Chapter 51: Sending You a Gift

"Of the six Copper-Rank assassins in our Golden Rain Tower of Tanzhou, three have met their end in Baian County, and were even hung up at the city gate! Are you all trash!"

In a deep, quiet hall in Tanzhou, a middle-aged man wearing a gold-threaded brocade robe sat upright in the center, while dozens of men in black knelt on the ground before him. Aside from that roar just now, the entire hall was so quiet that the sound of a needle dropping could be heard.

No one knew that this remote location was the Tanzhou branch of the Golden Rain Tower, one of the top assassin organizations in the Nanhua Domain, and even fewer knew that the most elite assassins of the entire Golden Rain Tower in Tanzhou were gathered here.

There are nine domains within the Dasheng Dynasty; the Nanhua Domain is located in the south of the Dasheng Dynasty, and it is neither particularly prosperous nor at the bottom.

Although the Golden Rain Tower is not considered the absolute top in the entire martial arts world, it is a renowned major power in the Nanhua Domain. Especially in the small territory of Tanzhou, it is an existence that makes people tremble with fear.

The middle-aged man in the hall still carried a trace of anger on his face, and his eyes flickered with a chilling murderous intent.

The bounty of three hundred thousand taels of silver had indeed tempted many in the Golden Rain Tower. His six great Copper-Rank assassins were even more eager to act upon hearing the news. Three of them had not yet made a move because they were occupied with other missions.

The other three had gone to Baian County one after another, and once they went, they never returned. That would have been one thing, but they were actually hung up on the city wall. Their personal copper tokens were even hung right along with them.

A supreme humiliation!

Now everyone in the underworld knows that the Golden Rain Tower's Copper-Rank assassins failed in Baian County and were even hung up for display. Not only is it a laughingstock, but it has also caused years of hard work to go down the drain; who would entrust the Golden Rain Tower with tasks in the future?

He had spent many years in Tanzhou to build his reputation, creating the six great Copper-Rank assassins who were said to never miss a target, yet in such a short time, half of them were wasted.

Killing someone is just a matter of a moment; what is the point of hanging them up for everyone to see? Is it to kill the chicken to warn the monkey? No, this is clearly killing the monkey to warn the chicken. It is treating their Golden Rain Tower as the monkey that warns everyone else.

This is no longer just a matter of one or two dead assassins, but has escalated to the face of the entire Golden Rain Tower. This is a slap in the face, a slap to the face of the Golden Rain Tower; this is a provocation against him!

"Pass on my order: have all assassins not currently on a mission assemble. Tell those who are on missions to quickly resolve their targets and then rendezvous in Baian County. This time, I will take action personally. I want to see what kind of character this County Magistrate of Baian County is, to be so difficult to deal with!"

"That is all, you may all go down and prepare; we depart in one hour!"

"Understood!" Following a soft acknowledgment, the people in the hall vanished rapidly. The entire process did not produce the slightest sound, as if the dozens of figures gathered here just moments ago were merely an illusion.

Time passed bit by bit. In Baian County, Shen Yu had no idea that he had been targeted by one of the top assassin organizations in Tanzhou. During this period, those coming to disturb him had clearly decreased, and there were even days when no one made a move.

It was not that they did not want to, but they were truly afraid. They had seen that there were already five or six Xiantian Experts hung on the city wall; how could they dare to have any ideas? Especially since many of these people knew of the existence of the Golden Rain Tower.

The Golden Rain Tower's Copper-Rank assassins, who claimed to never miss, were famous throughout Tanzhou, yet three of them were hung on the wall of the tiny Baian County. Who would dare to have other ideas?

The County Magistrate here is definitely not the type of weak scholar who can be taken down with some poison or a hidden weapon; he is a true man-eating tiger. This money is not just unusually hot to the touch!

However, they also heard that the Golden Rain Tower had begun its retaliation and was reportedly recruiting people on a large scale. Rumor had it that the Golden Rain Tower released news that they only wanted the life of the little County Magistrate, and the three hundred thousand taels of bounty would not be taken at all, but gifted entirely to those who helped recruit manpower.

