The snow was falling heavily, and his angry reply was swallowed up by the snow and could not reach the ears of the group.
But this was already a major mistake for Jiang Lancui.
He lifted his face scarf to block the biting wind and snow, and his dark eyes looked at Yun Xian from afar. The man remained expressionless, as if he didn't even take him seriously.
Jiang Lan wrinkled her nose.
"Speaking of assassins, I vaguely saw some news in the tabloids before I came here."
Not only was Yun Xian unfazed, but who in the group would be frightened? Even Feng Ye wouldn't be frightened by this trick. Xue Lingxiu slowly recalled, "The assassin organization Thirteen Spices, they deliver heads to your door, keeping it secret."
"Thirteen spices?" Yun Xian said, "This overlaps with Xuanbao Pavilion's business scope, doesn't it?"
"No," Xue Lingxiu said, "The bounty offered by the Xuanbao Pavilion is visible to everyone, so it's not suitable for dirty work. It's more reliable to leave it to an assassin."
That made sense. However, the Xuanbao Pavilion wasn't doing such a clean job. Yun Xian still remembered that during the Four-way War, some talented person had offered a reward for Master Mingguang's robes, but he didn't know if he succeeded in the end.
The teardrop mole beneath Jiang Lancui's eye blazed brightly in the snow, making it extremely conspicuous. Actually, his hiding place wasn't too far from Yun Xian and his group; it could even be considered close. However, he had mastered some form of physical skill, remaining completely silent, even his breathing practically lost in the wind, like a lifeless stone.
Ji Rongxue said, "Since he can send a message, he must be nearby."
Jiang Lancui burst out laughing. Of course, that was the truth. But who among those present could possibly detect it? Even the one with the highest cultivation level could be deceived.
He looked at Yun Xian and thought, the son of his father's old enemy is no more than this.
Yun Xian: “Yeah.”
Jiang Lancui teased Yun Xian quietly for a while, and was finally satisfied. The next moment, Yun Xian raised his hand, unsheathed his sword, and a stream of sword energy came straight towards him with incredible precision!
How is that possible?!
To dodge the sword energy, one would have to break his body movement technique. Jiang Lancui had no choice but to retreat, appearing in front of everyone. He asked coldly, "How did you find me? What magic weapon did you use?"
"I didn't find you. But I know you're definitely there." Yun Xian pointed to an empty space and said silently, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, have you ever thought that within a radius of 20 meters, the only place that looks like it could hide someone is there?"
Jiang Lan urged: “…………”
Everyone: “…………”
I think everyone is also stupid and silent, just like Cambridge tonight.
The young man before him looked about the same age as Yun Xian. It was said that teardrop moles under the eyes could indicate melancholy and fragility, but he looked nothing like that. He was dressed as if he was about to go scavenging, but his eyes sparkled.
It was bad. Feng Ye hurried to check on Xue Lingxiu. Sure enough, Master Xue's complexion had begun to deteriorate again. But this time, it wasn't because Jiang Lancui was so good-looking; with half her face obscured, even a god couldn't tell. This time, it was because, at first glance, this Daoist Jiang looked like Yun Xian, both the mischievous type ready to roll in the mud at any moment. And their clothing was so awful that even Yun Xian felt inferior. Their clothes were so haphazardly mixed that, to put it bluntly, they were worse than running naked.
"You can do it." Jiang Lan urged Xiao Diu with a look of anger, "Don't let me see you next time!"
He was about to slip away when Ji Rongxue stopped him with a claw and asked unkindly, "What are you doing?"
Ji Rongxue: "Did I tell you to leave?"
Jiang Lan urged: "You are so arrogant! Have you eaten leeks?!"
He slapped Ji Rongxue's hand away, but before half a moment had passed, he was caught back by Qi Qi, his eyes full of dissatisfaction.
"..." Yun Xian said, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, before I met you, I always thought being an assassin required a lot of intelligence."
Jiang Lancui was imprisoned, but she still said stubbornly: "Killing is the easiest thing."
Every profession has its own expertise. The martial arts he practiced was about concealing his body. It would be fine if he didn't attack, but once he did, it would be a fatal blow. This kind of martial arts was not suitable for face-to-face confrontation, so it was normal for him to be caught now.
