Rise of The Demon General-Chapter 297. Leaving the Underworld

"Killing a member of the Yan Clan?" Li Niang asked in consternation. If that was true, it was a serious crime. She turned to Amon and asked, "Lin Mo, is that true?"

An Guan added, "Maybe you do it for self-defense?"

Amon answered, "I have no idea what they are talking about."

"Don’t act coy! I saw with my own eyes a Demon Gang member killed Yan Ning, my sister!" Yan Dose exclaimed. Yan Fan’s hand was no longer on his shoulder.

"A demon gang member?" Amon asked back. "So, you said a Demon Gang member killed your sister, not me."

Yan Dose was speechless at the reply. The perpetrator he saw indeed has a face covered by a mask.

"You are the leader of the Demon Gang, not just a member. You can’t shirk responsibility," Yan Wansui said.

"Please, describe the details of what you saw for us," Lao Zen told Yan Dose.

Yan Dose complied, describing his visit to her sister’s place on the night of her death. He left out several details, of course, especially the details about his incestuous activity with his sister.

"So, your sister was a member of the Street Aristocrats," Amon remarked after Yan Dose finished his story. "She was involved in the underworld. Isn’t there an unspoken rule that the loss of lives during the scuffle in the underworld is not worth prosecuting?"

Yan Dose was vexed. Why was it that Amon claimed not to know about the unspoken rule of joining an underworld but stated his knowledge about the unspoken rule of death under underworld struggles? And why did the Royal Academy panel go along with it? There was a clear bias here.

"That being said, you can’t prove the Demon Gang member did the deed under my order," Amon continued. "I might appear like the leader, but I’m just a figurehead. Do you honestly think a twenty-one-year-old like me, with the cultivation at the Beginning Transformation Stage, could truly command a group of outlaws, a portion of which possess higher cultivation levels than me?"

"Are you saying you have no real power in the organization?"

"I am saying it. I can’t prove it, but so do you. Furthermore, the masks worn by the demon gang members are not exclusive. Everyone can get them. People might fear repercussions from the Demon Gang for impersonating their members, but it’s not impossible. How do you know it was not an impersonator who murdered Yan Ning?"

"When the murder happened, the building Yan Ning was in was also assaulted by the Demon Gang members. It was obvious the assault was to attract attention so the murderer could act. This was not an act of a single perpetrator," Yan Fan explained.

Amon shrugged. "Then it was the act of a group of impersonators. All so they could place the blame on the Demon Gang. The fact is, you don’t have proof that I am the one responsible for Yan Ning’s death, do you?"

Yan Dose stood in anger. "You...! I know it is you! Don’t you try to deny it, fucker...!!"

"Yan Dose, control your temper," An Guan reprimanded.

Yan Fan and Yan Wansui exchanged glances. Yan Wansui asked the Royal Academy panel, "Honorable tutors, what is your opinion on this matter?"

An Guan answered, "I agree with student Lin Mo. There is not enough evidence to convict him."

"Hmph!" Yan Wansui stood up. "It is clear the Royal Academy wishes to protect him. I’m disappointed. There is no use for us to stay. We will leave!"

Yan Dose was baffled by the situation. "But... but..." He had to be dragged out by Yan Wansui.

Yan Fan sighed as he stood. He walked to Amon before following Yan Wansui out. He put one hand on Amon’s shoulder and whispered, "Now that I know you are involved in the underworld, I can see you are not a normal student. I didn’t believe at first you were directly involved with those serial murders by poison. I don’t have the same belief now. I will be watching you."

He released his hand and walked out.

Outside the room, Yan Fan and Yan Wansui spoke as they walked the hallway.

"Is there any chance of getting to him using the authorities?" Yan Wansui asked Yan Fan.

"I hate to say it, but they are right. There is not enough evidence. If he is a nobody, I might be able to use my status as a constable to detain him. But as you can see, he has the Royal Academy’s backing."

"Then we need someone higher in the kingdom to help us with this," Yan Wansui muttered.

"You have someone in mind?" Yan Fan asked.

"Our new friend, the Gao Clan, is rumored to have a tight relationship with one of the princes. They might help us get the influence we need."

*

Inside the room, Amon’s mind was on Yan Fan. Not because of the threats he made before he left the room, but because of his eyes. Amon knew those eyes. It was the eyes of a hunter who had marked his prey.

This could be a problem. He knew Yan Fan was a good investigator. The reason he was not worried so much about Yan Fan was because Yan Fan only considered him one of the possible clues. If the constable started zeroing in on him, he knew it was only a matter of time before Yan Fan found his secrets.

If it was his past life, he would have welcomed the challenge. He would let Yan Fan free rein to see how far the man could go. Unfortunately, he was still building his power. He was not yet fully developed. He was not in a state where he could afford such interference. He decided that he needed to deal with Yan Fan before it was too late.

"Student Lin Mo, did you hear what I said?" Lao Zen asked.

"Yes, you told me to leave the underworld," Amon answered.

"That’s right. You might say it was ignorance that brought you to the underworld, but you can’t use the same excuse twice. You will need to leave that life behind. If you can’t do that, it will tarnish your record and reputation. Even if we turn a blind eye to this issue, it is a different matter once you enter the kingdom. If they learn that you are still with the underworld, you won’t just be getting a warning."

"I understand," Amon said.

"Also, I’m sorry to say this. Even if you promised to leave that life behind, we can’t just let you go like this," Fei Wung added. "It was a fact that you were a part of the underworld. Other students will learn this news. If we let you go unpunished, it will be a bad precedent. Other students might try it. That will hurt the Royal Academy’s reputation."

Fei Wung turned and asked his peers’ opinions, "What do you all think?"

An Guan sighed. "I can’t believe I do this again. How about a penalty of 10,000 academic points?"

The others nodded.

"All right, then. It is decided. Student Lin Mo, you receive a penalty of 10,000 academic points," Li Niang proclaimed. "Please make sure you keep your promise. If you are caught being involved in the underworld again, we will have no choice but to expel you."

"That is all. You are dismissed," Lao Zen said.

Amon left the room. Having another 10,000 academic points subtracted would strain him from staying in the first rank, but he was glad they didn’t impose another 5% penalty like before. He supposed this was all thanks to his alliance with Zhuan San. This was also why he wasn’t too worried when his identity was revealed. He knew the Royal Academy would have his back.

Even so, he couldn’t push his luck. He couldn’t challenge their request for him to leave the underworld. If he didn’t honor that promise, they would expel him. He didn’t believe even Zhuan San could help him when that happened.

That was okay. His Demon Gang had mostly developed. He could leave it to grow by itself while directing it from the shadow. He simply couldn’t get directly involved in its struggle anymore.

He had also fulfilled his promise to Zhuan San about keeping the underworld stable with three overlords. He wasn’t worried about another war breaking out with the Alley Advocates. Alley Advocates was mostly a passive organization that minded its own business. The unknown factor was the Highwaymen. He didn’t have much information about this organization. For now, they seemed content after occupying Street Aristocrat’s previous territory. The underworld should be peaceful for the time being.

While it was true no ripple happened in the underworld since the Highwaymen replaced Sewer Snakes, a shocking event occurred in public a month later. The mayor of the Qishurg City was assassinated.

Not only was the assassination successful, but the assassin also escaped after leaving a note. The note claimed the assassination was done by the rebels.