A Big Order

Chu Qing ultimately resisted the temptation deep within his heart, pulling back his restless foot.

Young Miss Wu finally noticed something was wrong behind her.

Turning around sharply, she met Chu Qing's half-smiling gaze.

"The esteemed Young Miss of Heavenly Dance City, playing thief in broad daylight?

"Trying to steal something good? Need my help?"

Wu Qianhuan's face darkened. This guy walked without a sound, his internal energy steady and hidden. As expected of a killer.

"Why didn't I detect you?"

"If you could easily detect me, how would I make money killing people?"

Chu Qing shook his head.

"Besides, when it comes to alertness, you're far too lacking.

"This is Heavenly Dance City, where no one is trying to assassinate you. Otherwise, at that distance just now, ten of you would be dead."

"..."

Wu Qianhuan rolled her eyes at him, took a sword from her waist, and tossed it to Chu Qing.

Chu Qing casually caught it, looking at Wu Qianhuan with some surprise.

"What's this mean?"

"My father told me to prepare a generous gift for you.

"I thought about it, and your sword broke last night. Coincidentally, my father acquired a precious sword before the new year, intending to give it to me... but I'm used to my current sword and don't plan on changing.

"So I decided to give it to you. This sword is called 'Profound Gloom,' and it's said to be forged from extraterrestrial meteorite iron..."

Just as she said this, Chu Qing suddenly interrupted.

"Does this sword bring bad luck to its owner?"

He didn't ask Wu Qianhuan how she knew he would be here.

Knowing that Tang Xi cultivated the Hate Heart Demonic Art, it wasn't hard to figure out who the Hate Heart Person would be.

And who Chu Qing received the commission from was also self-evident, given the uproar over Er Gou's matter.

That's why she was waiting here.

"..."

Wu Qianhuan had no idea why Chu Qing suddenly asked this. After thinking carefully, she said,

"No."

"That's good. Should be no radiation then."

It's really not safe to casually use divine weapons forged from extraterrestrial meteorite iron, Chu Qing thought to himself.

Things that fall from the sky often have radiation. These people don't understand, so they use it to forge swords and blades. Each strike deals radiation damage, and when word gets out, it becomes legendary.

However, such weapons often come with rumors of bringing bad luck to their owners.

After all, carrying a radiation sword every day, even if your internal energy is strong, you can't withstand it for ten or twenty years.

You'll die from radiation sooner or later...

But if there are no rumors of it bringing bad luck, then it's probably fine.

He held the sword in his hand, giving it a slight twist. The long sword spun in his hand, then he placed two fingers on the sword guard and gently pushed outwards.

With a hum, the long sword slid halfway out of its sheath.

A faint green light, chilling to the touch.

Chu Qing's pupils contracted, and he nodded slightly.

"Indeed, a fine sword."

Wu Qianhuan smiled.

"As long as you're satisfied. You killed Tang Xi and injured Tang Yinfeng, making it extremely smooth for our City Lord's Mansion to take down Falling Rain Hall. So please don't refuse this sword..."

Before she finished speaking, Chu Qing had already sheathed the sword and held it naturally, as if it had always belonged to him.

Wu Qianhuan felt her extra words were unnecessary.

This guy had no such virtue as modesty... nor any sense of shame.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

Then she said,

"I mainly came here to give you this sword.

"Besides that, there's one more thing..."

Chu Qing looked at her with slight surprise.

"Tell me about it."

Wu Qianhuan spoke softly, "I want to ask you to kill someone!"

"Oh?" Chu Qing's lips curved. "That's good news. Come, Young Miss Wu, how about we find a nice place to sit down and talk slowly?"

"No need at all." Wu Qianhuan shook her head. "We can talk here. You wouldn't really want me to discuss killing someone with you in broad daylight, would you?"

"That might not be impossible," Chu Qing chuckled. "But it's fine. I just wonder who Young Miss wants to kill? Considering you're an old customer, I can charge you a little less."

"...Lord Night Emperor has always been greedy for money, treating it like his life. I'm surprised even an iron rooster would pluck its feathers." Wu Qianhuan suddenly laughed. "Did the sun rise from the west today?"

"Young Miss... can't you tell I was just being polite? Please don't take it seriously." Chu Qing said helplessly, "You don't actually expect me to give you a discount, do you? Since when is the City Lord's Mansion so short on money?"

"I knew it..." Wu Qianhuan snorted. "You really are obsessed with money. Please don't pretend to be polite like that in the future; be careful someone takes you seriously. Enough small talk... I told you before that Heavenly Dance City and the Valley of Ten Thousand Nights are bound to have a battle soon."

"You want me to help you kill someone from the Valley of Ten Thousand Nights?" Chu Qing smiled. This was a big order.

Moreover, this matter wasn't easy to handle before, but after talking with Chu Tian last night, he knew a trap targeting the Valley of Ten Thousand Nights was already set. Now that Wu Qianhuan had come to him, it could basically be considered a reward being delivered to him.

Thinking of this, Chu Qing felt that Heavenly Dance City was truly a place of good fortune. He'd gotten two orders yesterday, and today a big deal was practically being handed to him. If he stayed here for ten or eight years, wouldn't he become invincible?

"That's right," Wu Qianhuan didn't deny it. "However, I can't tell you the time, place, or how to proceed for now. In short, you cannot leave Heavenly Dance City these next few days."

"Heavenly Dance City is under strict lockdown. Not even a fly can get out now, can it?"

"...Flies can't get out, but you can." Wu Qianhuan glanced at him. "Also, give me a way to contact you. I will notify you before we begin."

Chu Qing rubbed his chin, feeling this was a bit difficult. He was working alone now, with no one to find jobs for him or send messages. He had to do some things himself, which was too troublesome. But when he glanced at Er Gou, who was sitting on a stone in the small temple, he suddenly smiled.

"Okay, how about this? I'll tell you a method for writing coded messages. It's... well, do you know about the Records of Strange Tales?"

"...Of course I know," Wu Qianhuan frowned slightly. "But you should read less of these kinds of strange and supernatural works."

"Mind your own business..." Chu Qing rolled his eyes. "Okay, this coded message will be based on the Records of Strange Tales. You pick the words you want from it. You can directly specify the first line, fifth word, the second line, third word, and so on... But when you write it, don't write the actual content you want directly; instead, shift forward two places."

Wu Qianhuan thought about it for a moment and understood what Chu Qing meant:

"So you mean the real message is the seventh character in the first line, but the letter actually says the fifth character in the first line?"

"Exactly. As expected, Young Miss is incredibly intelligent."

Chu Qing smiled:

"There are countless miscellaneous books in the world. Even if someone found the secret letter and located the Records of Strange Tales, following the instructions wouldn't lead them to anything."