Chapter 78: The Best Swimmers Often Drown
Assassinate Xu Shouyi? Wu Yuan's gaze remained calm. And the reward is 100,000 silver taels?
That was the highest reward for a three-star mission! Clearly, the challenge was not in assassinating Xu Shouyi, but in weathering the wrath of the Cloudstride Sect afterward, just like the task of assassinating the governor of Southdream Province. The mission reward for the latter was a whopping one million silver taels!
The governor himself was merely a second-rate Adept. Even if he were protected by a first-rate Adept, the difficulty of assassination was disproportionate to the reward. Such a hefty reward represented not only the strength of the target, but also the power of the Cloudstride Sect behind them, which acted as a form of deterrence.
However, there are no extra requirements, meaning both straightforward assassination and poisoning are acceptable?
For the missions involving the family heads of the Bloodwolf Gang, bringing back their heads was a necessary condition. But for killing the governor and Xu Shouyi, there were no such requirements. The employer must have specifically requested this condition, most likely due to a major grudge against the Bloodwolf Gang.
"Thousand Mountains, what are your thoughts on these two four-star missions?" Branch Master Qing asked quietly.
"Branch Master, I will pass on the governor's assassination." Wu Yuan shook his head slightly. "If it's discovered that I am the culprit, I fear there will be no place for me in all of the Jiang Continent."
Normally, if the governor of a province was assassinated, one would be unable to escape retaliation even if they fled the territory of the Cloudstride Sect. The Cloudstride Sect would dispatch experts for revenge upon receiving the news, hence if the assassin didn't manage to get far enough, they would be hunted down. Any major power would do the same. Otherwise, how could they deter those who challenged their rule?
"Branch Master, why not arrange for someone to poison him? It might be easier." Wu Yuan suggested.
"Poison?" Branch Master Qing was left speechless. If poisoning the governor were so simple, why would this mission still be left incomplete to this day?
"The difficulty and risk of assassinating the governor are indeed extremely high," commented Branch Master Qing, shifting the conversation. "And the other task? Would you be willing to attempt it, Thousand Mountains?" The other task was to assassinate Blood Wolf Wu Shan.
"In the event of a failed assassination, is there a penalty?" Wu Yuan asked in return.
"The penalty is not serious." Branch Master Qing replied. "If you fail the mission, some star points will be deducted."
"Star points?" Wu Yuan looked puzzled.
"For each task you complete, you will earn star points." Branch Master Qing explained. "Once you accumulate enough star points, you can be promoted to a higher rank and gain more privileges."
Wu Yuan nodded in understanding.
"For instance, to advance from a three-star assassin to a four-star assassin, you need 20,000 star points," Branch Master Qing continued. "Each four-star task you complete will earn you 10,000 star points, while completing a three-star task will earn you 2000 star points."
Wu Yuan nodded slightly. No wonder Branch Master Qing had said that he could be promoted to a four-star assassin just by completing another four-star task.
If a second-rate Adept wanted to be promoted to a four-star expert, they would have to complete ten three-star missions? That was equivalent to walking on the edge of life and death ten times! How many times could they survive?
"If you fail, a tenth of the task reward's star points will be deducted, that is, 1000 star points." Branch Master Qing stated.
"Branch Master, I understand. I will accept the mission to assassinate Blood Wolf Wu Shan," Wu Yuan declared calmly. "However, I would also like to undertake a three-star task simultaneously."
"A three-star task? Which one?" Branch Master Qing looked surprised.
"This one." Wu Yuan pointed to the mission archives.
"Kill the general of defense of Li County?" Branch Master Qing scanned the mission details.
Instantly, he frowned. "Thousand Mountains, you must consider this carefully. Xu Shouyi's strength is average, and it won't be difficult for you to assassinate him. However, his master is a sect elder of the Cloudstride Sect. If your identity is exposed, the repercussions you will face won't be trivial."
"His master?" Wu Yuan's eyes shimmered with an icy glint.
Ah, now it made sense! No wonder Xu Shouyi could act so fearlessly, daring to meddle in local politics. The sect elders of the Cloudstride Sect were nothing like the Wu Clan's clan elders. One had to be at least a Savant expert to assume the former role.
"It doesn't matter, I will be choosing this mission," Wu Yuan said nonchalantly. "I happen to be planning a trip to Yuanhu Province. Should I fail to assassinate Wu Shan, I can complete this task in passing."
