Han Yu returned to Li i’s lab just before sunset, the sll of dicinal smoke and singed eyebrows as comforting as ever. His body still ached from the intentional bush dive, but his coin pouch now jangled with twenty glorious gold coins.
He strolled in, whistling.
Li i looked up from a cauldron that was bubbling with suspiciously glittery fus. "Oh good, you’re back. Ready for the next pill?"
Han Yu threw his cloak off with flair. "Not today, Doc. I’m off-duty and a bit tired."
"Off-duty? Did you hit your head again? You volunteered to be my lab rat." Li i blinked. "Besides, if you’re tired, I got plenty of pills that can fix that." She added.
"True. But today I made a fortune by doing sothing even more suicidal than testing your pills: I entered five combat rounds in the servant’s assessnt."
She tilted her head. "You didn’t use the that strong skill of yours, what was it... Bolt God Fist, did you?"
Li i had looked into Han Yu’s history and had leanred how he had defeated people stronger than him. As such she had later inquired about how Han Yu had co into possession of such a skill and was surprised that he really got it from a beggar.
She was certainly surprised by it and even wished to experint on the skill, but Han Yu simply had no manual for the skill. All he had learned was through oral and physical guidance from the beggar, thus Li i couldn’t do anything.
"Didn’t need to." Han Yu replied.
Her eyebrow twitched. "Wait... you actually won?" She looked at him from top to down.
"Four out of five. Lost the last one on purpose. For... financial reasons." Han Yu answered.
"...Explain." Li i asked, not feeling convinced.
Han Yu leaned on the table smugly. "The servants were betting on . So I bet against myself."
"You sabotaged your own body for profit?"
"Technically, I just threw myself into a bush screaming about cursed kneecaps."
Li i stared.
Then she sighed. "You are a man of chaotic genius and stupidly misplaced survival instincts."
"I take that as a complint." Han Yu smiled smugly.
Li i didn’t even look up as she handed him a wooden tray. "Here. Your paynt for yesterday’s near-death experience: three gold coins and two experintal throwing pills. Do not eat them."
Han Yu inspected the pills. They were warm, slightly pulsing, and one of them was humming ominously. "They explode?"
"On impact. Possibly in different colors."
"Excellent."
He pocketed them happily, like a child handed forbidden fireworks.
Li i returned to stirring her cauldron. "Co back tomorrow. I’ve been thinking about modifying that cultivation pill. With a little bear bile, we could double the effects."
Han Yu blanched. "That’s bile. From an actual bear?"
"Yes. Though it was at the Tenth Stage of the Body Tempering Realm." Li i confird.
"...See you at dawn."
Later That Night
Han Yu was relaxing in his shared quarters, lying on a suspiciously wonky cot that might’ve been part-torture device. He was counting his coins over and over again while also tossing a throwing pill into the air like a gleeful little gremlin when a knock ca at the door.
He opened it cautiously.
A man in disciple robes stood outside. His sleeves were too long, his smile too calm, and his eyes had that unnerving glint that usually preceded cri.
"Han Yu?" the man asked.
"...Depends who’s asking."
"My na’s Luo Fen. I heard about your fights today. That thing you did in the second round—where you countered Boulder Wu with a single strike? Beautiful. Poetic. Like a crane kicking a boulder off a cliff."
Han Yu blinked. "Okay..."
"I represent a... certain group of cultivators," Luo Fen said smoothly, looking around before slipping a paper invitation into Han Yu’s hand. "We organize special events. Invitations only. High risk, higher rewards."
Han Yu looked at the envelope. Black paper. Gold ink. A seal shaped like a broken dagger stuck in a bloody heart.
While Han Yu was reading the letter, Luo Fen was observing him.
’Lin Zhe said that he would be a good candidate. Despite being caught in multiple sches he knows how to keep his mouth shut and does not seem to be as uptight as others. He might just be the perfect choice for us.’ Luo Fen thought to himself.
He even scanned Han Yu with his spirit sense just to be sure of his cultivaiton base.
’Just like Lin Zhe said... Ninth Stage. He grew fast.’ The man thought. ’If he can keep this up, we might be able to stage a nice ’Dark Horse’ event.’ The man was already scheming how to make the most benefit from this.
After all it was not often that they found suitable servants like this that knew proper tact and practiced ’relative morality’.
"You’re inviting to an underground fighting ring?" Han Yu finished reading it.
"We prefer the term ’unregulated martial arts exhibition.’"
"...You an street fights with a fancy tablecloth?"
"Exactly."
Han Yu hesitated. "And the rewards?"
Luo Fen smiled slowly. "Gold. Pills. Artifacts. And... information."
Han Yu’s eyes flickered. The benefit of gold and pills evident on its own. Artifacts were a bit questionable as a servant owning them might be problematic. But Information? That might an leads on techniques, or hidden treasures, or even how to avoid doing laundry duty forever.
"I’ll think about it," Han Yu said.
"You’ve got until tomorrow night," Luo Fen said, fading into the shadows like soone who practiced disappearing just to ss with people.
Han Yu closed the door, the envelope still in hand.
He stared at it.
"...This better not involve chickens again." Han Yu muttered. "or worse... the Sches of those that I offended." This was the part he was most wary of.
After all, this could serve as the perfect opportunity to get rid of Han Yu and leave no trace. Even if it was found out, it would be Han Yu who would be at fault since he was the one who participated in an illegal fighting ring.
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