Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 631: The Bait Is Cast

"Who are you?" Elder Bai demanded in a deep, rumbling voice.

Han Yu looked at him with half a smile that was devoid of warmth. "No one worthy to remember."

The crowd flinched at the sheer indifference in his tone.

Elder Bai bared his teeth, fury crackling in his eyes. "You have spat on the Birch Leaf Merchant Clan. Our young master has been harmed, our people humiliated. You will pay for this."

"Feel free to try," Han Yu replied.

His voice was calm. Too calm.

"Perhaps next time, you should bring someone with real strength. These guards are third rate at best."

The insult landed like a slap.

Elder Bai's eyes twitched as rage surged through him, but he did not take a single step forward. His instincts screamed that attacking now would only bring disaster. He could not risk Huamu Ye further. And he could not risk himself before investigating who this mysterious stranger truly was.

Han Yu had beaten nearly a dozen men without strain. Even Elder Bai himself had failed to land a single successful strike. That was enough to tell him this was no stray cultivator or merchant guard.

The guard captain stayed rooted in place.

He let Han Yu leave.

That alone shocked the crowd more than the fight itself.

Han Yu turned around and walked away leisurely. He did not hurry. He did not hide. He simply strolled down the street as if he had done nothing more than finish breakfast.

The crowd parted before him like water before a prow.

No one dared meet his eyes.

One man pressed himself against a wall, trembling uncontrollably. Another woman covered her mouth to silence a gasp. A few people rushed away immediately, fearful that even their presence might be mistaken as disrespect to Huamu Ye. Others slipped into side streets, eager to avoid becoming collateral damage.

Han Yu made several turns, entering an alleyway that twisted between houses and small shops. Once he was safely out of sight, he changed his clothes. The commoner outfit was removed. Another set of commoner robes were worn again. His cold expression returned like a mask sliding into place.

Then he returned to the Fen Clan courtyard.

Driver Yun was already outside waiting for him. The man had left soon after the confrontation began. His job had only been to create the initial spark in the crowd. Now he bowed deeply as Han Yu approached.

"Honored lord, welcome back."

Inside, Qing Luan and the others stood anxiously. They flinched at the sound of the gate but relaxed the moment Han Yu entered.

Qing Luan rushed forward. Her red eyes were filled with a mix of hope and dread. "Senior Ju Fan. What happened? Did the plan work?"

Fen Dugong and Fen Ziyue stood behind her, the elderly man holding Fen Mue who hid shyly behind his mother's robe.

Han Yu allowed a faint smile to tug at his lips.

"The bait has been cast," he said. "And the fish will bite. Now the Birch Leaf Merchant Clan will make their move. They will panic, they will retaliate, and they will reveal their hand."

Qing Luan listened with trembling anticipation.

Han Yu continued, "And when they do, I will have full justification to eradicate them."

Qing Luan's breath hitched.

"Eradicate… all of them?"

"If needed," Han Yu replied. "After all, they hold the debt that enslaves your family. They hold the support of the clan responsible for the fall of the Fen Clan. They took your clan's estate. They may have helped hide the truth behind everything that happened. They are perfect targets."

Fen Dugong bowed his head deeply. "Thank you, honored lord. We have no words to express our gratitude."

Fen Ziyue also knelt. Even little Fen Mue tried to kneel before his mother corrected his posture gently.

Qing Luan stood still, hands clenched, eyes burning. Rage simmered under her skin, but gratitude rose along with it. Green trust energy flowed from her like warm incense. Red fury danced behind it like fire.

Han Yu felt his plan sliding into place.

"This was only the beginning," he said. "The Birch Leaf Clan guard captain will report this to their higher-ups. They will seek revenge. And when they come for me, I will respond in kind."

Qing Luan asked, "What should we do now?"

"You," Han Yu said, "stay quiet. Let the merchants believe I am just some unknown cultivator who had the audacity to humiliate them. Their anger will blind them. The more foolish they become, the easier it will be to justify wiping them out."

Driver Yun nodded. "They will not expect a Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect disciple to be involved."

"Exactly," Han Yu said. "Not until it is too late."

Qing Luan felt chills run down her spine. She did not fear Han Yu. No. She feared what he could do for her. What he would unleash for her.

She bowed deeply. "Senior Ju Fan… please guide us."

Han Yu simply turned toward the window, sensing the distant ripples of commotion spreading through the town like wildfire.

"The Birch Leaf Clan will not sit still," he said softly.

"In fact, they will make their move very soon."

While Han Yu narrated all that had happened to Qing Luan, the Birch Leaf Merchant Clan estate seethed like a kicked hornet nest.

Servants ran across the courtyard in panic, spreading hushed whispers that only fed the chaos. Some whispered that Young Master Huamu Ye had been crippled. Others claimed that demons had attacked him. A few said an assassin from a rival clan had ambushed him in broad daylight.

But none of them expected the truth.

Inside the main hall, Huamu Ran, the patriarch of the Birch Leaf Merchant Clan, stood frozen beside the bed where his only son lay sprawled like a discarded rag.

Huamu Ye whimpered every few breaths, his puffy face twisted in pain, his eyes red and swollen from crying. He looked less like a young master and more like a child who had been beaten by an irate teacher.