Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 268: Reporting The Mission Results

Han Yu’s lips twitched.

He changed positions and caught sight of another person—a woman this time, older, carrying a basket of herbs—now holding the envelope. She didn’t look at it, didn’t stop walking, and melted into the crowd like any other local.

She walked down the lane for another few blocks before turning into a small tea house. Ten minutes later, another individual—this time a skinny young man with a walking stick and limp—exited the back door with the letter now tucked into a scroll case.

Han Yu continued to follow, fascinated.

Five people. The letter changed hands five times within the span of less than an hour. Not once did any of them move suspiciously or fast. No spirit beasts. No signal flares. Just a perfectly mundane operation executed with flawless precision.

At the city’s outer wall, the final handler—a middle-aged man in tattered robes—climbed onto a humble wagon and drove off toward the distant foothills.

Han Yu didn’t follow any further.

He stood beneath the shade of a mulberry tree, watching the cart vanish over the ridge.

"...Not bad at all, Meng Jueyan."

The layers of deception, the deliberate use of unassuming agents, the absence of any qi signatures that would draw attention—it was all clean.

Careful. Covert.

She had taken his warning seriously.

He chuckled and turned back toward the inn, his stride relaxed.

There was one more thing he was certain of: she wouldn’t use these same methods to investigate him.

Not that he was too worried either way. Even if she traced the message back to the Twin Leaf Peak Sect and to the messenger spirit beast that would eventually collect replies, she would simply assume it belonged to someone else within the sect.

He had already told her before—he had people on the inside.

If she ever suspected anything, she’d likely think the spirit beast was sent by one of Elder Yi’s agents or another shadow operative nestled within the sect’s ranks.

Han Yu let out a breath and chuckled to himself again.

It was funny, really. He had no grand family, no secret treasure vault, no ancient patriarch hiding in a mountain cave—yet here he was, pulling the strings of a multi-sect espionage correspondence like some minor lord. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

The only thing he regretted was the lack of a proper communication jade slip.

If he had one of the higher-grade ones—Peak Grade, preferably—this would’ve been ten times easier.

He could’ve just sent a message directly to Meng Jueyan and gotten an instant reply.

But no, he had to settle for message relays and rats and spirit birds.

"Next priority once I get back..." he muttered, "is definitely buying a proper communication jade slip."

He mentally reviewed the cost again.

Still, it would be worth it.

If he wanted to maintain this kind of operation long-term, communication was key.

He passed back through the city gates, satisfied for the day.

***

Han Yu stood before the towering stone gates of the Twin Leaf Peak Sect, the mountain breeze tugging lightly at his robes.

His face was gaunt, cheeks slightly hollowed by a clever application of shading powder and faint alchemical balm. Burn scars trailed across one side of his neck, down to the edge of his collar, faintly pink against his pale skin—artfully crafted with spirit-salve residue to imitate fresh, healing tissue.

His hair was messier than usual, robes slightly torn at the hem, and his right boot was purposely scuffed. He’d even gone so far as to dull the shine in his eyes with a technique to suppress his vitality aura for a short time—just long enough to sell the look.

Something he had picked up as a side effect of one of Li Mei’s many pill tests.

He took a long breath, gave himself a quick once-over, and muttered, "Perfect. A picture of near-death heroism."

Then he stepped forward.

As expected, the moment he crossed into the outer gate’s perimeter, the two guards on duty raised their hands.

"Halt!"

Han Yu stopped without resistance.

Han Yu lifted his token wordlessly, letting it glow lightly with a flick of spiritual qi. The sect’s crest shimmered as verification runes bloomed across its surface.

One of them squinted. "Wait... Han Yu?"

"...You’re alive?" the other blinked, stepping forward.

The two guards looked at each other, then at Han Yu again.

"Why is it every time you leave the sect, you return looking like you got barbecued by a spirit beast?" the first guard muttered.

Han Yu gave a tired smile. "Let’s just say the mission lived up to its danger ranking."

The second one shook his head and stepped aside. "Well, welcome back. If nothing else, you’ve got persistence."

Han Yu dipped his head in gratitude and walked past the gate.

He kept his eyes low and his pace steady, avoiding crowded training fields and major gathering spots. The last thing he needed was a curious senior asking too many questions or a hidden spy noticing he was alive too soon. He headed straight for the Mission Hall.

Upon arriving, he approached the front desk, where a junior disciple sat behind a low counter, sorting through jade slips.

"I’m here to submit my mission report," Han Yu said plainly.

The disciple looked up. "Name?"

"Han Yu."

The disciple blinked, then checked a small roster scroll on his side.

"Han Yu... from the expedition to the Sulmbering Caldera?" The boy frowned. "You’re not due back for another six months. Also, you look like someone tossed you into a lava pit. What happened?"

"Exactly why I’m not handing the report to you," Han Yu replied calmly. "I need to speak directly with Elder Hei. It’s a sensitive matter."

The disciple’s frown deepened. "Elder Hei’s not going to like being disturbed. If you’re lying, you’ll be washing cauldrons for a month."

"I’ll take the punishment if I’m wrong," Han Yu said.

Grumbling, the disciple slipped into the inner chamber.

A few minutes later, Elder Hei appeared—brows furrowed, sleeves still rolled from reviewing other scrolls, and a half-scowl already forming.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by (f)reew𝒆b(n)ov𝒆l.com