Silent and soundless!
Gou Congxin held a dagger as he slowly approached the bed.
"Kid, old Gou's hands are skilled. Don't worry, it won't hurt one bit."
Gou Congxin whispered almost inaudibly, murderous intent flashing in his eyes as he viciously stabbed toward the left side of the bundled quilt.
"Not good!"
The blade met only a soft, yielding sensation. Gou Congxin's expression changed drastically, and he instinctively swung his dagger backhandedly while retreating to the side.
"Clang!"
A sword cry rang out, silver light tearing through the night.
"Ah—"
An arm clutching a dagger flew through the air as Gou Congxin let out a shrill scream.
"Shut up, or die!"
Ye Xiaofan shouted coldly. With a step of the Wind God Steps, he laid his icy longsword across Gou Congxin's neck.
"Don't, don't kill me. We can talk this over."
Beads of cold sweat the size of soybeans continually rolled down his forehead. There was terror of death, and there was the agony from his severed arm. Gou Congxin's Adam's apple bobbed. He could feel the sword edge had already cut his skin, hot blood mixing with cold sweat as it ran into his chest, leaving him chilled to the bone.
By now, Gou Congxin had cursed the ancestors of the person who had hired him to kill Ye Xiaofan for eighteen generations.
To hell with a Reserve Demon Suppressor. To hell with having just started cultivating.
Who the hell was this strong right after starting cultivation?
His cultivation was about to break through to the Body Refining Third Level, while Ye Xiaofan, whom he had come to assassinate, was at least at the Body Refinement Second Layer—perhaps even the Body Refining Third Level.
That was already the level of a seasoned Demon Suppressing Guard. The employer's information had been disastrously wrong.
If he could survive tonight, he would definitely find that employer and carve him into a human stick to avenge his severed arm.
Gou Congxin had long forgotten that he himself had staked out Ye Xiaofan's home and investigated his background. At this moment of life and death, he simply vented all his fury onto the employer.
Ye Xiaofan held Gou Congxin hostage and lit an oil lamp.
"Take off your mask."
Gou Congxin did not dare disobey. With his remaining hand trembling, he pulled away the veil covering his face.
Usually, he was the one killing ordinary people who had never cultivated. Watching others beg in terror gave him a twisted sense of satisfaction.
Now that the roles had reversed, Gou Congxin only felt that his former self had truly been less than human.
If the sword blade had not been pressed against his neck, he would already have collapsed to the ground.
"Tell me. Who sent you to assassinate me?"
After Ye Xiaofan broke through to the Body Refinement First Layer, his five senses had become exceptionally sharp. He had awakened as early as when the night watchman passed by, and every move Gou Congxin made after entering the courtyard had been within his sight and hearing.
"I don't know. The night before last, someone wearing an opera mask came to me. He gave me a Blood Qi Pill and five hundred taels of silver, telling me to kill you within two days."
Ye Xiaofan's wrist trembled slightly, and Gou Congxin was instantly frightened out of his wits. He hurriedly said:
"Young Master Ye, I truly don't know who that person was. But he knew you were a Reserve Demon Suppressor of the Demon Suppression Division. Spare my life, and I can help you investigate who he is."
Ye Xiaofan shook his head, and Gou Congxin panicked.
He did not want to die!
"Young Master Ye, give me a chance. I have money, lots of money. I can give you all my money, and I can even give you the concubine I just married."
At the words "lots of money," Ye Xiaofan's eyes lit up.
"How much?"
"One Blood Qi Pill and one thousand taels of silver. As long as Young Master Ye spares my life, I'll go get them for you right now."
Sensing the faint change in Ye Xiaofan's expression, Gou Congxin rejoiced inwardly and hurriedly said so.
Ye Xiaofan liked money. As long as he seized that point, he had hope of surviving.
"Draw a map of where you live, and write out every cultivation method you practice from memory. If you dare play any tricks, I won't mind castrating you and sending you to the Demon Suppression Division's death row."
"Yes, yes, rest assured, Young Master Ye. This lowly one would never dare deceive you."
When Gou Congxin saw Ye Xiaofan's gaze drift toward his crotch, he immediately felt a chill between his legs. He forced out a fawning smile and repeatedly agreed.
One hour later,
Black Tiger Roaring Mountain Art discovered. Spend 100 taels of silver to simplify the cultivation method? Black Tiger Saber Technique discovered. Spend 100 taels of silver to simplify the cultivation method?
Two new prompts appeared on the panel, along with the urgent red recharge notification.
"Not bad."
The panel's recording confirmed that the methods were genuine. Ye Xiaofan nodded in satisfaction. Though they were merely two low-grade cultivation methods, they were still money.
