A True Hero Doesn't Hesitate Like A Pussy To Kill Others
Unconsciously, the sun gradually set as the crescent moon took its place.
In the night, the moonlight shone brightly but was overpowered by the numerous street lights in the merchant shops.
The merchant shop tonight was swarming with business. Yami was squeezed left and right as he entered, hearing all sorts of conversations inadvertently.
"The stores normally open for three days and three nights. Tonight is already the second night, by the morning of the day after, the merchant caravan would have left on their journey already. Thus, we have to hurry if we want to buy anything."
"I saw a Golden Bell Gu yesterday, sigh, too bad it was too expensive. After haggling with the shopkeeper for a long time, it did not get any cheaper. I'll go and take a look tonight."
"Did you guys hear? Last night, a young man opened a Mudskin Toad and earned a profit of five hundred primeval stones!"
…
Yami listened attentively, feeling disappointment in his heart as he did not hear anything about the Liquor worm.
"The Liquor worm is only a Rank one Gu worm but it is extremely meaningful to a rank 1 Gu Master, yet it's useless to a Rank two or Rank three Gu Master as they are unable to refine their primeval essence any further with it. Thus it is normal that no one paid attention to this. However taking the initiative to expose the matter of the Liquor worm cannot be rushed for a period of time. If I overdo it, it might end up letting the cat out of the bag." As Yami walked, he pondered silently in his heart.
At this point, there was a hustle in front of him.
Next, Yami heard someone shout, "Quickly come and see, there's a dishonest merchant here selling fake Gu to our clansmen!"
Anger stirred among the crowd.
"Oh? There's something like that happening."
"Go and see quickly, which shop dares to cheat our clansmen!"
Yami followed the crowd and moved towards the commotion as well.
What met his eyes were a group of people surrounding the mouth of a large red tent, the massive crowd swarming it. Some were curiously watching while others stared coldly, but most of the people were enshrouded with a sense of anger.
Outside the tent stood two people.
One of them was a young Rank two Gu Master, whose attire showed that he was obviously from the Konoha Clan.
The other person had a familiar face - it was the owner of the gambling den, Uchiha Sasuke.
The young Gu Master held a black Gu worm in his hands, raising it up and shouting to the crowd, "My clansmen, this person in front of me sold me a fake Gu yesterday. Lying to me that it was a Black Boar Gu, and sold it to me for two hundred and fifty primeval stones. To think that when I got home to refine it, I realized that it was not a Black Boar Gu but simply an ordinary stinky fat worm!"
Uchiha Sasuke laughed coldly, "Don't accuse me falsely. Since when did I tell you it was a Black Boar Gu? What proof do you have?"
The young Gu Master on seeing Uchiha Sasuke's denial, fell into a rage and grabbed Uchiha Sasuke's wrist, "You cunning merchant, you dare to deny it! You actually dare to lie to me of the Konoha Clan on Elemental Mountain itself, are you trying to look for death?!"
"Let go of me!" Uchiha Sasuke was also furious as he flicked his wrist, slapping away the young Gu Master's hand, "If you want to find trouble and extort money, you should find a better target. I am not afraid of you! My brother is Uchiha Itachi, a Rank four Gu Master, what can you do to me?"
"You!" The young Gu Master stared with his eyes wide, but did not dare to take action. The name of a Rank four Gu Master was enough to intimidate him.
"Bah!" Uchiha Sasuke spat on the ground, raising his head and looked at the young Gu Master, laughing in disdain, "It was you who wanted to take advantage of the cheap Gu. Didn't you use your brain to think, why a Black Boar Gu which can raise a Gu master's strength, being such a rare Gu worm, was sold even more cheaply than a Liquor worm? It is normally sold at six hundred primeval stones. Did you think that you could buy one for just two hundred and fifty primeval stones? Dream on!"
"Bastard…" The young Gu Master gritted his teeth, his face flushing red as he trembled out of anger, his chest burning with the rage of humiliation.
