Each Harboring Hidden Motives

Did the Black Kill Pavilion allow outsiders to join? Or rather, did it recruit fresh blood from outside?

The answer was, of course, yes.

The Black Kill Pavilion could never have grown so large by relying solely on people it had trained itself.

Then had there ever been a case where a mission target became one of their own? (Black Kill Pavilion)

Apparently... there had!

Elder Ning began to understand what Lu Chen was after.

He was scared, wasn't he?

He had realized that the Black Kill Pavilion had discovered his secret, judged that he couldn't stand against it, and decided to find another way by joining them outright?

Elder Ning felt there was nothing wrong with that guess.

He glanced at Lu Chen and found him still smiling. "Do you know anything about our Black Kill Pavilion? Why do you want to join us?"

Lu Chen shook his head. "I don't know the first thing about you. Before today, I didn't even know you existed. As for why I want to join..."

He gave an awkward smile. "I'm afraid of death. I don't want to die, but I can't find any other way, so I chose to join you!"

When Elder Ning heard that, he thought, Just as I expected.

His guess had been right.

Ghost Hand, standing nearby, was stunned by this move.

He could do that?

If he couldn't beat them, he joined them?

Crippled Blade merely kept his head lowered, drowsy.

Elder Ning didn't immediately agree to Lu Chen's request. Instead, he had Ghost Hand serve Lu Chen tea and talked with him while tending to Crippled Blade's wounds.

"The Black Kill Pavilion doesn't accept just anyone. If you want to join, you must pass a trial and earn our approval."

"Oh? What kind of trial? A test of strength?"

Elder Ning heard Lu Chen's question, but his attention was on the injuries to Crippled Blade's limbs.

He didn't answer. His brows furrowed.

The injuries caused by Tendon-Lifting bore the unmistakable mark of the Ox-Splitting Saber.

The Ox-Cleaving Saber Technique was fairly well known in Shahu County, all because of Wang Hu, the Green Bamboo Gang's Gang Leader.

The cultivation method came from the Bao Household of Mingde Prefecture. It could be cultivated up to the Xiantian Realm, making it a rather good saber technique.

However, the versions of this saber technique that had spread outside contained only the Organ Tempering Realm and lower stages. It was impossible to reach Marrow Washing with them.

Since Lu Chen had beaten Crippled Blade into this state, he was clearly no weakling.

Then what cultivation method had he used to advance to Marrow Cleansing?

Moreover, the Ox-Cleaving Saber Technique had a particular trait: those who practiced it were generally broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with especially thick arms.

But Lu Chen wasn't like that. In his clothes, he looked lean instead, more like a scholar than a martial artist.

And there was that hidden-weapon technique, which Elder Ning had never seen before. Or rather, it was everywhere; there was no technique to it at all, just sheer strength and accuracy.

This person was very strange!

He couldn't tell where Lu Chen came from at all.

"For the trial, you'll need to complete a mission. Once you do, you can become a One-Star Iron-Token Killer."

Only after carefully tending to the wounds did Elder Ning stand and look at Lu Chen.

Lu Chen was sitting beside a stone table in the courtyard, with a tea set on the table.

He was leisurely examining the surroundings and layout of the entire house and courtyard.

He hadn't touched the tea on the table.

"No problem. I can go do the mission right now!"

Lu Chen smiled as he heard Elder Ning's answer.

"Ghost Hand, fetch me the second bag on the third row of my bookshelf."

"Okay!"

Ghost Hand soon brought out a bag wrapped in brown paper.

Elder Ning took it, sat down opposite Lu Chen, opened the bag, and took out two files.

"There are two people here. You may choose whichever mission you like. As long as you complete it, you'll become one of our Black Kill Pavilion, and what you were worried about before won't happen."

Lu Chen looked at the files.

The name "Hu Bufan" was written prominently on the first file.

He opened it curiously.

It contained some information about Hu Bufan.

A native of Mingde Prefecture and the eldest son of the Hu Household's second branch, he had become a jinshi in the tenth year of Tianshun and had come to Shahu County as county magistrate in the eleventh year.

Lu Chen did the math. That should have been when Lu Hai, his predecessor's father, died.

In other words, Hu Bufan had been here for over five years.

"Marrow Washing Realm, practices Soaring Heaven Swordsmanship. Mission requirements: kill him in a way that looks accidental within seven days?"

Lu Chen was speechless.

Damn it, are they treating me like free labor and sending me to my death?

Kill a county magistrate? Am I tired of living?

Expressionless, he finished reading Hu Bufan's information before looking at the other file.

Li Ziren!

Lu Chen's eyes lit up.

Holy shit?

They made the employer a mission target?

The corners of his mouth curled up as he turned to the first page.

Li Ziren was from the Li Household of Yuncheng, a prominent clan in neighboring Yuncheng County that had been there for over a hundred years.

After leaving the Li Household twenty years ago, Li Ziren had worked in Shahu County. He had only two sons, Li Jun and Li Feng.

Li Jun was the son of his first wife and was now twenty-five. Li Feng was born to a concubine he had taken after his first wife's death and had died at the age of nineteen.

The cultivation method passed down in Li Ziren's family was the Formation-Breaking Spear. He was at the Blood Exchange Realm.

That's right, it was the same Formation-Breaking Spear that Lu Chen had previously obtained from the Green Bamboo Gang.

This spear technique had been passed down through the army. The Li Household had only gained a foothold in Yuncheng County because, a hundred years ago, its members had performed meritorious service in the army and slain many of the Northern Barbarian Tribe in the northwest. As a reward, they had received a version of the Formation-Breaking Spear that could be cultivated to the Marrow Washing Realm.

