35: Me? Of course I'm the one who killed you

Seeing Jiang Lan emerge, the young man was startled and didn't immediately answer Jiang Lan's question, instead retreating two steps backward.

Only after he had retreated behind the Black Robed Man did he swallow and say, "Who are you?"

"Me?" Jiang Lan, holding his blade, vanished from his spot in an instant.

When he reappeared, he was already behind the young man.

"Chh—"

A large head flew into the air. The young man only felt a dizzying spin, and in his confusion, he could faintly hear a whisper in his ear.

"Of course, I'm the one who's going to kill you."

"Thud."

The young man's corpse's legs buckled, and he knelt on the ground before his entire body fell to the ground.

[Killed one unranked demon, gained one year of lifespan.]

[Remaining lifespan: three years.]

Jiang Lan bent slightly, wiping both sides of his long blade on the coarse cloth clothes the man wore before straightening up again to look at the Black Robed Man.

The Black Robed Man's pupils constricted. He seemed not to have expected that Jiang Lan would act so decisively, beheading Feng Liu in a single encounter.

Moreover, the strength Jiang Lan had just displayed was definitely not as simple as just an ordinary Demon Suppression Guard.

Although Feng Liu was just an unranked ordinary person, the speed of Jiang Lan's strike earlier was so fast that even he hadn't reacted.

If all Demon Suppression Guards possessed such strength, wouldn't the Green Lantern Sect have been annihilated by the Demon Suppression Division long ago?

"The one who was playing tricks earlier, was that you?"

The Black Robed Man did not answer directly but chuckled.

"Little brother, you're not simple. Before, I only saw the surface and thought you were an ignorant brat, but I didn't expect that even this old man would have times when he misjudged."

As he spoke, he secretly formed hand seals.

Zhang Cui, who had been standing stiffly at the entrance with vacant eyes, like a robot controlled by someone, walked stiffly step by step towards the offering table.

Seeing this, Jiang Lan knew it must be the Black Robed Man in front of him playing tricks. His figure flashed instantly, appearing less than half a meter in front of the Black Robed Man, placing his long blade across his neck.

"If she dies, you'll be buried with her."

The Black Robed Man's eyes flickered, and he immediately stopped his actions. Zhang Cui, who was halfway there, also stopped moving.

"Little brother, let's talk this over," the Black Robed Man said, "Look, we have no past grievances or present grudges. You want the person, right? I'll give you the person. How about you let me live?"

Hearing this, Jiang Lan put away his long blade.

If it were anyone else, he would have already struck him down with a single blow, separating his head from his body.

But the Black Robed Man in front of him could not be killed.

At least, not now.

This person was clearly a high-ranking member of the Green Lantern Sect. Even if not high-ranking, he was definitely not some ordinary cult member.

His mind, presumably, held many things worth extracting.

He looked at the Black Robed Man, but he didn't notice that on the offering table behind him, the golden toad and the chicken that resembled a Phoenix slightly turned their heads, blinking in Jiang Lan's direction.

The Black Robed Man's gaze shifted, looking at the offering table behind Jiang Lan, then immediately back at Jiang Lan.

Although his voice was still unpleasant, his tone now carried a hint of flattery.

"Little brother, although we serve different masters, we have no deep enmity. If you let me go, it would be a good thing for both of us. Why don't you consider it carefully?"

Jiang Lan remained silent.

The Black Robed Man didn't mind, only his tone darkened slightly as he continued,

"Otherwise, this old man isn't someone to be trifled with. If you are determined to fight me, then who lives and who dies is still unknown."

Jiang Lan laughed.

"You've said all the good and bad words yourself."

"Little brother, if you know what's good for you, then I'll be good. If you don't know what's good for you, then this old man will just have to be the bad guy this once."

This Black Robed Man naturally had his own ulterior motives.

When Jiang Lan made his move earlier, he saw it clearly.

As the saying goes, amateurs watch the excitement, while experts watch the technique.

When Jiang Lan made his move, Zhang Wen and Zhao Wu naturally couldn't discern the specifics, only knowing that he was formidable.

But as a martial artist in the initial stage of Qi Gathering, he could naturally tell that Jiang Lan's strength was above his own.

At the very least, he admitted he couldn't have killed Feng Liu with such clean efficiency.

That one strike from Jiang Lan earlier was exquisitely skillful, the force neither too much nor too little, and the placement of the blade was incredibly precise, as if from a swordsman who had been immersed in blade techniques for decades, showing no outward sharpness but in reality, having long since internalized his edge, a Return to Simplicity.

So he knew that if they clashed head-on, he would have no chance of winning whatsoever.

However, to say he was truly afraid of Jiang Lan was not entirely accurate.

This God of Wealth Temple was his territory.

On that altar, he still had his three pets.

Although Little White was missing a head now, its combat power was still not weak.

One might not be able to win, but four against one, there might be a chance.

But this young man seemed to be a person of firm resolve, so his golden toad's abilities might not be able to play much of a role.

Thoughts raced through the Black Robed Man's mind.

Jiang Lan pondered for a long time, then suddenly reinserted his blade into its sheath.

"That's right, no past grievances, no present grudges," he smiled, "But you still have to let me go back and report."

Seeing Jiang Lan's expression, the Black Robed Man also smiled, pointing at Zhang Cui, who was standing frozen in place.

"Easy to say, you take the person. If you're afraid of trouble, I'll leave too. I'll stay far away from Yan Capital City."

"Then thank you, old brother," Jiang Lan said with a smile, "However, the person isn't the point. The key is that everyone in the Division knows I came here. Just bringing back a person might not be appropriate."

"Little brother, that's not very kind of you," the Black Robed Man's tone darkened slightly.

"Don't misunderstand," Jiang Lan's smile remained, "My meaning is, I always have to get some information, don't I?"

The Black Robed Man wasn't stupid and immediately reacted.

"You're trying to trick me into talking?"

"Don't put it so harshly. Isn't this a transaction? If I don't bring your head back, I'll have to bring someone else's."

The Black Robed Man remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, he laughed.

"Hehe... Little brother, you're quite to my liking. If it weren't for our differing stances, I would definitely drag you out for a good drink."

"Speak, what do you want to ask?"

"I'm not interested in anything else, just one thing," Jiang Lan said, "Five days ago, a family in the city died, four people. Old brother, do you know who did it?"

The Black Robed Man frowned.

"Little brother, it's not that I'm saying it, but many people die every day. Why don't you be more specific, and I'll see if I can remember?"

A hint of killing intent flashed deep in Jiang Lan's eyes, but he instantly hid it, and it wasn't noticed by the Black Robed Man.

In this person's mouth, the lives of ordinary people truly were no different from weeds.

He showed no expression on his face but said,

"On Vermilion Bird Avenue in the west of the city, there was a man who didn't die, but his old mother, wife, and a pair of children all died. The women's blood was drained."

"Blood drained? And only the women's?"

"Mm."

"Then it must be that wretched woman Hong Luan, no doubt!"