There were chatters among the people as they got restless, discussing furiously. But no one dared to step up, for the Rank four Gu Master status of Uchiha Itachi was like a giant hill in front of them, stabilizing the crowd.
"This lad is too vicious, what a cunning merchant!"
"No wonder he dared to be so arrogant on Elemental Mountain, he is actually Uchiha Itachi's little brother."
"I heard that they are just half-brothers, but even with that Rank one cultivation, he is able to use this relationship to act unrestrained in the caravan."
"What happened here exactly?" At this moment, a loud voice spoke out.
"Uchiha Itachi is here!"
"The leader is here to settle the dispute, everyone give way."
The discussion came to a halt as everyone separated and formed a narrow path between them.
A middle-aged Gu Master having a muscular short body coupled with a giant belly, walked in. He wore a long-sleeved yellow robe, being the leader of the merchant caravan, Uchiha Itachi.
"Sir Uchiha Itachi, my regards." The young Gu Master was furious but did not dare to say anything. He forced himself to endure the anger and paid respects to Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Sasuke was frozen on the spot, not expecting his brother to arrive, his face suddenly pale as anger flashed across his eyes.
This peculiar expression was captured by Yami who was observing from afar as he pondered about the situation.
"Hello, young Gu Master, what is the problem here?" Uchiha Itachi walked to the middle of the crowd and asked amicably.
The young Gu Master was flattered and he cupped his fists again. Looking at the surrounding clansmen, he bucked up his courage and explained the entire situation.
"So that's what happened!" Uchiha Itachi nodded while listening. Next, he asked Uchiha Sasuke, "Little brother, is this true?"
Uchiha Sasuke turned his head away and snorted coldly, not looking at his brother.
Uchiha Itachi pondered solemnly.
The surrounding people were silent, not daring to interrupt his thoughts. All awaited in anticipation of his verdict.
This matter was in fact, due to Uchiha Sasuke's scam, but the young Gu Master was also at fault for being greedy and not being vigilant himself, otherwise he would not have gotten cheated.
If Uchiha Itachi wanted to defend his brother, with his Rank four cultivation, even the Konoha Clan leader could not do anything.
Uchiha Itachi thought for a while before finally speaking. "I've understood the situation, my brother is at fault for this matter, causing this young man to suffer a loss and buy fake products, I am really sorry!" Saying so, he cupped his fists towards the young Gu Master.
"Sir Uchiha Itachi!" The young Gu Master was largely surprised, and quickly said modestly, "You are a Rank four Gu Master, I am merely a Rank two, this is too much for me, too much!"
Uchiha Itachi waved his hand: "Hehe, this has nothing to do with cultivation levels, I act impartially regardless of ability. A wrong is a wrong, I apologise to you on behalf of the merchant caravan. As for compensation, how about this, you lost two hundred and fifty primeval stones, so I will compensate double that amount to you on behalf of the Uchiha Family."
He executed his promise immediately, as a follower took out five money bags and handed it to the young Gu Master in public.
Every money bag was filled to the brim, each containing a hundred primeval stones.
The young Gu Master took over the money bag, so overwhelmed that he could not say anything.
"However, I have a word of advice to you." Uchiha Itachi continued and reminded, "A Black Boar Gu is very rare, for it is able to raise a Gu Master's strength permanently. Although it is only Rank one, it is very hard to find on the market. Every time one appears in the market, it would be bought immediately. The pricing is around six hundred primeval stones. Trying to get one with two hundred and fifty primeval stones is impractical."
"Junior has learnt his lesson!" The young Gu Master bowed deeply to Uchiha Itachi in gratitude.
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Sir Uchiha Itachi is brilliant!"
"Magnificent, as expected of Sir Uchiha Itachi!"
"As a Rank four Gu Master, he did not make use of his status to bully the weaker party, Sir Uchiha Itachi really is the role model of the righteous path."
