Chapter 138 - Washing Hands (Part II) (Patreon)

A rat watched a fisherman carrying a leather bag that smelled of sea fish into an annex building of the Bo Merchant Chamber’s warehouse. The man threw the bag's contents on the floor, and another rat inside the building inspected the goods.

Inside the leather bag, mixed with the fish, were also human body parts. Interestingly enough, attached to a severed ear was a broken azure earring set with a sapphire. The rat inspecting the gore quickly ripped the earring free and dropped it into a pouch, carrying it with its tiny mouth, while two other rats rushed to drain the remaining blood from the body parts.

Though the victims had been dead for a couple of days, there was still a little blood left. And Lucian wouldn't waste a single drop. He was thirsty.

Then, after delivering two more bags, the fisherman left toward the port, slowly forgetting everything that had happened. As he departed, two ruffians rushed into the building carrying wooden baskets. They dumped their contents into another section of the warehouse, looking with dumb smiles as intestines and organs were spilled on the ground. Mixed with them, there were gold and silver, too difficult to distinguish because of the blood.

More rats appeared, separating the valuables from the body parts, while the ruffians hurried back outside, also forgetting what had happened.

Throughout the city, people controlled by Lucian had been positioned in specific locations days ago. They had either watched or waited for the aftermath of the battles to collect body parts that still carried valuables. Those who waited picked gold and broken artifacts, but those who watched gathered far more interesting things.

Seated on cushioned stools before a desk, two men drew figures and wrote reports while a line of nearly twenty people waited for their turn, each describing scenes, cultivation techniques, people's appearances, and bits of gossip they had overheard.

They were smugglers, beggars, whores, bandits, merchants, artisans, urchins, and guards. Every single one of them had a reason to be near the conflict zones days ago.

And they were not even half of the total.

Most were still on their way, the rats searching for them to deliver commands before the mental seed dissipated, while a few had unfortunately died, their proximity to the battles proving fatal.

Despite the deaths, however, the common people had no idea what had happened. Unless someone had been hidden nearby and paying close attention, any mortal involved would either be silenced or remain unaware that a battle had occurred in the shadows.

While Lucian alone couldn't kill a bunch of people and give the City Council a reasonable explanation about their deaths, the true powerhouses of the Three Feathers City could.

Controlling dozens of rats, Lucian called back the people under his influence to report, letting them forget everything afterward.

The only rats that were not inside the compound or searching for people were either the abominations infused with Lucian’s cultivation or the rats protecting those abominations inside a random person's attic.

Lucian always varied the location where he used the Rune of Sloth, so there was little risk of someone camping the area. He also emptied his Qi, making the rats almost undetectable.

Besides, the number of spies following him had almost fallen to zero, and he suspected the few who remained only observed long enough to report whether he was still at Bo Merchant Chamber.

After several hours, he finally finished gathering the reports and left a handful of rats watching the main warehouse of the Bo Merchant Chamber, where Grandmaster Miao resided.

I hope you are keeping a close watch, he thought, the rats' eyes curving into crescent moons.

Lucian could have instructed his pawns to go to another place, but directed them toward buildings controlled by the Bo Merchant Chamber instead.

This was not a display meant for the other forces. It was a performance for a single man.

Grandmaster Miao, you must be doubting every report concerning me, questioning yourself again and again, Lucian thought, reviewing the plans he had made during the day. Keeping you in the dark, afraid to make a move against me, is the safest thing I can do.

Since the beginning, Lucian was cautious of Grandmaster Miao’s strength.

With the true Chairman, Bo Qing, remaining in the shadows, Grandmaster Miao had effectively taken command of the entire Merchant Chamber. Even though Bo Qing still issued orders from afar, Miao had managed to merge the East Bo and West Bo factions mostly alone.

The process had been so seamless that after a few days, the common people simply referred to them as the Bo Merchant Chamber, no longer distinguishing between East and West Bo.

Grandmaster Miao had been ruthless, removing those who resisted the merger and purging cultivators from key positions, replacing them with trusted subordinates and servants. And he had accomplished all of this while recovering from his injuries and keeping watch over the movements of the city's other forces.

Too cunning, too ruthless, and too dangerous, Lucian thought, all the rats’ eyes turning cold. You and Verdant Creek are the people I should be most careful of.

He wasn’t belittling the other forces. Lucian had simply thought it through and realized that the ones making the boldest and riskiest moves were those two.

Madame Ching was timid and had crippled her own forces. Prince Xuan had fled, choosing to grow overseas with the remnants of East Bo and the Tidal Church. Vice-Lord Vermilion Tide and her followers had disappeared, locked inside the Feathered Serpent Castle for all Lucian knew.

They posed no immediate danger.

Meanwhile, Zhi Jian, while strong, was tied to a taboo, and the Sailor School never moved beyond its boundaries, proof of that being how few people served under it.

As for the City Lord and Obsidian Sea, while they were Core Formation beings, they had greater matters to concern themselves with.

Ruling a city wasn’t easy. External threats, the influx of cultivators caused by war, the lack of resources, pressure from the nobles, the City Council’s plots, and the possible Sect Tournament demanded their attention far more than anything Lucian could do.

With all of that in mind, Lucian realized that only Grandmaster Miao and Vice-Lord Verdant Creek continued making moves, devouring other forces, growing stronger, and operating within the boundaries set by the Core Formation experts.

Keep watching, Grandmaster Miao, Lucian thought, controlling his rats to merge in the attic as the valuables, artifacts, and gathered information were compiled and organized. Watch and fear entering this abyss. Overthink. Be careful. Choose another path, and do not stand in my way.

Activating the Rune of Sloth to recover his body, Lucian dressed himself and rushed back to the warehouse.

He was unaware, however, that Grandmaster Miao merely glanced at his movements before continuing with his own plans.

He was right to believe that Grandmaster Miao had broader schemes, but failed to realize that he had long since become someone to be only observed and not interfered with.

Because just as Lucian had greater plans to execute and a list of goals to pursue, Grandmaster Miao also had grand aspirations.

Miao Long wanted to reach the next realm.