Master of Nine Stars

History has proven time and again that you two have repeatedly dodged the Poachers’ pursuits, blockades, and meticulous assassination attempts, only to counter-attack each time and wipe them all out.”

Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei glanced at each other. It seemed... that was indeed the case.

’Still, if you’re going to try and kill someone, you’d better be prepared to be killed yourself, right?’

’If you can’t even grasp that simple logic, what kind of vicious criminal are you? Why not just be a law-abiding citizen? It’s a much better life, isn’t it?’

Rong Taotao spoke up. ”Are you saying that Xingyan of the Eight Great Coins... chickened out?”

”Yes, you could put it that way.” Fu Tiance chuckled and nodded. ”The so-called Eight Great Coins are actually down to just four. And then there’s Jiufang, who was nailed to a utility pole in Meihua Town. Remember him?”

At his words, Gao Lingwei pursed her lips and said nothing.

Fu Tiance seemed to realize something as well and continued, ”Most importantly, during your last arrest mission, even the Red-clothed Merchant, who possessed a Lotus petal, failed to escape your pursuit...”

”This Xingyan is living up to his name—he’s wide awake to the situation. He doesn’t want to get himself killed.”

”Hah.” Gao Lingwei let out a cold laugh and looked at Rong Taotao. ”They’re afraid.”

’This was exactly the effect they’d wanted, wasn’t it?’

The first time they encountered Cold Flower, they returned to Qianshan Pass that night and talked for hours, but they could never resolve the knot in their hearts. It was as if a dark cloud hung over their heads, suffocating them.

Rong Taotao had proposed many solutions. The first, in his own words at the time, was: ”Kill every last Poacher, or use such overwhelming force that we scare them shitless, so they won’t dare to even think of trying anything again.”

His words were dripping with malice, but you had to consider the context. After all, the psychological trauma Cold Flower had inflicted on Gao Lingwei that night was unimaginable.

Thinking of this, Gao Lingwei gazed at Rong Taotao’s profile. Her heart trembled slightly with a mix of excitement and vindication.

Rong Taotao hadn’t made her any promises back then, but now, it seemed he was about to make good on that unspoken vow.

In her line of sight, Rong Taotao wore a look of disgust and said scornfully, ”So that Xingyan came to defect to the enemy... er, I mean, to surrender?”

”Yes.” Fu Tiance pursed his lips. ”But for an organization like the Poachers to have survived this long, they must have some very strict—you could even say cruel—internal rules.”

”Xingyan doesn’t want to die, and he doesn’t want to carry out the mission the organization gave him. That puts him in an impossible situation.”

”There’s absolutely no escape. The Qian Organization and the Free People will inevitably hunt traitors to the ends of the earth, relentlessly, until they’re dead.”

”Besides, the Poachers’ methods are exceptionally cruel. They won’t just let you die even if you want to. Xingyan used to do this kind of work himself, so he knows exactly what to expect.”

”That’s why he brought his wife to Hundred Corps Pass to seek our protection.”

Rong Taotao: ???

Gao Lingwei’s expression was also quite strange. ’What did I just hear?’

Rong Taotao confirmed, ”His wife?”

Fu Tiance shrugged, the gesture speaking for itself.

Rong Taotao was floored!

’So, Xingyan is a scumbag, but he’s also a responsible family man? But how can you call him a good man... when he’s a murderous arsonist?’

’Unbelievable. So scumbags get to have a family, while good guys get nothing.’

’A guy like that has a wife, so what’s wrong with our Xia Fangran? He’s powerful, high-ranking, and famous, yet he’s all alone, still single after all this time?’

”ACHOO!” Outside Qianshan Pass, Xia Fangran, who was leading the Little Souls back, let out a sneeze. He wiped his nose, muttering, ”That kid must be talking about me again...”

...

「In the office.」

Fu Tiance continued, ”Xingyan has committed so many evil acts in his life, his crimes are too numerous to count. No matter what he confesses, he’ll never get out of prison.”

”However, in exchange, his wife, being an ordinary person, can be placed under the protection of the Snow Burning Army. But that’s only on the condition that she wasn’t involved in his criminal activities. If she was, she’ll go to prison too.”

Fu Tiance stood up, walked over to the window, and gazed out at the quiet, ancient-style town below. He sighed softly. ”Regardless, at least they get to live. As for the stubborn ones...”

Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei glanced at each other, a flicker of understanding passing between them.

