Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 633: Elder Bai Makes His Move
Elder Bai did not rest that day even more a minute.
His pride, already stung by how easily Han Yu had neutralized him, festered like a bruise beneath the skin. Every time he recalled the slap that sent multiple guards flying, the bizarre moment when his mind turned hazy for half a breath, and the humiliation of failing to protect his young master, the anger twisted sharper.
But more importantly, the patriarch had given him an order.
Find him. Identify him. If nothing concrete turns up, capture him the next day.
So Elder Bai set the entire Birch Leaf Merchant Clan's network into motion.
He sent men to the taverns.
He sent them to the gambling houses.
He sent them to the bathhouses, eateries, merchants, and the quiet corners of the town where drifters gathered.
But Han Yu had been very careful.
He had changed into plain robes.
He had worn a wide hat during the encounter.
He had hidden his face by keeping his head slightly lowered in shadows and by turning his back to crowds whenever possible.
And most importantly, he had blended into the crowd like a passerby who left no mark.
It was as if he had materialized out of thin air.
Elder Bai returned to the clan estate after several hours with an ugly scowl on his already severe face.
The patriarch was waiting in the great hall.
"Report," Huamu Ran ordered.
Elder Bai bowed deeply. "Patriarch, the man's identity remains unknown. He first appeared on the street where the incident occurred. No one remembers seeing him before that."
Huamu Ran frowned. "So he is not a native of White Peacock Town."
"It appears so," Elder Bai confirmed. "I questioned the Mercenary Guild's informants as well. They found no records of any mercenaries matching his description. He might have arrived this morning or the night before."
Madam Shu, who sat beside the bed where her son groaned dramatically, burst out, "Then he will slip away! That beast must not be allowed to leave! Bai, bring him here now. I do not care if you must search every home in this town."
Huamu Ran raised a hand to silence her.
"If we search blindly, we will cause chaos and expose ourselves. We cannot afford to be seen as incompetent. But…" He turned to Elder Bai. "It has been a full night. We have gathered what little we can. Now we act."
Elder Bai clasped his fist. "Understood."
And with that, he left to prepare.
At that exact moment, Han Yu was finishing a bowl of deer bone broth in a humble eatery near the southern street.
He slurped the final mouthful with satisfaction and wiped his lips with a cloth.
"This place is pretty good," he murmured to himself while smirking. "Better than the sect kitchens at least."
Around him, the morning crowd was quiet. Some workers ate breakfast before heading to the fields. Some merchants prepared their goods. It was a peaceful scene, completely at odds with how much tension simmered in the Birch Leaf Estate.
Han Yu stretched lazily, paying the old owner with a few copper coins.
The man hurriedly bowed. "Thank you for the patronage. Please visit again."
Han Yu nodded and stepped out into the street.
And immediately he noticed something.
A faint ripple of Eight Emotions Energy.
Specifically, grey surprise mixed with caution. More importantly, those wisps were directed toward him from multiple directions.
He smiled internally.
"So they finally found me."
Han Yu did not quicken his pace. He did not slow down. He simply walked as if he had all the time in the world.
His goal was simple.
Give them the illusion they were in control.
Back at the Fen Clan's mall courtyard, Qing Luan fidgeted in worry. She had wanted to accompany Han Yu, but he firmly told her to stay put.
The restlessness made her heart pound.
"Will Honored Disciple be safe?" she whispered.
Fen Dugong shook his head. "Girl, someone like him is not so easily wounded. Do not underestimate a real cultivator."
Qing Luan bit her lip, unable to calm herself.
Driver Yun, who sat on a stool sharpening his knife, spoke up quietly.
"Young Miss, if anything happens, it is the Birch Leaf Clan that should be worried."
His eyes gleamed with cold understanding.
Meanwhile, Elder Bai was already on the move.
He had gathered a group of fifteen guards. Most were Qi refining realm cultivators, but five were stronger, including two at late Qi refining stage and one at core condensation early stage. The latter was someone he had specially recruited from the Mercenary guild.
It was more than enough force to capture an average troublemaker.
He split the group into three teams and threw them across the town, each tasked with finding the unknown man.
And in less than an hour, one team spotted him.
"That is him!"
The guard captain whispered sharply from the rooftop above a crowded bazaar.
Below, Han Yu walked between stalls with a bored expression, occasionally glancing at trinkets. He picked up a wooden carving shaped like a bear cub and inspected it with idle curiosity.
"Should we strike now?" a guard asked.
"No. Report to Elder Bai," the captain replied.
Within minutes, Elder Bai himself arrived, hopping across rooftops before landing quietly in an alley nearby.
He stared at Han Yu for several seconds.
He noted how casually he moved.
How relaxed he appeared.
How unworried he was.
This only deepened Elder Bai's suspicion.
"Not a simple man…"
He waved his hand.
"Surround him. No mistakes."
His men disappeared into the alleys.
The trap closed.
Han Yu placed the wooden bear cub back on the stall.
The old stall owner smiled nervously. "Sir, would you like to buy…?"
Han Yu shook his head lightly. "Not today."
Then he turned and walked straight down the road.
He felt the net closing in.
Spirit sense picked up movement on rooftops. Guards pretending to browse stalls. A few men trying to blend into the crowd but failing because of their stiff posture and nervous eyes.
And then he sensed the familiar presence of Elder Bai.
