Chapter 71: Do you dare to kill Ling Huan?

He did not step forward immediately.

Instead, he strolled over slowly, pretending he had just turned the corner from the street.

A look of appropriate surprise and a trace of subtle contempt played across his face.

Ninth Brother curled up on the cold bluestone pavement.

Dust mixed with blood smeared his face, and every breath he took pulled at the sharp pain in his chest and abdomen.

His vision darkened in waves.

Just as he felt the last spark of hope about to fade, a pair of old cloth shoes with a few mud spots stopped in his blurred field of vision.

Subconsciously, he looked up with difficulty — it was the man he had seen at the entrance of Cailai Gambling House!

The man who had said he had a “path to fortune” for him!

In an instant, Ninth Brother was like a drowning man catching sight of a final piece of driftwood.

He pounced with all his strength, his hands clutching Pan Hu’s calf in a death grip!

“Brother! Big Brother! Save me! Please save me!”

Ninth Brother’s voice carried a sob and extreme panic.

“That path you mentioned the other day… any path will do! I’ll do it! I’ll do anything! I’ll be your ox and horse! Please!”

He was incoherent, tears and snot flowing freely.

He slammed his forehead against the top of Pan Hu’s shoe, his posture incredibly humble.

Pan Hu stumbled slightly from the weight.

His brow furrowed imperceptibly, but he sneered inwardly.

‘Where is that arrogance from the other day? Where did it go?’

If there was one thing Pan Hu enjoyed, it was watching people like this in their moment of desperate misery.

He said disdainfully, “Weren’t you quite impressive that day? Weren’t you the Ninth Master of the Ling House? Didn’t you say you didn’t need it? Get lost. Don’t touch me with those filthy hands!”

With that, he shook his leg hard, breaking Ninth Brother’s grip.

“I’m just a fart! I’m just a maggot! Please! As long as you help me through this, my life is yours! I’ll do whatever you want! Really! Please! I beg you!”

Ninth Brother immediately grabbed on again, clutching even tighter, terrified that Pan Hu would walk away.

“Fine. Come here, lick my shoe.”

Pan Hu immediately offered his cloth shoe.

It was covered in dust and several unknown stains.

Since he had been busy with his surveillance, he had barely changed this pair, and they were incredibly foul-smelling.

Ninth Brother froze.

A tremor ran through his entire body, and his expression shifted uncertainly while the veins on his forehead bulged prominently.

But in the end, the resentment suppressed in his heart dissolved into a faint, weak sigh.

He let it all go.

He leaned down, slowly sticking out his tongue.

Just as his tongue was about to touch the shoe, Pan Hu abruptly pulled his foot back.

He could confirm now that Ninth Brother was completely broken and ready to be recruited.

“Sigh… fine, fine!”

Pan Hu finally acted as if he had “softened” his heart.

He called out toward the gambling den, “Gentlemen, please wait a moment!”

Iron Fist Liu and the gambling den owner were just about to step forward when they heard the voice.

They stopped and suddenly realized a man dressed in grey cloth clothes was standing before them.

They hadn’t even seen how he had approached.

The owner looked at his guard and saw the same look of bewilderment.

An expert!

This man was an absolute expert!

The gambling den owner immediately replaced his scowl with a gentle smile and cupped his hands.

“May I ask what you require, sir?”

Pan Hu offered a polite smile and returned the gesture.

“Proprietor, and you, brave warrior. I am Pan Hu. I am here to help this man repay his debt.”

“Brother Pan Hu, greetings. I am but the owner of a small gambling den, Huang Xiao. As long as the money is paid, I won’t refuse anyone.”

Pan Hu smiled slightly.

“However, the silver he owes your establishment is quite a large amount. Even I can only repay a portion for now. I wonder if you could grant a few days of extension? Brother Huang, look at his current state. If you push him too hard, you won’t be able to squeeze any money out of him. Instead, it might escalate things. If the officials are alerted or if you offend the Ling family, it wouldn’t be good for your business, would it?”

Huang Xiao narrowed his eyes as he sized up Pan Hu.

The man looked ordinary, but his temperament was steady and his eyes were sharp.

The way he had appeared before them so suddenly suggested he was unfathomable.

Furthermore, just as Pan Hu said, there was a trace of concern in his heart.