"No, no." Uchiha Itachi smiled, cupping his fists towards the crowd, modestly saying, "Our Uchiha Family business bases our principles on trust and honesty. Everyone, my brother is young and foolish, liking to play pranks on others. He is actually very kind, I hope everyone can be more bearing of him, don't take it to heart."
The crowd's cheers became even louder.
"Hmph!" Uchiha Sasuke's expression was ugly as he stomped on the ground and walked into the tent. Next he walked out from the back of the tent.
Yami looked at this silently, thinking in his heart, "It seems that the image wall at the Flower Wine Monk's place can be sold."
The Flower Wine Monk had used a Photo-audio Gu to record the ugly acts of the 4th generation Konoha Clan leader. Before he died, with indignance in his heart, used the Photo-audio Gu and slapped it on the wall, creating an image wall. The image wall's images continued to loop, showing the truth to the people.
With the intention of maximizing his profits, Yami had wanted to sell this image wall long ago. He believed that the other two clan families on Elemental Mountain, the Kiri family and Iwa family would be very interested in this image wall.
But to sell this personally would be very inappropriate. His cultivation was too weak and if he brought this image wall to the other villages, he could easily be silenced.
Even if the transaction was successful and he managed to return safely, there was no secret that would stay a secret forever, and once it was revealed to the Konoha's higher-ups, he would be kicked out of the clan family at best.
In accordance to Yami's plans, he still needed to make use of the Konoha Clan. Thus, the safest way was to sell it to a certain merchant in the caravan. All of them were outsiders, and were not involved in the disputes among the villages, thus it was the best choice for him.
In just one day, this caravan would leave the Konoha mountain village and lead towards either the Iwa family or the Kiri family.
Yami could reduce his risks to the minimum by selling to them; it was the safest method.
…
"One more cup!"
"Wine, where's the wine?"
"Quickly get me the wine, are you afraid that I'm unable to pay?"
Uchiha Sasuke slammed the mushroom table as he howled.
"Young master, here's your wine!" The clerk quickly brought him his wine.
Uchiha Sasuke grabbed the bamboo cup and tilted his head and gulped the liquor.
"Good wine!" He laughed loudly, sounding coarse and bleak.
With a bang, he placed the cup on the table and howled again. "Get me another glass, I want as many as you can supply!"
The clerks did not dare to offend him and could only do as he said.
Luckily, this wine house was already full of people. Not only were the mushroom tables packed with people, even the surrounding streets were packed with people. Uchiha Sasuke's drunkard temperament was not very peculiar in this bustling street.
Uchiha Sasuke drank cup by cup, wanting to drown his sorrows. With his back facing the crowd, no one observed that as he drank, two clear lines of tears flowed down his cheeks.
Who would know of his pain, his sorrow?
A hateful person has to have his pitiful side, conversely. Everybody had their own stories.
Amongst his brothers, he was the youngest, being the most handsome and resembling his father the most, thus being the most doted by his father. But heaven made fun of him by giving him only D grade talent.
As he grew up, he lived under the pressure of his brothers. He was indignant and wanted to resist, but with that talent, there was nothing he could do.
His father felt death approaching and wanted to split his assets. Two people were to lead a merchant caravan. They pledged to break up the family property in accordance to the results.
Uchiha Sasuke wanted to rely on his own method to acquire the family assets and the recognition of his clan. But to think that he became his brother's stepping stone once again.
When Uchiha Itachi appeared, he knew he fell into a trap. This was a scheme right from the beginning. But what could he do? Once he entered this caravan, he was doomed to be Uchiha Itachi's fodder. Rank four and Rank one was such a huge gap that he was powerless to fight again.
"Uchiha Itachi!" He forced this name out of his mouth, his eyes burning with the flames of hatred, he was unable to take it lying down!
"Do you wish to deal with your brother? I can help you." At this time, he heard a voice.
Uchiha Sasuke was stunned but when he turned around, he saw that for quite a while, there was someone sitting beside him.