This cultivation method had also spread fairly widely, but most versions were severely incomplete. The Li Household's Formation-Breaking Spearmanship could be cultivated to the Marrow Washing Realm because it had been awarded for great merit.

Lu Chen looked at Elder Ning.

"This Li Ziren..."

Elder Ning smiled. "You want to ask why I'm giving you this mission, don't you? Heh, since you want to join the Black Kill Pavilion, and Crippled Blade has told me about your strength, you're very well suited to us. So... you should understand!"

"Our Black Kill Pavilion doesn't want a failed mission to affect our reputation, and you don't want to die. We also have considerable regard for your strength, so we might as well make the employer disappear. In my view, you're worth more than him! As it happens, there's also a mission concerning him here, so I'll simply give it to you!"

Lu Chen was somewhat surprised by Elder Ning's frankness.

He even felt a little embarrassed.

"Then I'll take this mission!"

He picked up Li Ziren's file.

"As it happens, Swordsman has gone to invite Li Jun over. In a little while, you can go with him. With your strength, completing this mission should be very easy."

Elder Ning spoke.

Lu Chen hadn't expected an unexpected bonus.

They were bringing the man right to his door?

There was such a good thing?

"Oh, Ghost Hand, help me take care of the file I left on my desk, then take Crippled Blade away to rest. Lu Chen and I will have a chat."

Elder Ning spoke to Ghost Hand, who stood nearby.

Ghost Hand nodded gently, went over to the drowsy Crippled Blade, and helped him up.

Crippled Blade opened his eyes a little wider and roused himself. He glanced at Lu Chen, then followed Ghost Hand out.

"Have some tea!"

Seeing them leave, Elder Ning invited Lu Chen to drink.

Lu Chen glanced at the tea and smiled. "I drank a lot of water on the way here, so I won't have any now. I'll go finish the mission first. There'll be plenty of time to drink when I get back. Then we can switch the tea for wine and celebrate!"

"There's no rush. The mission can be done at any time."

Elder Ning didn't force Lu Chen to drink. He poured himself a cup, drank it, then narrowed his eyes and savored the aftertaste. "Good tea!"

"How did you acquire all that martial cultivation? I'm very curious!"

"Huh? I just kept practicing, and there it was. To be honest, I didn't even work that hard. I broke through very easily."

Lu Chen was perfectly sincere.

He really hadn't worked that hard.

It had all been thanks to adding points with the system!

Elder Ning could barely keep his expression under control.

He coughed and drank another cup of tea to conceal his expression, then probed, "I believe you've practiced the Ox-Cleaving Saber Technique. May I ask, young friend, what is your relationship with the Bao Household?"

"The Bao Household? Which Bao Household?" Lu Chen was momentarily taken aback.

Where did this Bao Household come from?

Although he didn't know what Elder Ning meant by asking, his expression didn't change. He gave a chuckle but didn't answer.

Seeing this, Elder Ning grew even more suspicious. Lu Chen's identity seemed a little unusual.

A country boy had no way of obtaining a cultivation method at all, much less one that could be cultivated to the Marrow Washing Realm.

And a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth had easily defeated an experienced Four-Star Iron-Token Killer of the Black Kill Pavilion. Who would believe that if word got out?

This was only a county town under Shanyang Prefecture, with a population of just over a hundred thousand. It wasn't a fine place like the capital, where geniuses were as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river.

How could such a genius appear in a poor, remote place like this?

And a poor boy at that!

It made no sense at all.

Practicing martial arts required eating meat, taking medicine, and soaking in medicinal baths. And not just once or twice, but over a long period.

All of that required a great deal of money.

Any one of those things was beyond what an ordinary person could afford.

Could all the information he had gathered be false?

Was Lu Chen actually a descendant of some major Lineage?

Elder Ning considered it, then dismissed the idea.

At the very least, many people had seen Li Feng beat Lu Chen in the street some time ago. That couldn't have been faked.

Then what other possibility was there?

Cultivation methods were tightly controlled by the Aristocratic Clans and great families. The crucial parts were either passed down by word of mouth and never put on paper, or written in special codes. Without knowing how to decipher them, outsiders couldn't understand them at all, and forcing themselves to practice would only lead to sudden death.

Even if someone chanced upon a cultivation method, it would definitely be incomplete.

Where had Lu Chen gotten a complete Marrow Washing Realm cultivation method?

With the other possibilities ruled out, he could only have someone backing him!

Lu Chen had been raised by some major power!

Elder Ning was somewhat alarmed.

Had he come to the Black Kill Pavilion as a spy?

That wasn't right either. What power would be willing to send a genius like this out as a spy?

He was utterly baffled.

He couldn't make sense of it, couldn't make sense of it at all!

Holding his tea, Elder Ning's thoughts raced. He lowered his eyes and took a gentle sip of the strong tea, all the while pondering.

Ghost Hand should have seen the words he had written on the table.

Even after Xiong Pi and Lang Gou were notified, it would take some time for the two of them to receive the message and come over.

He had to stall Lu Chen!

For a moment, the courtyard fell quiet.

Lu Chen suddenly asked, "Elder Ning, may I ask how many people our Black Kill Pavilion has in Shahu County? You see, heh, didn't I accidentally injure Crippled Blade? I was thinking I shouldn't let things become awkward between us, so I wanted to buy everyone some gifts. That way, it'll be easier for us to get along in the future. Elder Ning, is there anything you could recommend?"

"No need. Crippled Blade simply wasn't skilled enough. It has nothing to do with you." Elder Ning waved a hand and smiled. "Stay seated. I expect Swordsman will be back soon."

"All right, then."

The two exchanged a glance and smiled again, then each looked away.