Heaven Does Not Wish Me Dead

Under the drizzling rain, the South Dragon River, usually bustling even late at night, was much more desolate today, with many pleasure boats and painted barges moored along the bank.

On a lonely, deserted sandbar.

"Plop!" "Plop!" "Plop!" With three sounds, Wu Yuan watched the three corpses, bound to huge stones, slowly sink to the riverbed!

Until not even a ripple remained.

Since waking up and experiencing so much, Wu Yuan was already calm about killing.

What's more, these were assassins who had come to assassinate him.

"This place is a full two li from the riverbank where I usually practice martial arts, located at the very downstream of the city's riverbanks, and five li away from the Wu family's streets." Wu Yuan murmured, "With the river's flow, even if these three corpses eventually float up, it will take many days, and they will be much further downstream. The probability of them being traced back to me? Almost zero!"

Clues? Wu Yuan had stripped the three corpses completely naked!

Traces? When he arrived, Wu Yuan moved like a shadow, leaving no trace behind.

In this Central Land World, there were no surveillance cameras or any technological aids.

"Nine Dragon Mountain must be a dark organization. Three Third-class Experts, one of whom was close to Second-class in strength." Wu Yuan's gaze fell on the night-clothes on the ground, as well as the daggers coated with potent poison and the sleeve dart launchers.

There were no other miscellaneous items.

Recalling the combat movements and routes of the opponents just now, Wu Yuan was certain that these were strictly trained assassins!

It wasn't that the three assassins weren't strong enough, but that Wu Yuan's strength was too terrifying, and he happened to be meditating on the rooftop, sensing them beforehand.

Otherwise.

An ordinary Second-class Expert facing a surprise attack from these three would likely be killed as well!

"Hiring an ordinary Third-class Expert guard costs only a thousand taels of silver." Wu Yuan thought to himself, "But to hire these kinds of assassins? Three of them?"

Ten thousand taels of silver might not even be enough!

"Xu Shouyi, is it you?" Wu Yuan's eyes turned cold. The only person he could think of was him.

Theoretically.

Enemies from the Hengyun Sect could also make a move against him.

But the news of him being specially recruited by the sect was only preliminarily decided the day before yesterday and hadn't been fully confirmed, nor had it been fully disclosed within the Wu Clan.

Which force could react so quickly? Receive the news immediately and decide to act at once?

The probability was too small!

After all, Li City was just a prefectural city, not a provincial capital! News transmission takes time.

"Originally, I had some reservations, but you've pushed me again and again. Don't blame me." Wu Yuan's eyes were cold.

Many thoughts swirled in Wu Yuan's mind.

"Tonight, after failing the assassination once, they should lie low for a while." Wu Yuan's gaze fell on the ground. "I'll pack these things up first."

He packed up the clothes, daggers, and other items one by one.

Then he cleaned up the traces on this stretch of mudflat, ensuring nothing was left behind. Wu Yuan left silently with the bundle of items.

Wu Yuan did not bury these clothes and daggers on the riverbank.

Once the corpses floated to the surface, any experienced constable or security official would investigate and search along the river.

Li City was shrouded in a misty rain.

But over a thousand li away, in 'Nanmeng City', the moon hung high, its light illuminating the land.

As the core of Nanmeng Prefecture, Nanmeng City had a population of millions and was one of the key strongholds in the Hengyun Sect's territory. It was a 'great city' in the world.

Spanning dozens of li north to south, it was a scene of prosperity.

East of Nanmeng City stood a tall mountain, covered with numerous pavilions and built with many grand halls and training grounds. From the mountaintop, one could easily overlook the entire Nanmeng Prefecture.

Inside one of the halls, even late at night, the lights were still bright.

"Gao Yu."

"Is what you said true?" a white-haired, black-robed old man asked softly, seated in a grand chair. He had white hair and a youthful face, full of vigor!

At first glance, he looked no older than sixty.

But Gao Yu, standing in the main hall, knew very well that the elder before him was already a hundred years old, his lifespan merely extended by his mastery of the Martial Dao.

"Hall Master, everything your disciple says is true." Gao Yu said solemnly, "That Wu Yuan's talent is extraordinarily rare! Even Xu Hui cannot match him."