"That's fine," nodded Branch Master Qing.
Assassinate a county general? It might prove a bit troublesome, but assassins and killers were known for their fearlessness. The Pleiades Guild was not afraid! They even dared to assassinate Land Rankers.
"I shall retrieve the necessary documents," Branch Master Qing announced. "Kindly await my return."
A quarter of an hour later, Custodian Qin and Branch Master Qing returned to the room together.
"Thousand Mountains, here are the treasures you requested, along with the silver notes," Custodian Qin handed over the items. "Feel free to inspect them."
"I trust you, Custodian. There's no need to inspect them," Wu Yuan remarked indifferently.
Inspect them? Whether the Qi Enhancement Pills or the Starlight Liquid, Wu Yuan had never seen them in his life. Even if he inspected them, he wouldn’t know what to look for. As for the silver notes? Wu Yuan believed the other party wouldn't dare forge them. He quickly put away the three jade vials and the stack of silver notes.
"Thousand Mountains, these are the copies of the mission dossiers for the two tasks, you can take them with you" Branch Master Qing handed over the scrolls to Wu Yuan.
"This book explains the rights and obligations of an affiliate assassin of the Pleiades Guild, and also records the locations of the various county branches within Southdream Province," Branch Master Qing added, "In the future, for tasks and rewards related to one to four-star missions, you may proceed directly to these bases."
"Understood." Wu Yuan accepted the book. He was curious, so he flipped through it briefly.
There was one guild branch in every county, and the province-level branch in Southdream Province was described in detail. As for the other fifteen provinces of the Jiang Continent? There was only one branch recorded per province. It was obvious that Wu Yuan, who was only a three-star affiliate assassin, did not have a high enough status to gain access to the guild’s inner workings.
"Remember, after you have memorized everything, you must burn it," Branch Master Qing reminded him, "If an outsider ever finds out that you are in possession of this book, it is highly probable that your affiliation with the Pleiades Guild will also be exposed."
"Thank you for the reminder, Branch Master," Wu Yuan said solemnly.
The two of them chatted for a bit longer. After which, they parted ways.
...
"Branch Master, Thousand Mountains has already left. He's too fast; Nine Shadows could only tail him for half a street before being forced to retreat for fear of being detected," Custodian Qin hurried back to the secret chamber to report.
"Never mind, we can't control such an expert," Branch Master Qing said softly, "By tomorrow, I want a comprehensive account of how Thousand Mountains executed the assassination mission at Moonlit Haven. Gather all the information you can. Only then will we be able to properly gauge his true strength.
"Understood" Custodian Qin said, "I shall issue the orders immediately."
He then hesitated for a moment, "Branch Master, do you think he can kill Blood Wolf Wu Shan?"
"Hard to say," Branch Master Qing shook his head slightly, "Blood Wolf Wu Shan is an expert on par with Iron Tower Long Er, he is not a fool. With his subordinates falling one after another, he will certainly grow suspicious."
"The only way is for Thousand Mountains to strike before the news spreads, while Wu Shan has not yet been alerted. Otherwise, once the target has his guard up, completing the mission will prove a great challenge."
"However, there's no other option. In Southdream Province, if the Cloudstride Sect doesn't take action, only a handful of experts are capable of slaying Blood Wolf Wu Shan." Branch Master Qing said, shaking his head subtly.
Custodian Qin nodded in agreement. If the Cloudstride Sect decided to take action, killing one man wasn’t difficult. Unfortunately, there was likely a personage from the upper echelons of the Cloudstride Sect behind Blood Wolf Wu Shan.
"One more thing. Regarding the assassination of the governor, prepare plan three." Branch Master Qing's voice was chillingly cold.
"Plan three?" Custodian Qin was taken aback, and couldn’t help but question, "Branch Master, that would greatly increase our risk of exposure."
"I don't wish for that either. But if he doesn't die, we won't meet the minimum mission target, and my position as branch master will be in jeopardy. “Would you three custodians fare any better?"
Custodian Qin fell into silence.
How could those who wielded vast authority within the guild live without any worries? Although the Pleiades Guild was relatively peaceful compared to the Ninedeaths Circle, it was an underground organization at the end of the day, and the internal governance was exceptionally brutal.
...
This branch master is desperate for me to accomplish a four-star mission, there must be a significant reason behind it.
But what does it matter to me? He doesn't dare to go himself and wants to use me as his spear, sending me to confront Blood Wolf Wu Shan? Wu Yuan's eyes turned icy as he swiftly maneuvered through the darkness, navigating street after street.
