Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

The night deepened, and few travelers were on the roads.

Chen Li walked along the way, his face changing like shifting clouds.

The Foundation Establishment of the Zhou Family, as one of Luoluo City’s six great Foundation Establishment families, was not some insignificant gang from Green River District that could be easily wiped out. Once exposed, he would have no choice but to face death.

When killing, he had disguised himself, making the chance of being discovered very slim.

If there was a flaw to be found, the biggest flaw would be these three individuals.

Having been targeted, it was clear this did not happen overnight. Whether witnesses or those informed, there were bound to be many. Nobody could guarantee that none had slipped through the net and survived.

With just a little effort from the Zhou Family, if they were to follow the trail, they could find these individuals.

And finding these individuals meant he was not far from being exposed.

The safest course of action now was to kill these three, to eliminate the threat forever.

But he struggled with this decision for a long time and eventually sighed heavily.

Facing enemies, he could swing his sword without hesitation, undisturbed in his heart.

But when facing his own people, he simply could not bring himself to do it.

"I just can’t become that kind of ruthless figure!"

Chen Li stopped in a secluded corner, then activated a Silencing Talisman and waited for the faint glow of the talisman to envelop the area.

"Thank goodness Brother came to the rescue. We three are deeply grateful, fearing our low abilities leave no opportunity to repay you," Zhao Lin said with a grateful face.

"Regrettably, I was still a step too late; Han Zhihao is dead. If I had not asked you to sell my goods for me, you would not have encountered this calamity. It was my fault that he died," Chen Li sighed.

How much of that was an act and how much was a genuine sentiment, even he was not sure.

"How can you blame Brother for this? Our lives are worth little. Without your patronage, we might have already died in that damned place, Green River District, and wouldn’t have today’s good fortune. If anyone’s to blame, it’s Zhihao’s bad luck," Gu Mengqing said hurriedly.

"Yes, Brother," Guo Wu also chimed in.

Chen Li’s expression turned serious, "It’s best if you think this way. There are a few more things you need to listen carefully to!"

"Brother, you speak, whatever you command, just say the word," Zhao Lin said respectfully, clenching his fist.

"The one who caught you is the great-grandson of the Foundation Establishment Zhou Family, not some ordinary Loose Cultivator. Luoluo City is no place for you anymore, go and lay low outside. It’s best if you do not return for at least five years!" Chen Li spoke gravely.

Everyone’s faces changed dramatically upon hearing this.

When Zhou Dongbo self-destructed and revealed his identity before dying,

they were still terrified by the Scolding Skill and hadn’t heard anything. They thought they had only killed a member of an ordinary gang, unaware of the gravity of the situation and the peril they were in until now.

For a while, it felt as if all of them had a heavy stone pressing down on their hearts, leaving them unable to breathe.

The three of them were silent for a long time, their expressions changing.

"Do we really have to go?" Gu Mengqing’s voice was hoarse. It had not been easy to find a semblance of peace.

"We must go!" Chen Li spoke resolutely, "And we must leave now, right away. Pack your belongings and leave tonight. You should understand, the longer you delay, the more dangerous it becomes... for you and for me as well."

All three were intelligent people, and they all understood what he meant.

They had no other choice.

Chen Li took out fifteen Mid-grade Spirit Stones from his storage bag, "Take this money for expenses over the next few years, and seeing as you call me Brother, don’t make it hard for me."

This statement was a bit blunt.

"Thank you, Brother. We understand. We’ll pack our luggage and leave immediately," Zhao Lin said, taking the Spirit Stones on behalf of the other two.

Finally, Chen Li applied a Hemostasis Healing Skill to the wounded Zhao Lin and Gu Mengqing and then disappeared into the darkness.

...

Late at night.

Outside the city.

The chirping of insects was deafening.

Chen Li stood atop a hill, quietly refining a storage bag in his hand, all the while watching the city gates with a calm gaze.

This Single Storage Bag had belonged to that great-grandson of the Zhou Family.

Its style and pattern were identical to his, both Single Storage Bags.

As the saying goes, murder and arson come with a golden belt.

Just the storage bag itself was quite valuable. When he bought it from Yu Fan Zhen, it cost him eighty Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

The storage bag was soon completely refined, and a dimly lit space appeared in his mind.

Four Magic Artifacts.

Sixteen Talismans.

Five scrolls of books.

Forty-five Mid-grade Spirit Stones plus over a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones.

And some miscellaneous items.

Among the four Magic Artifacts, three were familiar to Chen Li; they should be the Magic Artifacts he gave to Zhao Lin to sell, with only one flying sword-style artifact being unfamiliar.

He took out the flying sword.

Upon close inspection,

it turned out to be an exceptional first-order Magic Artifact.

"Truly the possessions of the wealthy!" Chen Li thought to himself.

With the inclusion of the exceptional Magic Robe he stripped from the Zhou family descendant’s body and placed into his own storage bag, the loot from that one person alone was worth nearly two hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Beyond that, there were items collected from the gang members.

Two Superior Magic Artifacts.

Eight Mid-grade Magic Artifacts.

One Mid-grade Magic Robe.

Four Low-grade Magic Robes.

And various Talismans etc.

Altogether, they were valued at around forty to fifty Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

It was like striking it rich overnight.

Yet there was not much joy in his heart. He placed the flying sword back into the storage bag, continuing to watch the distance.

Not until he saw Zhao Lin and the others carrying luggage and leaving through the city gates, heading quickly towards the base of the mountain.

Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"They’ve finally left!"

Otherwise, he would have had to harden his heart and do it himself.

Over an hour later,

he released the flying sword, leapt upon it, and with a surge of the sword, flew off into the distance.

He traveled through the night and covered dozens of miles, landing in a valley where he retrieved Han Zhihao’s corpse from his storage bag and buried him on the spot. Then he flew several more miles away and pulled out the corpse of that Zhou Family descendant.