Ji Qing's Bounty on the Poison Demon Shakes the Jianghu!

"Hero Ji, are you serious?" Shopkeeper Yu asked with a solemn expression.

"Why? You and Ouyang Bo shouldn't have any dealings, let alone a deep-seated hatred..."

Ji Qing closed his eyes.

His heart still couldn't calm down.

"I was the one who exterminated the giant rat in Great Huai Village!"

"So that's how it is... The hero of the Rat Extermination was actually Hero Ji? In that case, Hero Ji and Great Huai Village only had a slight connection?"

"Yes."

"Is it worth it to pay such a heavy price to confront the Poison Demon Ouyang Bo for some villagers you met by chance?"

"On the first day of the first lunar month, I visited Great Huai Village, and my heart couldn't find peace."

"Ouyang Bo disturbed my peace! Then he deserves to die!"

Shopkeeper Yu didn't try to persuade him any further.

The martial world was complex.

But grievances and enmities were sometimes very simple.

Just like now, Ouyang Bo himself would probably be a bit confused.

How did he provoke the Startling Swan Blade Ji Qing, who was fifth on the Villain Ranking?

"Leave the details of the bounty to your Listening Wind Tower. Whatever handling fees are required, there are no problems. As long as someone provides a clue about Ouyang Bo, they can find the local Listening Wind Tower!"

"Shopkeeper Yu, will you accept this job?" Ji Qing asked indifferently.

"Accept! This is a bounty worth a thousand taels of gold. The handling fee would be at least twenty percent, why wouldn't I accept?" Shopkeeper Yu immediately accepted Ji Qing's "bounty."

"Alright, then I'll wait for news from Listening Wind Tower." Ji Qing got up and left.

Ouyang Bo was very careful and cautious in his actions; even Listening Wind Tower didn't know Ouyang Bo's exact whereabouts.

But with a bounty of a thousand taels of gold, Ji Qing didn't believe no one would provide a clue.

"Whoosh."

One-Ear entered the secret chamber.

"Shopkeeper Yu, if the bounty is really issued, it will likely shake the martial world, and Ouyang Bo... is very difficult to deal with."

"Are you worried about Ji Qing?" One-Ear smiled but didn't say anything.

He was indeed a little worried about Ji Qing.

After all, Ouyang Bo was a poison master, and even martial arts experts avoided him. Yet Ji Qing was actively seeking to deal with Ouyang Bo, even publicly issuing a bounty.

This was completely offending Ouyang Bo.

Given Ouyang Bo's vindictive nature, it was likely that only one of them would survive.

"Ouyang Bo is indeed very dangerous, but Hero Ji is now also renowned throughout the martial world, so you don't need to worry. Go and issue the bounty. Find Ouyang Bo's clues as soon as possible, and resolve this matter as soon as possible."

"Yes, Shopkeeper Yu." One-Ear left the secret chamber.

On the twenty-second day of the first lunar month in the eleventh year of Yongchang, the Startling Swan Blade Ji Qing publicly offered a bounty of a thousand taels of gold through Listening Wind Tower for clues to the Poison Demon Ouyang Bo!

As soon as the news broke, the martial world was greatly shaken!

Many people who received the news couldn't believe it.

Ji Qing issuing a bounty for Ouyang Bo?

The fifth on the Villain Ranking issuing a bounty for the eighth on the Villain Ranking?

Something like this had never happened in the martial world before.

But the news from Listening Wind Tower was confirmed.

Moreover, the thousand taels of gold bounty had already been handed over to Listening Wind Tower.

As long as someone provided a confirmed clue that ultimately led to the Poison Demon Ouyang Bo being killed, they could claim the reward from Listening Wind Tower.

The entire martial world trusted the credibility of Listening Wind Tower.

"Am I seeing this right? The Startling Swan Blade Ji Qing is issuing a bounty for the Poison Demon Ouyang Bo? Both of them are notorious figures on the Villain Ranking..."

