Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 594: Trouble Comes Knocking

As night settled again over the Blood Moon Continent, the cave glowed with the soft red luminescence of Slaughtered Moon Qi. Xuan Qing quietly stirred the evening meal, Meng Jueyan sorted herbs with steady hands, and Han Yu reviewed his next puppet manual.

For the first time in months, the quiet around him felt less heavy. Almost calm.

Almost.

But Han Yu knew calm never lasted long in the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect. The month of peace that passed only meant the next storm would come soon.

And sure enough, Han Yu had just finished sorting the last of the herbs with Meng Jueyan when it happened.

KNOCK

A sudden, firm knock struck the cave door.

He froze.

Xuan Qing did not react beyond turning her blank eyes toward the entrance. Meng Jueyan stiffened, her fingers tightening around the mortar she held. Han Yu slowly set aside the dried Red Gooseberry stems and straightened.

No one ever came here.

The only people who visited were slaves delivering basic supplies, or the few who brought in materials from the alchemy division when requested. None of them knocked. They simply entered, bowed, dropped the crates, and left without a word.

’Who would come to my cave?’

A cultivator knocking was unusual. Suspicious. Wrong.

Han Yu silently moved toward the door, his expression settling into Ju Fan’s default cold glare. Every shred of caution he carried in this sect rose to the surface.

He opened the stone door.

CREAK

An Outer Court disciple stood outside, a man in his early thirties wearing dark maroon robes. He was at the Late stage of the Core Condensation realm and had an unmistakable sharpness in his gaze. More importantly, he wore a metal badge hanging at his chest.

A Deacon badge.

Not simple staff. Not hall attendants.

A person with authority.

Han Yu masked the slight tension in his shoulders and greeted him with Ju Fan’s usual cold indifference.

"What is it?"

The deacon grinned with a kind of oily smugness that made Han Yu want to punch him on sight.

He clasped his hands behind his back and said in a theatrical voice, "Congratulations, Junior Brother Ju Fan. You have been assigned an external mission by the sect."

Han Yu narrowed his eyes. ’An external mission? That too assigned without request?’

He did not respond right away. The deacon continued, clearly enjoying the moment.

"You are to report to the Harrow Mountains. There is an alchemical hall belonging to the Fatui Clan that requires our sect’s assistance. As the sect has noticed your... remarkable work as an alchemist, they have selected you to assist them."

Han Yu felt his eyebrow twitch slightly.

"Selected."

That meant there was no refusal allowed. These were not optional mission slips picked from the Mission Hall. This was a direct assignment. And direct assignments almost always came with hidden motives.

Han Yu’s voice stayed cold.

"My quota is already complete. I have done more than the required this month. There should be no reason to assign me to external work."

The deacon’s smirk widened as if he had been waiting for those exact words.

"Yes, we are aware. In fact, you have done three times the required amount. Which is exactly why you were chosen. Evidently, Junior Brother Ju Fan is very motivated to serve the sect."

Han Yu kept his hands still at his sides.

This was not how the system worked.

Excess contribution usually excused one from extra duties, not piled more on. This meant someone had specifically singled him out.

So he asked plainly.

"Who asked for me to be assigned?"

The deacon laughed softly. It was the ugly kind of laugh that carried satisfaction at someone else’s misfortune.

"Oh, come now. You already know. You caused quite a stir recently. You injured two disciples of Senior Brother Zhao Liumen and ruined their work schedule. Senior Brother Zhao was... displeased. He is a busy man. Missing subordinates is inconvenient."

Han Yu felt a faint coldness settle in his chest.

Zhao Liumen.

The name stirred faint recognition. He had heard it somewhere. He did not remember specific details, but the fact that someone in the sect was connected to the two men he crippled was not a surprise.

What mattered was that Zhao Liumen was clearly a person with influence. Enough to alter mission assignments. Possibly of the Inner Court.

The deacon leaned forward slightly, a skeptical grin on his lips.

"Consider this the natural consequence of your choices. Everything in this sect has a price. Especially disrespect."

Han Yu’s face remained blank, frozen in Ju Fan’s habitual scowl. He stared at the deacon with a gaze that barely concealed irritation.

An external mission meant several things.

One, he would be outside the main sect supervision.Two, he might be walking into an ambush arranged by Zhao Liumen.Three, the mission could be genuine but intentionally twisted to inconvenience or injure him.Four, he would be farther away from Xuan Qing and Meng Jueyan. Which was dangerous. Very dangerous.

But refusing was impossible. Only Core Disciples or Elders could reject a mandatory assignment. Even Inner Disciples struggled with refusal unless they had political allies.

Ju Fan did not have allies. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Han Yu accepted the scroll with controlled calm.

"Fine."

The deacon handed over a black sealed mission scroll and tapped the side with a smug flourish.

"Report tomorrow morning at the east gate. Supplies will be provided. And do not worry. Senior Brother Zhao Liumen always pays close attention to those he... rewards."

The veiled threat was obvious.

Or perhaps it was not veiled at all.

Han Yu did not react.

He simply nodded and placed the scroll into his ring.

"Is that all?"

"For now. Enjoy the journey, Junior Brother."

The deacon walked away laughing under his breath.

Han Yu closed the cave door slowly.

Inside the dimly lit space, the atmosphere felt suddenly heavy.

Meng Jueyan looked at him with faint concern. Xuan Qing stood still, waiting for instructions, her blank eyes unchanging.