Chapter 121: Four Assassination Missions (Part 1)

A thousand catties of Xusi silver—this reward isn't low at all, at least worth fifty medium‑grade spirit stones.

More importantly, not to mention how many spirit stones it's worth, Xusi silver is a refining material with special uses; although the mineral isn't rare, its function is irreplaceable.

"Deal, when do we set out?" Wei Yuning asked.

Prince Xi wore a beaming smile; senior Qing Mo was so straightforward. Though he wanted to take people over today, he finally forced his impulse down and said, "Tomorrow morning, please accompany me on a Flying Spirit Boat back to Xi Country; I… will wait for you at the Secret Medicine Pavilion!"

"Fine, no problem!" Wei Yuning smiled.

Since there's nothing to do while idling in the sect, why not go out and stretch the limbs? Even someone at the Foundation Establishment like Qing Yun can do this; why would a proper Heart Stirring stage be scared?

Leaving the inn, Wei Yuning just arrived at the gate of Wind Lotus Garden when he saw Mei Xuan and Xue Duoduo sitting by the nearby lake, taking in the scenery.

"Eh, what brings you here! Miss Mei, I told you, the sauces here also cost spirit stones; don't think the unpackaged ones are free!" Wei Yuning warned in advance.

"You still have the mood to eat? Your head now fetches a hundred premium spirit stones!" Xue Duoduo stood up, his face solemn.

"What? How do you know?" Wei Yuning exclaimed.

"Hungry, need to eat something first to have the strength to speak!" Xue Duoduo gave Wei Yuning a glare.

"Got it, got it!" Wei Yuning quickly let the two nose‑pointing fellows inside.

After a incense stick burned, the three sat around the fire pit inside the pavilion; atop the fire sat a large pot of enticing red‑oil broth, smelling of the familiar Moon‑Beetle sauce as well as a mix of many unknown spices, and in the center were several large marrow bones still bearing coarse sinews.

On the stone slab beside it lay plates of thinly sliced foods—various spirit‑beast meats and all sorts of odd tender leaves and roots.

With Wei Yuning and Mei Xuan demonstrating at the side, Xue Duoduo quickly grasped the hot‑pot technique, slurping loudly, completely shedding her haughty big‑sister image.

Outside the pavilion, heavy snow swirled and plum blossoms bloomed—exactly the spell Mei Xuan cast, creating a truly real "Plum‑Snow Paradise" scene.

"Young Master Wei Yuning truly knows how to enjoy oneself. Snow… this hot‑pot indeed has a special flavor. Though the Thousand‑Cold Sect on Ice‑Snow Island has similar scenery, no one has invented such cuisine; they only know how to make bland grilled meat—what a pity. For that reason alone, I cannot let Young Master Wei Yuning die at an assassin's hand." Xue Duoduo's words were kind, yet they sounded rather awkward.

Seeing the Snow Alliance Leader finally relax, Wei Yuning quickly seized the opportunity, raised his staff, and asked his question: "How many contracts to kill me has the Shadow Pavilion actually taken?"

Xue Duoduo had just swallowed a slice of deer meat drenched in chili oil; it was hot and spicy, making her gasp. Wei Yuning promptly handed her a cup of fresh, icy spirit‑fruit juice; Xue Duoduo took it, gulped a big mouthful, and nodded at him with satisfaction.

"These are all trade secrets; if it weren't for the fact that I have a good friend in the Shadow Pavilion, I wouldn't have known how popular you are there!" Xue Duoduo laughed.

"Sister Xue, just tell senior brother!" Mei Xuan said from the side.

"Don't worry, Sister Xuan, I can't bear for our Baolian Trade Alliance's big seller to die like this without a trace!" Xue Duoduo laughed.

"There are currently four Shadow Pavilion missions related to you," Xue Duoduo said, pleased with Wei Yuning's startled expression at the number, and continued, "The first mission, the earliest posted, was to capture alive the Cloud‑Hidden Sect's Pharmacy disciple Qing Mo; reward: one premium spirit stone. The client was a cultivator, the task was posted anonymously, and now contact is lost, so the mission is temporarily closed."

"The second mission: kill the Cloud‑Hidden Sect Pharmacy herb‑garden disciple Qing Mo, proof by head; reward eighty medium‑grade spirit stones! Records show the mission failed; the client was a cultivator, posted anonymously, now lost contact, mission temporarily closed!"

"The third mission: kill the Cloud‑Hidden Sect Pharmacy herb‑garden disciple Qing Mo, proof by head, reward fifty medium‑grade spirit stones! It shows this mission was issued by internal Shadow Pavilion staff and is currently in progress."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yuning couldn't help interrupting the Snow Alliance Leader, angrily asking, "Why is my reward getting cheaper and cheaper? This is an insult to my dignity!"

"You're insane!" the Snow Alliance Leader gave him a glare, then continued, "Now for the pricey one: the fourth mission, kill the Cloud‑Hidden Sect Pharmacy herb‑garden disciple Qing Mo, proof by head, reward one hundred premium spirit stones, mission ongoing, the true client's identity unknown. The person who posted the task to the Shadow Pavilion is an honest villager who has never left the town; at first he didn't even know what the Shadow Pavilion was. Clearly, he's being used!"

One hundred premium spirit stones equal ten thousand medium‑grade spirit stones, and their actual value is even higher. In practical applications, lower‑grade spirit stones cannot replace higher‑grade ones, though the reverse is fine. Thus, in private exchanges, a hundred medium‑grade spirit stones cannot be swapped for a single premium spirit stone.

Wei Yuning spent only a hundred medium‑grade spirit stones on the Wind Lotus Garden residence at Kelaifeng.

Such a huge reward would attract Fusion‑stage masters. If convenient, Golden Core masters might also intervene. However, that's an ideal scenario.

The higher one's cultivation, the more one cherishes life; senior cultivators care more about advancing their cultivation and realms. Fanatics like those of the Divine Martial Gate, who relish life‑or‑death combat, are still rare in the cultivation world, especially since the target is a disciple of the large sect Cloud‑Hidden on Bi Yi Island.

Unless driven mad by poverty, Fusion‑stage and above masters rarely take underground world contracts, and under normal circumstances high‑level cultivators simply never lack resources.

Thus, the eventual executor would at most be at the Enlightening stage. Even then, it's a formidable danger.

Assassination isn't an open‑handed battle; the last time Wei Yuning faced an opponent, it was only a Foundation Establishment cultivator. With the aid of a Dragon‑Tendon Divine Crossbow and special locking spells, had he not luckily grasped the Fusion‑ground technique, the grass over the grave would have grown half a foot tall.

"Sister Xue, why does losing contact with the client cause the mission to close?" Mei Xuan suddenly asked.

"According to the Shadow Pavilion's standard procedure, the client pre‑deposits the reward in a trustworthy merchant house or bank; Baolian Trade Alliance is one such partner. After the mission is completed and the client verifies it, the reward is handed to the Shadow Pavilion, which takes its cut and then passes the remainder to the bounty hunter. Every three days the Shadow Pavilion contacts the client to ensure the mission remains active; if the client cannot be reached for three consecutive attempts, the mission is temporarily closed." Xue Duoduo explained.

"If we kill that villager, what will the Shadow Pavilion do?" Mei Xuan asked.

Raising that question even got Wei Yuning, who's usually indifferent to assassinations, all worked up; it seemed like a good plan!