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Li Bonian’s subordinate, trailing behind him, wished he could die then and there. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to explain the truth to Master Li; he simply had no chance to do so! Master Li was walking too fast, and by the time he caught up, panting behind him, there was no time to provide an excuse for his behavior. Having been at Master Li’s side for so long, he knew Master Li’s temper all too well. In this situation, Master Li was definitely not going to come away with any advantage from Lord Han, and might even end up filled with fury. In the end, it was invariably the poor subordinates who would bear the brunt of his anger.

“Master, Lord Han has indeed eradicated the bandits and is returning to the military camp to report,” Li Bo whispered to Li Bonian, to prevent him from making an even greater fool of himself.

“Why didn’t you say so sooner? What’s the use of your mouth, if not to speak? Do you take pleasure in watching me make a fool of myself?!” Li Bonian was infuriated, feeling as if he were being toyed with. He wanted to lash out, but with so many onlookers, he couldn’t let Han Yu witness his humiliation. He had to deliberately keep his voice down; otherwise, he would have probably kicked Li Bo and cursed him out by now.

“I wouldn’t dare,” Li Bo cautiously replied, fearing that his master would seek retribution in the fall. Internally, he was criticizing Li Bonian: With such impatience, lacking in subtlety and ability, and still wanting to compete with Lord Han, wasn’t he seeking his own demise? If not for that superior, Master Li, backing him, someone as foolish and arrogant as Li Bonian wouldn’t have been able to maintain his position until now.

Han Yu, observing Li Bonian and his flustered entourage, roughly grasped what was going on and displayed a smile that was not quite a smile, “Master Li, were you about to say something, perhaps to celebrate my victorious return? That’s very courteous of you. I must say, thanks to Master Li’s blessing, I have indeed accomplished a feat this time. If there are any commendations from Shangfeng, I must also thank Master Li for the recommendation; otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a chance at this glorious opportunity.”

Han Yu said this with a smirk, intentionally hitting on Li Bonian’s sore spot. Watching Li Bonian’s complexion twist, Han Yu felt a bit of satisfaction. Although he disdained bickering with such a buffoon, it was tiresome to have the fool constantly prancing around in front of him, not to mention his subordinates couldn’t stand seeing Li Bonian’s smugness. He had to fulfill his subordinates’ wishes at least this once.

“Lord Han is too polite. Eradication’s eradication, but whether it counts as an achievement is another matter. Who knows if one or two bandit leaders escaped? If they gather a new gang of thieves later on, wouldn’t all this effort be in vain? Then it would be a fault, not a merit,” Li Bonian glanced over the group and saw that a few bandit leaders were not among them. He assumed the bandit leaders had broken through the government soldiers’ encirclement and fled, thinking it would be easy to use this later against Han Yu, with those connections.

“Master Li, rest assured, I captured every single bandit in the act; none who were there managed to escape,” Han Yu replied, giving an answer that was beyond reproach but still allowed him some leeway.

“Lord Han had better not be boasting. Whether or not bandits escaped isn’t something you can cover up. Look here, aren’t many people missing?” Li Bonian thought he had caught Han Yu in a flaw, pointing out that the largest bandit leader wasn’t even among them, which hardly counted as bandit eradication.

“Missing many people? Why would Master Li say that, unless Master Li knows how many bandits there originally were? Now that would be curious,” Han Yu replied pointedly.

“How would I know! I just think that for these bandits to be so rampant, there must have been more of them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have dared to make waves,” Li Bonian jumped at Han Yu’s words, hastily offered his defense, and then threw threats at Han Yu.

“Lord Han, you can eat food indiscriminately, but words must not be carelessly spoken, or they might breed disaster!”

“Really? Well, that’s not careless talk at all. I’ve learned some interesting news from a few important bandit leaders. Everyone wonders how petty bandits dared be so audacious. It turns out…” Han Yu said, noting Li Bonian’s face clearly showed worry and fear, eager to know the news, yet he deliberately paused without continuing.

“It turns out what? Lord Han might as well clarify your statement; I sense something’s off in your implication,” Li Bonian feared Han Yu knew of their connection with the bandits, and if it came to light and reached his superiors, and if it was traced back to him, things would be dire. After all, although someone was manipulating things from behind, it was him who dealt with the bandits directly. If the higher-ups investigated, the person behind could shove the blame on him, making him the scapegoat. At that thought, he was incredibly anxious and panicked, yet Han Yu had only said half of what he meant, leaving Li Bonian uncertain whether Han Yu was deliberately antagonizing him.

“I’m afraid I can’t reveal specifics to Master Li; after all, it involves the case details, including the bandits whom I will be transferring to the Mansion’s custody. If Master Li is truly curious, he may inquire with our Master,” Han Yu was intentionally keeping Li Bonian on tenterhooks, letting him suffer in worry and agony.

“If that’s the case, then there’s nothing more to say. Lord Han, take care of yourself, hmph!” Li Bonian, failing to get any information from Han Yu, huffed and turned to leave, thinking that he’d have to gather intelligence from elsewhere to verify the truth of Han Yu’s claims.

“Wait, Master Li, please stay a moment.”

Everyone was engrossed in watching the confrontation between Han Yu and Li Bonian, and when they saw Li Bonian just walk away, they felt somewhat dissatisfied by the anticlimactic end and called out to him to stay.

Li Bonian stopped impatiently, “What is it?!”

“It’s like this, we have something we’d like to ask Master Li, and we hope he won’t withhold his guidance!” Liu Cong also started speaking in a formal tone that didn’t quite suit him. But considering the prospect of getting one over on Li Bonian, he could manage a bit of discomfort.

Liu Cong then had his men carry a box over and place it in front of Li Bonian, his face revealing a somewhat sinister smile. Regrettably, Li Bonian, due to his arrogance, looked down on Liu Cong as nothing more than a brute and failed to notice the trap. Seeing Liu Cong having a box brought over, he even thought they were showing off their spoils from the bandits. Perhaps they intended to flaunt their prize to him?

What fools! Any treasure should be kept hidden, not flaunted so openly—it was bound to be confiscated. Or perhaps these men simply didn’t understand the value of the items in the box. Li Bonian thought to himself and looked at Han Yu and Liu Cong’s gang with even more contempt, now in no hurry to depart.