The snow was getting heavier, and everyone was almost blinded by it. The empty cultivator's residence in front of them was blown by the wind, and it seemed a bit desolate and gloomy. Yun Xian personally tied Jiang Lan up like a hairy crab and dragged her all the way to the treasure ship.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang, can I ask you a question?" The man looked thin, but he felt quite sturdy. Yun Xian breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Why do you want to kill this casual cultivator?"
Jiang Lancui looked at her with a mocking look.
Yun Xian said, "If someone simply wants to buy his life from you, then it depends on your ability. Whoever finds him first will win. There's no need for you to come here and provoke him. Unless this person is more eager to prevent Ji Rongxue from getting the achievement than to get it himself."
"What a joke." Jiang Lan urged, "Couldn't I just be passing by? I just did it because I saw you were annoyed."
Yun Xian: "Qiu Dan or Qiu Zhuo?"
Jiang Lan urged: "I don't know what you are talking about."
"If you really don't know what I'm talking about, you should ask who these two people are." Yun Xian argued, "Miss, do you want to guess who they are?"
Ji Rongxue looked at Jiang Lan coldly and said, "Qiu Dan."
"I respect both of you very much, but there are things I don't want to say, but I have to." Ji Rongxue said slowly, "Brother Qiu Zhuo has grown old but not wise. Although it's laughable that he always thinks that being the eldest son means he deserves to inherit the orthodox lineage, he probably wouldn't want to be associated with such an assassin organization. Brother Qiu Dan is better. He only has uncontrolled ambition and an increasingly flawed brain. Now he probably feels that he has to trip me up at the last moment to satisfy me, even if the consequence is that he loses two front teeth."
Xue Lingxiu: "There are not many outsiders here, you can be brief."
Ji Rongxue paused for a moment. "In short, of the two losers, Qiu Dan is slightly more vicious."
Everyone: “…”
I never thought the young lady was so sharp-tongued before. It seems she really hates these two people, and her speech speed has increased a lot.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang." Yun Xian looked at Jiang Lan and asked, "What do you say?"
Jiang Lancui's face showed no abnormality at all: "Do you think I will tell you? Dream on!"
Yun Xian was calm and composed. "Then it seems to be Qiu Dan. Actually, Fellow Daoist Jiang, it doesn't matter if you don't tell us. Because even if it's not these two, we will try our best to put the blame on them. That way, we will be more justified at the funeral banquet."
Jiang Lan urged: "..."
He was shocked by Yun Xian's shamelessness.
Seeing this man, as silent as a clam, saying nothing, the group could only tie him up and set him aside. Anyway, there was still a long time before the funeral banquet, so there was no rush. It would be better to deal with the wandering cultivator first. Just like the Smiling Buddha, regardless of whether this wandering cultivator was possessed by a demon or not, he had already committed countless crimes and was already a hidden danger to ordinary people.
It’s okay since Xiaoshi Town is full of cultivators, but if the independent cultivators escape to other towns, it will be even more dangerous.
"Demonic energy..." Yun Xian looked at the magic stone in his hand and said, "If this matter can be handled properly, it will also serve as a warning to all the major sects."
If it is confirmed that there is demonic energy, then Taiping will be in trouble.
Taiping was once again being treated like a servant, but this time he was much calmer. He even thought the demonic energy was too weak: "How can I tell where this demonic energy is? Let's go further east."
Unexpectedly, this trip went quite smoothly. Feng Ye glanced at the bound Jiang Lancui and asked Qiao Lingshan in confusion, "Although I don't know the scale of the Thirteen Spices gang, he's still the leader, right? Why does he look so stupid?"
Qiao Lingshan was also wondering about this. She said, "Look at the name, it's not very good. Thirteen Spices, it sounds like a very unpalatable seasoning."
The space behind the two of them fluctuated for a moment.
Ji Rongxue stood alone at the stern. The snow continued to fall, and in an instant, it blanketed the world in white, erasing all traces. Even as he retreated, the cold, hard black iron fortifications of the Body-Building Sect remained imprinted in his vision.