He shook his head and blinked a few times, finally seeing who it was.
Who else if not for Yami?
"It's you!" He stared at Yami, slightly angry, "I remember you! Lucky lad, getting a Mudskin Toad from my gambling den! You're here to mock me?"
Yami looked at Uchiha Sasuke, his eyes cold as water. "I have a huge business, so if you wish to acquire better results and get more assets, why not listen to me?"
Uchiha Sasuke was suspicious. His back straightened and he sat up, "How do you know about the matter of the assets?"
This secret was not easily known to outsiders, but Yami was easily able to guess it.
"The Uchiha Family's business is not top secret, how can it evade people who wish to know?" Yami laughed coldly and thought of a memory from his previous life.
The Uchiha Family head was a legendary figure who started from scratch. He made his fortune through the merchant caravans and revived the Uchiha Family's village. He gradually got old, and when he could feel that his time was up, he got his children to form a caravan in twos and according to their results, split the assets. The better they did, the more family assets they get.
But his eldest son Uchiha Itachi and second son Uchiha Obito were extremely talented. After competing for six to seven years, they still could not come to a conclusion, and even after the family head died, there was no clear victor.
After the Uchiha Family head died, there was an enormous amount of assets. While competing for the assets, the two brothers' conflict escalated and both called in external help, causing a large scale Gu competition. Finally, the both of them died. The Uchiha Family that had prospered quickly also failed quickly, causing people to talk about it in amazement.
Uchiha Sasuke squinted his eyes, for Yami's explanation was irrefutable. He thought, from the time his father declared the asset distribution, it had already been two years. There are no impenetrable walls in the world, so even if someone found out about it, it's nothing strange.
His real worry was whether this was another trap by Uchiha Itachi. But no matter what, there was no harm listening.
Yami did not speak immediately. He surveyed the surroundings. This was the same wine cellar he came into in the afternoon. The shopkeeper operated independently, and at night, the shop was bustling with business.
Discussing here was a far safer place than a quiet environment, as it could avoid the eavesdropping of certain Gu worms.
He hooked his fingers at Uchiha Sasuke. "Lend me your ear."
Uchiha Sasuke unhappily snorted, but still slanted his head forward.
After hearing Yami's description, he frowned and looked at Yami coldly. "This business involves the three families on Elemental Mountain, and we merchants detest getting involved in other people's disputes. Hmph, you were sent here by Uchiha Itachi to harm me right?"
Yami had long expected for him to be suspicious. He did not bother to explain, but got up and left. "Hehe, in that case, I'll go talk to your brother."
Uchiha Sasuke squinted his eyes, staring at Yami. Only until Yami had left the wine shop did he lose his patience. He chased out of the tent and caught up to Yami, "Don't go, we can have a talk."
Yami placed both hands behind his back, staring at him from the side, coldly saying, "I know you are suspicious of me, but now that your brother has you firmly caught, you're almost close to finished. If you choose to believe in me, there's still hope, if not you're doomed. Are you daring enough to take this bet?"
Uchiha Sasuke's expression changed as he corrected and said, "Uchiha Itachi is but only a little older, I have never acknowledged him as my brother! But you're right, I'm taking this bet."
Yami said solemnly, "Two thousand primeval stones, no haggling."
Uchiha Sasuke laughed bitterly, "Too expensive, this trade involves high risk."
"The greater the risk, the greater the rewards." Yami shook his head, his attitude firm, "If you sell it to those two families, you will only earn much more."
Uchiha Sasuke nodded, showing a hint of seriousness, "This I believe, for these years the Kiri family has been growing fast, and an A grade talent called Haku has appeared recently, he has a great future ahead. Elemental Mountain's situation is gradually changing. Your Konoha family's dominance is wavering, and if I sell this to the Kiri family, I can at least earn twice as much!"
Hearing Uchiha Sasuke's understanding of the Elemental Mountain's situation, Yami could not help but evaluate him again, thinking: 'This Uchiha Sasuke, he is still a merchant family member after all, not those useless second generations."
