Chapter 54: Assassin
"What does the guest want to buy?"
In a small shop in CityWest City called Yunzhong, Cao Yang looked at the unfamiliar face entering the door and said, after lurking for years, he also needed to make a living. So he opened a workshop in the city, but his skills were not great and he could only make some low-level magical tools, barely making ends meet.
"I want to create a flying sword, it should be three feet long..."
"No problem, this flying sword only needs one hundred and twenty spirit stones."
"This is the deposit."
The person was very generous, leaving a letter with spirit stones in a box, placing it in front of Cao Yang, and then said a few words before leaving.
Cao Yang picked up the spirit stones in the box and found a piece of paper underneath, so he took it as well. He walked into the shop and read the contents of the paper, and his face immediately changed.
After thinking for a moment, Cao Yang closed the shop and headed home. When he arrived home, a little girl happily hugged his leg and called out "Dad" in a blurry voice.
Seeing the little girl, Cao Yang smiled and lifted her up, spinning her around, making the child giggle. He also took out some snacks, making the child even happier.
"You're giving her candy again, all her teeth will be rotten."
"If they rot, they rot. I'll buy some elixirs later, and they'll grow back."
"Why did you come back so early today? I haven't cooked dinner yet."
Zhang Ruifang said. During the day, Cao Yang takes care of the store, and he usually comes back at night. Coming back in broad daylight, is there something he wants to do?
"The organization has issued a new mission."
"What is it?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruifang was incredibly shocked. They had been undercover for several years, and the organization hadn't given any updates. They even wondered if the organization had disappeared. But now, there was news again.
"This time, the mission is to assassinate a cultivator in the Building Foundation Period named Wen Xing. We have half a year to complete it, and the commission is fifty thousand spirit stones. Within three days, we will receive ten thousand spirit stones as a deposit."
"Wen Xing, Wen Xing, he's a disciple of the Pill King."
Zhang Ruifang's complexion turned pale. This was a mission that would result in their death. Wen Xing was a disciple of the Pill King. Would it be easy to kill him? And even if they managed to kill him, they would probably have a hard time escaping.
"I know, but we can't refuse the organization's mission. If we refuse, we will be the ones who die."
"Cao Yang, we're done. Let's go. Yun State is so big, no one can find us. We can leave Yun State and start a new life in another state."
"Xiao Fang, do you think we can escape? You know how deep the organization's influence is."
"No matter how strong the organization is, they can't compare to Zhonghang Sect and Cloud Sword Sect. They can't reach outside the state. Cao Yang, you have to think about our child. If we die, what will happen to our child? We're not alone anymore."
Zhang Ruifang said. She is completely different from years ago. She used to be a cold-blooded killer, but now she is a mother. Her child is only two years old. If they die, the child will surely die too.
"It's because of our child that we must complete this mission. Fifty thousand spirit stones are a lot, several times more than our previous missions."
Cao Yang said. He doesn't want to run away. He and his wife don't have many skills. Their abilities in pill, talisman, item, and formation are very poor. Their alchemy shop can't make much money, only enough for food.
But they are cultivators. They need to cultivate, not just eat. Cultivation requires a lot of resources. Now that they have a son, he hopes his son will become a powerful cultivator in the future. Therefore, resources are essential.
"Cao Yang, have you thought about what will happen to our child if we die?"
"Yes, I have thought about it. But what I consider more is, if we don't have money, what will happen to our child? And what about you and me? Do you really want to spend the rest of our lives like this? Don't you want to seek revenge for your brother, for my mother?"
"Revenge, revenge, your mind is full of revenge. Do you know who your enemy is? After investigating for so many years, have you found your enemy?"
Zhang Ruifang exploded a bit, angrily shouting at Cao Yang, who fell into silence all of a sudden.
Zhang Ruifang was right. He didn't know who the enemy was. Back then, his mother, White Snow and Zhang Ruifang's older brother set up stalls in the large market. Later, they were tempted by other independent cultivators to explore the Yunzhong Mountain Range and search for the previous cultivators. They never came back.
