In the end, the Blood Dragon Envoy couldn't even last three days; he died after just two. Wang Linchi ultimately had no choice but to seal the body to prevent further decay. Then, after deodorizing, dehydrating, and other procedures, he dismembered it and disposed of the parts in the sewer system. By now, they should have floated into the moat outside the city. Fortunately, the Blood Dragon Envoy had no abilities that could mark nearby people after death; otherwise, Wang Linchi would have been in serious trouble.
The flesh was manageable, but the bones... even after soaking in strong acid for three days and breaking two chainsaws, I couldn't cut them into small pieces. I could only manage to sever them into large chunks at their weakest points, Wang Linchi thought, finally sighing in relief after dealing with the Blood Dragon Envoy. He had also meticulously cleaned the traces multiple times and even redecorated once to be safe.
Fortunately, he had already collected the money from the various betting pools. Since it was only a little over ten thousand from each, the seniors who ran them paid up readily. Firstly, the amount wasn't large; secondly, credibility was crucial. Otherwise, if you only allowed losses and not wins, who would bet with you next time? Besides, it was just over ten thousand. If they fretted over such a small sum, lacking even this basic composure, they would have long been squeezed out of business by competitors.
The ten thousand-plus Wang Linchi collected was a drop in the bucket compared to their own earnings, certainly not enough to incite jealousy, resentment, or any thoughts of murder or ambush. On the contrary, their impression of Wang Linchi was quite favorable. If he had actually invested a thousand earlier as he'd implied, it would have put them in a difficult position. Since Wang Linchi had been so tactful, they were unlikely to cause trouble for him. As for mindlessly mocking Wang Linchi for "losing" a large sum, if they dared such a thing, their reputation would be ruined. In this line of work, interpersonal skills were paramount.
Thanks to the Blood Dragon Envoy keeping me company for two days, I managed to save around four thousand Excellent Soul Kinds, Wang Linchi mused. This should be considered a fortunate opportunity. The only regret was that there was nothing on the Blood Dragon Envoy's body; he couldn't find anything valuable on the corpse.
Wang Linchi suspected that everything belonging to this branch of the Baylong Religion was likely on the Blood Dragon Girl, meaning it had all fallen into the protagonist's hands. This meant the protagonist reaped the benefits while he suffered the collateral damage. If not for his ability to turn trash into treasure, he might have truly been doomed this time.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
A knock came from the door. Wang Linchi, slightly puzzled, first checked through the peephole. It was just an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, nothing special. He opened the door.
"Hello, may I ask..." Wang Linchi began to speak, but before he could finish, the middle-aged man suddenly lunged, slamming Wang Linchi to the ground.
Several people, previously hidden nearby, immediately rushed in. Their faces were filled with seriousness and caution as they moved step by step into the house. After a thorough search, they emerged. The man who had pinned Wang Linchi down released him.
Throughout this process, Wang Linchi neither screamed nor struggled. He could tell these men were from the Court.
"Bronze Seal Catcher, under orders to search for remnants of the Blood Dragon," the man stated, showing his badge.
"Oh, you mean the Blood Dragon Envoy? Is he in my house?!" Wang Linchi feigned nervousness.
"I'm asking the questions here, not you. Confess honestly, and you might suffer less," the Bronze Seal Catcher said, his gaze scrutinizing Wang Linchi. He had come here by detecting an aura and tracking it.
"I really don't know! Could it be that he snuck into my house when I wasn't paying attention?" Wang Linchi said hastily, thinking, From their demeanor, it looks like they're planning to find a scapegoat. If so, I'm in deep trouble!
A few minutes later, an arrest officer approached and whispered, "Boss, we found traces. They lead into the sewer system."
This made Wang Linchi's heart skip a beat. That they could track the aura was within his expectations. Just as he was about to speak according to his plan, the arrest officer added, "The aura is very faint, and he seems to have left recently. His strength has probably dropped to the Mountain Copper Level."
Upon hearing this, a glint appeared in the Bronze Seal Catcher's eyes. Capturing the Blood Dragon Envoy offered far greater merit and value than finding a mere scapegoat. Moreover, with the target's strength now reduced to Mountain Copper Level, he was confident he could apprehend him. If he could capture the Blood Dragon Envoy alive, his Bronze Seal might be upgraded to a Silver Seal.
"It seems you genuinely know nothing. The Blood Dragon Envoy is cunning; it's quite normal for him to have deceived a White Porcelain level cultivator like you." With no conflict of interest regarding Wang Linchi, the Bronze Seal Catcher had no intention of making things difficult for him and quickly reached a conclusion about the situation.
"Catcher, you truly have a discerning eye! Only an authoritative figure like yourself could apprehend such a vicious criminal," Wang Linchi quickly flattered.
The Bronze Seal Catcher, pleased with Wang Linchi's compliment, quickly departed with his men, heading towards the sewer system.
Wang Linchi let out a sigh of relief.
This hurdle is finally over.
He had dismembered the Blood Dragon Envoy and disposed of the parts in several batches, throwing them into the sewer when the sluice gates opened daily. Thus, he wasn't worried about them getting stuck; they would be flushed away. This made the residual aura much weaker, appearing as if it were fading. Furthermore, given the time that had passed, they would likely assume the Blood Dragon Envoy had been hiding here to recuperate. They would conclude that not only had his injuries failed to heal, but they had actually worsened, forcing him to finally leave. As for why Wang Linchi was unharmed, he had an explanation ready: the Blood Dragon Envoy hadn't wanted to create extra complications. If he had killed Wang Linchi, his subsequent disappearance might trigger an investigation, which would be undesirable. Of course, if they didn't believe him, that was another matter entirely.
I have to submit the Third Generation Soul Seed Boiling this afternoon to solidify my identity. Even though it will likely still be insignificant, it should provide a little more security, Wang Linchi thought, feeling a sense of frustration. But if feeling frustrated achieved anything, what would be the point of striving?
And once the subsidy arrives, the experiments can begin again.
Wang Linchi knew what the third-level subsidy entailed: one hundred Excellent Level Soul Kinds and one million in cash. Reaching the third level was a significant leap, creating a world of difference. This was comparable to the distinction between certain Excellent Level Soul Kinds and other Excellent Level Soul Kinds.
Unfortunately, the Excellent Level Soul Kinds couldn't be chosen by him; he had to take whatever the higher-ups provided. Therefore, the Soul Kinds provided would inevitably be less than ideal, but he had his own plans.
My only concern is whether this subsidy will be intercepted. The one million in cash isn't a huge deal, but one hundred Excellent Level Soul Kinds are incredibly valuable.
A single Excellent Level Soul Kind was worth at least one million, making the Soul Kind portion of this subsidy alone worth one hundred million. To an ordinary person, this was an astronomical sum. For Battle-type Awakeners, however, money was largely obsolete; they used higher-value Soul Kinds as currency instead.
However, greed knew no distinction between Awakeners and ordinary people.