She was thinking about other things.
There was no one behind her ears, only the white snow floating in the air, but she felt a sense of strangeness here.
Just as Ji Rongxue frowned slightly and was about to turn around, an extremely sharp dagger suddenly attacked from behind!
The dagger's blade was pitch black, its edge drenched in blood, gleaming with a faint, blood-soaked glow. It came with incredible force and force, without warning, as if suddenly appearing from thin air, hissing like a rattlesnake. Ji Rongxue couldn't dodge... No, it wasn't about not being able to dodge; it was about not giving him a chance to dodge at all!
The life-saving spiritual chain on her neck had already sensed that her life was at stake, and was beginning to clang nervously, ready to release the protective shield at any time. Ji Rongxue's eyes became fierce, and at this moment, a familiar sword energy came from the left like lightning, and it was heading straight for her face. Ji Rongxue mobilized all the spiritual energy in her body and watched as the two swords touched each other right under her noses, splashing out a clanging fire!
But the first one was a sword. The second was merely sword energy. Though it arrived just in time, it only slowed the first dagger's speed and deflected its direction. Ji Rongxue blocked it, and the sword slashed through the back of her hand, oozing blood. The blood, exposed in the air for a moment, immediately solidified into fiery red ice slag.
The sword is coming, and the man is coming too!
Jiang Lan appeared in front of her like a ghost, her pale fingers gripping the hilt of the sword. Her expression was completely different from before, her eyes were indifferent and emotionless. Her sight instantly locked onto the fatal spot of the person in front of her, looking for a flaw. In just a few moments, she created a wound on Ji Rongxue's body.
His purpose was probably not to be a casual cultivator at all. From the beginning, he wanted to get close to Ji Rongxue and then kill her!
The sword energy was from Su Chi, and following it was Yun Xian. Unsheathing her sword, the fiery red aura scorched the falling snow, sending water droplets cascading to the ground. She stepped forward, intercepting Jiang Lancui's dagger and greeting him, "Hi?"
Jiang Lancui saw everyone rushing over after hearing the noise, and realized that this matter would not succeed, so she jumped off the boat and left without saying a word.
If the first strike misses, then the second strike will be launched. If the second strike misses, then this person cannot be killed. His body movement, which he is proud of, not only allows him to launch a surprise attack, but also to escape. If he does not want to, no one can stop him——
Jiang Lan jumped down and jumped into a huge fishing net.
He was finally stunned: "?!"
"Brother Jiang, next time you get on a vehicle, you need to look carefully!" Yun Xian leaned on the windowsill and shouted to him, "This is a boat! Even though it's never been in the water and has always been on land, it's still a boat! If it's a boat, how could it not have fishing nets?"
…
Half an incense stick later, Jiang Lancui was tied up and returned to his original position.
It was only now that he realized how carelessly Yun Xian had tied him up. Not only were there soul-binding ropes on his body, but there were also talisman arrays nearby. Even Xue Lingxiu had sealed his entire acupoints, a dragnet that left him with no chance of escape.
"..." Jiang Lancui said gloomily: "Did you deliberately let me out just now?"
A red mole under his eye adds to his gloomy look, making him look gray, as if he is always waiting for an opportunity to bite someone.
It seemed like this was his true character. No, not necessarily. After all, when they first met, Yun Xian really didn't realize he was acting.
There are talented people everywhere in the world of cultivation, and the best actors are among the people.
Yun Xian asked, "Are you here to kill Ji Rongxue?"
"I won't kill him." Jiang Lancui spat and said sadly, "The money is small and the work is heavy. It's too troublesome."
The most annoying thing is people who have many friends and like to hang around together. Kill one and six will come to rescue him. If they can't kill him, they might get themselves involved. It's so annoying.
Yun Xian folded his arms and looked at him, saying, "How much is the young lady worth?"
"Twenty thousand spirit stones." Jiang Lancui looked up at her lazily and said, "How about if you give me ten times as much and I kill the client?"
It was much cheaper than she thought. Yun Xian said, "I don't have any money to spend."
Jiang Lan urged: "..."
