Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Slaying Alliance
Qin Ya gazed intently at Nangong Wen. ’Truly befitting of an emperor,’ he thought. ’The moment he realized my value, he immediately extended such a generous offer to recruit me.’ The rest of the crowd seemed to be thinking the same thing.
"His Majesty moves fast. He must have had this planned ever since Qin Ya refined the Seventh-Grade Elixir. Otherwise, there’s no way this imperial edict could have been drafted so quickly. Heh, he’s the Emperor, after all."
"A Seventh-Grade Alchemist is someone every major power would vie for. With this move, His Majesty is undoubtedly announcing to the world that Qin Ya has been recruited. And with the Empire gaining a Seventh-Grade Alchemist, its strength will surely increase immensely."
"It’s going to be difficult for anyone else to recruit Qin Ya now."
...............
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Qin Ya gave a slight smile, accepted the imperial edict, and tossed it into his Storage Ring without a second glance. For him, accepting the title of National Hero had its advantages and no real drawbacks. With such a status, getting things done in the Imperial Capital would be much more convenient from now on.
"Your Majesty, as a teacher at the Academy, I currently live on campus for convenience. As for the rewards like the mansion and servants, please spare me the trouble."
"A monarch does not speak in jest," Nangong Wen said with a slight smile. "How could I possibly take back a reward I’ve bestowed? These things are yours forever. If you don’t want them now, just let them be. Whenever you do want them, you can simply go and claim them."
"In that case, I will humbly accept."
Everyone sighed. To them, Qin Ya’s actions were a clear acceptance of Nangong Wen’s offer. But on second thought, if they couldn’t recruit him, they at least needed to stay on his good side. With that, they began to formulate their own plans.
Qin Ya then produced a Jade Bottle and handed it to Nangong Wen. "Here are seven Pure Yang Pills, which I now present to Your Majesty. As for the remaining four, please consider them my fee for performing the alchemy. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
"Teacher Qin, you are being too formal," Nangong Wen said with a smile. "Although the ingredients were precious, once I gifted them to you, they became your property. Therefore, the elixirs refined from them naturally belong to you as well."
Even when faced with the temptation of Seventh-Grade Elixirs, his expression remained unchanged.
A Seventh-Grade Elixir might be precious, but how could it compare to a Seventh-Grade Alchemist? One is a finite resource; the other can provide a continuous supply. Anyone could see which was more valuable.
"Please, Your Majesty, accept them. I only refined the elixir to cure Marshal Muu’s poison at the request of a friend. Besides, you and the Marshal were the ones who collected the ingredients in the first place. I merely refined them into elixirs."
After Qin Ya’s repeated insistence, Nangong Wen finally accepted them.
Seeing this, Qin Ya smiled faintly.
’In my opinion,’ he thought, ’my relationship with Nangong Wen isn’t one of a patron and his subordinate. It’s simply a partnership. Nangong Wen gave me the title of National Hero, granting me protection within the Imperial Capital and saving me from a lot of trouble.’
’And in return, I’m providing him with High-Level Elixirs.’
Nangong Wen was also well aware of this. So, as he held the bottle of highly coveted Seventh-Grade Elixirs, there wasn’t a trace of joy on his face. Instead, he felt a faint sense of dissatisfaction. ’As expected, he won’t be recruited so easily.’
After the banquet, the guests began to depart.
As Qin Ya was leaving, he asked Nangong Wen to investigate the matter of the Black Market Killers. With the Emperor’s help, he was confident he would soon discover who in the Imperial Capital was so dead set on taking his life.
............
「Inside the Crimson Wine Tavern.」
Ever since Hua Wuchang had brought back the heads of Poison Young Master, Bao Xiong, and Brother Fei, and delivered a heavily embellished version of Qin Ya’s words, the Black Market Killers had come to see his message as a direct challenge.
However, Qin Ya’s strength was extraordinary. Even three Earth Element Realm Martial Artists—Poison Young Master and his cohorts—had failed to complete the mission and had lost their lives in the attempt.
Thus, some of the killers decided to band together and form the Slaying Alliance, vowing they wouldn’t rest until they sent the man who scorned Black Market Killers to the Netherworld.
And today was the day the Slaying Alliance was meeting to hold their discussion.
"As you all know, this Qin Ya has gone too far! He openly provoked us Black Market Killers. The arrogance is astounding! That’s why the Slaying Alliance was formed."
"We’re gathered here today to discuss how to kill that arrogant fool of an Academy teacher. And don’t you worry, the client’s payment is one hundred thousand Gold Coins, which is more than enough for all of you."
Around a massive, circular wine table sat about twenty killers. The chief among them was a burly man in a black cloak and an eyepatch.
"One-Eyed Dragon, enough with the bullshit," one of them said coldly. "He’s nothing but a puny ant in the Spiritual Element Realm. I could take care of him myself."
"Hmph. That ’ant’ you’re talking about killed three Earth Element Realm Martial Artists who had joined forces. If you think you’re better than Bao Xiong and his crew, be my guest."
Hearing that, the killer snorted and fell silent.
Just then, a young man holding a folding fan spoke up. "How about this? We send a few poison specialists to poison his food, and then we all rush him at once. He’ll definitely die under a flurry of blades."
One-Eyed Dragon heard this and sneered. "Fan, did you get your head caught in a door? Even Poison Young Master’s skills couldn’t touch Qin Ya. You really think a few random guys you send out are going to successfully poison him?"
"Tch, I don’t think there’s anything to discuss," another killer chimed in. "I heard that guy went off to refine an elixir for Marshal Muu. The poison was something even a Fifth-Grade Alchemist was powerless against. Does that arrogant prick really think he can cure it? He probably failed to produce the elixir and has already been put to death by an enraged Emperor."
One-Eyed Dragon shook his head. "Not necessarily. Qin Ya is an Advanced Academy Teacher at Mingxin Academy; his status isn’t low. Even if His Majesty wanted to execute him, he would have to consult the Academy’s Mansion Master. And from what I’ve heard, the Mansion Master personally brought Qin Ya to the Academy, so he’s unlikely to let him die that easily. His chances of survival are high."
Though One-Eyed Dragon looked rough on the outside, he possessed a surprisingly sharp mind, seeing things that many others would miss. The other killers mulled it over and had to agree.
"One-Eyed Dragon’s right."
"That kid Qin Ya might be arrogant, but his backing is formidable. He won’t die that easily. Besides, if he’s going to die, it’ll be at our hands and no one else’s."
"One-Eyed Dragon, you make the call. What’s the plan?"
One-Eyed Dragon smiled faintly. "Qin Ya’s strong, but none of us here are pushovers. We’ll start by sending a few people to watch him day and night. The moment he leaves Mingxin Academy, we’ll have our chance. With our numbers, if we all swarm him at once, he’ll be completely outmatched..."
At a nearby table, a woman in red—Hongyi—listened to One-Eyed Dragon’s words with a faint smile playing on her lips. ’Qin Ya, oh, Qin Ya,’ she thought. ’I, Thousand Faces, am very curious to see how you’ll handle this.’