"Xu Hui?" the white-haired old man murmured.

That was the most talented individual recruited by the Hengyun Sect in over a decade.

"Gao Yu."

"Logically, I should have gone myself, but I am currently inspecting three prefectures. If I were to specifically go to Li City, it would only attract the attention of those with ulterior motives." The white-haired old man said, "It would be more prone to accidents."

"Besides, the meeting of the four families is imminent, and I need to return to the sect immediately."

"You, take my token and go to Li City to recruit that Wu Yuan into my Hengyun Sect," the white-haired old man said. "What you promised Wu Yuan, I will arrange once I return to the sect."

"Yes." Gao Yu's heart settled.

What he feared most was that the Hall Master wouldn't believe him and reject his proposals.

"Since you're making a special recruitment, what gift did you prepare as a meeting present?" the white-haired old man suddenly asked.

"Twenty top-grade Body Tempering Pills, ten thousand taels of silver, and the Cloud Martial Extreme Strength Nineteen Forms," Gao Yu replied.

"It's not enough," the white-haired old man shook his head.

"It's not enough?" Gao Yu was stunned.

In his opinion, this was more than enough. After all, it was just a meeting gift. Once Wu Yuan joined the Sect, he would provide plenty of cultivation resources.

"Please, Hall Master, instruct me." Gao Yu could tell the Hall Master had already made up his mind.

"There's no need for yellow and white items [money and valuables]," the white-haired old man said. "Gu Ji, bring the item over."

Clang~ The side door pushed open.

A middle-aged man in plain hemp clothing with an ordinary face walked in, head bowed, hands holding a white jade bottle.

"What is this?" Gao Yu asked curiously.

"Open it and take a sniff, and you'll know," the white-haired old man smiled.

Gao Yu took it from the middle-aged man, carefully uncorked it, and brought his nose close. He immediately felt invigorated!

"This!"

Gao Yu's heart leaped. He already understood what it was. He quickly stoppered the bottle and looked up at the white-haired old man in shock. "Hall Master, this is something the two old ancestors painstakingly got for you."

"I'm too old, and there's no hope for me to break through. I've already used most of this, and only a little is left," the white-haired old man said with a smile. "Didn't you say Wu Yuan might have awakened his 'Upper Dantian Palace'?"

"This item might be suitable for him!"

"Hall Master," Gao Yu couldn't help but say.

"You won't even listen to my words?" the white-haired old man frowned. "Remember, don't lose this item. This is all I have, and even Taishang might not have any more."

"Disciple understands," Gao Yu said solemnly.

He carefully placed the jade bottle into a box and put it away.

"Gao Yu, once Wu Yuan's identity is revealed, it will surely attract attention from all sides. Someone needs to accompany and protect him." the white-haired old man said. "You are not skilled in protection."

"Gu Ji!"

The white-haired old man continued, "This time, you will accompany Protector Gao on this trip. Once Wu Yuan is safely escorted to the Sect, you will come to see me."

"Yes," the middle-aged man in hemp clothing nodded, still keeping his head down.

He directly stood beside Gao Yu.

"Disciple accepts the order," Gao Yu cupped his hands.

He understood that this 'Gu Ji,' whom he had never met before, was going to Li City not only to protect Wu Yuan but also to monitor him.

"Hall Master, time is pressing. I won't delay any longer and will rush back to Li City tonight," Gao Yu said.

"Go," the white-haired old man waved his hand.

Wu Yuan, far away in Li City, naturally knew nothing about the events in Nanmeng City. He cleaned everything up and went home to rest.

It was as if nothing had happened!

The next day, the rain cleared and the sun shone. Wu Yuan went to the ancestral home as usual, and then 'wandered' around the Wu family's streets and alleys.

... "Wu Yuan is still alive?"

"And completely unharmed!" Xu Shouyi, who had been waiting in the Xu Manor's study all night, could hardly believe his ears when he heard the report from his subordinate.

This shouldn't be!

However, he calmly waved his hand. "You may go. Tell Commander Liu to inform the County Commandant to arrange for more City Guard Army patrols around Wu Yuan's home. Make sure there are no mistakes."

"Yes." How could this guard understand the deeper meaning?

