Yuelai Inn, Heaven-Class Room.
The room was scented with expensive dragon's-blood incense, and a thick Beast Hide carpet covered the floor.
A slightly plump, middle-aged man in brocade robes sat by the window, sipping tea.
He was Qian Tong, steward of the Flying Horse Merchant Association.
Standing across from him was a tall, lean man wrapped from head to toe in black. His aura was cold and sinister, like a venomous snake.
"Have you found out?"
Qian Tong set down his teacup and asked unhurriedly.
"I have."
The man in black had a hoarse voice. "That Lu Chen was originally just a dock laborer. He rose to prominence suddenly half a year ago. First, he mastered Iron Cloth Shirt, then distinguished himself in the battle to wipe out the Red Fish Gang."
"Half a month ago, he went underwater and killed the Water Ghost King. They say he used some kind of cold-aspected technique."
"A cold-aspected technique?"
Qian Tong's eyes lit up. "That fits."
He took a tattered piece of parchment from his robes. Some indistinct lines had been drawn on it.
"The family head read in an ancient text that the ruins of the Profound Nether Sect, from a thousand years ago, might lie beneath the Angry River."
"The Profound Nether Sect was renowned throughout the world for its ice techniques. That Lu Chen, a laborer with no connections, suddenly knows a cold-aspected technique and can even kill a Meridian Connecting Realm monster..."
Qian Tong let out a cold laugh. "If he didn't find an inheritance underwater, I'd believe it over my own ghost!"
"Your wisdom is unmatched, Steward," the man in black flattered him.
"This is a great achievement."
Qian Tong rose and paced around the room. "If we can bring that inheritance back, the family head will reward me handsomely! He might even grant me an Obstacle Breaking Pill and help me break through to the Meridian Connecting Realm!"
At the thought, Qian Tong's breathing grew noticeably more labored.
"What level is that Lu Chen at now?" Qian Tong asked.
"On the surface, he's at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm, having just entered Bone Refining Pass."
The man in black scoffed. "He's just a bumpkin from the countryside, relying on a little brute strength. Even if he did obtain an inheritance, what could he have accomplished in a mere half month?"
"Don't be careless."
Qian Tong waved a hand. "He must have some tricks up his sleeve if he could kill the Water Ghost King. Besides, this is Black Water Gang territory. Taking it by force could easily cause trouble."
"Then what do you suggest, Steward?"
"First courtesy, then force."
A crafty glint shone in Qian Tong's eyes. "I'll pay him a visit tomorrow and sound him out. If he knows what's good for him and hands over the item, I can give him some money—or even take him to the Prefectural City to make a name for himself."
"And if he doesn't know what's good for him..."
Qian Tong drew a finger across his throat.
"Then we'll make him disappear."
The man in black smiled sinisterly. "Understood. Should we go give him a warning tonight?"
Qian Tong considered it.
"That'll do. Send someone clever to circle around his courtyard. Don't kill anyone—just leave a mark. Let him know that anyone the Flying Horse Merchant Association sets its sights on can't get away."
"Yes!"
The man in black accepted the order and left.
Late that night.
Lu Chen's small courtyard lay in darkness.
The wind rustled through the leaves.
A shadow vaulted over the courtyard wall like a ghost and landed without a sound.
He was an assassin trained by the Flying Horse Merchant Association, skilled at stealth and assassination, with exceptional Lightness Skill.
Crouching low, he quickly crossed the front courtyard and crept toward the main house in the back.
According to the intelligence, Lu Chen lived in the main house.
The assassin's mission was simple: leave a dagger and a note at Lu Chen's bedside, warning him to cooperate obediently tomorrow.
He'd done this countless times and had never failed.
As far as he was concerned, sending him after a Junior Leader of some country backwater gang was making a mountain out of a molehill.
The assassin reached the window of the main house.
He took out a thin tube, preparing to blow some knockout smoke inside first.
Just then.
He suddenly felt a little cold.
This wasn't the chill of the night wind, but a sinister cold that surged from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head.
It was as though some terrifying beast had its eyes on him.
The assassin's hair stood on end.
A killer's instincts told him he was in danger!
Without a moment's hesitation, he pushed off with his toes, ready to spring backward.
"Since you've come, don't think you're leaving."
A calm voice suddenly sounded right beside his ear.
The assassin's eyes widened in terror.
He found that he couldn't move.
At some point, a layer of black frost had frozen his feet, pinning them firmly to the ground.
And from the darkness before him, a figure slowly emerged.
Lu Chen held the Hundred Refinements Steel Saber in his hand, its blade gleaming with a cold, eerie light.
He looked at the terrified assassin as though he were a mouse caught in a trap.
"The Flying Horse Merchant Association?"
Lu Chen asked.
The assassin gritted his teeth and said nothing.
With a flip of his wrist, a poisoned dagger appeared in his hand. He lunged and stabbed at Lu Chen.
If he couldn't escape, he'd fight to the death!
Lu Chen shook his head.
"Too slow."
He casually reached out with his left hand and grabbed the assassin's wrist.
Profound Nether Cold Qi activated.
Crack.
The assassin's wrist froze solid in an instant. Lu Chen gave it a light squeeze, and it shattered into ice chips.
"Ah—!"
The assassin let out a piercing scream, but as soon as the sound escaped his lips, Lu Chen clamped a hand around his throat.
The cold spread up his neck, sealing his vocal cords in an instant.
The scream cut off abruptly.
Lu Chen lifted the assassin, who hung limp as a dead dog, and held him up before his face.
"Go back and tell your master."
Lu Chen's voice was soft, but to the assassin, it sounded like a verdict from the King of Hell.
"The waters of Nujiang County run deep. Be careful you don't drown."
With that, Lu Chen tightened his grip.
Crack.
The assassin's neck snapped.
Lu Chen casually tossed the body to the ground.
He looked down at the corpse, his brows drawing together slightly.
It was only the first day, and they'd already sent someone to test him.
It seemed Qian Tong was even more impatient than he'd imagined.
"Since you're so eager to die..."
Lu Chen raised his eyes toward Yuelai Inn, no longer bothering to hide the killing intent in them.
"Then I'll grant your wish."
He turned and went inside, taking out the Beast Hide Map he'd brought back from Dragon Palace.
There was a line of tiny writing on the back of the map.
He'd discovered it while merging the techniques.
Profound Nether Hand wasn't just a technique—it was also a key.
A key that unlocked the Profound Nether Sect's true treasury.
And the treasury was located in the Great Marsh Mountain Range, in the upper reaches of the Angry River.
"I'd planned to keep my head down in the county seat a little longer."
Lu Chen put away the map and murmured to himself.
"Looks like I'll have to change my plans."
"Before I leave, I'll clear out these flies."
Before you continue