’Arresting this group of criminals... Honestly, it’s one thing when dealing with the weaker Soul Soldier and Soul Warrior-level criminals. But when it comes to Soul Captains or even Soul Schools... well, blades and bullets have no eyes.’

’Most criminals won’t surrender without a fight; they’ll inevitably resist to the death. Not everyone is like that coward Xingyan, who thinks being locked up in prison is safe, subscribing to the idea that it’s better to live a wretched life than to die.’

’The Free People Organization is a perfect example. Their doctrine emphasizes one word: ”freedom.” You can imagine what happens when we try to arrest them.’

’And then there are the remaining members of the Eight Great Coins. Their power is undeniable—the weakest among them is a Soul School. If they resist arrest, it’s guaranteed to be a huge mess, so...’

”KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK”

A knock came from the door.

”Come in.” Fu Tiance’s arms were crossed over his chest. He didn’t even turn his head, his back still to the door as he gazed out the window.

The office door opened and two towering, powerfully built men walked in.

’What a pair of Ox Head and Horse Face... er, I mean, Ugly Ox and Wu Ma!’

’The two were terrifyingly built, both standing over two meters tall with almost identical heights, as if carved from the same block. If they wore masks, you’d swear they were identical twins...’

Fu Tiance asked, ”How is it going?”

Ugly Ox spoke. ”Monkey and Rooster have taken over the interrogation. That punk Xingyan is playing games, trickling out intel one piece at a time.”

”Heh.” Wu Ma had plain features, lacking Ugly Ox’s ferocious aura. His smile was surprisingly gentle. ”Xingyan knows that as long as there’s intel he hasn’t given up, he’ll always have leverage.”

”He’s trying to hold something back? Hmph.” Fu Tiance snorted. ”Tell Rooster to be careful. The human brain is a fragile thing.”

’Off to the side, Rong Taotao listened to the codenames, pondering them. ’It sounds like Monkey and Rooster are even better at interrogation than Ugly Ox and Wu Ma?’’

’They were the only two comrades he hadn’t met yet. He’d heard from Rong Yang before that they were supposedly a brother-sister duo?’

Ugly Ox continued, ”Most of the Qian Organization’s leadership moves around a lot, but Xingyan gave us a special method of contact. Of the three remaining Great Coins, only Ying Jie’s location is confirmed. He’s in Meihua Town right now.”

”As for the other mid-to-low-level members, most of them are holed up outside various towns. Xingyan gave up the locations of a few of their hideouts.”

”There are also quite a few members in town operating under disguised identities. They should be easy to deal with—we just need to show up at their doors with handcuffs. They’re all posing as so-called ’upstanding citizens.’”

”As for the Free People Organization, the Poacher’s internal hierarchy is strict. Xingyan isn’t high-ranking enough to have direct contact. You have to go through the leader of the Qian Organization to reach the Free People.”

Then, Fu Tiance said something that Rong Taotao could hardly believe.

He heard Fu Tiance ask, ”Who is the leader of the Qian Organization?”

Ugly Ox’s reply left Rong Taotao even more dumbfounded. ”Xingyan doesn’t know either. The leader of the Qian Organization has always communicated through letters or coded signals. No one knows who the leader actually is.”

”Hmm...” Fu Tiance mulled it over for a moment. ”First, let’s catch the remaining three Great Coins in one fell swoop. Use Xingyan’s identity and the special contact method to lure them out.”

”It’s best to take them alive. Once they’re in custody, Monkey and Rooster can make them talk. Once we have them, we can unravel the whole network. The Free People can wait.”

”Alright, go and get ready. By the way, is Yin Hu back yet?”

”I am back, my dear Captain Fu.” A booming voice suddenly rang out from the doorway, laced with a hint of amusement. ”Your senses are getting dull, aren’t they? I’ve been standing here for ages!”

”Fuck.” Fu Tiance cursed with a laugh. It was the first time Rong Taotao had ever heard him swear.

’It seemed Chenlong and Yin Hu shared an unusually close bond as comrades, one that allowed for casual swearing.’

Chen Bingxun pushed the door open and strode in with his men, his eyes immediately landing on Rong Taotao and Gao Lingwei.

His tiger-like eyes lit up in appreciation. ”We meet again. You two have certainly racked up some impressive achievements, haven’t you?”

And Rong Taotao... looking at this hall full of Great Divine Soul Martial Artists, all gathered to take down the Poacher Organization, he had only one thought: ’This year, I think I’m finally going to have a good New Year!’