Uchiha Sasuke sighed, "Regardless of whether this is a trap, I'm jumping in. I promise you, two thousand primeval stones it is! However, I want to see the merchandise first."
"Of course, come with me." Yami laughed as he led the way. Uchiha Sasuke was already trapped in the urn, and the situation was fully in Yami's grasp.
Following his memories, Yami brought Uchiha Sasuke to the cavern in the mountain.
The two entered the crack in the stone, and the path became more narrow as their vision was dyed in darkness. Uchiha Sasuke grew more vigilant as he was in an unfamiliar environment.
Finally, he could not hold it in any further, "I have a question, Uchiha Itachi always treats people with honesty and is amicable with a good reputation. On the other hand, I lied and cheated, forcing transactions through coercion. Why did you choose to deal with me and not him?"
Yami's voice travelled through the stone crack. "Because his cultivation is too high, so if he sees the image wall, he can choose to deal with me, or abandon the deal and just give the image wall to the Konoha Clan head. I do not like giving the decision-making to others, furthermore I do not believe in integrity. The so-called prestigious reputation is just because the profits are small and are unable to incur his greed."
More importantly, it was because Uchiha Sasuke's position was special, for his cultivation was weak and he was easy to manipulate. Yami was naturally not going to mention this, of course.
"Hehe." Uchiha Sasuke laughed dryly, his suspicions mostly gone immediately. "That last sentence really resonated within me."
The two finally got into the secret cave.
Uchiha Sasuke saw the image wall at once, and could not help but laugh loudly, "Haha, I guessed right, you didn't lie to me!"
Yami stood behind him, laughing lightly, not saying anything.
Uchiha Sasuke looked at the wall, seeing the changing images and the animosity between the Flower Wine Monk and the 4th generation clan leader.
He looked at it once and retracted his gaze, looking at Yami, mocking, "Your 4th generation ancestor doesn't look that strong huh."
Yami replied, "This is nothing. The Konoha Clan needed a hero, thus the 4th generation became a hero. Not long after, the Kiri family needs a despicable scum, so the 4th generation will become a degenerate. Hero, scum, all these are just people's opinions."
"Well said!" Uchiha Sasuke laughed as he surveyed the cave.
His sight was set on the corpse of the Flower Wine Monk, and he stopped for a while before saying, "What a pity, a Rank five powerhouse. You've gotten much benefits from him huh?"
A Rank five Gu Master's inheritance was significant. Uchiha Sasuke's heart beat faster upon thinking of this, and he could not help but ask.
Yami shook his head. "It's been so long, most of the Gu are dead, I only got a Liquor worm."
Uchiha Sasuke did not believe him. "Don't lie to me brother, as long as this deal goes through, we are accomplices, I won't reveal any information. Tell me honestly, what did you gain from this?"
Yami laughed coldly and did not bother replying him.
Uchiha Sasuke's response was anticipated, and this was also why Yami chose him over Uchiha Itachi.
Uchiha Sasuke continued to say: "At the very least, I know the Flower Wine Monk has a Thousand Li Earthwolf spider. That is a Rank five steed-type Gu, with a large body and is proficient in burrowing underground. The Flower Wine Monk was a demonic cultivator, and his ability to get about freely was mostly due to this Thousand Li Earthwolf spider, allowing him to escape from the righteous cultivators."
"Oh, there's something like that?" Yami frowned. Regarding the Flower Wine Monk, he did not have much information.
Uchiha Sasuke smugly said, "I came to your village last year and heard this legend, and I found it interesting so I went home and researched about it. The Thousand Li Earthwolf spider and Flower Wine Monk were inseparable, and in my opinion, this cave should have been dug out by the spider. Otherwise, with the Elemental Mountain's rich and heavy soil, how can a cave like this form? Brother, you don't have to conceal it anymore. The Flower Wine Monk died here so there's definitely his Thousand Li Earthwolf spider here!"
