Chapter 397

Chapter 397: The Assassin Tower’s Demand

The words of the Man with the Goatee made Zhou Luo’s footsteps halt.

He slightly turned around, his deep starry eyes gazing at him, showing no emotion.

He was taken by surprise because he had concealed his cultivation with his Foundation Establishment strength, yet a Qi Refinement cultivator could see through it.

Indeed, the man with the goatee before him only had cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Refinement, yet he accurately stated his name, implying a Foundation Establishment cultivator was hidden in this room.

His gaze flickered, and his mental strength spread out like a tide, trying to locate the other’s trace.

But the entire residence was covered by a Second Level formation, trapping his mental strength as if in an impenetrable space, preventing him from probing deeper.

This left Zhou Luo somewhat astonished.

It appeared the Assassin Tower was indeed extraordinary, and its foundation in Qinyuan City was deeper than he had expected.

Since the other didn’t want him to know, he didn’t push for it.

More than that, he was more curious about why the other had suddenly said these words.

"Do you mean someone wants to kill me?" Zhou Luo stared at him unblinkingly, with no emotion detectable in his tone.

Facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the man with the goatee smiled slightly. "Where there are people, there are conflicts. Though Pill Master Zhou leads a secluded life, many still wish for your death."

Zhou Luo raised his eyebrows slightly.

After his collaboration with Tian Xia Restaurant, an unknown number of people in secret envied him.

Most of them, fearing his identity and power, could only scheme against him in the shadows.

There were also those like Fang Li who openly ostracized him.

For this, Zhou Luo had long been mentally prepared.

"So you want me to pay money to save my own life?" Zhou Luo countered.

Since the other had spoken so bluntly, it had to be driven by gain.

He could only assume the other wanted him to pay money.

In the Assassin Tower, an unwritten rule existed: if you felt unable to resist an assassination attempt, you could buy your life in advance, halting the Assassin Tower from taking the contract.

Naturally, this had to happen before any assassination started.

If the Assassin Tower had already accepted a mission, you couldn’t escape unless the assassination failed.

The man with the goatee gave a calm smile. "Pill Master Zhou, you truly are astute, but we don’t want money."

"Oh?" Zhou Luo expressed puzzlement. "What do you want?"

The other seemed well-prepared and had likely been watching him for a long time.

Upon hearing this, the man with the goatee stepped aside, pointing toward a passage nearby. "My family head will tell you about this matter."

His family head must have been the Foundation Establishment strong person who uncovered Zhou Luo’s identity.

After pondering, Zhou Luo decided to proceed.

After all, being targeted by an organization like the Assassin Tower wasn’t favorable; he needed to find out what the other desired.

Zhou Luo walked that way with composure.

The Man with the Goatee watched him quietly, not following.

Having reached that spot, Zhou Luo saw a corridor. The corridor wasn’t long, with paintings hanging on both sides. Those paintings were dark in color, depicting oppressive scenes that gave him a very unpleasant sensation.

Zhou Luo passed through that corridor and arrived before the inner room’s door.

Click—

The door automatically opened, revealing a young man dressed in a white robe sitting straight within.

He had sharp eyebrows and starlike eyes, with a pair of phoenix eyes gazing over. His gaze beneath was deep, betraying no discernible emotion.

"I didn’t expect Pill Master Zhou to come here in person." His voice was flat, carrying a hint of surprise.

Based on what he knew, the other party was someone who acted cautiously and took no unnecessary risks. He hadn’t expected him to come alone to meet him.

Surely he wasn’t afraid this might be a trap?

Zhou Luo stepped into the room, speaking neither hurriedly nor slowly: "Assassin Tower wanting to kill someone shouldn’t require such elaborate efforts."

He firmly believed the other party must have some request for him, and he wanted to find out what it was.

The man smiled faintly, raising his right hand slightly. A vermilion large chair appeared beside him. "Sit."

Only after Zhou Luo sat down did the man continue: "I can have Assassin Tower cancel the assassination order on Pill Master Zhou. But the premise is that Pill Master Zhou must do me a favor."

Without any concealment, the other party went straight to the point and stated his purpose.

Zhou Luo wasn’t in a hurry to speak, waiting for the other party to proceed with his request.

A moment later, the man spoke again: "I heard Pill Master Zhou is rather close with Wang Yu Wei of the Biquan True Sect?"

When the name "Wang Yu Wei" was spoken, Zhou Luo felt a heaviness in his heart.

He hadn’t heard this name for a long time. The last time he heard it was when she sent someone to deliver a Foundation Establishment magic sword to him.

More than ten years later, he hadn’t expected to hear her name spoken by someone else again.

But what did she have to do with Assassin Tower?

"She and I are friends," Zhou Luo replied.

The truth of his relationship with Wang Yu Wei was difficult to pin down. But as he recalled her, he suddenly remembered her special physique.

The dual cultivation body.

That’s right, her physique seemed to match those dual cultivation techniques.

Could her special physique be one suited for dual cultivation?

Zhou Luo silently pressed down this speculation and continued looking at the other man.

Upon receiving this answer, the man smiled: "That’s quite sufficient. I hope Pill Master Zhou can arrange an introduction for me."

So the other party’s goal wasn’t him after all, but Wang Yu Wei.

This did surprise Zhou Luo a little.

"I don’t know how to contact her. Moreover, considering Assassin Tower’s capabilities, contacting her shouldn’t be difficult," Zhou Luo stated.

Assassin Tower’s influence permeated the entire Huoyun Country. From Immortal Sect elders and court ministers down to street vendors and roadside elders—truly, its roots ran deep.

For such a colossal presence to meet with an Immortal Sect disciple surely shouldn’t be difficult.

Yet, the man showed a trace of helplessness: "She has some misunderstandings involving our Assassin Tower. Added to that, she belongs to the Biquan True Sect—we cannot approach her."

The Biquan True Sect was the most unique sect on the Jinyun Continent because its members were entirely female cultivators. For Assassin Tower to infiltrate it was no easy task.

Further, as a disciple highly valued by a Golden Core master, she spent most of her time secluded within the sect, rarely venturing out, making it even harder to get close.

After several failed attempts at contact, Assassin Tower could only set its sights on Zhou Luo.

Because, years ago, the news of her sending someone a vast distance to deliver a Foundation Establishment magical artifact had caused quite the stir in Qinyuan Domain.

Reportedly, Zhou Luo was her life-saving benefactor, regarded by her as even more important than her own family.

"Just what do you need with her?" Zhou Luo asked, frowning.

But the other party did not wish to reveal too much.

"This is not something Pill Master Zhou needs to concern himself with. You only need to go to the Biquan True Sect for us and deliver a letter to her."

"Once you accomplish that, I guarantee: so long as you remain within Qinyuan Domain, you will suffer no assassination attempts from Assassin Tower. No amount of money will change that."