Cleaning up the grunts didn't take long. Each one of the intruders was rounded up and tied with ropes in one corner of the hall.
Ikasa had carried Li Fan to the Pantry and tied him to a chair. It was time for the interrogation to begin.
He splashed a glass of cold water on Li Fan's face. They received no reaction from him. Let alone waking up, he did not even twitch his eyelids. He stayed still, slumped in the chair as if a corpse!
Ikasa had a bad premonition. He touched Li Fan's carotid artery. There was no pulse.
'No, I must have missed his artery.'
He tried touching his wrist. No pulse again. He put his finger under his nose. There was no sign of him breathing.
Ikasa plopped in the chair opposite with a thump. His eyes stared into space, wondering where he went wrong.
Feng Yan grew worried when he heard no sound coming from the room after the muted thump. Concerned, Feng Yan entered the room without waiting for Ikasa's call.
Ikasa looked up to meet his eyes. His eyes had a glimmer of hope.
"Do you know any methods of faking death?"
Feng Yan was startled by his question. He thought hard, but couldn't think of any.
"I don't seem to know any. Why do you ask?"
In a listless tone, he announced to Feng Yan, "He's dead."
Feng Yan's eyes widened.
"What happened to the plan of scaring him into submission? How could you just kill him!"
The coolheaded Feng Yan lost his calm. He couldn't help but scold Ikasa.
"I didn't kill him. He just died."
Ikasa mumbled, avoiding Feng Yan's gaze.
He closed the distance and urgently mouthed, "How?"
Ikasa got up from his chair and began to rant animatedly.
"I don't know, how. Who knew he was this weak? Couldn't even take one Chop of mine! Had I known, I wouldn't have used the technique against him!"
He vented his frustration to Feng Yan. His tone was aggrieved as if Li Fan was the one who had wronged him by being too weak.
Feng Yan's lips twitched as he was conflicted about whether to laugh or cry. He felt like smacking Ikasa for acting like a pitiful guy who deserved his sympathy.
"Bastard, it's not he who is weak. It's you who is too strong! Absolutes know what you did to increase your strength to Pinnacle Path Forging realm in just 3 weeks."
Feng Yan felt a bit better after yelling at him. He consoled himself and calmed down.
Ikasa smiled sheepishly at his admonishment. Then the truth of Li Fan's death sank in. He silently mourned for the capable worker who had helped him earn a profit of 300 CP.
"Get your act together. This is not the time to be mourning a dead enemy. If you don't get your shit together, you will join him in the underworld soon."
Ikasa opened his eyes, and a shine had returned to them. He took a minute to go over his Plan B.
"Old Man, you should get your people ready to leave. I will immediately go and get a permit to use the Xue Family's ship."
"What about him?" Feng Yan pointed to the corpse still tied to the chair.
"I think he deserves to dissipate in nature. And the people that came with him… take care of them too."
Feng Yan balked at Ikasa's sudden change of attitude towards killing. He was a bit uncomfortable with the change. He asked again to be sure.
"Are you sure you want to…?"
Feng Yan mimicked the action of slicing the neck. He heard a long sigh escape Ikasa's mouth.
"If any of them want to join us, take them in. As for those who are unwilling? They should show their loyalty by following their master to the grave."
Feng Yan nodded and took his leave.
Ikasa was left alone in the room with a corpse to keep him company.
He looked at the stiff and pale face of Li Fan. A rueful smile emerged on his face.
"Who knew killing people was so easy? As long as I think of them as mobs in a game and not actual human lives, their life or death does not affect me at all."
He untied the corpse and burned it in the giant ovens of the kitchen. After today, he wouldn't be using them anyway.
When he returned to the hall, Li Fan's people were nowhere to be seen. Xin Ruo was checking up on the boisterous kids. When she noticed him, she beamed at him joyously.
Her worry-free smile brought him immense pleasure. He approached them after returning her with a grin.
The gloom shrouding his heart faded as the cheerfulness of kids shined on it. He went up to them and gave each one of them a bear hug.
"You guys were awesome today! I will fulfill any one of your wishes as long as it is something I can do."
The kids immediately circled him and started listing their wishes at once. It was not every day that Ikasa offered to grant their wishes. They wanted to get their request in before he changed his mind.
"I want a thousand gold. Not in the bank, but in my hands."
Who could it be but the greedy ghost, Chu Qing?
"I want to eat the special dumplings they are selling at Four Seasons Restaurant."