Yami frowned even more deeply, feeling a sense of discomfort, his gaze grim, "Yes, there are no other exits here. The Thousand Li Earthwolf spider is massive, he would not have been able to squeeze out from the crack we just walked through. However, there is a possibility that the Thousand Li Earthwolf was plotted against and killed by the 4th generation. Seeing that image wall, even when the Flower Wine Monk was fighting he did not summon the Thousand Li Earthwolf spider."
"That makes the situation even more peculiar. This cave is not formed naturally, thus it has to be created by the Flower Wine Monk. Without the Thousand Li Earthwolf spider, could there be any other methods?" Uchiha Sasuke looked at Yami suspiciously.
Yami's frown swelled into a knot as he felt more and more uncertain. From Uchiha Sasuke's information, he found out something: it appears as if there was a crucial point that he had missed out.
He could not help but fall into deep thoughts.
Uchiha Sasuke was thinking too, the image wall was no longer enough for him. Once he confirmed that the situation was real, he wanted to dig out the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance from Yami.
But at this time, something unexpected to the two of them happened!
The image wall which was playing endlessly, suddenly changed its image.
A gravely injured, pale bald Gu Master replaced the original video and appeared on the wall.
He weakly sprawled on the ground, his back facing the wall. His chest and limbs were deeply cut, but the strange thing was that his wounds did not bleed, as if his entire body's blood had been drained out.
"I am the Flower Wine Monk." The bald Gu Master laughed, his expression distorted with madness, "Future person, no matter who you are, to endure this video and let it play for nearly one hundred days, it proves that you have no good will towards the Konoha family. Very well, you shall be my successor! My entire inheritance is yours, but I have a condition. You must exterminate the Konoha Clan for me. Murder the entire clan and leave no one alive!"
Uchiha Sasuke was stunned on the spot, his face frozen with shock.
"A Rank five powerhouse, the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance!"
He was stunned, and for a moment his brains were churning and thinking.
"My god! A Rank five powerhouse, what does that mean? Rank three is a family elder, Rank four is a village lord, and a Rank five is a mountain lord, able to rule over a mountain and do as he pleases! To think that in this tiny place, there is a Rank five Gu Master's power inheritance."
"Wait, Flower Wine Monk is a demonic cultivator, so if I inherit his powers, is it inappropriate? No, strength has nothing to do with good or evil. The Flower Wine Monk wants his successor to destroy the Konoha Clan, but do I really have to? He's already dead, I just have to take his inheritance and ignore those issues."
"This is a godsend opportunity. Even with my D grade talent, if I inherit the Flower Wine Monk's inheritance, I might be able to improve my talent. Those rare talent-raising Gu worms, they might be part of the inheritance. If I inherit this fortune and become a Rank four or five Gu Master, I'd be able to contest with Uchiha Itachi!"
"Wait! I almost forgot, there's an outsider, what should I do?"
"Should I split the inheritance with him? No, kill him! Only by killing him can I protect this secret. Yes, I should calm him down first, and lie that we're going to split the treasure. Getting rid of his guard, then assaulting him and killing him here. This place is so hidden, it's great. Even if I kill him, nobody would know."
Although he thought of all these, it was merely a moment in real life.
Having a plan, he squinted and revealed a fake smile.
He slowly turned around and faced Yami but just as he was about to speak, he saw two blue moonblades flying towards him.
His pupils dilated into the size of a pin; the distance was too small, he could not respond in time!
"You…" His voice came to a halt.
The moonblade aimed accurately for his neck, and in an instant, his skull flew into the air, fresh blood pouring out like a fountain.
After two seconds, his corpse plopped on the ground.
The scalding blood poured on the mountain walls, dyeing the withering vines red.
"Don't think so much when killing people." Yami looked at the corpse plainly and then shifted his gaze towards the image wall.
"To think there was such a twist here. How interesting," He muttered as his eyes emitted an eerie glow.
