Wuxie City
Today, the city guard soldier Bing Jia mysteriously said to Bing Yi, "Do you know? Today, I don't know who, carrying a giant treasure covered with red cloth, sent it to the Star Picking Tower. Four people carried it through Vermilion Bird Street, and half the city saw it."
"How do you know it's a treasure?" Bing Yi asked doubtfully.
"What do you know? It's protected by a formation that isolates divine sense! If it's not a treasure, why is it so mysterious?" Bing Jia was displeased with Bing Yi's attitude. He had already inquired.
"Who is coming to pay respects with such a grand gesture? And so ostentatious?" Bing Yi, a native of Wuxie City, knew that the Star Picking Tower outwardly appeared to be a shop selling various treasures and spiritual plants, but in reality, it was a branch of the Assassin Hall. This was something known to those with some influence in the area.
No one dared to provoke them. Decades ago, the original owner of the Star Picking Tower, the Wu family, was wiped out without a trace. The reason was their refusal to hand over the ancestral Star Picking Tower, which had been in their family for a hundred years. The Assassin Hall claimed that the Wu family head had transferred ownership to them, but everyone knew it was a violent seizure, and the entire family was annihilated!
Even today, the lord of Wuxie City dared not interfere. The Assassin Hall was backed by the Ninth Prince of the Tianchen Continent's royal family. It was rumored that the Ninth Prince had already reached the late stage of Divine Transformation. He was the only prince in the royal family capable of reaching Divine Transformation. When a supremely talented prince emerged from the royal family, the entire family dared not offend him! It was said that even the Crown Prince avoided his edge!
"I heard it's a treasure that the legendary owner of the Nine-Tailed Fox found in Dushan and wants to seek the protection of the Assassin Hall by offering a generous gift!" Bing Jia's voice trembled. The Nine-Tailed Fox divine beast was already famous throughout the Tianchen Continent, and it was unexpected that such a powerful figure would need to curry favor with the Assassin Hall.
"So it's true! My seventh aunt's maternal uncle's younger brother's concubine's cousin is a caravan guard. A few days ago, he heard that a group of people in Motu City had entered Dushan and found a treasure. It turns out it was them, and they are already here?" Bing Yi moved closer, whispering into Bing Jia's ear. He had been out on official business a couple of days ago and only returned to duty at noon today, missing all the excitement.
"I heard about this too. They say it's a treasure that can allow one to ascend in a single step." Bing Jia's tone was envious. If he had obtained this treasure, he would have found a corner to hide and cultivate, rather than letting the news leak.
"You blockhead. If you ask me, the owner of the Nine-Tailed Fox is smart. It's said she's a little fairy with no background. Possessing such a treasure is a crime. By offering it now, she's getting rid of trouble and saving her life. She even has spiritual pets. If your strength is insufficient, you must lie low first. Who knows what the future holds?" Bing Yi saw the look on Bing Jia's face and knew what he was thinking. Treasures are good, but you need to be alive to enjoy them!
"That makes sense! That makes sense!" Bing Jia nodded in agreement.
"Of course! This little fairy is also smart. She didn't show her face at all. You know, many people also have their eyes on her spiritual pets!" Bing Yi said with emotion. In the cultivation world, the strong reign supreme, and killing for treasures is nothing new.
Ju Quin and Zhao Yangzi were hidden on the city wall, listening to the two soldiers. Ju Quin felt that this matter seemed to be settled.
"The person you found is good. How many groups like this have you found?" Ju Quin couldn't help but feel curious. She hadn't expected Qing Yang to be so swift.
"Not many, I just utilized some old hidden stashes!" Zhao Yangzi didn't elaborate. He wouldn't tell the Venerable Master that he had started making arrangements after entering Dushan, but he didn't expect that his plans coincided perfectly with the Venerable Master's thoughts!
Indeed, the next day, Ju Quin heard that the Star Picking Tower in Wuxie City had been attacked at midnight and the entire building had been leveled. Unfortunately, the head of the Assassin Hall branch had escaped.
At this moment, Ju Quin and her companions were in a dense forest not far from Wuxie City. They had set up a formation, and their entire Purple Bamboo Boat was hidden.
"Did you do it?" Ju Quin asked Zhao Yangzi, holding her teacup.
"No, Dark Ten hadn't even had a chance to act before they were targeted." Zhao Yangzi calmly held his teacup, lowering his head to sniff the tea aroma.
"Hmph! What's so great about that? This idea was conceived by the Venerable Master." Feng Chu couldn't stand Qing Yang's smug, as if he had everything under control demeanor.
"That's true, it's still better than some people who don't even understand military strategy and read very little!" Feng Chu disliked reading, which Zhao Yangzi knew.
"You, do you want to fight again?" Feng Chu, angered, rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight.
"Alright, both of you shut up!" Ju Quin was extremely annoyed. She recalled her days as a Divine Venerable; with just a glare, Feng Chu would cower. But now...
Feng Chu, with his handsome face sporting a black eye, looked at Ju Quin with a wronged expression.
"I say, aren't you going to treat your face?" Ju Quin almost burst into laughter when she saw the panda eye.
"Venerable Master, look how cruelly this scoundrel hit me. Please treat me!" Feng Chu seized the opportunity to make a request.
"Alright, come here!" Ju Quin found it unbearable to look at such a strikingly handsome face with this bruise. She used her healing technique to treat his injury.
"Fairy, the matter has been resolved. When do we prepare to depart?" Steward Zhu walked into the tea room from the deck.
"Let's depart now, and rush to Xiandu City as soon as possible."
In a separate courtyard in Wuxie City, Xie Jian, the head of the Assassin Hall branch, angrily smashed all the porcelain in the room. "Which son of a bitch made the move? The treasure that was sent was robbed before I could even put it away."
"Hall Master, all those who attacked us last night were dressed in black, and their techniques were indistinguishable from any sect!" Viper, one of Xie Jian's confidantes, said.
"This is truly bizarre. A treasure descended from heaven, and I thought it was a great fortune. This is actually luring disaster!" Xie Jian understood that he had fallen into a trap. Last night alone, there were three waves of attackers on the Star Picking Tower. If he hadn't been able to set up illusions, he would have been in great peril. Out of dozens of people, only he and Viper remained.
"Hall Master, what is this treasure that was sent? Is it really the treasure from the Dushan secret realm that the Golden Mask from Tushui City mentioned?"
Viper knew they had been tricked, but this matter was originally spread by the Golden Mask faction within the Assassin Hall. They knew their own affairs. Initially, they all thought it was a trick by the owner of the Nine-Tailed Fox divine beast, but when the treasure was delivered, it was confirmed to be a rare worldly treasure! However, before they could figure out its use, it was stolen.
"I don't know what it is either, but I checked it with my divine sense. It contains a large amount of spiritual energy. Just standing near that stone for a while, one can feel their body and mind clearing, and their cultivation subtly improving!" Xie Jian's tone was regretful. Regardless of who plotted against him, the treasure was indeed a treasure. But now that it had been stolen, if he didn't avenge this, was he, Xie Jian, to be bullied so easily?
"Boss, could it be a trick by the person who sent the gift?" Viper pondered for a moment, feeling that something was amiss.
"No, right? The attendant who delivered the gift said that the treasure was entrusted to the Assassin Hall for safekeeping, and they even paid a deposit. Is she a fool? Giving us money for free?" Xie Jian shook his head, but doubt lingered in his heart!
However, now, regardless of the reason, since someone had dared to rob him and destroy his stronghold, he was determined to get revenge.
...