As night fell, the moon hid behind the clouds, and the wind howled, leaving the world in eerie silence.
Inside a shabby room, a cricket chirped incessantly, seemingly communicating with a deep snoring sound.
Splash—
A bucket of water splashed onto Xu Yi’s face, jolting him awake. He blinked, only to find three pairs of eyes staring at him, blocking out the candlelight.
“Boss?”
Xu Yi eyed the trio, shivering in his wet clothes.
“Are we, uh… in a black market here?”
Three figures stood opposite him.
A lady, serene and icy like an immortal, wore an expressionless face, but her gaze pierced through to one’s soul, making it hard to hold her stare.
Another woman donning palace garb was toying with a bone-picking dagger, a trophy snatched from a failed assassin.
The boss, however, was the most normal one there, sporting his usual warm smile. But when Xu Yi noticed he was tied up like a pig, that smile turned from friendly to downright sinister.
“He’s awake.”
Ying Bing’s face was as blank as a sheet of paper.
“Awake, but not fully.”
Li Mo squinted and shook his head.
“Let’s get this show on the road; it’s nighttime.”
Shang Wu sounded a tad impatient.
Xu Yi: “!”
Get to it?
Thoughts of unpleasant things raced through his mind, and he felt his hair stand on end.
“Boss, please don’t turn me into a human meat bun!”
“I can join in too; I can run a black market!”
“What are you thinking?”
Li Mo seemed completely lost.
A soft light glimmered behind him, illuminating Xu Yi’s figure.
After some tinkering, Little Li discovered that his Consciousness Soul could not only slightly alter the flow of time but also calm the mind, helping one return to their true self.
Uh…
With his head wrapped like a mummy, Xu Yi couldn’t quite read his own emotions, but judging by his gaze, he seamlessly switched gears from panic to businesslike.
“That day I really intended to send a message to Misty Rain Tower, but not for…”
“No need to explain.”
“Alright… then you can go ahead.”
Xu Yi’s spirits dimmed; how could a killer from Misty Rain Tower expect the trust of others…
Swish—
The dagger glinted in the light.
He shut his eyes; however, a lengthy moment passed without the expected pain.
“I believe in you.”
The ropes loosened, leaving Xu Yi stunned, like a statue, with a flicker of emotion blooming on his face.
He wasn’t usually the curious type, but he couldn’t help but ask:
“Why?”
“I acknowledge your greed.”
Li Mo’s once opaque gaze now cleared.
“…… Thanks.”
Xu Yi wasn’t sure if he should be happy about that.
Li Mo continued, “Also, when you took down Zou Gong and Luo Wubing, it wasn’t due to an issue with your Consciousness Soul, right?”
Xu Yi’s eyelid twitched as he hung his head in silence.
“Alright then, everything goes according to our previous plan. You lead us to the black market.”
Li Mo casually tossed away the rope and clapped his hands.
Xu Yi was clearly in the wrong line of work.
Otherwise, being a bounty hunter wouldn’t be too bad.
He didn’t say much on the matter, turning to grab his gear, leaving the trio with a back view:
While changing into his night clothes and arming himself, he remarked, “Just having the swallows in front of the hall isn’t enough; we need to disguise ourselves too.”
“I have some insights in this area; I can assist you.”
The boss and boss lady were too well-known, a target too big to miss.
“Not necessary (bubble voice).”
“Um?”
Something was off; Xu Yi turned around.
Unbeknownst to him, Li Mo had changed into full-on combat gear, sporting a dragon mask that made him look both fierce and mysterious.
Ying Bing had also donned her attire from some mind-bending trial.
—
It wasn’t just the three of them.
Elders from Qingyuan Sect and some peers had quietly changed into their gear and stood outside the shabby room, all looking like shady characters.
Little Li, in his dragon mask, stood at the front like a true villain boss.
Xu Yi: “…..”
Who’s the professional killer here?
Suddenly, he felt a tad unprofessional.
…….
On the eastern road of Yunzhou City, Baile Street belonged to the old city area. Like most cities, Yunzhou had its fair share of murky waters and local power struggles in the grey area.
Where there’s light, there’s darkness; it’s better to let things flow than to block them.
“Latest copy of ‘The Empress Falls for Me,’ 200 silver coins a book.”
“Two hundred coins? Is the cover made of gold or the pages?”
“Do you want it or not?”
“If it were authentic, I’d definitely take it—oh, wait, no watermark.”
Prices fluctuated like a kn*fe through butter.
But the audience remained unfazed, going about their business, no one interested in the rare show of outrage.
The group stepped onto Baile Street.
Shang Wu’s heart skipped, a smile spreading across her face.
“This place isn’t too bad; I kind of like it.”
“Focus on the matter at hand,” Qian Bufan reminded, eyeing her with mock disapproval.
You like it? Then this place seems a bit pitiful.
The gang felt like a drop of water in the ocean, split up according to plan, scattering to the winds.
Only Li Mo, Shang Wu, and Ying Bing stuck with Xu Yi, heading straight for the black market.
The deeper they ventured into the street, the more they encountered intimidating figures exuding an air of menace.
Finally reaching the end of the street, they spotted a towering building larger than a tavern, with ‘Listening to the Wind’ written on its sign.
Late into the night, this Listening to the Wind building bustled with activity, with people coming and going constantly.
“Are you sure that no one is allowed to act inside the building?”
“Exactly, that’s the rule set by the owner.”
“And they can post group tasks, allowing multiple assassins to accept bids?”
“Yeah, because some jobs require more than one person.”
“Sounds good.”
Li Mo was learning a little bit of the inner workings of Misty Rain Tower.
It seemed he wasn’t quite one of their own yet, lacking details that could prove useful.
But the general plan remained unaffected.
So, they walked into the building.
For a moment, Li Mo felt like he had stepped into the outer hall of the Qingyuan Sect; only this place was much larger, and the people milling about weren’t fellow sect members but wary assassins maneuvering in the shadows.
“Ten pieces of Xuan Crystal, 100,000 gold, three bottles of Six Pattern Pills?”
Li Mo’s eyes lit up at the bounty on his head.
Xu Yi inhaled deeply. “Hmm, Boss, you know why assassins are flocking to you like bees to honey…”
Li Mo nodded, sighed, “Turns out being a killer is just this poor.”
Xu Yi: “…..”
That bounty was about the same as the net worth of someone exceptionally strong inside.
“Do you two want to take on Li Mo’s job too?”
The front desk receptionist was a gaunt old man with a blue birthmark on his face.
Li Mo didn’t answer but was fixated on the tasks.
“Today even the strong inside have failed; Li Mo ought to have some strong protectors around him.”
“So what if he has protectors? There’s always someone they can’t fend off.”
“Heh, ranked nineteen on the Qianlong List, quite the reputation.”
“Once there was a guy ranked twelve on the Qianlong List, and he fell to Misty Rain Tower in a heartbeat.”
“That time, the Saintess personally got involved.”
“Some folks love targeting talents; I’ll take that contract!”
“They might hide away; if they go underground, I’ll need to cough up money to buy intel on them…”
Other assassins were eager to jump in, ready to take on a red-hot challenge.
Clearly, it wasn’t just a solo mission.
Li Mo wanted to resolve this situation quickly, so he suddenly raised both hands, dropping the shapeless glass shroud.
“Everyone, eyes on me!”
“I am Li Mo!”
