Chapter 874: Death of Scarface

"To be honest, if you want to treat this ailment, not to mention other places, even in the entire Qingyang City, there are probably only a few who could do it, and in this Ninth District, I am the only one." Han Li shook his head and said.

"Just based on Fellow Daoist Li's ability to see through and point out this hidden problem on my body at a glance, I believe you are the only one in Qingyang City who can save me. But I wonder, how do you plan to treat it?" Poison Dragon nodded and said.

"Since your problem stems from an incorrect method of opening apertures, we should start with the method of opening apertures. I myself cultivate a secret manual called the 'Ascending Flight Technique,' which also opens apertures on the legs, so I can teach you the method of opening apertures from it." Han Li thought for a moment and said.

"The method of opening apertures? My apertures were already opened before; what use is the method now?" Poison Dragon scratched his head and asked in confusion.

"Using only the method of opening apertures naturally won't work; it also requires powerful divine sense as an aid. Coincidentally, my divine sense is not weak." Han Li shook his head and said with a smile.

Poison Dragon showed a complex smile upon hearing this: "It seems that without Fellow Daoist Li, this matter really cannot be accomplished. I'm afraid your conditions are not simple either, are they?"

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Poison Dragon overthink things. Aside from needing some beast cores for cultivation, I only have a few small favors to ask of you." Han Li chuckled and said.

"Fellow Daoist Li, feel free to speak. If I can do it, Poison Dragon will not refuse." Poison Dragon frowned slightly and said.

"I know that Fellow Daoist Poison Dragon has extensive connections in this Ninth District, and can even contact other districts. So I want to ask about a few people." Han Li's smile faded, and his expression turned serious.

"Oh? Who?" Poison Dragon asked doubtfully.

"To be honest, there were two others who came to Qingyang City with me: one named Shi Kong, and the other called the Crab Daoist. After I became a Xuan Dou warrior in the Ninth District, I imagine their fates were similar. Have you heard of them?" Han Li asked.

"I haven't heard those names, but I can inquire for you later. Although the turnover of Xuan Dou warriors is fast and many newcomers join, as long as they entered the Xuan Dou Arena around the same time as you, the scope narrows down, and finding them shouldn't be too difficult." Poison Dragon, seeing that Han Li's request was indeed not high, said with relief.

"Also, Fellow Daoist Poison Dragon has been in the Xuan Dou Arena for a long time. Have you ever heard of a woman of extraordinary beauty appearing in this city? She..." When Han Li thought of Zi Ling, he wanted to describe her appearance but didn't know how to begin.

"Fellow Daoist Li, do you know? What Qingyang City lacks most is not high-grade beast cores, but women. Not to mention a woman of extraordinary beauty, even one of decent appearance is rare. If such a woman had appeared, word would have spread throughout the city long ago." Poison Dragon gave Han Li a strange look and shook his head.

Han Li thought of Chen Yang, a trusted confidant of the city lord, who had only a mediocre-looking maidservant, and he believed Poison Dragon's words about seventy or eighty percent. He stopped pressing further and fell silent.

"Fellow Daoist Li, is that all you need me to do?" Poison Dragon looked at Han Li, somewhat incredulous.

"Treating your ailment won't be accomplished overnight. In the future, I will need to take a large number of beast cores from you; that alone should be enough to make your heart ache." Han Li sighed and said.

"Just some beast cores. If my ailment is completely cured, I might have a chance to compete. If I can participate in higher-level Xuan Dou battles, the rewards then will be incomparable to now." Poison Dragon waved his hand and said with some anticipation.

"What do you mean by higher-level Xuan Dou battles?" Han Li's heart stirred, and he asked.

"I don't mean to belittle you, Fellow Daoist Li, but your current number of Xuan apertures is still too few. You won't encounter such things for a long time, so there's no need to rush to understand. You'll know in due time." Poison Dragon glanced at Han Li and said.

Han Li didn't press further on this matter and instead said, "Besides these things, I also need you to hand Scarface over to me for disposal."

"How do you plan to deal with him?" Poison Dragon frowned and asked.

Han Li didn't speak; he simply raised his palm and made a chopping motion.

"Fellow Daoist Li, although Scarface is somewhat cunning and has offended you before, and even this time I came to trouble you was largely due to his instigation, his crime doesn't warrant death, does it?" Poison Dragon hesitated for a moment and said.

"If it were only that, of course, it wouldn't warrant death. But he shouldn't have tried to kill me with Heart-Erosion Insects." Han Li shook his head and said.

"Heart-Erosion Insects? What exactly happened?" Poison Dragon exclaimed in surprise.