He thought his general genuinely cared about Wu Yuan.

"How could this happen?"

Xu Shouyi paced back and forth in the study alone, frowning. "Fifty thousand taels of silver! Nine Dragon Mountain clearly promised to dispatch a sufficiently strong force for the assassination within a day. Wu Yuan is only a Martial Master, and there are no other experts in the Wu Clan."

He couldn't figure it out!

Although Nine Dragon Mountain was not as renowned as Seven Star Tower and Nine Kill Mansion, it was still a first-class dark force! Their reputation was trustworthy!

Night fell.

Xu Shouyi disguised himself and entered a Nine Dragon Mountain stronghold. Only then did he receive an explanatory letter and a small package regarding the mission from Nine Dragon Mountain!

He quickly opened them!

"Mission failed. Three bronze-ranked killers lost track after entering the Wu family's streets? Ninety percent probability of death! Suspected first-class expert protecting Wu Yuan, therefore abandoning the mission?" Xu Shouyi stared blankly at the contents of the letter.

This was beyond his expectations.

A First-class Expert?

He had already confirmed Gao Yu had left the Martial Arts Academy. First-class Experts aren't exactly common; how many First-class Experts are there in the entire Nanmeng Prefecture?

This was also the reason Nine Kill Mansion abandoned the mission.

With a First-class Expert involved, the assassination difficulty was too high. Fifty thousand taels of silver?

Even a hundred thousand taels wouldn't be enough!

"Trash!"

"This Nine Kill Mansion is truly a bunch of trash!" Xu Shouyi's eyes flickered as he looked at the stack of banknotes in the opened package.

There were only twenty thousand taels of banknotes.

Three bronze-ranked killers had gone missing.

Therefore, even though the operation failed and Nine Kill Mansion abandoned the mission, they still charged a 'thirty thousand taels of silver' cost, only returning twenty thousand taels!

After deep thought.

"The possibility of Nine Kill Mansion tricking me is very low!" Xu Shouyi shook his head slightly. "Is Wu Yuan truly being guarded by a First-class Expert?"

"The Sect is being overly cautious."

As far as he knew, unless a special recruitment was truly confirmed, the Sect wouldn't dispatch experts for direct protection.

At the very least, they shouldn't directly dispatch a First-class Expert.

"If I want to continue the assassination, how much silver will it cost?" Xu Shouyi asked directly.

"We don't accept it. We are merely a branch in this prefecture and do not have the ability to kill a First-class Expert," the black-robed man belonging to Nine Kill Mansion shook his head. "Moreover, this Wu Yuan is highly valued by Hengyun Sect, and the risk is too high. If you truly want us to report to headquarters to request an expert to kill him? It would cost at least five hundred thousand taels!"

"Five hundred thousand taels?" Xu Shouyi's eyes widened.

Too greedy!

Greedier than Nine Kill Mansion!

However, Xu Shouyi understood that this was because Nine Kill Mansion did not know Wu Yuan was being guarded by a First-class Expert.

Otherwise, Nine Kill Mansion's asking price would only be higher.

"This is troublesome now," Xu Shouyi stood up and left the Nine Kill Mansion stronghold.

The more the Sect valued Wu Yuan, the more terrifying Wu Yuan's revenge would be in the future.

He moved stealthily all the way.

Xu Shouyi returned to his own mansion.

Not long after he changed his clothes, Steward Xu hurried over, "General, this is big, big news!"

"Big news? What big news?" Xu Shouyi suppressed his inner irritation.

"General."

Steward Xu said, "These past few days, I've been arranging for people to investigate the Fierce Tiger Gang's affairs, and we've basically figured out why that mysterious gunman stormed the Fierce Tiger Gang!"

"Why?" Xu Shouyi's curiosity was piqued.

"It was for a token," Steward Xu handed over two pieces of paper and said, "Yang Long killed almost everyone who knew about this item in a manor for it. Only two people survived by hiding in a cesspit, and we captured them and interrogated them. These are the shapes of the token they described."

Xu Shouyi took them and glanced at them.

"Chu Jiang Token?" Xu Shouyi's eyes lit up, and his breathing quickened.

"Heaven does not wish for me to perish!"