Chen Nan was in high spirits.
It wasn't just about the great merit he'd earn for killing Old Ji.
More importantly, he no longer had to live in constant fear.
Just as he raised his long saber, about to sever Old Ji's neck, Old Ji, who had been pale and filled with murderous intent, suddenly grinned, a look of relief on his face.
Chen Nan instinctively paused, his hand freezing, and looked at him with suspicion. "What's the meaning of that smile?"
Old Ji was extremely weak.
He lay sprawled on the ground, gazing up at the night sky, and murmured, "Do you know how many years I've lived in the county yamen?"
Chen Nan lowered his saber. "What do you want to say?"
"Forty-eight years," Old Ji said. "I've been a watchman for forty-eight years. Although I am a disciple of the Fan Tian Sect, I had forgotten my identity as a Fan Tian Sect disciple for so many years."
"Over these years, I've worked diligently and have never done anything wrong."
"Then why did I sign those yin-yang contracts with Hu Ning'an and Wang Dalei?"
Chen Nan's brows furrowed.
He sensed that Old Ji had more to say.
"I didn't want to do this either!"
"Because I'm already on the verge of death, I wanted my life to be bright and honorable, with a clear conscience."
"But..."
"I had no control over my own fate."
"Because once you become a disciple of the Fan Tian Sect, you must obey their orders."
He gave a bitter laugh. "Although I don't know who you are, my killing was because of you, and my hiding here was also waiting for you."
"For you to earn merit."
"That's all."
Chen Nan's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected that this was all to help him earn merit.
He thought of Number Three.
Because Number Three had once said he would help him earn merit.
But...
This was not the kind of merit he wanted.
Because behind this merit were two lives lost.
Two families were torn apart because of this merit.
His face contorted with rage, he roared, "Speak, who told you to do this?"
Old Ji shook his head with difficulty. "I don't know who he is. I just received a message from him, and he told me to do this."
Chen Nan was certain.
This must have been arranged by Number Three.
Because Number Three knew he worked at the yamen.
He wanted him to earn merit.
"Quick, quick, quick!"
At this moment, anxious voices of Wang Xingping and others could be heard from outside.
Hearing someone approaching, Old Ji suddenly lunged up, directly into Chen Nan's long saber, and died on the spot, his life extinguished.
This scene was precisely what Wang Xingping and the others saw as they arrived.
Wang Xingping rushed over, confirmed Old Ji was no longer breathing, and looked at Chen Nan with admiration. "Constable Chen, you are truly formidable, to have personally dispatched Old Ji, a remnant of the Fan Tian Sect."
"If we had known, we brothers wouldn't have posted Old Ji's wanted posters all over the city."
"This is truly a great achievement!"
Wang Xingping's subordinates chimed in, their eyes filled with envy.
Chen Nan forced a weak smile. "It's thanks to Magistrate Han heavily injuring Old Ji. Otherwise, you brothers would have been collecting my corpse."
"Alright, let's not dwell on this."
"Let's follow procedure."
Afterwards, Chen Nan gave his statement, recounting everything that had happened to Wang Xingping word for word.
Of course, he omitted what Old Ji had said before his death.
"Alright, I'll report back first. You should get some rest!"
After the statement was taken, Wang Xingping and his men left with Old Ji's corpse.
Chen Nan recovered for a moment.
After checking the temperature and humidity of each room, he donned his black cloak and golden mask and headed straight for the Qingyun Tower.
He was supposed to have come to Qingyun Tower last night.
After all, he had asked the people at Qingyun Tower to prepare two Shore Flowers.
Upon arriving at Qingyun Tower, a staff member invited him to the lounge. "Senior Chen, please have a seat. I'll go fetch Manager Wang."
A moment later, Manager Wang descended from the second floor.
Seeing Manager Wang, a surge of invisible anger rose within Chen Nan.
He had a premonition.
Manager Wang was definitely the Third Hall Master of the Fan Tian Sect.
But he had no proof.
However, he could try to probe the man.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, here are the two Shore Flowers," Manager Wang said, producing two vibrant Shore Flowers. He then added, "Fellow Daoist Chen, I have a small request. I wonder if you would be amenable."
Chen Nan replied, "Please speak, Manager Wang."
Manager Wang sighed. "I have reached the ninth level of the Yin Harvesting realm and have been trapped in this realm for over ten years, but I haven't found a breakthrough opportunity. I wonder if you could refine a Soul Gathering Pill for me?"
Chen Nan said calmly, "The Soul Gathering Pill is a Tier Two pill. While my alchemy skills are sufficient to refine it, I lack the prescription and the medicinal ingredients. Also, even if I could refine it, the success rate would be only about ten percent."
Manager Wang's eyes lit up. "You don't need to worry about the medicinal ingredients and the prescription. Since I'm asking for your help, I will naturally provide them. How about the cost?"
Chen Nan almost burst out laughing.
Was this an opportunity for him to be given a prescription?
If he had suspected Manager Wang was Number Three before, he was now ninety percent certain.
As for being one hundred percent sure?
Don't rush.
It would be revealed soon enough.
He hesitated for a moment. "For the cost... twenty Shore Flowers."
"Twenty Shore Flowers?" Manager Wang was astonished.
Each Shore Flower was worth five hundred thousand taels of silver. Twenty of them amounted to ten million taels of silver. This price was a bit higher than he had anticipated. Although he was asking the man to refine a pill for him, the man would also be gaining a Tier Two pill prescription.
Chen Nan said indifferently, "If Manager Wang finds it too expensive, then fifty Shore Flowers!"
"No... Manager Wang was taken aback, his eyes filled with bewilderment. "I do find it expensive, but shouldn't you be lowering the price a bit? Why are you increasing it, and by thirty more? This is truly outrageous."
He was reluctant to agree. After all, fifty million taels of silver was not a small sum for him. However, he knew that if he failed to reach the Soul Gathering realm, he would certainly be unable to continue serving as the manager of the Tongcheng branch of Qingyun Tower. But if he could become a cultivator in the Soul Gathering realm, he might even advance further.
Besides, Chen Nan's reverse pricing was precisely exploiting this fact.
Thinking this, a wry smile touched his lips. "In that case, I'll follow Fellow Daoist Chen's wishes. I'll have someone gather the ingredients for the Soul Gathering Pill immediately and strive to deliver them to you as soon as possible."
"Excellent!"
Beneath the mask, Chen Nan grinned. He was now certain that Manager Wang was Number Three. Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to his exorbitant demand. But this was good. Since he was Number Three, Chen Nan could use his position to help him find more medicinal ingredients and cultivation resources.