Right from the start, Wu Yuan had no intention of fighting Blood Wolf Wu Shan. After exchanging blows with Iron Tower Long Er, he had already roughly grasped the strength of those on the Human Rankings. Each and every one of them were not to be trifled with!
Even if Blood Wolf Wu Shan was slightly weaker, the gap was not too large. At present, if Wu Yuan were to assassinate him, he stood an 80% chance of success. The probability of victory seemed high.
But with the resources I currently possess, I could cultivate for a considerable length of time. Why should I risk it all?
Wu Yuan had thought it through. Let alone a twenty percent risk of death, even a ten percent risk was one Wu Yuan was unwilling to take.
Taking risks, grinding, and engaging in battles were all methods to gather resources for cultivation. Stability should not be pursued blindly, as it would slow down one’s pace of progress. Yet, constantly taking risks could prove lethal too. The probability of death would escalate significantly the more one tempted fate. And even if one was lucky enough to win once, what about twice? Or thrice?
Those who frequent the river's edge would inevitably get their shoes wet. The best swimmers often drown! The best strategy was not to tread carefully along the river's edge, but to avoid it as much as possible.
Why then, did Wu Yuan accept the mission?
If I hadn’t agreed, would Branch Master Qing still kindly hand over these treasures? Wu Yuan smirked coldly. Perhaps, he would find an excuse to deceive me and make me wait.
This was precisely why Wu Yuan decided to redeem all his merits. He cared little about the identity of Thousand Mountains. In the worst-case scenario, he could always employ Transfiguration, visit a continent-level branch of the Pleiades Guild, and create a new identity called Ten Thousand Mountains.
But Xu Shouyi, you'd better not run. Killing intent blazed in Wu Yuan's eyes.
He didn't seek revenge earlier because he knew he wasn't powerful enough and lacked absolute confidence!
But now? It was time to avenge his clansmen.
...
Along the way, Wu Yuan shed the clothing he wore as part of his disguise, slipping into the clothes he had hidden earlier in the hollow of a towering old tree.
With new treasures and scrolls in his possession, he entered the martial academy in the dead of the night.
Though the upheaval at Moonlit Haven shook half the city, the Southdream Martial Academy remained unaffected. The courtyard was cloaked in a hushed silence in the deepest hours of the night.
Sailing through the slightly ajar window, Wu Yuan returned to the martial chamber on the second floor. He checked the hair-trigger alarm at the door, confirming it was not tampered with. Only then did he completely let his guard down.
Settling himself in the lotus position, he quieted his mind, attuning himself to his surroundings.
Gu Ji remained on the first floor, utterly oblivious to the whole slew of actions Wu Yuan had undertaken this night.
Let's have a look at the spoils I've gotten from this trip. Wu Yuan extracted the silver notes and treasures, quickly taking stock. Including the rewards from the Pleiades Guild, he had amassed approximately 45,000 silver taels in the form of silver and gold notes.
No wonder so many martial artists gravitate toward a life of banditry, thievery, and assassination. Plundering is indeed a quick way to wealth. Wu Yuan sighed inwardly.
Yes, it was risky. However, the rewards, once obtained, were dreadfully lucrative.
The tens of thousands of silver taels were just the beginning. Even more precious than the money were the 40 Qi Enhancement Pills, ten drops of starlight liquid, and 700 medium-grade bone forging pills he had accumulated.
All these should sustain my cultivation for a considerable time. Wu Yuan grinned slightly.
He consolidated and stored the items, leaving only a bottle of Qi Enhancement Pills in front of him, then closed his eyes.
There are roughly two hours left till dawn, let's see how much blood-red mist my body can absorb. Wu Yuan was filled with anticipation.
His consciousness converged on the upper dantian lobe. In the boundless and mysterious space, a copious amount of blood-red mist hovered around the black pagoda. In terms of total volume, it might even exceed the previous accumulation.
Previously, I killed Luo Fu and some other assassins. This time, I killed fewer people but gained more mist. Could it be that the amount of blood-red mist correlates with the strength of the enemies I kill?
The sample size was too small, hence this was just a speculation.
There’s no need to think so much, I should cultivate first. Wu Yuan's consciousness expertly guided the strands of blood-red mist, seamlessly weaving them through his three major dantian lobes, and gradually assimilating them into his body.
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