At that time, Cao Yang was still practicing at home and hadn't even seen people. Although Zhang Ruifang had seen those people, she couldn't find those independent cultivators. The mobility of Yunzhong City's independent cultivators was very high, so it was very likely that their enemy had already died.
Afterwards, Cao Yang went to the Yunzhong Mountain Range to find his mother, encountered danger, and met the Dark Night Organization. He was taken in by them and later met Zhang Ruifang. The two of them only then realized that there was such a fate between them.
"Xiao Fang, don't get excited."
"Why can't I be excited? You're my man. What will I do if you die? What will happen to our child?"
"But..."
Cao Yang didn't know how to respond at first. He was willing to take on this task, and one big reason was that he didn't want to live such a dull life.
The cultivators really need resources. With resources, he can improve his skills and live a good life. The past few years of plain life have made him very depressed. Now, they don't have much savings left. If they don't take on tasks, in two years, they won't be able to afford even a meal. The cost of living in Yunzhong City is too high.
When Zhang Ruifang saw that Cao Yang was so excited, he didn't plan to say these heartfelt words. He is a man. Since he is someone's husband and father, he will bear all of this.
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"Senior Wen, would you like to buy a spiritual talisman?"
At West City Market, Lin Jiang looked at Wen Xing and said.
"Do you know me?"
Wen Xing raised an eyebrow, staring at the cultivator selling spiritual talismans in front of him and said.
"Senior Wen is a disciple of Pill King Li Ruoxu, and Li Ruoxu is a guiding light for us independent cultivators on the path of cultivation. How many independent cultivators in Yunzhong City don't know Senior?"
Lin Jiang replied, saying it's not strange to know him, but it would be strange not to know him. As a relatively unknown independent cultivator, that is the right response.
"What is your name?"
"Lin Yang"
"Lin Yang, Lin Yang, do you know Lin Yu?"
"I know several people named Lin Yu, I don't know which one you are referring to."
"Like you, he is a talisman seller, probably around fifty or sixty years old, or possibly in the Building Foundation Period."
"Then I don't know him. The Lin Yus I know are at the Qi Refining stage, but it's been a long time since I last saw them. I don't know if they're still alive. May I ask why you are looking for this Lin Yu?"
"Riches and fame don't make one happy. It's like wearing fancy clothes in the dark. This young man played tricks on me in the past, so naturally I wanted revenge," Wen Xing said.
He already knew. It was that Lin Yu who called his several beautiful female friends to the big market, causing him to fail in love. If it hadn't been such a big deal, he probably wouldn't be in the situation he is now.
Of course, his revenge isn't about killing someone, but to humiliate him deeply. To make you regret not helping me back then, do you regret it? If you had helped me, you would have had a friend in the Building Foundation Period and maybe even had the opportunity to get close to Li Ruoxu.
"If you're seeking revenge, then I won't get involved. I'm just a seller of talismans, trying to make a living."
Lin Jiang replied, but he rolled his eyes in his heart. "Hmph, you're still holding grudges? Do you know how many people you've offended, how many people's goddesses you've ruined? If you hadn't made it onto Li Ruoxu's list, you would've been killed long ago."
"Don't sellers of talismans know how to chat like you?"
"Senior, please don't involve us little people in matters between experts like you. We can't afford it."
"It's boring."
"Senior, won't you buy a few talismans?"
"Go away."
"Alright."
Lin Jiang shut his mouth and watched as Wen Xing approached other talisman sellers to chat. Lin Jiang touched his own face, luckily he had practiced the Disguise Skill, otherwise he would easily be exposed.
"We need to learn the skill of disguise, otherwise we will end up offending people sooner or later, and sometimes we have to be cowardly when the time comes."
Lin Jiang thought to himself, for someone like him who constantly changes identities, the skill of disguise is extremely important. After returning home, he will continue to learn the skill of disguise, ideally to a level where no one can recognize him.
