The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter
Chapter 247: Acting on Behalf
"Bai?"
Zhou Siming looked tentatively at the jailer, his tone filled with disbelief.
Although the man’s appearance bore no resemblance to Bai Yuan, Zhou Siming recognized Bai Yuan’s voice.
Bai Yuan nodded.
With his skills as a Skin Painter, infiltrating the Sun Alliance’s dungeons was as easy as flipping his hand. The jailers hadn’t noticed anything amiss.
After he and Xiao Qiaoniang left the restaurant, he used his connections with the Yan Province Demon Slayer Guard to find clues about Liang E and Zhou Siming.
As the Demon-slaying Guard General of Ling Province, it was somewhat abrupt for Bai Yuan to suddenly approach the Yan Province Demon Slayer Guard. However, since they were all officials, the other party was happy to help.
That was how he followed the clues to the Sun Alliance’s dungeon.
"Old Zhou, Elder Liang, let’s get out of here first."
Bai Yuan grabbed a chain with one hand. In just an instant, the wrist-thick iron chain melted and broke.
He took two Spirit Pills from his robes and had Zhou Siming and Liang E take them.
A master of poison is also a master of antidotes, so it was only natural that he had plenty of Antitoxic Pills on him.
Liang E looked at Bai Yuan in surprise.
She had long heard Bai Yuan’s name from Xiao Qiaoniang and Zhou Siming.
Meeting him now, he was truly extraordinary.
Bai Yuan had Liang E and Zhou Siming put on the prepared masks, then led the two of them out of the Sun Alliance dungeon, bold as brass.
...
"What? Those two escaped?!"
Sanka, having just returned from searching the city, looked ready to breathe fire when he heard the news.
He had gone to great lengths to plot their capture, only for Liang E and Zhou Siming to vanish from the dungeon into thin air.
"Useless!"
Furious, Sanka kicked the dungeon guard, sending him flying.
The guard slammed hard against the wall, clearly a fatal blow.
"You dare touch my men?"
A voice, majestic and tinged with displeasure, was heard.
Only then did Sanka suddenly calm down. "Alliance Leader, I was too hasty."
Hu Sanyang snorted coldly. Taking Sanka in was already the limit of his tolerance.
Now Sanka even dared to kill a Sun Alliance member. He was simply tired of living. If not for Sanka’s remaining usefulness, he would have long since crushed this traitorous Demon Hunter.
He glanced at the broken chain on the floor, raising an eyebrow slightly.
That chain hadn’t been cut by a weapon; it was clearly melted by poison. No wonder the guards heard nothing.
"Do they have any friends who are skilled with poison?"
Hu Sanyang suddenly asked.
Upon hearing this, Sanka fell silent for a moment, then spoke uncertainly, "I once heard about a person from that old hag’s disciple—the Ten Thousand Poison Yama, Bai Yuan."
Hu Sanyang finally showed a trace of surprise.
"The Demon-slaying Guard General of Ling Province, Bai Yuan?"
Yan Province and Ling Province were both in the Northern Territory. Although the two provinces were separated by hundreds of miles, he had still heard of some of Ling Province’s important figures.
Not to mention, the reputation of that Ten Thousand Poison Yama was currently at its peak.
’This is getting complicated...’
Hu Sanyang frowned. Behind Bai Yuan stood Xu Dingchun, and even the Shuofang Jiedu Envoy, Du Qinghui, looked upon him with favor.
’This matter... either I don’t get involved, or I see it through to the bitter end.’
...
「Yanzhou Suburbs.」
"Master, Elder Zhou!"
Xiao Qiaoniang, who had been waiting at the City God Temple in the suburbs, saw Liang E and Zhou Siming and rushed forward joyfully.
"Qiaoniang."
Liang E breathed a sigh of relief seeing Xiao Qiaoniang completely unharmed.
After so many years together, she had come to see Xiao Qiaoniang as her own daughter.
