Chapter 18: Rainy Night

Seeing the door lock open, the Fire Wolf Gang thugs in Cell Two were first stunned, then broke into sinister grins, eager to rush out.

As the first thug tried to charge out,

PSHCHT!

a flash of a blade stabbed ruthlessly into his heart.

The thug stared at Han Yuan in disbelief.

He never imagined the constable would actually dare to attack.

BAM!

Han Yuan landed a heavy kick on the thug’s body.

THUMP~~

The thug fell backward abruptly, knocking over several others and causing a wave of pained cries.

"According to Great Spirit Law,"

"all who attempt to escape prison... shall be killed without mercy!"

Han Yuan said coldly.

For a moment, the Fire Wolf Gang thugs in Cell Two were stunned into submission by Han Yuan’s aura, unsure of what to do.

"Don’t be afraid!"

"He won’t dare kill again!"

"Charge out!"

Unable to sit still any longer, Wan Hong gripped the bars and roared.

"Kill, kill, kill!!!"

"Kill your way out!"

The entire prison erupted in a clamor, filled with a frantic madness.

"Zhang Head... are you sure this won’t get out of hand?" a Prison Guard asked, his forehead beaded with sweat.

"I... It should be fine."

"Han Yuan should be able to keep them under control..."

Though Zhang Fang said this, he was actually panicking inside.

Hearing the frenzied cries, the thugs in Cell Two seemed to take it as great encouragement. Mustering their courage, they roared and charged toward the cell door again.

PSHCHT!

Han Yuan stood alone before Cell Two, blade in hand.

For every man that came, he killed one.

With each swing of his blade, a man fell. He showed no mercy.

Screams of agony rang out one after another.

In the blink of an eye, five or six men had fallen in front of the cell door, their blood pooling on the ground.

The Fire Wolf Gang thugs in Cell Two were utterly terrified, their courage shattered. They scrambled back to the corners of the cell.

DRIP... DRIP...

Blood dripped from Han Yuan’s long blade.

He looked at the men in the cell and smiled faintly. "Go on... Why’d you stop running?"

No one answered him.

Even Wan Hong had retreated.

’This guy... he’s like a madman.’

Instantly, the once-raucous prison fell deathly silent.

SHING~

Han Yuan sheathed his long blade and left without another word.

He didn’t even close the cell door, yet not a single person dared to escape.

Seeing this, Zhang Fang quickly ordered a few Prison Guards to clean up the bodies.

As for the cause of death, it was exactly as Han Yuan had stated.

Attempted prison break.

As Han Yuan’s figure vanished down the corridor, Wan Hong’s eyes glinted.

"Who... is that man?"

he asked aloud.

"I think that’s Han Yuan... Han Jiudao’s younger brother," a Fire Wolf Gang thug who had seen Han Yuan before quickly replied.

"Han Yuan..."

"He’s the one who killed Kong She in a single strike..."

"No wonder he’s so ruthless."

Wan Hong smiled faintly.

He yawned, walked over to the large shared bunk in the cell, and went to sleep.

With their Hall Master unwilling to cause any more trouble, the rest of the Fire Wolf Gang thugs naturally fell quiet, no longer daring to riot.

Han Yuan’s blade had thoroughly chilled them to the bone.

...

After Zhang Fang finished cleaning up, he had someone bring over some braised dishes and two jars of good wine, and began drinking with Han Yuan at a desk.

"Never would’ve guessed you had such a ruthless streak, kid."

Zhang Fang poured Han Yuan a cup of wine.

"People change, Old Zhang,"

Han Yuan said casually.

"Yeah... people change."

"Speaking of which, it’s been about half a year since your brother went missing, hasn’t it?"

Zhang Fang remarked with a sigh.

"About that," Han Yuan nodded.

"I remember seeing your brother twice before he disappeared,"

Zhang Fang said in a low voice, nibbling on some edamame.

"Where did you see him?" Han Yuan asked, puzzled.

"Right near the docks... My home is there."

"Your brother was alone. I greeted him, but he just gave a cold reply and hurried off."

Zhang Fang kept his voice very low.

Han Yuan was startled. "So you’re saying... right before my brother disappeared, he was going to the docks?"

"What... you didn’t know?" Zhang Fang seemed surprised.

"No... For the half a month before he went missing, he was always sneaking out by himself."

"I asked him about it, but he was always evasive."

"So I have no idea what was going on."

Han Yuan shook his head.

In the original owner’s memories, Han Jiudao had indeed said nothing.

"That makes it difficult," Zhang Fang said, taking a sip of wine.

"The docks... It might be related to the Cyan Sand Gang," Han Yuan murmured, his eyes flickering.

If it was within his power, he wanted to uncover the truth behind Han Jiudao’s disappearance.

’Even in death, one deserves to know why.’

Zhang Fang reminded him, "Han Yuan... it might not necessarily be related to the Cyan Sand Gang."

"It could just be a coincidence."

Han Yuan said softly, "Don’t worry."

"But this is the only clue I have."

"I’ll investigate it discreetly first."

With that, he raised his cup and clinked it against Zhang Fang’s.

Han Yuan remained in the prison until nightfall before leaving. Gao Yuan had arranged for another constable to take over his shift.

When Han Yuan walked out of the prison, he found that it had started to rain.

The rain wasn’t heavy, however, and Han Yuan couldn’t be bothered to borrow an umbrella, so he just walked home.

Walking along the dark, quiet street, the cool raindrops fell on his face.

A sense of tranquility settled over Han Yuan.

Suddenly, the rain began to fall harder.

Han Yuan had no choice but to take shelter under the eaves of a closed shop.

Not long after, another man wearing a Conical Hat ran in to take shelter from the rain.

"So late... Where are you headed, brother?"

Han Yuan asked.

Seeing Han Yuan’s Constable Uniform, the man scratched his head, not knowing how to answer.

"I get it."

"You’re off to find a girl for some fun, right?"

Han Yuan said with an understanding tone.

Out this late at night, most men were headed to the brothels.

After all, there wasn’t much entertainment in this world.

"It’s good that the Sir understands."

The man said with an awkward laugh.

"Is the Sir just heading back now?"

Seeing that Han Yuan seemed easy to talk to, the man asked another question.

"Can’t be helped. Had to work overtime."

"It’s a tough job."

Han Yuan sighed.

"Life is tough for everyone."

"We’re all just trying to make a living."

The man nodded.

The next moment, a dagger slid from his sleeve, and he lunged, stabbing viciously at Han Yuan’s abdomen.

WHOOSH!

The entire motion was as smooth as flowing water, executed with incredible speed.

The dagger was like a venomous snake striking from its den, ruthless, precise, and swift!

But in the next instant, the man seemed to hear the cry of a vicious bird.

A cold glint flashed before his eyes, landing on his neck.

PSHCHT!

A head flew into the air.

"There isn’t a single brothel around here... What kind of woman were you looking for?"

Han Yuan murmured, looking at the head that had fallen to the ground, its eyes wide with disbelief.

Still, he really wanted to know who had sent this man to assassinate him.

He searched the body but didn’t find even a single piece of broken silver.

He had no choice but to pick up the head and walk toward the County Yamen.

Just as he returned to the County Yamen, he ran into a frantic Wang Dahua, who was soaked to the bone by the rain.

"Dahua, what happened?"

Han Yuan asked with a frown.

Wang Dahua’s expression changed when he saw the bloody, severed head dangling from Han Yuan’s hand.

But he had no time to ask questions, blurting out, "Han Head, a group of masked men just stormed Changfeng Street, smashing everything in sight!"