Hungry Ghost, Luo Qiqi chimed in.
"I want a dagger; like the one that old woman in black had."
Pei Yuan's request surprised him. He thought of his regular behavior and his request did not seem so odd.
'Judging from his personality, maybe being an Assasin would suit him.'
"I also want to eat the sweet and sour meatballs only sold to VIPs of Four Seasons Restaurant."
Before Hei Ying and Yan Xiao could think of a suitable reward, Luo Qiqi listed a few more delicacies.
Ikasa had a headache from Luo Qiqi's second request.
'Where does she even get her info from? To even know the dishes sold to the VIPs in the Four Seasons Restaurant!'
He pondered over this riddle. He did not deny the request outright. At this moment, he had to act like nothing had happened in the Pantry.
"Hei Ying, Yan Xiao, Do you not want anything?"
The two were still in deep thought and had not decided on anything.
Hei Ying opened her mouth to speak, but the words coming from them surprised Ikasa.
"I will reserve my request for now. Just remember you owe me a favor, Big Brother."
Ikasa was taken aback by her business-like tone. From the corner of his vision, he saw Xin Ruo smile proudly beside him. He smiled and nodded to Hei Ying. Next, he turned to Yan Xiao.
"I will also save my wish, for now, Big brother."
He smiled, scratching his head.
Ikasa considered everyone's requests. Each one of them is fulfillable. Some requests, like the ones from Chu Qing and Luo Qiqi, needed him to come up with a clever solution.
When he looked at the hopeful and expectant faces of the kids, he promised them their wishes right away.
"Xin Ruo, please make a list of their wishes. I will decide the order once I come back."
Then he whispered in her ear, "Don't forget to add your wish to that list, okay?"
Ikasa left the mansion with a smile on his face. But as he approached the gate, the smile faded. Although interacting with the kids brought him joy, it was not the sole reason he did it.
He also had to assure them that everything was alright. And what better way to distract them than having them focus on their rewards?
As Ikasa hailed a carriage to bring him to the Xue Family Manor, he was thinking about Li Fan.
'It's been four hours since Li Fan went missing, and there are still no signs of movement from Li Estate. Should I be thankful that Li Fan was greedy and always kept his plans to himself?'
He looked out from the window of his carriage. The guards patrolled as usual. Servants of the affluent were rushing to finish their errands before the last of the sunlight was extinguished.
No one was aware that the young heir of an influential Family had perished and the murderer was roaming the streets in open.
'I hope his mysterious demise remains a mystery long enough for me to get out of this city.'
He indulged in wishful thinking. Then the carriage came to a halt, breaking his chain of thought. When he deboarded, he was greeted by an awe-inspiring sight of a humongous pagoda-style building.
He approached the guards and stated his name and purpose. He was immediately led to the second floor.
When Ikasa entered, the elderly men and women turned their eyes to look at him. At the head of them all, a middle-aged man with a thin black and white beard sat in an ornate chair.
Xue Mi obediently stood beside this man, her head held high. But she did not give a feeling of arrogance or pride; Rather, her attitude was warm and welcoming, making it hard to fault her.
When their eyes met, Xue Mi immediately broke their eye contact. Most of the elders missed this exchange, but those who noticed? They smiled mischievously.
"The man of the hour has come to our Xue Family. Are we not even going to offer him a seat?"
An old lady admonished the staring elders and invited Ikasa inside. Her words had no effect as the judging gazes of the elders didn't move away.
Ikasa was at a loss. If he knew he would be intruding on an Elder's Gathering of the Xue Family, he'd have waited outside.
After a few minutes of silence, the Patriarch of Xue Clan, Xue Ren leaned forward and peered into his eyes.
"The doorkeeper says you have a proposal for us?"
Ikasa took a deep breath. His next words would decide whether the Xue Family will be a friend or foe.
"Yes. Patriarch Xue. I am here to offer the business of Cultivation Manuals to you. If you offer the same terms as the Battle Techniques, I am even willing to sign an exclusive deal with you."
His eyes alternated between the Patriarch and Xue Mi as he spoke. The Elders did not miss this and misunderstood the reason for his presence.
"What happened to your deal with Li Fan?"
Xue Mi asked while trying to suppress her smirk. Ikasa had used that deal to devalue the deal she was offering. Naturally, she had a few grievances in her heart.
Ikasa let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, there was pain and anger in them.
He succinctly replied, "He's dead. To me."