If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

South of the city, the East Depot branch.

A putrid aroma filled the air. It was aged sandalwood mixed with a faint smell of blood, making one feel dizzy and nauseous.

Cao Dangtou sat in a grand master's chair.

He gently stroked his right wrist with his left hand.

There should have been five fingers there. Now only four remain. The empty space resembles a humiliating laugh. Last night, that kid surnamed Zhou cut off one of his fingers right here.

His men stood around him, heads bowed, even their breathing barely audible. No one dared to look at him. No one dared to speak.

The entire room was deathly silent.

Sudden.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound.

The teacup in Cao's hand was crushed to pieces. The scalding tea mixed with the porcelain shards, cutting his palm. Beads of blood trickled down between his fingers.

He didn't seem to feel any pain.

"waste!"

Two words were squeezed out from between his teeth. They were silent, yet like icicles, they pierced into the bones of everyone present.

The guard kneeling below was trembling like a leaf.

"Boss, calm down! That kid... that kid's too slippery. We searched the whole street and couldn't find a single hair on his head..."

Cao slowly raised his eyes.

There was no anger in those eyes. Only a cold, lifeless stillness.

"If you can't find it, keep looking."

His voice was very flat.

"Surround the entire south of the city. Search every house, from top to bottom. Pry open everything—wells, under stoves, under beds—and check everything."

He paused, then picked up the official documents on the table with his left hand.

"Pass on my orders: issue arrest warrants and kill orders."

"Whoever captures Zhou Yang alive will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver and promoted one rank."

"A reward of three hundred taels of silver will be given to anyone who provides a true clue."

He stood up and walked to the kneeling guard. With his good hand, he patted the guard's shoulder.

"If you disappoint me again..."

His voice was as soft as a whisper.

"You should die in his place."

The foreigner was so terrified that he kowtowed repeatedly.

"Yes! Yes! This servant will take care of it immediately!"

Cao, the head of the gang, waved his hand.

The people inside the room felt as if they had been granted a pardon and scrambled out of the room.

The house fell silent again.

Cao sat back down in his chair, looking at his bleeding right hand. He didn't bandage it, letting the blood drip onto the ground, blooming into little red flowers.

He has to find that kid.

Not just because of that finger.

Furthermore, because that kid is Qin Shuang's man. He's a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

They killed someone from the Eastern Depot right under his nose and then escaped. If word got out, where would Cao Jin's face, and the Eastern Depot's face, be?

The south of the city is about to change.

……

At the other end of the south side of the city lies the Earthly Fiend Gate.

In a secluded tea room, Zhao Kun sat there, slowly sipping his tea.

The tea is top-quality pre-rain Longjing tea.

The water is mountain spring water.

He drank very carefully, as if the sky were to fall outside and it wouldn't concern him.

A disciple rushed in, looking flustered.

"Sect Leader! Something terrible has happened!"

Zhao Kun frowned and put down his teacup.

"What's the panic? Is the sky falling down?"

"Sect Leader, the Eastern Depot... the Eastern Depot has sealed off the south of the city! They've issued a warrant for a city-wide manhunt for a doctor surnamed Zhou!"

Zhao Kun's hand, which was holding the teacup, froze in mid-air.

A doctor surnamed Zhou?

Who is Dr. Liu's little apprentice?

His mind raced. That night, Zhou Yang was taken away by the Imperial Guards, and he assumed Zhou Yang was dead. Doctor Liu was also missing. He considered the matter closed.

The Eastern Depot is now looking for a doctor surnamed Zhou.

Zhao Kun's eyes sharpened.

The Eastern Depot never acts without a purpose. The person they're looking for must be related to last night's bloodshed.

The fact that they couldn't find him means that Zhou Yang is still alive.

Someone who could command such a massive mobilization from the Eastern Depot must be holding something extraordinary in their hands.

Zhao Kun thought of Doctor Liu.

That old man had a copy of the *Qing Nang Shu*, a treasure even the Eastern Depot coveted. Doctor Liu is gone; where is the book now?

Did it fall into Zhou Yang's hands?

If so...

Zhao Kun's heart was pounding.

This is no longer a problem.

This is an opportunity.

A golden opportunity!

If he could sell Zhou Yang's information to the Eastern Depot, he could not only forge a bond with them and gain their protection, but he might also reap other benefits.

As for Zhou Yang...

He was just a dead outer disciple. What was his life compared to my own future?

Zhao Kun had made up his mind.

He picked up his teacup again and took a sip. The temperature of the tea was just right to soothe his slightly feverish mind.

"Understood." He waved his hand at his disciple. "Go down, lock the door, and don't go out and cause trouble lately."

"Yes, Sect Leader."

The disciple withdrew.

Zhao Kun was left alone in the tea room again.

He took a piece of paper from the drawer, ground the ink, and began to write.

The handwriting was very small and messy.

"Near the former residence of Doctor Liu, the pharmacist, in the south of the city, there may be traces of Zhou Yang. He may possess the 'Qing Nang Shu' (Book of the Green Bag)."

After writing it, he carefully folded the note and put it into a wax-sealed bamboo tube.

He summoned one of his most trusted subordinates.

