The young man stumbled back, coughing up blood.
A nervous look filled his eyes.
He was a Reincarnator, and a Tier Two Earth Mage, no less.
But he hadn’t sensed anyone appear behind him until the long blade pierced his chest. Only after the pain registered did he finally notice Li Chang’an in astonishment.
Li Chang’an didn’t rush to deliver the finishing blow. Instead, he said coolly, "You’ve gone to all this trouble to find your way here, and you still don’t know who I am?"
The young man looked up at Li Chang’an.
Then he glanced down at the wound on his chest. As if suddenly realizing Li Chang’an’s identity, he hurriedly reached into his pocket to pull out something that looked like a communicator.
But would Li Chang’an give him such an opportunity?
It took only a single step.
The young man didn’t even realize when Li Chang’an had closed the distance.
He only knew that he had just raised the communicator.
The next second, it was in Li Chang’an’s hands.
Li Chang’an took the communicator and glanced at it. There was a string of encrypted numbers on the screen. Without hesitation, he dialed the number the young man had already entered.
BEEP... BEEP... BEEP...
After a few rings, the call connected.
An unfamiliar voice came from the other end, asking in a lazy tone, "How’s it going? Remember, don’t take it too far. Just luring the kid out is enough!"
Li Chang’an mulled it over for a moment before speaking. "Who is this? Gu Ruilong?"
Upon hearing Li Chang’an’s voice...
...the person on the other end went silent. A moment later, they hung up without a word.
The voice may have been unfamiliar, but Li Chang’an guessed it was most likely one of Gu Ruilong’s men.
After all, other than Gu Ruilong, he had never revealed the depth of his friendship with Li Jianfei to anyone.
Others might have investigated and learned that Li Chang’an and Li Jianfei were friends in the past, but friends from before becoming a Reincarnator were different from friends made after.
After becoming a Reincarnator, Li Chang’an had never actively associated with Li Jianfei.
To outsiders, this would look like Li Chang’an no longer cared for their old bond.
And no ordinary faction would be stupid enough to use a regular person to threaten a Reincarnator.
The two worlds simply didn’t overlap that much.
Only Gu Ruilong knew that Li Chang’an had asked Su Ruobing for a temporary reincarnation slot.
Permanent Reincarnators didn’t need temporary reincarnation slots, and Li Chang’an had no other relatives or friends in need. Anyone with half a brain could guess who Li Chang’an was getting it for.
And to top it off, Su Ruobing had just acquired a temporary reincarnation slot a few days ago.
Gu Ruilong had clearly caught wind of it.
’I have to admit, that guy’s skill at gathering intelligence is pretty impressive.’
A surge of anger rose in Li Chang’an’s heart.
’No wonder Su Ruobing never hides her contempt whenever she talks about Gu Ruilong. The guy is truly disgusting and plays by no rules whatsoever.’
’Just to lure me out...’
’...that bastard actually sent a Reincarnator to deal with ordinary people!’
Seeing Li Chang’an take his communicator, the young man finally started to panic.
He turned to flee, but before he could even take a step, he felt the ground give way beneath him. Looking down, he discovered that both of his legs had been severed at some point.
The young man collapsed to the ground. Li Chang’an turned to the stunned Li Jianfei and Li Siying and said, "Let me get some answers, and then you can do what you want with him."
The pair were already stunned speechless.
Li Jianfei, in particular, had been filled with rage moments before. But now, after witnessing Li Chang’an sever the young man’s legs, his face was a mask of sheer bewilderment.
Li Chang’an paid them no mind. He walked right up to the young man and asked with a faint smile, "Where is Gu Ruilong now?"
The young man shivered at the sound of Li Chang’an’s voice. After a long pause, he stammered, "I... I don’t know!"
Li Chang’an’s smile never wavered. He swung his blade again, severing one of the man’s hands. "My patience is limited, and I’m not great at interrogations. I have no idea where my blade will land next."
His limbs were being dismembered one by one.
The pain nearly made the young man pass out.
His psychological defenses finally crumbled. He wailed, tears and snot streaming down his face, "Boss, I was wrong! I don’t know who this Gu Ruilong is! I was sent by the Tian Family from the neighboring Jiangzhou Prefecture to cause a scene and draw you out!"
"If you let me go now, Boss, I can buy you some time to escape when my brothers get here!!"
"The Jiangzhou Tian Family?" Li Chang’an wasn’t familiar with them, but he wasn’t in a hurry to press for details. Instead, he chuckled. "You have other brothers?"
The young man was already delirious from the pain, but those words made him shiver uncontrollably.
He scrambled to answer, "Yes... Yes! The Jiangzhou Tian Family sent eight Vassal Reincarnators to deal with you! There are seven others besides me! They’ll be on their way as soon as they get the message!"
Vassal Reincarnators were Reincarnators who didn’t possess their own domains.
These Reincarnators usually came from the lowest rungs of society and remained at the bottom even after becoming Reincarnators.
They were either poor at managing their own cities, causing them to go bankrupt, or they were simply hired muscle for prominent Cultivator families, living off salaries and commissions.
’Gu Ruilong sent this many people...’
’He must really see me as a threat!’
Li Chang’an waited outside the shop, long blade in hand. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before a flurry of chaotic footsteps echoed from down the street.