While he didn’t have to respect the officials, if he didn’t show respect to the Ling House, there would be trouble.

If the Ling family lost their temper, his gambling den would be lucky to survive.

Going to the Ling House to demand money was a last resort.

Now that someone was willing to pay, even if it was only a small portion, he could accept it.

Huang Xiao was not unreasonable.

“Very well. Pay one-third first. If not, we will have no choice but to go to the Ling House.”

“Of course.”

As Pan Hu spoke, he nimbly pulled an old, dark money bag from his robe.

He weighed it, then without hesitation, he poured out more than ten shiny silver ingots.

It was roughly 200 silver taels.

“200 taels?” Huang Xiao was about to say something when he caught sight of something glowing beneath the silver.

He reached out and brushed the silver aside, revealing the object’s true form — a Spirit Stone!

It was actually a Spirit Stone!

One could not buy a Spirit Stone even for 3,000 silver taels!

For this man to dare use a Spirit Stone as collateral, his identity was clearly not as humble or poor as his clothes suggested.

This man had a significant background!

“This will serve as the deposit and interest,” Pan Hu said as he handed the silver to the owner.

“As for the remaining 3,500 taels, give him… hmm, let’s say 10 days! Within 10 days, if he hasn’t paid, your establishment can seek him out again, or come find me. I will have no objections. How about it?”

“Certainly!”

Huang Xiao cupped his hands toward Pan Hu.

“Since Brother Pan Hu has given us enough face, I cannot be unreasonable. Ninth Brother, for Brother Pan Hu’s sake, I’ll give you 1 month. Seize this opportunity, Ninth Brother.”

He smiled grimly.

“Let’s go!”

The group from the gambling den took the silver and swaggered away.

Only Ninth Brother remained, covered in injuries and visibly shaken.

Ninth Brother watched the men disappear around the corner.

His tense nerves suddenly snapped, and his legs gave way.

He collapsed to the ground again, gasping for air.

His gaze toward Pan Hu was filled with the gratitude of a survivor and complete dependence.

“Thank… thank you, Brother, for saving my life!”

Pan Hu looked down at him, his internal sneer deepening.

‘The first step was a success.’

He reached out a hand and spoke in a tone as if granting a favor.

“Fine, come with me. We’ll find a place to treat your wounds and, while we’re at it… have a good talk about how your life is going to ‘repay’ me.”

“Yes! Yes, Brother Pan Hu! Words cannot express my thanks! You are my second father! From now on, if you tell me to go east, I won’t go west! I’ll go through fire and water at your command!”

“This isn’t the place to talk. Follow me.”

Pan Hu left immediately.

Ninth Brother ignored his pain and followed, limping behind him.

Pan Hu was familiar with the area.

He chose quiet alleys, weaving through them until they stopped deep within a dead-end alley cluttered with junk.

It was shaded and damp, with only a thin sliver of daylight reaching in from the entrance.

Pan Hu didn’t rush to speak.

First, he pulled out a small porcelain bottle and uncorked it.

A pungent medicinal smell filled the air.

He roughly poured some brown powder into his palm and, without a word, pressed it onto the deepest bruises on Ninth Brother’s face.

“Ah — !“

The powder hit the wounds like fire.

Taken off guard, Ninth Brother let out a suppressed cry of pain.

“Endure it!”

Pan Hu’s voice was devoid of emotion.

“If you can’t even handle this much pain, how can you talk about risking your life?”

He was heavy-handed.

It wasn’t so much like applying medicine as it was a form of psychological dominance, and he watched Ninth Brother’s reaction closely.

Ninth Brother trembled from the pain, his teeth chattering, but he forced himself not to make another sound.

Tears welled up uncontrollably, mixing with the blood and dust on his face.

This sight made Pan Hu feel even more certain.

After roughly treating the obvious external injuries, Pan Hu spoke again, his voice dropping an octave.

“Now, tell me. Is your life worth those remaining 3,500 silver taels?”

Ninth Brother snapped his head up, a look of desperate longing exploding in his eyes.

“It’s worth it! It’s absolutely worth it! Brother Pan Hu, tell me, what do you want me to do? Kill someone… or start a fire?”

His tone was urgent, carrying a type of reckless madness, as if he were desperate to prove his value.

“Killing Ling Huan — do you dare?”