I Become The Richest Man With A monthly Salary of Twenty Thousand Yuan-Chapter 563 - 451 - Clown_Jumping_2

But Xia Liang’s thoughts were no different. He was simply leveraging the Daoist Association to make a name for himself throughout Jinling. Otherwise, he could have obliterated the Association with a flick of his finger. Why bother displaying his power in front of so many people?

"Your gun."

Looking at the ghostly pale Yuan Daozi, who could barely utter a word, Xia Liang calmly stepped out of the flames. He walked over to the Chief of the Jinling Security Bureau and handed the pistol to him.

"Y-Yes, of course."

The Chief’s outstretched hands trembled uncontrollably. If it weren’t for his men standing behind him, his legs might have given out and sent him kneeling to the ground. He had heard about Xia Liang’s exploits in Shenhai before but had hardly believed any of it, dismissing him as a common charlatan. But now, the events that had just unfolded proved that all the rumors were true.

As the head of the Security Bureau, he was an expert on firearms. The pistol in his hand was the latest model, with a jam rate of less than one in ten thousand. Yet just moments ago, when facing Xia Liang, his gun had jammed repeatedly.

HISS!

When the Chief took the gun, its frame was so hot he could barely hold it. Fearing that dropping it would incur Xia Liang’s displeasure, however, he gripped it tightly.

On the other side of the courtyard, the members of the Daoist Association among the guests stared at Xia Liang with expressions of sheer terror. Now, they finally understood why Taoist Priest Qin had severed all contact with them the day after meeting Xia Liang in Shenhai. If they were in his shoes, they would have made the same choice.

"Put out the fire!"

At that moment, from within the ring of fire, Yuan Daozi finally managed to speak, his voice utterly dry and trembling. The instant he gave the command, his men rushed forward to extinguish the flames, helping him out of the circle.

Yuan Daozi took several deep breaths as he stared at the distant Xia Liang, who still wore a faint smile, his expression unchanged from beginning to end. Forcing a smile, he cupped his fists in a salute.

"Master Xia is truly a celestial being descended to earth. I admit defeat. In today’s contest, our Daoist Association has lost completely. It seems I must retire from the Jianghu. The future belongs to young people like you. The Daoist Association is also at your disposal, Master."

Yuan Daozi was a shrewd man indeed. After struggling and scheming his way through Jinling for decades, he knew when to hold back and when to press on. Judging by the current situation, they had lost everything. Rather than becoming openly hostile, it was better to concede; that way, they still had a path of retreat. They could simply change their names, move to another city, and continue to live comfortably.

But upon hearing Yuan Daozi’s words, Xia Liang laughed.

"Our business isn’t over yet, Feng Tianyuan!"

Xia Liang emphasized the final two words, his tone hardening. The surrounding crowd was momentarily stunned, unsure of whom he was addressing.

But the moment they heard that name, the faces of Yuan Daozi and Wang Daoyuan turned deathly pale.

Yuan Daozi’s former name was indeed Feng Tianyuan!

Decades ago, following a dispute, Feng Tianyuan had massacred an entire family of five in a single night. He then went on the run, killing six more people during his flight. Eventually, he arrived in Jinling, took on a new identity, and rose to become the president of the Jinling Daoist Association, the man known as Yuan Daozi.

Within the entire Daoist Association, the only other person who knew this secret was Wang Daoyuan, who had also been a killer before Yuan Daozi had saved him. This was why their expressions turned so ghastly the moment they heard Xia Liang speak that name.

"I don’t understand what Master Xia means," Yuan Daozi said, his voice starting to tremble. "I am Yuan Daozi of the Jinling Daoist Association. I have never heard the name Feng Tianyuan."

In all these decades, no one had ever discovered his true identity. Why had this Xia Liang exposed him the moment he arrived?

Meanwhile, upon hearing the name Feng Tianyuan, the Chief of the Security Bureau seemed to remember something.

"Feng Tianyuan? The murderer from the 321 Family Annihilation Case from decades ago? Master Xia, are you saying that Yuan Daozi is actually Feng Tianyuan?" the Chief exclaimed, his tone filled with utter shock as his hand drifted quietly toward the gun at his waist.