Now, she was old and frail, with one foot already in the grave. She valued Xiao Qiaoniang’s life more than her own.
"It’s all thanks to that good man of yours."
Hearing this, a blush spread across Xiao Qiaoniang’s face, and her heart filled with sweetness.
A match is decided by the parents’ order and the matchmaker’s word.
She had lost contact with her parents long ago. Although Bai Yuan had tried everything to find them later, there was never any trace. Thus, her master Liang E’s words were equivalent to her parents’ command.
Liang E treated her extremely well, so she naturally didn’t want any conflict to arise between Bai Yuan and her master.
Zhou Siming stood to the side, chuckling.
"Elder Liang," Bai Yuan said, "it’s not safe to stay here. We should leave first."
But this time, Liang E was uncharacteristically firm. "Bai Yuan, you take Qiaoniang and leave. Go to Ling Province, or Linzhou, wherever you wish."
Bai Yuan frowned. "Aren’t you leaving with us, Elder?"
Liang E shook her head. "I’m already at an age where death is near. But before I die, I must kill that monster. Otherwise, I will have failed my senior brother’s spirit in heaven."
Seeing Liang E’s resolute attitude, Bai Yuan knew that further persuasion would be useless.
Compared to the Martial Artists who roamed the Jianghu, Demon Hunters were undoubtedly much more single-minded.
Liang E and her senior brother must have been very close; otherwise, she wouldn’t be willing to risk her life for revenge.
Xiao Qiaoniang said anxiously, "Master, we can kill Sanka another day. There’s no need to rush!"
Liang E smiled and shook her head. "Sanka is cautious by nature. If we miss this chance, he will surely flee. Trying to find him again would be like finding a needle in a haystack."
"But..."
Xiao Qiaoniang wanted to persuade her further.
But Liang E cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Qiaoniang, my mind is made up. You have already inherited all my teachings. In the future, if you find a suitable disciple, just pass on the skills of the Demon-Controlling Sect."
Clearly, Liang E had already prepared herself for death.
Zhou Siming’s smile vanished. With a rare solemnity, he said, "Junior Sister, I’ll go with you. We’re both at death’s door anyway. It would be good to die together."
A flicker of emotion touched Liang E’s face.
Too few people in this world could face death so calmly.
Just then, Bai Yuan finally got a chance to speak. "Has anyone considered the possibility that we don’t have to die to kill Sanka?"
"???"
"!!!"
...
「Late at night.」
Yanzhou City was as bustling as ever, showing no sign that it was already the third watch of the night.
The streets were filled with an endless stream of pedestrians.
In the east of Yanzhou City, there was a large complex of buildings. A large banner hanging by the entrance read: Sun Alliance.
This was the headquarters of the Sun Alliance.
As one of the top three powers in Yan Province, the Sun Alliance’s headquarters was naturally magnificent and imposing, a testament to their effort and resources.
In the shadows, a figure moved freely through the Sun Alliance’s compound.
The patrolling disciples of the Sun Alliance did not notice the figure at all.
This person was none other than Bai Yuan.
He had come to the Sun Alliance, naturally, to kill Sanka.
With his current strength, killing a Demon Hunter at the Entering the Realm stage was all too easy.
When it came to the art of assassination, the only person in all of Ling Province who could possibly surpass him was the Soul Chasing Tower Lord.
’I have at least ten ways to kill Sanka without a sound...’
Liang E was insistent on killing Sanka, and she was also Sister Qiao’s master. He couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
Of course, this decision was born from confidence in his own strength. Bai Yuan wasn’t the kind of person to throw his life away on a whim. Other than dying of old age, he wouldn’t accept any other cause of death.
Before long, he arrived in a courtyard.
The courtyard was pitch black. The person inside the room was clearly already resting.
Bai Yuan went to the window. The moment his palm touched it, the toxic power of his Manggu Zhuhe Technique melted a hole in the wooden window large enough for a person to pass through.
