift her gaze toward Su Yaoguang.
Seizing the opportunity, the three cleaners pushed their cart swiftly into the elevator.
"A Fourth Rank Martial Master?"
Yaoguang nodded to Lin Xiaowei, then turned to Ye Yuhe.
Through his Sensing secret art, he could tell that this woman had indeed reached the level of Tendon Alteration and Bone Forging.
Judging by her appearance, she seemed around twenty-five or twenty-six.
Such strength was quite respectable in martial arts circles.
"Hello."
He offered a simple greeting.
Meanwhile, Ye Yuhe looked at Yaoguang with a hint of astonishment in her expression.
In that fleeting instant just now, she felt an illusion as though she were standing deep in the wilderness, locked onto by some terrifying entity.
It was as if this young man who looked to be in his early twenties...
No, the file indicated he was only nineteen years old.
It was as if this nineteen-year-old youth, who should have just begun his freshman year of college, radiated the perilous dread of an apex predator.
Yet...
How could that be possible!
She was a Fourth Rank Martial Master certified by the Martial Arts Association. Even as a woman, she could easily overpower eight to ten grown men.
A nineteen-year-old youth...
*A member of the Su family?* Ye Yuhe guessed inwardly.
According to the information she received, Su Huaifeng had spent his years indulging in debauchery, contracted a severe illness, and had little time left to live.
His only acknowledged son had committed a string of shocking atrocities, having harmed and killed more people than could be counted on one hand.
The reason he hired Black Tri-Star to eliminate Su Yaoguang was that the two were the only male heirs of Su Huaifeng's line. If Su Yaoguang died, he would be the sole bloodline heir of Su Huaifeng's lineage, and the Su family would inevitably do everything to protect him.
In the end...
The plot was exposed.
She had agreed to Su Yaoyu's invitation to help resolve her brother's trouble because she saw promise in Su Yaoguang's potential, investing early to pave the way for Zhenwu Gate to build ties with the rich and powerful.
Needing something from others placed one at a disadvantage.
Viewing him as a representative of the entire Su family naturally commanded a measure of deference.
"Hello."
Amid her thoughts, Ye Yuhe responded without the slightest hesitation, offering a warm smile.
She promptly continued, "If you are indeed interested in martial arts, I imagine I can offer you some guidance."
"I'm interested in the people of the martial arts world," Yaoguang asked curiously. "In Yunmeng, and throughout Tiannan, who are the notable Martial Masters and Grandmasters?"
"Martial Masters and Grandmasters..."
Hearing this, Ye Yuhe was slightly taken aback.
Speaking of Martial Masters and Grandmasters right off the bat...
Still, that fit a novice's perspective.
All they ever looked at were the figures standing at the pinnacle of the martial arts world.
She smiled. "Cultivating the martial path has always meant training through the bitter cold of winter and the sweltering heat of summer. Few can endure such hardship. For ordinary people, reaching the level of a Martial Artist is already an achievement, enough to compete professionally at the provincial or municipal level. A Martial Master can establish their own school. As for Grandmasters..."
She paused. "That is no longer a realm achievable through perseverance alone. Talent, comprehension, willpower, and resources—none can be lacking."
"I'm interested," Yaoguang said. "Please tell me in detail about the Martial Masters and Grandmasters in Tiannan."
Seeing her brother chatting so enthusiastically with Ye Yuhe, Su Yaoyu smiled as well.
Her effort to invite this martial consultant from a prestigious sect had not been in vain.
Especially since...
This Consultant Ye was quite attractive.
Though she was slightly older, that was hardly an issue.
Sensing that the two were on the verge of a lengthy conversation, Su Yaoyu smiled and said, "Brother, aren't you going to invite Consultant Ye inside to sit down?"
"My apologies," Yaoguang said.
Killing people and slaying demons aside, at his core, he remained someone who observed proper courtesy.
With a welcoming gesture of his hand, he led Ye Yuhe and the others toward the apartment.
Su Yaoyu, seeing Yaoguang tacitly accept her calling him "brother," was secretly delighted.
"I'm quite interested in the lore of the martial arts world as well. Thanks to Third Young Master Su, I'll get to listen in," Lin Xiaowei and the others said with smiles as they followed along.
"Hm?"
The moment she stepped into the apartment, Lin Xiaowei caught a whiff of a fresh scent lingering in the air.
This scent...
It seemed somewhat familiar.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable," Yaoguang said, breaking Lin Xiaowei's train of thought.
"Third Young Master Su lives quite simply," Ye Yuhe remarked, somewhat surprised.
Although the apartment measured around sixty square meters and was nicely decorated, compared to Su Yaoguang's background, it could truly only be described as modest and unpretentious.
"You can just call me by my name," Yaoguang said.
Naturally, Ye Yuhe wouldn't be so presumptuous.
Unlike Su Yaoyu, Su Yaoguang was someone who might inherit the assets of Su Huaifeng's line in the future, so as a Martial Master, she dared not underestimate him in the slightest.
"Since Third Young Master Su is interested in the martial arts circle, I'll give you a proper rundown."
The Zhenwu Gate core disciple gathered her thoughts and organized her words: "When speaking of Martial Masters and Grandmasters, one naturally cannot overlook the Ten Tigers of Tiannan and the Three Paragons of North and South."
Eager to show interest in Su Yaoguang's hobbies, Su Yaoyu immediately chimed in: "I've heard of the Ten Tigers of Tiannan and the Three Paragons of North and South as well. Their fame has spread far beyond martial arts circles, hasn't it? Especially the head of the Ten Tigers, Long Daoqi—he was the champion of the previous Hegemon Cup Martial Tournament. In the final match of that grand event, he reportedly raked in a hundred million."
"A hundred million!?"
Yaoguang looked up.
"To be precise, he earned a hundred and twenty million from that match," Ye Yuhe nodded, then added with a trace of regret, "Unfortunately, the head of the Ten Tigers was murdered by a villain. It's truly a shame. Otherwise, with his progress in attempting internal cultivation of the viscera, it wouldn't have been long before he achieved Grandmaster."
Chapter 5