Han Li stood with his back to Black Bear, facing the fray. Though Black Bear had lightened his footsteps to a near-silent crawl, such stealth was hopelessly insufficient to escape Han Li's notice.
So when Black Bear lunged from just a few paces away, his arms spread wide like a beast of prey, Han Li simply shifted his body slightly. In an instant he had pivoted to face Black Bear head-on, regarding the charging giant with a faint, almost pleasant smile.
Black Bear's eyes went wide with shock. But he was already committed to the lunge—there was no pulling back. With a desperate roar, he thrust both of his great, hair-covered hands forward, clawing at the young man. He prayed inwardly that this youth had no combat experience, that the ferocity of his attack might freeze him in place long enough to land a clean hit.
Han Li watched the black giant still charging at him with suicidal determination, and his expression went cold. He vanished from Black Bear's sight.
Black Bear's stomach dropped. He tried to brake and spin around to run, but felt a sudden chill at the back of his neck. A gleaming sword tip emerged from his throat, then withdrew just as swiftly. Black Bear clutched desperately at the spurting wound in his neck, wanting to say something, but only a few dry rasps escaped his throat before he crumpled to the ground.
Sun Ergou's face had turned the color of tallow. He had watched the entire thing—the young man had glided behind Black Bear like a phantom, drawn a flexible sword from his waist, and pierced his throat in a single effortless thrust. Now the youth was calmly pulling a white cloth from somewhere and wiping the gleaming blade clean.
The young man seemed to sense Sun Ergou's stare. He lifted his gaze and offered Sun Ergou a light smile.
Sun Ergou immediately looked away as though he had locked eyes with a venomous snake. Far from feeling any joy at his rival's death, he was overcome with a profound sense of dread—the fox mourning the hare, knowing it might be next.
The full truth had crashed into him: this young man was no fat sheep. He was a reaper of souls. And here they were, a band of clueless little demons who had walked straight into the hands of death itself. They had been digging their own graves.
Sun Ergou's only remaining hope was that his men might be able to subdue the giant. If that happened, there might be a bargaining chip—enough to negotiate terms and save his own life.
But when he looked over at the giant's side of the battlefield, he froze as though turned to stone.
More than twenty burly men now lay scattered across the ground in pools of blood, utterly still. The giant stood among them with his arms folded across his chest. He turned his head and locked eyes with Sun Ergou, his gaze cold and flat.
Though the wide-brimmed hat still concealed the giant's features, Sun Ergou felt a wave of savage, predatory intent crash over him like a physical force. His face shifted from tallow yellow to ghostly white.
Han Li had been observing Sun Ergou's changing expressions from the sidelines the entire time. He could tell that this man knew not a single martial technique and was now terrified beyond reason. He had no interest in dealing with this one personally.
"Soul-Summoner. Kill him," Han Li said, turning back with casual indifference.
"Please, no! I surrender! I'll give you everything I own! I'll be your servant, your slave! I know every bit of intelligence in Jiayuan City—big news, small news, everything! I can be useful to you, Young Master! Please—" Soul-Summoner was advancing on him like a demon from the abyss, each step closing the distance. Sun Ergou collapsed to the ground, his words tumbling out in a panicked torrent.
"Oh?" Han Li had been about to ignore the man's pleas entirely, but at the words "intelligence about Jiayuan City," something caught his attention. A flicker of interest crossed his face.
"Hold off," Han Li called, stopping Soul-Summoner just as the giant was about to twist Sun Ergou's neck. He walked a few paces forward and stood over the cowering man.
"You know Jiayuan City well?" Han Li asked with a pleasant smile, as though they were having a perfectly friendly conversation.
But Sun Ergou, having just witnessed the ruthlessness behind that smile, didn't dare relax for an instant. His voice trembled as he stammered: "Very well! Extremely well! I grew up here since I was a child—I know every blade of grass and every tree in this city! I know it like the back of my hand!"
He clutched at this lifeline as though it were a straw in a raging sea. He wished he could amplify his own usefulness tenfold.
Han Li listened, rubbed his nose thoughtfully, tilted his head to one side in contemplation, and then produced a small porcelain vial from within his robe.
He shook out a single white pill the size of a longan fruit and held it out to Sun Ergou.
"Swallow it, or die. Your choice," Han Li said flatly.
Sun Ergou's hand shook as he accepted the pill. He stared at the object in his palm with obvious hesitation. But when his eyes met the icy gaze across from him, he shuddered once, twice, then threw back his head and swallowed the pill.
"Good. Now I can trust you." Han Li nodded in satisfaction.
"That pill is called the Heart-Rotting Pill. It is a secret poison of my own making. You must take an antidote once every month, or your internal organs will rot and you'll die a slow, agonizing death. I trust you're a practical man and won't think twice about which side your bread is buttered on." Han Li's voice carried a distinctly sinister edge.
Sun Ergou had steeled himself beforehand, but hearing the specifics of what he had just swallowed still drained the color from his face. He looked thoroughly dejected.
"Rest easy. Once you've helped me handle my business in Jiayuan City, I'll give you a complete cure and set you free. A man of your... modest abilities wouldn't be of any use to me elsewhere." Han Li understood well the principle of the carrot and the stick. He gave Sun Ergou a glimmer of hope—something to work toward.
"Truly, Young Master?" A flicker of life returned to Sun Ergou's eyes.
"Take this silver. Use it to clean up here. I don't want anyone knowing what happened here today. Understood?" Han Li tossed a small pouch of loose silver to Sun Ergou and issued the order in a light, unhurried tone.
Sun Ergou caught the pouch and hefted it gingerly. It was heavy—probably over a hundred taels of loose silver inside.
A look of delight spread across his face. Working for this remarkably generous young man might not be so bad after all.
"Don't you worry, Young Master! I'll take care of everything here, spotless and tidy. Not a single problem will reach your doorstep!" He puffed out his chest with an obsequious grin.
"Good. I'm heading on to find an inn and get some rest. Come find me first thing tomorrow morning. As the local fox, you should have no trouble tracking me down." Han Li issued the command without the slightest trace of hesitation.
"Yes, sir! Tomorrow morning, first thing—I'll be at your door, ready for your orders!" By this point, Sun Ergou had fully embraced his new role as Han Li's subordinate.
Han Li allowed himself a faint smile, then called for Soul-Summoner to shoulder the great pack. The two of them departed at an unhurried pace. After putting considerable distance between themselves and the alley, Han Li glanced back. Sun Ergou was still standing exactly where they had left him, watching them go with an expression of perfect loyalty and devotion.
"How interesting," Han Li murmured. He suddenly found this man quite amusing—shrewd and perceptive, with a survivalist's instinct. Perhaps he truly could prove useful.