Xia Liang simply nodded, a faint smile on his lips, confirming it without a word.

Seeing this, the Chief took a deep breath and began to walk slowly toward Yuan Daozi. He had been a junior officer when he first participated in that case. He never imagined he would one day have the chance to capture the culprit.

"Yuan Daozi—no, Feng Tianyuan—please don’t resist. If what Master Xia said is false, then you have nothing to fear!"

Despite his words, the Chief was already inching closer. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"No! It’s been so many years! Why did you have to bring it up? Why do you have to be so merciless and hunt me to the bitter end!" Yuan Daozi’s expression twisted with madness. He knew there was no escape. The moment his identity as Feng Tianyuan was exposed, everything was over.

"When you didn’t even spare a child of a few years old, did you ever stop to ask yourself why you were being so merciless?" Xia Liang’s tone turned icy.

By now, the Chief and other high-ranking Jinling officials had begun to quietly encircle Yuan Daozi. Seeing the situation devolve, Wang Daoyuan slipped away while no one was paying attention. Xia Liang saw it all but didn’t stop him.

"No, I am Yuan Daozi of the Jinling Daoist Association! Jinling’s Premier Physiognomist! I’ve even dined with the Jinling Commander! You can’t just arrest me like this!"

Backing away toward the barbecue grill, Yuan Daozi grabbed the nearby flamethrower. He had become almost completely deranged.

"Back off!"

Seeing that Yuan Daozi was armed, the Chief and the others retreated to a safe distance, out of the flamethrower’s reach.

Only Xia Liang continued to walk steadily toward Yuan Daozi, step by step. The Chief opened his mouth to warn him to stop, but then he remembered just who was in front of him. This was Xia Liang—invulnerable and undying. He swallowed his words.

Xia Liang stopped just a meter away from Yuan Daozi.

"For decades, you’ve even deceived yourself. You are not a physiognomist at all. You are just a fraud."

"No!" Yuan Daozi roared. "I am Jinling’s Premier Physiognomist! I am Yuan Daozi! No one can pass judgment on me!"

BOOM!

Turning on the flamethrower, Yuan Daozi aimed it directly at Xia Liang. In an instant, a dragon of fire erupted from the nozzle, completely engulfing him. Within the inferno, only a human-shaped silhouette was visible, and it was still advancing steadily on Yuan Daozi.

"No, impossible! Who are you? What are you? I am Yuan Daozi! I am the one who cannot die!" Yuan Daozi shrieked, stumbling backward.

But a few seconds later, a completely unscathed Xia Liang poked his head out from within the flames. The flamethrower continued to roar, the ground around it already scorched black. The fire swirled around Xia Liang’s body like a host of tiny dragons, leaping and dancing but unable to harm him in the slightest. The countless tongues of flame seemed to form a suit of brilliant armor enveloping him, illuminating half the night sky.

At that moment, Xia Liang looked like a true god.

"Is this... Is this what a god is?" the Chief of the Security Bureau muttered from a distance.

Xia Liang took another step forward, grabbed the nozzle of the flamethrower, and wrenched it from Yuan Daozi’s hands with a single motion, tossing it aside. At the same time, he completely erased Yuan Daozi’s fortune, setting it to zero.

"From this day forward, there will no longer be a person named Yuan Daozi in Jinling."

With those words, Xia Liang slowly turned and walked away. Seeing that Yuan Daozi was now unarmed, the Chief prepared to move in and arrest him, but Xia Liang held up a hand to stop him.

"Don’t get too close!"

"Why?"

Before the word was fully out of his mouth, the Chief saw Yuan Daozi, who had collapsed to his knees in the distance, his face instantly turning a deep, crimson red. Flames began to flicker to life from within his body.

Yuan Daozi continued to roar in defiance.

"I am Yuan Daozi! I am Jinling’s Premier Physiognomist!"

"I haven’t lost!"

Each time he opened his mouth to scream, a gout of fire erupted from his throat.