Silently, Bai Yuan entered the room.
The moment he lifted the quilt, a shocking scene appeared before him.
Sanka was bound hand and foot on the bed, staring at Bai Yuan in terror.
Just then—
The door was suddenly pushed open.
A large man strode into the room. "Lord Bai, are you satisfied with this gift?"
Bai Yuan looked at the large man, his eyes narrowing slightly.
In an instant, he guessed that this must be the Alliance Leader of the Sun Alliance, Hu Sanyang.
It was said that although the Sun Alliance had existed in Yan Province for a thousand years, its true rise to prominence came at the hands of Hu Sanyang, because he was a man who handled matters with a steady hand.
"A gift?" Bai Yuan asked.
Hu Sanyang pointed at Sanka. "I hate traitors more than anything in this world. If Lord Bai wants him, feel free to take him away. Whether you kill him or bury him, it’s none of my business."
Bai Yuan raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected that the one who tied up Sanka would be Hu Sanyang.
Seeing Bai Yuan’s expression, Hu Sanyang was secretly pleased.
It seemed this transaction was going to be profitable.
He was the type of person who either didn’t act, or saw things through to the bitter end.
Sanka had already offered him the Demon Transformation Technique, so Sanka was now useless to him.
Since he wasn’t confident he could kill Bai Yuan, he might as well switch his target to Sanka and give him to Bai Yuan as a gift. This way, he could earn a favor from a fifth-rank official.
Understanding dawned on Bai Yuan.
’Truly worthy of being called a warlord of Yan Province.’
"Then I must thank Alliance Leader Hu. I will remember this favor."
’This Hu Sanyang is an interesting man. He’s worth associating with.’
Hu Sanyang laughed heartily. "Lord Bai, please attend to your business. I will be hosting a banquet at the Drunken Dream Pavilion tomorrow. I hope Lord Bai will grace me with his presence."
"Since Alliance Leader Hu is extending the invitation, how could I possibly refuse?"
"Hahaha, I’ll see you tomorrow."
"I shall take my leave first."
Without further ceremony, Bai Yuan grabbed Sanka and strode out of the Sun Alliance headquarters. Only this time, he left through the main gate.
...
When Liang E and the others saw Sanka in Bai Yuan’s grasp, they all wore looks of disbelief.
They had originally thought that Bai Yuan would, at most, assassinate Sanka. They never expected him to capture him alive.
Capturing a Demon Hunter alive was known to be far more difficult than killing one.
Bai Yuan told the three of them what had happened at the Sun Alliance.
Zhou Siming mused, "Hu Sanyang is an old fox. Bai, you’d better not get taken advantage of."
"Thank you for the warning, Elder Zhou."
Bai Yuan casually tossed Sanka, who was like a dead dog, onto the ground.
Sanka’s face was ashen. Falling into Liang E’s hands, he could imagine a fate worse than death awaiting him.
Liang E stared at Sanka, grinding her teeth. "Do you feel even a shred of regret?"
In her pursuit of Sanka, she had traveled from Linzhou all the way to Yan Province, passing through several provinces.
Sanka’s lips curled in a sneer. "A loss is a loss. I have no regrets. My only regret is that I didn’t manage to kill you, old hag."
Liang E squeezed her eyes shut.
She only felt that her senior brother had been wronged.
They say that accepting a disciple carelessly will bring disaster. How true that prophecy proved to be.
She was very fortunate to have taken on a disciple as pure and kind-hearted as Xiao Qiaoniang.
"I will make you experience the same despair my senior brother felt when he died."
A murderous light flared in Liang E’s eyes.
She had no intention of letting Sanka die so easily.
Just then, Bai Yuan, who had been watching from the side, suddenly spoke up. "Elder Liang, regarding this matter... this junior would be happy to be of service."
"??!!"
Bai Yuan looked at Sanka.
’Such a good source of enhancement points. Can’t let it go to waste, right?’
’I really am a frugal person!’