Most of the day had already passed.

Han Yuan didn’t have to wait long in the courtyard before the sky turned dark.

He paid it no mind, sitting cross-legged on the ground and cultivating the Black Whale Oversea Skill.

The night was not clear, but dark and gloomy.

The courtyard was naturally pitch-black, eerie and sinister.

Yet Han Yuan felt not a trace of fear, his heart as still as water as he continued his Cultivation.

Time flowed by, and soon it was late into the night.

Suddenly, Han Yuan felt a weight settle on his shoulder.

It was as if something was perched there.

He opened his eyes and turned his head.

!!!!

A pale, gaunt, and unsettling little face appeared before him.

The small, thin Evil Spirit suddenly opened its mouth wide, revealing sharp, ghastly white fangs as it lunged for Han Yuan’s neck.

An ordinary person in this situation would have been scared witless, unable to react.

But Han Yuan just grinned. In a flash, he slammed his shoulder against a wall!

BOOM!!!

The wall exploded on impact!

The small, thin Evil Spirit that had been on his back let out a piercing shriek and fell to the ground, covered in blood.

But the next moment, it gave Han Yuan a smile and vanished from his sight.

’So fast...’

Han Yuan frowned slightly.

The next instant, he heard a faint noise to his left and immediately drew his Cold Blade, slashing out with tyrannical ferocity!

The blade’s gleam cut through empty air.

SHLICK!

The small, thin Evil Spirit had appeared behind Han Yuan. Its claws, filled with resentful energy, stabbed viciously forward!

CLANG!

Even though Han Yuan was protected by the Arhat Iron Cloth Shirt, the immense impact sent him stumbling forward.

"Damn you, little thing."

Han Yuan snarled as he spun around, only to find nothing but empty darkness.

Hee hee hee~~~

A seemingly innocent giggle suddenly came from above.

Han Yuan looked up.

The small, thin Evil Spirit had appeared on the eaves of the roof, watching him with a strange smile.

’Are you playing with me?’

Han Yuan was getting angry.

He leaped into the air, slashing his blade toward the small, thin Evil Spirit.

But it turned into a white shadow and disappeared.

Han Yuan could only land helplessly, his eyes scanning his surroundings warily.

Just then, he heard the wind rush behind him again.

This time, Han Yuan forcibly suppressed the urge to strike.

He waited until he heard the sound of wind from his side before swinging his blade!

BANG!

The small, thin Evil Spirit hadn’t expected Han Yuan to see through its trick. Its entire arm was severed by the Cold Blade.

The next moment, Han Yuan unleashed a fierce and swift Piercing Kill Kick, striking the small, thin Evil Spirit squarely in the chest.

BAM!

The small, thin Evil Spirit immediately turned into a ball of white light and flew backward.

Han Yuan leaped into the air again, like a falcon spreading its wings. The airflow became his aid, allowing him to burst forward with terrifying speed.

A vicious and terrifying slash of light was drawn across the air before it fell violently!

"Find your peace beneath my blade..."

"Thousand Falcons Streaming Light Sky Slash!"

The small, thin Evil Spirit shrieked as it suddenly dissolved into white light.

Han Yuan frowned slightly.

He walked over to the wooden box and picked up the Peaceful Golden Bracelet.

He saw that the character "He" was engraved on the surface of the golden bracelet.

As if some lingering obsession was dissipating, a series of images flashed through Han Yuan’s mind.

On the surface of a pitch-black river.

A small boat was moving slowly.

Inside the boat’s cabin were two adults, a man and a woman.

And a child.

But the child seemed to be unconscious, their hands bound.

"This kid is so delicate. We’ll definitely get a good price."

The woman gazed at the child, her smile exceptionally gleeful.

"Of course. I’ve had my eye on this brat for a long time."

The man smirked proudly.

"The kid’s got a golden bracelet, too. I’ll take it off first."

The woman greedily tried to remove the bracelet from the child’s wrist.

It was a bit tight; she tried a few times but couldn’t get it off.

Instead, she woke the drugged child, who promptly bit down on her arm!

"AHHH!!!!"

"IT HURTS!!!"

The woman shrieked in pain from the bite.

After biting her, the child scrambled frantically out of the cabin and jumped straight into the river.

The man chased after them.

But the river’s current was especially swift that night, and the surroundings were pitch-black. The child vanished in an instant. The man jumped into the water and searched for a long time, but found nothing. He had no choice but to give up.

With their hands tied, the child’s nose and mouth filled with icy river water. Life gradually faded, and the body was washed downstream to a ferry crossing.

A ferryman discovered the child’s body.

He immediately spotted the Golden Bracelet on the child’s arm. He hastily pulled the body from the water and, with great effort, finally removed the Golden Bracelet.

He then found a rock, tied it to the child’s body, and threw it back into the river.

But the greedy ferryman had no idea what that bracelet signified...

Han Yuan sighed helplessly.

At that moment, hearing the silence in the courtyard, Lü San rushed in with his men.

"Master Han... are you alright?"

Lü San looked around nervously.

"I’m fine... I’ve already dealt with the Evil Spirit."

Han Yuan sheathed his Cold Blade and said softly.

"I knew it! When Master Han makes a move, not even gods or buddhas can stand in his way!"

Lü San said, shamelessly flattering him.

"That’s enough... Let’s head back to the inn and rest."

"Tomorrow... there’s still more to be done."

Despite having dealt with the Evil Spirit, Han Yuan didn’t look happy at all.

Lü San found it strange but didn’t dare to ask questions, so he simply followed Han Yuan out.

The night passed without a word.

「The next day.」

Han Yuan spent twenty taels of silver at a ferry crossing in Ferry Town to have a small, highly decomposed body retrieved from the water. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

He bought a coffin and placed the body inside.

After taking care of these matters, he took the coffin and returned directly to Cangshui County Town.

From the memories he had seen last night, Han Yuan knew the child had likely been abducted from Cangshui County Town.

He sent Lü San to the Government Office.

Soon, Lü San returned with news.

"Sir... I found them."

"A family with the surname ’He’ did indeed report a missing child a few days ago."

Lü San said softly.

"Do you know where they live?"

Han Yuan’s face was expressionless.

"Yes... on Red Leaf Street."

Lü San nodded.

"Lead the way."

Han Yuan said flatly.

Soon, their group arrived at a residence, carrying the coffin.

Han Yuan stepped forward and knocked on the door.

A haggard-looking man opened the door. He was slightly taken aback when he saw Han Yuan in his Piyao Robe.

"Sir... could it be? Is there news about our child?"

Looking at the man’s eager, hopeful gaze, Han Yuan simply stepped aside, revealing the coffin behind him.

The man’s expression changed. He rushed out the door and opened the coffin.

Soon, the man’s anguished wails echoed down the street.

His family heard his cries and hurried out. When they understood what had happened, they too began to weep.

"Let’s go."

Han Yuan sighed helplessly.

He had Lü San and the others return to the Government Office first, while he himself went back to the Observatory. He first went to Dust Hall to report the completion of his mission.

According to the Observatory’s rules, the reward would only be issued after someone from the Feiying Tribe verified that the mission was complete.

This process usually took up to three days.

Han Yuan wasn’t in a hurry. He changed into plain clothes and quietly made his way to the Longsheng Inn.

The inn was as lively as ever.

The fight between Han Yuan and Liu Zhou last time had, paradoxically, made the place even more famous.

Seeing Han Yuan grace his establishment, Shopkeeper Pang naturally came over to greet him personally.

"Shopkeeper... I’d like to look into two people."

Han Yuan said flatly.