It seems that this time the Golden Rain Tower is truly angered, and this little County Magistrate is surely doomed. Many people have been stirred by the news and are joining in one after another. After all, wealth moves hearts, and there are always those who will take the risk.

"My Lord, it's bad, something has happened!" Early in the morning, the Baian County Constable Zhou Yuan rushed into the County Government Office, his face full of panic.

"What is the meaning of this flustered behavior?" Lifting his head, Shen Yu put down his breakfast, wiped his mouth, and then said, "Speak slowly, what has happened?"

"My Lord, something happened last night!" Taking a deep breath, Zhou Yuan calmed down before saying, "Last night, a group of refugees who had just been sent to work on the road were snatched away. Now their families are rushing to the County Government Office, wanting to ask you, My Lord, to uphold justice!"

"Refugees were snatched? Who did it?" Frowning slightly, Shen Yu could not understand who would target refugees. Now that floods were everywhere, refugees were everywhere. For a bite to eat, a peck of millet could be exchanged for a young maiden; it could be said that refugees were the least valuable thing right now.

Except for Shen Yu, who opened his doors wide, most other places turned refugees away; after all, not every family had as deep a foundation as Shen Yu.

Moreover, when there are many people, especially refugees who are not fed, they might do anything crazy in a state of hunger. Accepting a large number of refugees meant taking on huge risks. A slight carelessness could trigger a riot.

Therefore, in other places, those local officials were eager for someone to quickly snatch all those refugees away.

But it is different here with Shen Yu. He needs people for all his various projects, and he has enough food. With food to eat and work to do, they can be full and not idle, so naturally, they have no mind to cause trouble.

Of course, those without a foundation should not play this game; after all, working requires strength, and the food consumed is not a small amount. If you force people to work while they are not fed, that is just courting death.

It stands to reason that with refugees everywhere at this time, one could snatch people anywhere, but it would certainly attract attention in Baian County. Yet the other party chose to act in Baian County; the person who acted is likely not interested in the wine, but in something else.

"Let's go, let's go out and see!" Waving his hand at Zhou Yuan, Shen Yu strode out and happened to run into the refugees who had come together. These people were mostly the old, weak, women, and children, dressed in rags, moving with difficulty, and helping each other as they struggled toward this side.

"My Lord, you must uphold justice for us! Last night, a large group of people came and snatched our families away. Please, My Lord, uphold justice!"

"Please, My Lord, uphold justice!"

Upon seeing Shen Yu, everyone seemed to see hope, and one by one they began to cry out loudly. Moreover, while speaking, everyone knelt down, and a dark mass of people knelt outside the County Government Office.

"Magistrate Shen!" Just at this moment, a man in black suddenly pulled an ox cart and walked up slowly. While walking, he shouted loudly at Shen Yu, "Magistrate Shen, do you want to know who snatched those people last night?"

"Who are you... Could it be that you were the one who acted last night?" Dressed in black in broad daylight, it was hard for Shen Yu not to take a few extra looks.

"Who I am is not important; what is important is that those people are indeed in our hands!" Nodding, the person did not hesitate to admit it, but there was not a trace of fear in their words.

"Magistrate Shen, our Master said he would like to invite you to the Falling Moon Valley for a chat, and hopes you will do us the honor! Once you arrive, those people will naturally be released!"

"My Lord!" Leaning into Shen Yu's ear, Zhou Yuan whispered, "My Lord, the visitor is not well-intentioned; be careful!"

"Heh!" Seeing Zhou Yuan's small action, the visitor just sneered, then looked at Shen Yu and said, "Magistrate Shen, this is a gift from my Master for you!"

Having said that, the person pulled the black cloth on the ox cart; under the black cloth, more than ten people were lying there, and they looked as if they had long since lost their lives.

"Magistrate Shen, take a look. I wonder if you are satisfied with this gift! My Master said that if you do not do us the honor, we will kill ten people every incense stick of time until you are willing to go!"

"I heard that you, Magistrate Shen, love the people like your own children; you shouldn't be able to sit idly by and watch so many innocent commoners die, right?"