"Find a way to get this to Chief Cao of the Eastern Depot," Zhao Kun said in a low voice. "Remember, don't let anyone know it was us who sent it."

The subordinate nodded, took the bamboo tube, and quietly left.

Zhao Kun breathed a long sigh of relief.

He leaned back in his chair and began to sip his tea again.

This time, the tea seems to taste even better.

He could almost see the Eastern Depot's army storming into Zhou Yang's hiding place and hacking the boy to death. And he himself would stand not far away, watching it all with a smile.

The Earthly Fiends Sect also needs to find a powerful backer.

……

In the south of the city, there is an inconspicuous courtyard.

Zhou Yang pushed open the door.

The sunlight was a bit too bright.

He squinted, adjusting his eyes for a moment. The courtyard wasn't large, with some odds and ends piled up in a corner. Three old ginseng plants were planted in the corner, kept in broken ceramic pots, and were growing quite well.

He walked over, squatted down, and reached out to touch the damp soil.

That's his capital.

He stood up, ready to go back inside.

Just then.

A commotion came from outside.

There were many orderly footsteps. And dogs barking. The barking and shouting sounded like someone was calling out.

Zhou Yang's eyes narrowed.

He slipped to the wall, pressed his ear against it, and listened intently.

"...Search house to house! Don't let anyone suspicious get away!"

"...Do you see this person in the portrait? Around twenty years old, with delicate features, he's a doctor!..."

The sounds were chaotic, but Zhou Yang heard them clearly.

A cold smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

They moved so fast.

The Eastern Depot has mobilized its entire force.

He closed his eyes, and a net seemed to spread rapidly in his mind.

Cao Dangtou won't just search the south of the city, but that's the main focus.

He identified himself as a doctor, and as an apprentice of Doctor Liu.

The Eastern Depot was looking for him, and Zhao Kun of the Earthly Fiends Sect also knew his identity.

Given Zhao Kun's sycophantic nature, what would he do?

The answer is self-evident.

He will betray himself.

He used himself to win the favor of the Eastern Depot.

Zhou Yang opened his eyes, his gaze clear and unwavering. There was no panic, no anger, only a cold, almost cruel calm.

He can't hide anymore.

Hiding will only make you more passive. Like a rabbit being chased by a hunter, there will always be a time when you are forced into a corner.

He is not a rabbit.

He is a hunter.

Zhou Yang turned around and went back into the house.

He sat down at the table and began to deduce the results.

What was Cao Dangtou's purpose? To regain face, to secure himself, and perhaps even the "Qing Nang Shu" (a classic Chinese medical text).

What was Zhao Kun's purpose? To protect himself, to curry favor with the Eastern Depot, and to gain some benefits along the way.

What about Qin Shuang? What will she do? Will she come to help me?

Thinking about these things is useless.

Zhou Yang's thoughts quickly focused on one point.

The key to breaking the deadlock lies not in the Eastern Depot, nor in Qin Shuang.

Zhao Kun.

Zhao Kun, and also the entire Earthly Fiend Sect.

The Eastern Depot is powerful, but they are officials. They have to follow the rules, at least maintain a certain level of decorum. I'm just a local ruffian now; they can't possibly turn the entire Anyang Prefecture upside down for the sake of one ruffian.

But the Earthly Fiends Sect is different.

They're gangsters. They're local bullies.

They have no rules.

There's no need to follow the rules when dealing with them.

Zhou Yang's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

He already has a plan.

A plan to move from passively taking hits to actively launching attacks.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a clicking, tapping sound. Each tap seemed to be a countdown to a life.

The first step, Zhao Kun.

This guy betrayed himself, so he should pay the price. His life is his own. The money in his hands should also be his own.

The second step is the Earthly Fiend Gate.

Every sect has some resources. Those resources can be used to burn through one's lifespan to become stronger.

The third step is the Eastern Depot.

After dealing with Zhao Kun and the Earthly Fiends Sect, he jumped out and stood in front of the Eastern Depot.

At that time, I was no longer the prey they were hunting.

Instead, he is a player who can sit down and negotiate terms with them.

Zhou Yang stood up.

He walked to the wall and picked up the knife hanging there. The scabbard was old, but the blade was gleaming.

He drew his knife and flicked it lightly with his fingertip.

hum-

A clear and melodious dragon's roar.

The glint of the blade illuminated his face. One half of his face still held the handsome features of a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. The other half, shrouded in shadow, exuded a chilling aura that seemed inhuman.

He smiled.

"Zhao Kun".

"Earthly Fiends Sect".

"Time to collect the debts."

He sheathed the knife and tucked it behind his waist. Then he pushed open the door and strode out.

The sunlight shone on him, but it did nothing to warm him.

At the alley entrance, several disciples of the Earthly Fiend Sect dressed in black were peeking around, seemingly observing the movements of the Eastern Depot.

They were stunned when they saw Zhou Yang come out.

Zhou Yang ignored them and walked straight in one direction.

That direction leads to the headquarters of the Earthly Fiends Sect.

His goal has never changed from the beginning.

Undercurrents are already stirring.

Now, it's time to stir up some waves.