Chapter 101: Taming

Han Li stood with his back to the black bear, facing the fighting crowd. Although the black bear moved very lightly, it was impossible for him to escape Han Li's notice.

So, when the black bear was only a few steps away and began its fierce pounce, Han Li subtly shifted, his entire body strangely turning to face the bear. He gave a faint smile as he watched the bear charge at him.

The black bear was startled, but having already lunged, he couldn't retreat. Helplessly, he roared, extending his two large, black-furred hands to viciously grab at Han Li. He prayed that this young man lacked fighting experience and would be intimidated by his fierce appearance, allowing him to succeed immediately.

Seeing the large, dark-skinned man still foolishly attacking him, Han Li's expression suddenly darkened. With a whoosh, he vanished from the black bear's sight.

The black bear inwardly cursed, quickly halted, and tried to turn and flee. But suddenly, a chill ran down his neck. A gleaming sword tip emerged from his throat, then vanished just as quickly. The black bear desperately clutched the profusely bleeding spot on his throat, attempting to speak, but only dry gurgles came from his windpipe before he collapsed to the ground.

Sun Ergou's face had turned ashen. He had personally witnessed the young man, ghost-like, move behind the black bear, then draw a flexible sword from his waist and effortlessly pierce the bear's throat with a single thrust. Now, the young man was taking out a piece of white cloth to wipe the gleaming, sharp blade.

The young man seemed to sense Sun Ergou's gaze. He looked up and gave Sun Ergou a faint smile.

Sun Ergou immediately recoiled his gaze as if he had seen a venomous snake. He felt no joy at the death of his rival, the black bear; instead, his heart was filled with a sense of sorrow for a fallen comrade, like a fox mourning the death of a rabbit.

He now fully realized that this young man was no 'fat sheep' to be fleeced; he was clearly a deadly King of Hell. And they, mere imps, had unknowingly stumbled right into the hands of these Lords of Hell. This was truly suicidal!

Sun Ergou's only hope now was that his subordinates could subdue the giant. If so, they might still have a chance to negotiate terms and save his life.

But when Sun Ergou clearly saw the situation with the giant, he was stunned.

More than twenty burly men now lay motionless on the ground, covered in blood. The giant stood upright, arms crossed, and when he saw Sun Ergou looking at him, he met his gaze with a cold stare.

Although the giant's face was obscured by his cloak, Sun Ergou still felt a bestial, bloodthirsty aura wash over him, turning his ashen face pale.

Han Li had been observing Sun Ergou's changing expressions with a cold eye. He saw that the man possessed no martial arts skill and was utterly terrified, so he had little interest in personally dealing with him.

"Qu Hun, kill him!" Han Li finally turned his head and said indifferently.

"No! I surrender! I'll give all my wealth to you, young master! I'll serve you as a loyal servant! I know all the major and minor happenings in Jiayuan City and can be of great service to you..." Sun Ergou, seeing the giant approaching him like a demon, was so terrified he collapsed to the ground, blabbering pleas for mercy.

"Oh?" Han Li had initially intended to ignore Sun Ergou's words, but when he heard that the man knew all the news of Jiayuan City, his interest was piqued.

"Hold on for now." Han Li stopped Qu Hun, who was about to twist Sun Ergou's neck, and walked a few steps closer to the man.

"Are you very familiar with Jiayuan City?" Han Li asked with a friendly smile.

But Sun Ergou, having just witnessed Han Li's ruthless side, dared not show the slightest disrespect. He stammered, "Very familiar, extremely familiar! I grew up in Jiayuan City, so I know every blade of grass and every tree like the back of my hand!"

At this moment, he felt as if he had grasped a lifeline and wished he could exaggerate his words tenfold to make himself seem more useful to the other party.

Upon hearing this reply, Han Li stroked his nose, tilted his head in thought, and then pulled a small porcelain bottle from his pocket.

He poured out a white pill, about the size of a longan fruit, and handed it to Sun Ergou.

"Either take it, or die!" Han Li stated bluntly.

Sun Ergou's hand trembled as he held the pill. He hesitated, looking at the object in his hand, but when his gaze met Han Li's icy stare, he shivered a few times before tilting his head back and swallowing the pill.

"Good, now I'll trust you." Han Li nodded in satisfaction.

"This is the Corroding Heart Pill, my unique secret medicine," Han Li said grimly. "You must take an antidote once a month, or your internal organs will rot, and you will die. I trust you're smart enough not to have second thoughts."

Although Sun Ergou had mentally prepared himself, his face still fell, and he looked dejected after hearing about the pill's effects.

"Don't worry," Han Li said, knowing that a carrot-and-stick approach motivates people to act diligently, "as long as you help me finish my business in Jiayuan City, I will completely cure you of this poison and set you free. With your skills, I truly wouldn't need you elsewhere." He offered Sun Ergou a glimmer of hope for freedom.

"Really, young master!" Sun Ergou's spirits lifted slightly at these words.

"Here's some silver for your expenses. First, clean this place up. I don't want anyone to know what happened here, understand?" Han Li tossed Sun Ergou a pouch of broken silver and calmly ordered.

Sun Ergou took the silver pouch and weighed it slightly; it was heavy, likely containing over a hundred taels of loose silver.

A look of joy appeared on his face. He suddenly felt that working for this extremely generous young man might not be a bad thing after all.

"Don't worry, young master, I'll absolutely take care of everything here perfectly, so you won't have any trouble!" he said, patting his chest with a fawning smile.

"Alright, I'll go ahead and find an inn to rest. Come find me first thing tomorrow morning. As a local boss, you should be able to find my whereabouts easily," Han Li instructed without ceremony.

"Yes! Yes! Tomorrow morning, I'll be there punctually to await your orders, young master!" At this point, Sun Ergou quite decisively embraced his new role as Han Li's subordinate.

Han Li smiled, told Qu Hun to pick up the large bag, and slowly left the area. After walking a considerable distance, Han Li looked back at Sun Ergou and saw him still standing dutifully in place, watching them leave, appearing utterly loyal.

"Interesting!" Han Li suddenly found the man quite amusing and perceptive. Perhaps he could indeed prove very useful.