The Poison Hall was eerily silent.
Yu Lie stood tall, cupping his hands toward the surrounding people, his voice clear as he spoke:
"Thank you all for your trouble. When the officials arrive later, please bear witness for this humble Daoist. It was Du Liang who attacked me first, and I had no choice but to end his life to protect my own."
His words, however, did not restore the lively atmosphere.
Instead, they made the crowd even more silent.
Nine out of ten Dao disciples glanced at Yu Lie, who looked as if nothing had happened, and then at Du Liang, whose body was mangled and bloody.
Their expressions were strange.
Some immediately cursed in their hearts: "You had no choice but to strike? You’re lying to ghosts! It was clearly Du Liang who fell into your trap, had his antidote stolen, and was forced to fight for his life!"
But the next moment, the words that came out of their mouths were the exact opposite of what they were thinking:
"Absolutely! Brother Yu is right! I can bear witness that Du Liang brought this upon himself with his narrow-mindedness!"
Once the first person spoke, the others seemed to thaw from their frozen state, their faces lighting up with excitement.
"Brother Yu! From today onward, the Poison Hall will bear your name!"
"Du Liang was a useless parasite. Serves him right!"
Aside from those who echoed Yu Lie’s words, those who had been close to Du Liang looked even more ashen.
They opened their mouths as if to say something, but when they met Yu Lie’s smiling gaze, they wisely shut their mouths and slunk away, either retreating from the scene or hiding behind the crowd.
Even the mid-level Dao disciple who had been close to Du Liang kept a stiff face, not uttering a word, and led his people out of the Poison Hall.
With Du Liang dead, their friendship naturally dissolved.
As for Yu Lie killing Du Liang on the spot, it was done in front of everyone, and it was indeed Du Liang who had struck first.
Yu Lie had merely defended himself.
Even if there were details worth discussing, now was not the time to argue.
It was better for them to avoid the spotlight and focus on their own affairs.
"Let him be arrogant for a while!" Those who left in disgrace comforted themselves in their hearts, trying to save face.
But no matter what, when they turned back and saw Yu Lie standing among the crowd, they realized that the name "Yu Lie" had already taken root in the Poison Hall.
Within a few days, it would reach the ears of most Dao disciples in the Alchemy Hall, and he would no longer be an ordinary figure.
Moreover, whether poisoned or not, Yu Lie had just genuinely killed a mid-level Dao disciple.
His performance was far from that of an ordinary newly promoted mid-level disciple.
He was not to be underestimated!
Yu Lie stood in the center of the hall, looking at the smiling faces around him and the corpse of Du Liang at his feet.
A sense of感慨 (emotion) welled up in his heart.
In Blackwater Town, in the Poison Hall of the Alchemy Hall, sometimes rising in status was as simple as this.
"One falls, one stands. The one who stands gains status!" Yu Lie’s eyes gleamed.
At that moment, a voice called out beside him:
"Brother Yu!"
Yu Lie snapped out of his thoughts and looked over, immediately seeing a few "rough and tumble" faces, their expressions filled with joy and delight, brighter than anyone else’s.
It was Radish Head and the others.
Yu Lie smiled and nodded toward them.
Radish Head and the others quickly approached, chattering excitedly:
"Brother Yu, when will you become a high-level Dao disciple?"
"Hahaha! Du Liang brought this upon himself…" Radish Head and the others were even happier than Yu Lie at the moment.
Yu Lei was happy to chat with them, as they had been the only ones who had stood by him during the earlier confrontation.
However, after a while, Old Hu rubbed his hands together and leaned in, whispering to Yu Lie:
"Brother Yu, killing Du Liang is one thing, but we can't ignore the officials. We need to smooth things over with them. Also, regarding the Alchemy Hall, I’ve heard that Du Liang often sent gifts and money to the head of the Processing Hall…"
Yu Lie had noticed Old Hu’s actions throughout the day, and now that Old Hu was offering advice, he couldn’t help but take it seriously.
Killing Du Liang was a big deal, but handling the aftermath was even more critical.
Yu Lie didn’t put on airs.
Instead, he tilted his head and asked, "Old Hu, no need to be polite with me. If you have any advice, just say it."
Radish Head and the others quieted down as Yu Lie sought counsel.
Amid the noisy crowd, their little group was unusually calm.
Old Hu, seeing that Yu Lie still respected him—even more so now—felt a sense of satisfaction deep down, though his face remained unchanged.
Old Hu grinned and continued rubbing his hands.
"The officials are simple. What you did today was within the rules. Even if there are minor issues, as long as you don’t make a fuss and hand over Du Liang’s body for an ‘autopsy,’ it’ll be fine…"
Yu Lie glanced at Du Liang’s corpse and immediately understood.
Du Liang had been killed in front of everyone, and with so many witnesses, no matter how much the officials investigated, Yu Lie wouldn’t face much trouble.
However, as a mid-level Dao disciple, Du Liang’s body, with its copper tendons and iron bones, was valuable.
It could be used for refining corpses, and his death was legitimate… If handed over to the officials, they would surely take it without question.
Yu Lie nodded and cupped his hands toward Old Hu.
"Understood. I’ll leave these matters to you, Old Hu."
He then narrowed his eyes and added, "The Poison Hall is under the Processing Hall. Regardless of Du Liang’s relationship with the head of the Processing Hall, now that I’m in charge of the Poison Hall, I must establish good relations with the hall master. Please help me gather some information. If I want to send gifts, I’ll need to know the right channels."
Old Hu nodded, smiling as he agreed.
"Brother Yu understands this, so it’ll be easy to handle."
Radish Head and the others, hearing the two of them come to a decision, let out a sigh of relief.
Their last bit of worry vanished.
In their eyes, pure joy replaced any lingering concerns.
With Du Liang dead and Yu Lie promoted to head of the Poison Hall, wouldn’t they, as his old comrades, also rise in rank and gain a powerful backer?
That very day, Yu Lie did not disappoint Radish Head and the others.
After killing Du Liang, Yu Lie, despite being poisoned, managed to handle the aftermath.
He dealt with the officials who arrived, summoned ghost soldiers, and handed over the corpse.
He also sent people to raid Du Liang’s private quarters in the Poison Hall and even boldly joined the officials in confiscating Du Liang’s residence in the town.
As the "victim" of Du Liang’s "attack," Yu Lie had some justification to demand compensation for his injuries.
Confiscating Du Liang’s property was one way to seek recompense in the town.
However, the spoils from the raid were meager, amounting to only three or four thousand in value.
It was unclear whether Du Liang had hidden his wealth elsewhere or if he was genuinely poor.
In the end, the most valuable item was Du Liang’s own body.
As for the confiscated wealth, Yu Lie didn’t keep a single coin.
Instead, he immediately sent Radish Head to deliver it to the head of the Processing Hall as a gift.
After handling these matters, Yu Lie swiftly dismissed a group of minor leaders in the Poison Hall.
In one fell swoop, he promoted Radish Head, Old Hu, and the other two to minor leadership positions!
The old group of five was overjoyed, while Du Liang’s former lackeys trembled with fear and regret.
First update of the day.
Three more chapters to come.
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(End of Chapter)