Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 678: Talking With Madam Cold Fang

Madam Cold Fang led Han Yu down a side corridor, far from the noise. As they walked, Han Yu could feel her cultivation clearly now.

Not Core Condensation, not Nascent Soul but stronger... Much stronger.

Every step she took felt like the mountain itself moving.

And for the first time since entering Frost Plume Town, Han Yu felt something close to true danger.

But instead of fear, he felt interest.

This town, it seemed, hid more than just courtesans and hunters.

As Madam Cold Fang led Han Yu through the pavillion, he found it to be nothing like the rest of the Frost Lily Pavilion.

Outside, there had been music, laughter, silk curtains, perfume, and warmth.

Here, there was only quiet.

Not the peaceful kind either, but the kind of silence that felt layered. As if sound itself had been peeled away again and again, until nothing could pass through.

Han Yu felt it immediately.

'This...'

The arrays.

They were everywhere.

Not just one or two formations layered together like most wealthy halls would do. These were dozens, overlapping in complex patterns. Some were for isolation. Some for detection. Some for defense. Some he could not even guess.

He let his spirit sense stretch carefully, just a thread of it.

It slid across the corridor and then… stopped.

It wasn't blocked, nor repelled but simply guided away, as if the space itself politely refused to be seen.

Han Yu's heart grew heavier.

Even in the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect, only elders or true masters of formations could create spaces like this. And even then, they usually relied on massive resources and teams of formation masters.

Here, in a remote town at the edge of the mountains, a courtesan pavilion had defenses that rivaled inner sect halls.

Yet Madam Cold Fang walked ahead calmly, as if none of this was special.

Her steps were light, her posture straight. She did not look back, yet Han Yu felt as if she knew exactly where he was, how he moved, even how his breath changed.

They passed through three hidden doors and each one opened without sound. Each one was sealed again the moment they passed.

Finally, they reached the innermost chamber.

CREAK

The door opened.

Han Yu stepped inside and stopped.

The room was not grand.

In fact, it was simple.

There was a desk of dark wood, polished but not flashy. A low table to the side with two cushions. A few porcelain decorations placed carefully on shelves, each depicting mountains, rivers, clouds, or lonely trees in winter.

On the walls hung several scrolls.

Some were calligraphy, written in strong, steady strokes. Others were ink paintings of landscapes so vivid they almost felt alive.

But what drew Han Yu's eyes the most were the two branches placed at the head of the room.

They stood in a tall stand like precious artifacts.

One was deep blue, almost like frozen midnight. From it grew flowers that looked like ice crystals, sharp and elegant.

The other was pale blue, soft and clear, with flowers shaped like little bells.

They were not real though, they were carved.

But not from wood or metal... Not even from jade.

Han Yu did not know what stone it was, but the moment his spirit sense brushed against them, he felt it. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Power.

Dense.

Heavy.

Refined.

These were spirit tools.

They were certainly not low grade, not mid grade or even high grade. They were likely above high grade. Treasures that could be heirlooms of sects. And here they were, sitting quietly in a private room of a pavilion.

Han Yu forced his face to remain calm.

Inside, his thoughts raced.

'This woman is not just strong... She is dangerous.'

Madam Cold Fang gestured lightly. "Please, sit."

Han Yu walked to the low table and sat while she took her seat behind the desk, her movements slow and controlled.

For a moment, neither spoke.

The silence here felt heavier than anywhere else he had been.

Finally, Madam Cold Fang spoke.

"Thank you," she said simply. "For protecting my people."

Han Yu inclined his head. "I only did what anyone would do."

Her lips curved slightly. "That is not true. Most would have pretended not to see."

Han Yu shrugged lightly. "Then perhaps I am not most."

She studied him carefully.

"So," she said, "would you say you are righteous?"

The question was sudden.

Han Yu did not answer at once.

He leaned back slightly, thinking.

"I would not call myself righteous," he said slowly. "I would rather be called pragmatic. But I do have a moral compass."

Madam Cold Fang repeated softly, "Pragmatic with a moral compass."

She seemed amused.

"Interesting," she murmured.

Han Yu met her gaze. "I hope you are not offended that I acted. I know you could have handled that situation yourself."

Her eyes flashed faintly.

"I am not offended," she said. "In fact, it is better that it was done by your hand. Cleaning up will be much easier now."

Han Yu frowned slightly. "Easier?"

She smiled faintly. "Dead men bring questions. Living men can be made to forget."

Han Yu did not press further. He could tell she was not someone who enjoyed explaining herself.

He thought the conversation would end there.

But then she spoke again.

"Still," she said, "it is quite strange to see someone like you here."

Han Yu looked at her. "Strange how?"

She tapped her fingers lightly on the desk.

"Your strength is not from this region," she said. "Your methods are not from any local clan or organization. Your aura is controlled, but underneath it is something sharp. Something… blood stained."

Han Yu's eyes narrowed a fraction.

She continued calmly.

"I watched you fight. You held back. Not in power, but in nature. You could have killed those men easily, yet you chose not to. That is not kindness. That is calculation."

Han Yu smiled faintly. "You see much."

She nodded. "I have had a long time to practice."

Her gaze deepened.

"And then there is your fire," she said. "It is not ordinary fire. It is not mountain fire, nor spirit fire, nor beast fire. It is tinged with something else that is hiding within."

Han Yu remained silent.

She leaned back slightly.

"I have seen many cultivators," she said. "From righteous sects, unorthodox sects, hidden clans, wandering paths. Each has their scent. Their way of standing. Their way of killing."

Her eyes locked onto his.

"Yours," she said softly, "smells of blood and moonlight."

The room seemed colder.

Han Yu's fingers tightened slightly.

She let the silence stretch.

Then she spoke the final sentence.

"Though it is quite strange and interesting," she said, "to find someone of the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect acting as 'pragmatic' as you are here."