He was tied up, and the others just looked at him from a distance like a monkey, poking and pointing at him from time to time. Jiang Lan's face darkened and she said, "I know where that wandering cultivator is. Tell me his exact location in exchange for letting me off the boat. Do you want to?"
Yun Xian: "Who knows if you will lie to me?"
"Then let me go after you find me." Jiang Lan urged, "I am Jiang Fengtian's son after all. I won't do such a shameful thing."
Xue Lingxiu knew who Jiang Fengtian was, and seeing Yun Xian was confused, he explained, "He's a cultivator as famous as Liu Feiran. He wields a sword, is a serious person, and has an air of authority without even getting angry."
"...Alright." She looked quite formidable. If Jiang Lancui didn't keep his word, she would go to all the major sects and hang banners to curse him. Yun Xian glanced at him and added, "Is this how you usually get along with your father?"
Lan urged her father to get drunk and performed until he cried.
Jiang Lancui gritted her teeth and said, "It's not important!"
Soon, everyone witnessed the assassination organization's operational capabilities. Although Xuanbao Pavilion had a large number of spies, they were easily exposed and changed frequently. The people Jiang Lancui summoned were all wearing clothes even more tattered than his. Some looked like they had sores and some were oozing pus. They were actually the beggars who scurried around the streets and alleys. When they saw Jiang Lancui, they giggled:
"Boss, you capsized in the gutter! Hahahaha!"
"If my friend dies, I will die too! Boss, I'm sorry I can't save you in your current situation!"
"Is there something wrong? What's the matter with calling us here?"
Jiang Lan pressed for a name. One of the beggars, holding a chicken leg, mentioned a place name and mumbled, "The man you're talking about drank Baihuasha and has been drunk for ten days and ten nights! He's even sleeping in a stagnant ditch. It's so cold, I don't know if he's dead, and no one's family has gone to look for him. Anyway, everything he had on him is definitely gone!"
Yun Xian and Ji Rongxue looked at each other.
“…”
When the wandering cultivator was found in the stinking ditch, he was not dead, but he was just a little bit away from death.
He was still wearing the bloodstained shirt he had worn that night, and his head and face were also covered with blood stains that had been carelessly wiped away by hands. It seemed that since the night of the murder of his family, he had come all the way here, living a life of drunkenness and dreaming, and had been lying there for several days.
"Only one breath left." The magic stone in Yun Xian's arms became increasingly hot. She said, "Indeed, he was stripped of everything except his clothes."
There are few people in the wilderness, and he is determined to die. Even if someone saves him, he will not go back.
As the wandering cultivator lay dying, his vision was already blurry. He saw someone approaching, and his lips moved slightly as he said something:
"I shouldn't have taken that book in the first place..."
"I am not the first, nor the last..."
"What book? Who gave it to you?" Ji Rongxue's eyes narrowed as he pressed on, "Do you know its name?"
That magic book might have been stolen by some passing thief. An ordinary person might be fine and not cause much trouble, but if it fell into the hands of someone else, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The wandering cultivator looked over the mountains and into the distance.
"Because I believed in him, I..." The cultivator finally gave a bitter laugh and said, "It's too late to regret now."
Snowflakes fell and the breath disappeared.
Everyone followed his line of sight and saw the Body Tempering Gate in the mountains, the towering city defense fortress, and the cold and hard black iron sentry post.
Yun Xian buried his body in the snow, stood up, and said, "Sure enough, no sect can be spared."
"Hey. Can you put me down now?" Jiang Lan brushed off the dust on her body and asked, "What are you talking about? You're talking nonsense?"
He looked rather confused, but this time his confusion was more serious and seemed sincere. However, given his past, no one was quite sure he was truly unaware.
Yun Xian's mind raced, and he suddenly said, "Brother Jiang, didn't you say before that if I gave you ten times the price, you would kill the client?"
Jiang Lancui got goosebumps when she called him that. "Yes. But you look so poor, can you afford it?"
Yun Xian automatically ignored his offensive remarks and pondered, "No matter if the person who commissioned the event is Dan, Zhuo, or an elder, they will definitely show up at the funeral banquet. How about this, we take you in?"
"Why do I have to go by myself?" Jiang Lancui avoided her temptation and said coldly, "I am not the only assassin in Thirteen Xiang. I don't have to do everything myself."