"How exactly did Ouyang Bo provoke Ji Qing? Ji Qing is also an unforgivable scoundrel. The Lei Family Fortress massacre was no less severe than the Great Huai Village massacre. How did these two notorious figures end up confronting each other?"

"It's said that Ji Qing, the wielder of the Startling Swan Blade, has some connection to Great Huai Village. The hero who exterminated rats in Great Huai Village was actually Ji Qing. When Great Huai Village was poisoned by the Poison Demon Ouyang Bo, Ji Qing must have gone mad!"

"Would a heartless and depraved demon like Ji Qing risk everything for mere villagers and fight Ouyang Bo to the death?"

"But Ouyang Bo is the Poison Demon, his poisoning methods are incredibly skilled. Many martial arts experts don't dare to provoke him, so how dare Ji Qing publicly offer a reward for Ouyang Bo?"

"A reward of one thousand taels of gold, that's truly a grand gesture..."

Ji Qing's public bounty set the entire martial arts world abuzz with discussion.

One thousand taels of gold was equivalent to ten thousand taels of silver!

Wealth moves the heart.

For a time, many people in the martial arts world employed various means to track down the Poison Demon Ouyang Bo's whereabouts.

At the center of the storm, Ji Qing remained quietly in the Hundred Battles Sect's library.

For three consecutive days, Ji Qing waited patiently.

"Swish."

One-Ear slipped in through the window into the library.

"Great Hero Ji, we have news."

"Shua."

Ji Qing opened his eyes.

"Where is Ouyang Bo?"

"We just got a lead that someone saw Ouyang Bo in East Mausoleum Prefecture, but it's not confirmed."

"East Mausoleum Prefecture..."

One-Ear had prepared thoroughly and immediately produced a map.

Ji Qing found East Mausoleum Prefecture on the map. It was about twenty days' journey east of Yellow Mausoleum County.

Calculating the time, it seemed to match.

"I'm heading to East Mausoleum Prefecture right now!"

Ji Qing prepared to set off immediately.

"Great Hero Ji, you posted the bounty at Listening Wind Tower. You can take the Listening Wind Token to any Listening Wind Tower branch. If anyone provides information about Ouyang Bo through Listening Wind Tower, you have the right to know!"

Ji Qing nodded.

"Also, Ouyang Bo is skilled in poison. You must be careful at all times. Even if Ouyang Bo is dead and only his corpse remains, you must still be cautious! Ouyang Bo has killed many martial arts experts before, poisoning them without anyone knowing."

"Finally... I wish you well, Great Hero Ji!"

After speaking, One-Ear quietly left the library.

Ji Qing packed his bag and opened the door.

"Creak."

As the door opened, Ji Qing saw Lie Yingniang and several other Hundred Battles Sect disciples standing outside.

Lie Yingniang looked at Ji Qing with a complex expression, her lips parting as if to speak but holding back.

She knew that some words would be useless.

Finally, Lie Yingniang took out several porcelain bottles and handed them to Ji Qing.

"Great Hero Ji, the Poison Demon Ouyang Bo is covered in poison. A single mistake could be fatal. These are detoxification pills and powders collected by our Hundred Battles Sect. They might not be of great help, but they represent our sect's good intentions. Please take them with you, just in case!"

Lie Yingniang said.

Ji Qing nodded and took the porcelain bottles from Lie Yingniang.

"Thanks..."

Ji Qing's myriad of unspoken words condensed into two words.

Without hesitation, Ji Qing strode past Lie Yingniang and the others, heading straight for the main gate.

"Great Hero Ji, you'll definitely kill the Poison Demon, won't you?"

The voices of the Hundred Battles Sect disciples came from behind him.

"Yes!"

Ji Qing's voice drifted back on the breeze.

"Will you come back?"

The voice echoed through the Hundred Battles Sect.

However, this time, Ji Qing offered no response.

Lie Yingniang knew that no feast lasts forever.

Perhaps this was the last time she would see Ji Qing.

"Great Hero Ji, the road ahead is long. Have a safe journey!"

Lie Yingniang murmured softly.