Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time
Chapter 264: Departing The City

Chapter 264: Departing The City

Looking at Meng Jueyan’s stiff expression, Han Yu internally chuckled.

’Acting like some elder is way too much fun.’ He thought before speaking.

"You didn’t," Han Yu said, waving a hand. "But remember this—what you don’t know can’t be used against you. That is protection."

"Understood."

A moment of silence passed, broken only by the faint rustling of leaves overhead. Han Yu turned his eyes back toward her, the playful glint in his gaze now replaced with steel.

"I have one more name I want to ask about."

"Yes?"

"Murong Xie."

Meng Jueyan tilted her head slightly, the name not ringing any bells. "I don’t know of any such disciple. Is he from the Mist Eye Sect?"

Han Yu chuckled coldly. "No. He’s from the Twin Leaf Peak Sect."

Meng Jueyan looked confused. "Then...?"

"I want him gone."

She blinked. "Gone? Why?"

Han Yu folded his arms. "His talent is Indigo rank."

That caught her attention. Her eyes widened just a little.

"That high?" Even she herself was just green ranked.

Han Yu nodded. "Yes. Indigo rank talent. Give it a few more years, and he’ll be a real threat to the Mist Eye Sect’s operations. People like him don’t stay in the shadows—they rise fast, and they drag all your plans into the light with them."

Meng Jueyan understood immediately. That kind of talent would be carefully nurtured, protected, and potentially placed in key positions.

"If the Mist Eye Sect has long-term goals," Han Yu added, "then people like Murong Xie are long-term problems."

Meng Jueyan lowered her gaze. "But getting rid of someone like that won’t be easy. Someone with Indigo rank talent will be highly valued by his sect. Even the spies wouldn’t dare to target him directly."

Han Yu smirked faintly. "There’s no need for them to get their hands dirty."

She looked up.

"I have people," he said calmly. "When the time is right, I’ll set things into motion myself. All I need from you is information."

Understanding dawned in Meng Jueyan’s eyes. "Information on Murong Xie?"

"Yes. Movements. Missions. Who he’s close to. Weaknesses—if any. The more details, the better."

She nodded without hesitation. "That can be done. It may take some time, but I’ll get it."

"Good," Han Yu said. "Start soon. I want something within the next couple months."

"I’ll get you something before that."

The two stood in silence once more, the forest around them gently shifting with the breeze.

Han Yu, arms behind his back, turned and looked off into the distance.

Behind his mask of poise and purpose, thoughts swirled.

This was a gamble. But if he played his hand right—if he used Meng Jueyan’s position, the Mist Eye Sect’s ambition, and the spies inside the Twin Leaf Peak Sect like chess pieces—he could not only neutralize Murong Xie before the boy became a bigger problem, but also earn favors from both sides while doing it.

Information was currency.

And Han Yu intended to become very, very rich.

Meng Jueyan’s voice broke his thoughts. "Elder Yi... is there anything else you need of me tonight?"

He shook his head. "No. Return for now. Keep your usual schedule. Make no deviations. We’ll meet again once you’ve acquired something useful."

She bowed deeply. "Understood."

Han Yu watched as she disappeared into the trees, her figure soon swallowed by the shadows.

He stood there for a moment longer, the night deepening around him.

There were risks.

Big ones.

But no merchant ever made a fortune without first walking through a fire.

And Han Yu wanted to be filthy rich.

A day later...

Han Yu stood at the edge of the city just past dawn, his inn now a memory behind him. The morning mist clung to the stone streets like faded silk, while the last bits of fog curled away into the warming air. With one final glance back, he tightened the cloak around his shoulders and stepped onto the forest path leading south—eventually towards the Twin Leaf Peak Sect.

His pace was steady, unhurried yet purposeful. Each step was accompanied by the quiet rustle of leaves and the occasional call of some distant bird. The forest trail was familiar by now, but the weight in his chest wasn’t.

He had planted seeds—seeds of information, deception, and ambition. Now all he could do was wait for them to sprout.

"By the time I return..." he murmured under his breath, "will Meng Jueyan have already sent the report?"

It was hard to tell.

She was sharp and loyal—at least for now. But she wasn’t foolish.

Sending information wasn’t as easy as passing along a message over tea. Han Yu was fairly sure she wouldn’t personally deliver anything. That would be inefficient and suspicious. She’d likely use some indirect method—a subordinate courier, a spirit beast trained for delivery, maybe even a hidden exchange point near a sect-run outpost.

Whatever she did, it wouldn’t be simple.

And that brought Han Yu back to a growing irritation in his mind.

"Communication jade slips..." he muttered, rubbing his temples.

If he’d had one, this entire affair would’ve been much easier. No secret meetings. No children delivering notes in back alleys. No walking into forests to pretend like he was some undercover grand elder whispering to shadows.

He sighed.

"Next thing I need to get."

Communication jade slips weren’t quite luxury items, but they weren’t dirt cheap either—especially not the kind he’d need for his current situation.

The standard ones that most disciples owned were low-grade. They only worked within a hundred kilometers and were barely reliable in mountainous terrain. They were useful for short-range team missions or calling for help within a sect’s core grounds—but little else.

The mid-grade ones were slightly better. Two to three hundred kilometers of reliable connection, though the spiritual link could falter during storms or in spiritual disturbance zones.

Then there were the high-grade slips—those were what true elites carried. Six hundred kilometers of clean spiritual transmission, even through minor barriers or turbulent qi fields.

But what Han Yu really needed... was something better.