Yun Xian said, "Hey, you don't understand. To become the world's number one assassin, you need to build a reputation. What does it take to be famous? As assassins, we must focus on 'quality', not 'quantity'. If you feel like you're home when you visit someone else's territory, and easily succeed on their home turf, isn't this one worth bragging about for ten years?"
Qiao Lingshan was silent: "What do you mean by 'our assassins'..."
"Become the world's number one assassin?" Jiang Lancui sneered, "I already am."
Yun Xian hadn't expected someone as confident as herself to exist in this world. It was truly remarkable. But her expression remained unchanged as she simply shook her head, "Not really. In my opinion, Brother Jiang, you still have a lot of room for improvement as an assassin."
Su Chi seemed to know what she was going to say, and the corners of his lips curled up.
"Oh?" Jiang Lan paused, as if provoked. She stared at her and said slowly, "Then tell me, where do I still have room for improvement?"
Yun Xian cleared his throat and said, "How should the bounty on the assassin be distributed?"
"Nonsense." Jiang Lan said impatiently, "Whoever kills the person will get the reward. What else?"
"Okay!" Yun Xian clapped his hands and said, "Next, please listen to the questions!"
"The scene is as follows," she said, pointing at everyone present one by one. "Shisanxiang has issued a mission, offering a reward of 30,000 taels on Qi Zhiye's head. But because he is in the Buddhist sect, it is almost impossible to kill him directly. Therefore, you, Big Brother, and I have decided to use poison to kill him!"
Qi Zhiye felt a chill on his neck for no apparent reason: "?"
"Poisoning isn't my style." Jiang Lan urged, "So, what next?"
"To poison Qi Zhiye, who's as strong as an ox, you need at least ten coins of poison. Coincidentally, everyone chose the same poison. Coincidentally, all three of us decided to take a long-term approach, otherwise it would be too obvious. So, on the same day, I put two coins of poison in his cup, my eldest brother put three coins in his room, and Brother Jiang, you were even more ruthless, directly putting a full five coins of poison on the wooden fish!"
Qi Zhiye: "It has nothing to do with the wooden fish!!"
"Instantly, the sturdy Qi Zhiye was deeply poisoned and fell to the ground, barely breathing!" Yun Xian clapped his hands and said solemnly, "However, thanks to Master Mingguang's timely arrival, the poison attack on Qi Zhiye's heart has been temporarily alleviated. If he had been rushed to the hospital, his life would not be in danger!"
Feng Ye: "Why didn't you assign a role to me? I want to poison you too."
Qiao Lingshan: "Feng Ye..."
Jiang Lan urged: "And then?"
"Qi Zhiye was loaded onto a carriage and headed all the way to the medical pavilion. He was almost there." Yun Xian clapped his hands again. "Unexpectedly, at this moment, a luxurious carriage rushed out from the side! The coachman looked closely and saw that it was the arrogant and domineering young master of the Xue family, riding out for a stroll again! The two parties were unable to avoid each other and collided head-on! Qi Zhiye instantly fell to the ground and was injured again!"
Ji Rongxue: "Qi Zhiye, you are so unlucky."
Qi Zhiye: “…”
Xue Lingxiu: “…”
So, in Yun Xian's mind, I was this arrogant and domineering young man?!
Jiang Lan frowned: "And then?"
"They say the world is full of twists and turns." Yun Xian sighed, "If Qi Zhiye hadn't been poisoned by the ten-cent poison earlier, he would have been injured at most and would have been bedridden for ten days or half a month. But he was already weak, and at this critical moment, he was hit by Master Xue and died instantly! He stopped breathing! Even a god couldn't save him!"
Jiang Lan listened patiently and couldn't help but frown: "What on earth do you want to say? It's incomprehensible."
"Did you hear that clearly?" Yun Xian smiled at him and said, "Alright, Fellow Daoist Jiang, now please answer. If you were the leader of Thirteen Spices, to whom would you most appropriately give the bounty? And who is the true assassin who killed Qi Xingye?"
Jiang Lan urged: “…………”
He fell into deep thought for a moment.
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