140: Chapter 140 Major Event: Assassination Attack

The air suddenly turned cold, and the entire space seemed to have paused.

Everyone stared blankly at that human-shaped crater; only after a long while did a clattering sound come from within.

As the top dealer in the Ghost Market, Hu Han's reputation wasn't built on fluff, but on raw strength.

As a Meridian Opening Realm Martial Artist, he was a skilled fighter even within the capital.

Usually, even the Constables of the Six Doors would have to respectfully call him Master Hu upon seeing him.

But now, that incredibly formidable boss couldn't even withstand a single blow from this mysterious person?

Under the wary and fearful gazes of the crowd,

the ghost-masked man stepped forward, grabbed the burly man by the neck, and lifted him out of the crater.

"Next, I ask, you answer."

His voice was calm, without a hint of emotional fluctuation.

Yet that voice seemed as if it were possessed, ringing in everyone's ears and even causing a mental resonance.

Demon Sound True Art.

Chen Ran had instinctively circulated this Cultivation Technique while speaking, coupled with his earlier brutal actions.

Everyone in the area lost their will to resist after just one encounter, showing their submission.

A few minutes later.

Before the messy ground, Hu Han spoke respectfully and fawningly to the man in front of him:

"My Lord, this is all I know."

"What happened tonight was too sudden, otherwise it wouldn't have drawn the City Defense Army to conduct a search."

"Tonight, it's not just us; even the brothers in other places have suffered."

Chen Ran nodded slightly, saying nothing.

After asking around, he roughly understood the essence of the matter.

It turned out that just an hour ago, chaos broke out at the capital's Imperial Palace; word was that the First Prince had been assassinated.

This had caused the entire City Defense Army to begin a large-scale search, even involving a sweep of the entire black market.

Chen Ran gazed into the deep night in the distance, pondering the aura he had captured before entering.

"The First Prince's assassination... could it be related to the person I encountered?"

After all, it was too coincidental; news of the assassination had just come from the capital.

Not long after, a fleeing figure had slipped away right before his eyes.

However, judging by that person's weakened aura, the assassination was likely unsuccessful.

The public discourse hadn't fermented yet tonight, but by tomorrow morning, this would definitely become a sensational headline in the capital.

"It seems the level of chaos in the capital is even greater than I imagined; some people are preparing for a final deathbed struggle..."

Thinking of this, Chen Ran stopped pondering the matter.

He turned to look at Hu Han beside him.

Hu Han's body trembled; the terrifying scene he had just experienced still lingered in his mind.

If the ghost-masked figure across from him hadn't held back, he would be a corpse by now.

This kind of strength and speed was definitely not that of an ordinary expert.

"My Lord, whatever orders you have, feel free to command me."

Hu Han lowered his head, his tone respectful and devoid of any anger.

It was as if their previous fight was just an illusion, yet the messy surroundings proved it was all real.

"Do you have any Alchemists here?"

"My Lord, we do indeed have an Alchemist here." Hu Han paused, then turned to look at the subordinates surrounding him.

"Go invite Alchemist Fang over."

Hearing this, the surrounding subordinates were clearly stunned for a moment. Finally, under Hu Han's urging, one of them nimbly turned and entered the shop.

...

Though called a shop, it was more like a temporary warehouse.

Inside, goods brought from various distribution points were piled up,

Yao Beast meat, weapons, and even some Cultivation Techniques.

The smell of the entire warehouse was not exactly pleasant.

In the darkness,

Fang Yi lay half-reclined inside, with only a faint sound of breathing remaining.

His eyes stared blankly at the sheet metal above him, like a piece of rotting wood.

He didn't know how much longer he could live;

it had been five years since he was captured and brought here.

In the beginning, every time he tried to escape, he was caught and brought back, resulting in even more severe beatings.

Gradually, he also lost the will to resist.

From his initial anger to his current numbness, he had nothing left to lose.

Family, companions, Sect—

all had vanished like smoke over these three years.

The only thing that remained was that Pill-fire Technique.

But even that brought only endless pain.

Click.

A noise came from outside the door, and the light of a torch cast inwards.

The light, unseen for a long time, made his pupils contract slightly.

"Alchemist Fang, another guest wants to see you. You should know what to say and what not to say, right?"

The person who entered threatened him fiercely, seeing that Fang Yi remained silent.

He nodded in satisfaction and pulled out a device from his side.

"Let's go, Alchemist Fang. If you perform well today, you might be allowed to rest for a few days."

...

...

Clack, clack, clack.

The sound of wooden wheels rolling on the ground drifted over.

Chen Ran stood quietly in the room.

Before long.

The crowd parted to form a path, and a man sitting in a wheelchair appeared.

Chen Ran's gaze narrowed as he carefully observed the person before him.

This so-called Alchemist Fang was completely different from what he had imagined; in his mind, an Alchemist should be a man of elegant temperament and great wealth.

But the man before him had dull skin, lifeless eyes, and was shrouded in an air of decline.

More importantly, his sitting posture—his legs lay limply on the wheelchair.

With just one glance, Chen Ran realized he wasn't born disabled, but had been forcibly crippled by external force later in life.

His legs had been broken by force.

Chen Ran narrowed his eyes, his thoughts racing.

Though he knew the capital was filled with undercurrents and chaos, seeing it with his own eyes still felt extremely unsettling.

Hu Han squeezed out a smile: "My Lord, this is Alchemist Fang. Please forgive his difficulty in moving..."

At the same time, Fang Yi was also observing the ghost-masked figure.

He had worked here for many years and had seen outsiders before.

But it was the first time he had seen Hu Han so respectful to someone.

Soon, he saw the ghost-masked man interrupt Hu Han and walk over.

"Do you know anything about Yao Cores?"

Fang Yi weighed his words and spoke:

"Yao Core..."

But before he could finish, he saw the man pull a blood-red bead from his robes.

Just seeing the bead emitting Demonic Qi made Fang Yi freeze completely.

Others might not see the grade of this Yao Core, but he was different; just from the fluctuations it emitted...

This was at least a Peak Rank 4 Yao Core!

Such a Yao Core would be an extremely precious medicinal material even within his own Sect.

And yet, in this Ghost Market, someone actually possessed such a valuable medicinal ingredient?

Seeing his lack of response for a long time, Hu Han's expression darkened, and he growled:

"My Lord is talking to you! Do you know about this Yao Core or not?"

Fang Yi had no reaction, his gaze instead fixed on the Yao Core.

Chen Ran seeing the Alchemist's reaction, had already made his judgment.

"Can you refine this Yao Core?"

Fang Yi fell silent for a moment, thinking for a long time.

If he showed strong Alchemy talent now, would he be tortured even more severely later?

It wasn't that no buyers had sought him for Alchemy before, but every time the refining ended, it didn't result in better resources.

On the contrary, he was accused of cutting corners, making his subsequent Alchemy even more difficult.

Fang Yi turned his head to look at the man, seeing the other shake his head.

Fang Yi was about to refuse, but for some reason, he felt a magical power in the man's voice.

Just a single sound made his blood race and his heart beat faster.

Under the enchantment of that voice, he finally blurted out.

"I can refine it."

The corners of Chen Ran's mouth curled up as he whispered to himself:

"Interesting, did I actually pull a Hidden Gem?"