A flicker of doubt passed through Han Li's mind, and he recounted the incident of being ambushed by Heart-Erosion Insects to Poison Dragon in detail.

After listening, Poison Dragon frowned deeply and, after a long silence, said:

"Fellow Daoist Li, it's not that I intend to shield Scarface, but this matter is somewhat suspicious. There might be a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding... Go on." Han Li's eyes flickered as he said slowly.

"That kid Scarface does have more abilities than others; he can get things that can't be obtained in the Xuan Dou Arena. But that absolutely does not include rare items like Heart-Erosion Insects. Fellow Daoist Li may not know, but the value of these insects is no less than that of Black Calamity Insects. Scarface simply doesn't have the means. Moreover, before I went into seclusion, I instructed him not to act rashly. He has never dared to disobey my orders, so how could he take it upon himself to do such a thing?" Poison Dragon spat and said.

"If that's the case, then there is indeed something fishy about this matter." Han Li frowned slightly and said thoughtfully.

"This is simple. Fellow Daoist Li, come with me to see Scarface, and we'll confront him face to face. If he really did it, I will personally finish him off without you lifting a finger. If not, I ask that you spare his life, after all, he has been with me for many years." Poison Dragon pondered for a moment and said.

"If he didn't do it, or if he was instigated by someone else, I can spare his life." Han Li nodded and said.

"Good! There's no time to lose; let's go now." Poison Dragon stood up and said.

As soon as the two reached the passage outside, Han Li heard a commotion ahead.

Following the sound, he saw a crowd gathered in front of a house, all peering inside.

"Eh? That's Scarface's house. Has something happened?" Poison Dragon raised an eyebrow and said.

The two exchanged a glance and quickly hurried over.

Seeing Poison Dragon arrive, the crowd blocking the door quickly parted to make way.

Poison Dragon, with a grim expression, rushed into the house without a word, and Han Li followed silently.

As soon as Han Li stepped into the room, he saw Scarface leaning against the corner of the stone bed, his chest exposed, the area over his heart a bloody mess, his eyes wide open and bulging, his face twisted in a grimace—clearly dead for some time.

"Who can tell me what happened?" Poison Dragon frowned, scanning the room, and shouted loudly.

"It... it was like this. A few days ago, I told Scarface I wanted some white fluorite powder, and he told me to come get it today. When I arrived, I found his stone door open, and no one answered when I called. I pushed the door open and saw him in this state." A dwarf with protruding lips and grayish skin said timidly.

Han Li stepped forward without a word and pulled aside the open clothes on Scarface's chest. He saw two thumb-sized holes near the left shoulder: one revealed the remnant tail of a black centipede, and the other showed half of a white thread.

"That's a Black Calamity Insect and a Heart-Erosion Insect..." someone exclaimed, recognizing the two things.

Hearing this, the surrounding people quickly backed away, as if afraid to get too close.

Han Li's gaze shifted and saw beside Scarface's hand an open bone box, white as jade and quite exquisite. He picked it up and examined it closely.

"This seems to be made from the nasal bone of an insect-eating beast. It is said that this beast lives in the Heart-Eating Valley, neighboring the Heart-Erosion Insects. Its long nose can inhale Heart-Erosion Insects, and the mucus produced in the nasal cavity melts them. Therefore, its nasal bone can restrain Heart-Erosion Insects and is often used to make containers for them." Poison Dragon also leaned in, stared for a moment, and said.

"This Scarface was so bold as to dare raise Heart-Erosion Insects? Isn't that asking for death?" the dwarf shouted.

"He played with fire and got burned, killed by the Heart-Erosion Insects he raised..." another Xuan Dou warrior said.

"Now that he's dead, who will get me the Sword Thorn Beast bone he promised? I traded three Prolo Beast cores for it!" a burly gray-skinned man suddenly spoke up.

"Yes, my Turtle Scale Armor is gone too..." another lamented.

Just then, a squad of Xuan Dou Arena guards arrived and forcibly drove all the Xuan Dou warriors out of the room.

After examining Scarface's body, the leading guard announced that the stone room would be temporarily sealed, then ordered his men to carry Scarface's body away.

The onlookers, with strange expressions, all looked at Poison Dragon.

Poison Dragon exchanged a glance with Han Li, and they both walked back toward the former's room.

Watching their retreating figures, the Xuan Dou warriors of the Ninth District only then realized: when had the two, who had been fighting fiercely earlier, become so close?

Neither Han Li nor Poison Dragon paid attention to the murmurs behind them; each was lost in thought.

"Fellow Daoist Li, what do you think about this matter?" After a moment, Poison Dragon spoke first.