He did not dare sell the Demon Suppression Division's cultivation methods because they were bound by an oath. But no one could control him now that he had acquired these two methods. Once he found a chance to sell them, he could use the money to purchase cultivation resources or simplify cultivation methods.
At that moment, it was as though he had opened the door to a new world.
The way Ye Xiaofan looked at Gou Congxin changed.
Greed, excitement, struggle, and ruthlessness flickered back and forth in his eyes.
Seeing Ye Xiaofan's changing expression, Gou Congxin was terrified to the extreme. He weakly asked, "Young Master Ye, can... can I go get the money for you now?"
Hearing this, Ye Xiaofan came back to himself and forcefully suppressed the stirrings in his heart. He sighed inwardly. Whew. My strength still isn't enough. I can't take risks for now.
Then he looked expressionlessly at Gou Congxin and said, "Go. Don't think about running."
As he spoke, Ye Xiaofan waved the map in his hand.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."
Gou Congxin lowered his head, a trace of delight flashing through his eyes. He really is just a child. Easy to fool.
After leaving the Ye Household and seeing that no one was following behind him, he finally relaxed completely. Looking at his severed right arm, dense killing intent radiated from his eyes.
With his right arm gone, sixty percent of his strength was gone. If he did not avenge this grudge, he would take a dog's surname from now on.
And that employer, who had given him false information, would be dealt with as well.
Gou Congxin had not revealed that he was a member of the Black Tiger Gang. Rather than going home to get the money, he headed directly for the home of Hall Master Wang, his immediate superior.
That man loved the way of Cao Mengde. Gou Congxin intended to offer up the three beautiful wives in his Household and have him avenge this grudge.
The map he had given Ye Xiaofan did indeed lead to his home. If Ye Xiaofan truly went there, he might even run into them on the spot.
Then, he would chop off all five of Ye Xiaofan's limbs and torture him slowly.
Yet Gou Congxin did not notice the blurry, ghostlike figure silently following him from not far behind.
Gou Congxin deliberately chose alleys and remote routes. Before long, he had left the central district and arrived in the western part of the city.
Ye Xiaofan no longer hesitated and glided toward Gou Congxin like a gust of wind.
Gou Congxin only felt a chill run through his entire body. Faintly, he seemed to hear a sword cry.
Then his consciousness plunged into boundless darkness.
Ye Xiaofan glanced at the head that had rolled to one side. He had never intended to spare the other man; he simply had not wanted to act too close to his own home.
After confirming the direction, Ye Xiaofan headed toward Gou Congxin's home.
When he arrived at Gou Congxin's home, everything inside was pitch-black.
Three sets of breathing came from one of the bedrooms.
"He really knew how to play."
Ye Xiaofan cursed under his breath. He had already learned from Gou Congxin that there were only three beautiful wives in the Household and no one else.
So Ye Xiaofan swaggered over and pushed open the bedroom door.
"Master, you're back."
One of them heard the noise, drowsily opened her eyes, and fumbled to light the oil lamp at the bedside.
"Y-you, who are you?"
She was naked from head to toe, and her appearance was quite outstanding. At this moment, she covered her chest and retreated again and again.
The other two also woke up, but before they could scream, their eyes widened and they slowly fell back down.
Ye Xiaofan sheathed his longsword, opened the hidden compartment beneath the bed, and took out the pills and silver Gou Congxin had stored there.
There was only one Blood Qi Pill, which Ye Xiaofan directly tossed into his mouth.
Then, looking at the thousand taels of gleaming silver—roughly seventy-five jin in weight (one tael of silver was about 0.075 jin)—he pondered for a moment and decided to use it first.
If he did not max out his life-saving skills first, he would not have even a shred of security.
"System, simplify the Wind God Steps."
With a thought, the silver before his eyes abruptly vanished.
Wind God Steps... simplification successful... walking!
Looking at the prompt on the panel, Ye Xiaofan's mouth twitched several times. Movement techniques were performed with both legs.
There was nothing wrong with that simplification!
"I wonder what the Sword Drawing Technique will simplify into?"
Ye Xiaofan looked at the Sword Drawing Technique, which had yet to be simplified, and could not help feeling expectant. He now had two low-grade cultivation methods in hand. Selling them should be enough for him to simplify the Sword Drawing Technique.
His goal achieved, Ye Xiaofan set the room ablaze and vanished into the night.
After returning home, Ye Xiaofan impatiently tested whether cultivation methods could be fused.
The result was both gratifying and painful.
He lacked money!
Fusing cultivation methods also required money.
But he was now penniless.
"I need to make money!"
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