Xiao Lang

"Boss Xiao Lang, I'd like to ask you to assassinate someone." Xiao Yang knew Xiao Lang disliked beating around the bush, so he got straight to the point.

Xiao Lang had once offered to help him, but only on the condition that he become Xiao Lang's lackey.

Even if he failed to become Young Clan Leader, he still wouldn't become anyone's dog, to be ordered around at their whim.

He was the son of an elder, and his ancestors had once led the tribe. Noble blood ran through his veins. He'd rather die than become someone's dog.

Xiao Lang propped his chin on one hand and grinned, baring his menacing white teeth. With keen interest, he asked, "An assassination? Who do you want me to kill? Xiao Kuang, or that old bastard Xiao Wu?"

If he had the support of his tribesmen and could lead the Sky Fortune Tribe, he would have replaced that old bastard Xiao Wu long ago.

Now that Xiao Yang had come around and wanted to work with him to rule the Sky Fortune Tribe, Xiao Lang was all for it.

"It's neither of them. It's a Two-star Azure Obsidian martial artist named Xian He. He stole my woman. He has to die!" Xiao Yang's voice seethed with anger and venom.

Whenever he thought of Xian He marrying Yun Ling instead of him, Xiao Yang felt as if his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys were all aching with rage.

Xiao Kuang was the son of the chief, Xiao Wu, and a Yellow Obsidian Three-Star martial artist. He'd taken the position of Young Clan Leader, and Xiao Yang couldn't argue with that.

But who the hell was Xian He? He had neither power nor influence. He was a useless Two-star Azure Obsidian martial artist, no better than a dog. How dare he try to steal Xiao Yang's woman?

After hearing Xiao Yang's request, the smile vanished from Xiao Lang's face. He'd assumed Xiao Yang had come to ask him to assassinate Xiao Wu, a Black Obsidian One-Star martial artist, or Xiao Kuang, a Yellow Obsidian Three-Star martial artist. He hadn't expected him to ask for the assassination of a useless Two-Star Azure Obsidian martial artist.

Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

"Du Feng?" Xiao Lang called.

"Here!"

A broad-shouldered, one-eyed brute hurried in from outside the Righteous Gathering Hall and dropped to one knee in front of Xiao Kuang.

"Go to the Sky Fortune Tribe right now and bring me Xian He's head!" Xiao Lang ordered in a booming voice.

Xian He had invented the waterwheel and increased grain yields. Old Xiao Wu had even held a ceremony to commend him, so he was fairly well-known in the Sky Fortune Tribe. Most members of the Greedy Wolf Organization recognized him.

However, Xian He was a pauper with no ransom value, so they'd never bothered to target him.

"Yes!" The brute rose at once and hurried out of the Righteous Gathering Hall.

Xiao Lang turned to Xiao Yang and smiled. "He's only a useless Two-star Azure Obsidian martial artist. Why should I go myself? My Five-star Azure Obsidian subordinate can handle it. Go home and rest, Brother Xiao Yang. Come back first thing tomorrow morning, and you'll see what you want."

"Thank you, Boss Xiao Lang!" Xiao Yang stood and clasped his hands. "May I ask how many Copper Coins it'll cost to assassinate a Two-star Azure Obsidian target?"

Xiao Lang waved a hand. "We're brothers. Talking about money would hurt our friendship. Forget it."

"No, friendship is friendship, business is business. I can't let you and your men take a loss, Boss Xiao Lang," Xiao Yang said righteously. Xiao Lang was only being polite. If Xiao Yang really didn't pay, Xiao Lang would turn against him, and it would be much harder to ask him for help in the future.

"Then make it twenty thousand Copper Coins. Just a token amount," Xiao Lang said with a grin.

Since Xiao Yang didn't want to owe him a favor, Xiao Lang wouldn't hold back. He was short on cash and wanted to buy some pretty slave girls.

Xiao Yang's father was an elder in charge of commerce for the Sky Fortune Tribe. Between embezzlement and bribes, he had more than enough money at home. A mere twenty thousand Copper Coins was a tiny fraction of a fraction to him.

Li Zhen had been prepared for Xiao Lang to charge them a hefty sum, but he hadn't expected him to go that far. He immediately protested, "Twenty thousand Copper Coins? You—"

Before he could finish, Xiao Yang cut him off. "Twenty thousand Copper Coins is fine! As soon as I confirm that Xian He is dead, I'll bring the money to you, Brother Xiao Lang."

No wonder Xiao Lang had the word "Wolf" in his name. He really knew how to bite hard.

Luckily, his father ran a money house, so Xiao Yang could borrow money interest-free. Otherwise, he wouldn't have known how to scrape together twenty thousand Copper Coins.

"Excellent!" Xiao Lang rose from his wolfskin throne and stretched. "It's getting late. You'd better hurry home, Brother Xiao Yang. If you stay any longer, it'll be dawn."

"All right, we won't keep you. We'll come visit you tomorrow, Brother Xiao Lang." Xiao Yang grabbed Li Zhen and walked out of the Righteous Gathering Hall.

Guided by a masked man, they left the Greedy Wolf Organization's headquarters.

On the way, Li Zhen couldn't help complaining. "Boss Xiao Yang, that's twenty thousand Copper Coins! How could you agree to pay that?"

When they went down the mountain to hunt demon beasts, they could earn at most five thousand Copper Coins each time. They'd have to make the trip at least four times to scrape together twenty thousand.

For the assassination of a useless Two-star Azure Obsidian martial artist, two thousand Copper Coins would have been more than enough. Why pay twenty thousand?

He might as well give Xiao Lang twenty thousand slaps!

"What choice did I have? We'd already gone that far. Would you dare haggle with him, when he could smash you into a meat pie with his thousand-pound copper hammer?" Xiao Yang rolled his eyes. "I'll find a way to get the money. Don't worry about it."

As long as he could kill Xian He, Xiao Yang would pay twenty thousand—hell, even two hundred thousand.