Big Job

In the end, Chu Qing resisted the temptation deep inside him and pulled back his itching feet.

Miss Wu finally noticed something was wrong behind her.

She whipped around and met Chu Qing's half-smiling gaze.

"The dignified Eldest Young Lady of Heavenly Dance City, sneaking around in broad daylight? Are you a thief?"

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

Wu Qianhuan's face darkened. This guy made no sound at all when he walked, his Internal Energy steady and concealed. As expected of an assassin.

"Why didn't I notice you?"

"If you could notice me just like that, what would be the point of killing people for money?"

Chu Qing shook his head.

"And as far as alertness goes, you're far behind."

"If this weren't Heavenly Dance City, where no one's trying to assassinate you, you'd have died ten times over from the distance you were just standing at."

"..."

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

Chu Qing caught it casually and looked at Wu Qianhuan in surprise.

"What's this for?"

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

"After thinking it over, I remembered your sword broke last night. My father happened to get a treasured sword before the New Year. He meant to give it to me... but I'm used to my own sword and don't plan to switch."

"So I figured I'd give it to you instead. This sword is called Xuan You. They say it was forged from Outer Heavenly Meteorite Iron..."

Before she could finish, Chu Qing cut in.

"Does this sword bring misfortune to its owner?"

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

Once he knew Tang Xi cultivated the Hate Heart Demonic Art, it didn't take much thought to guess who the person she hated was.

And it went without saying who had hired Chu Qing. The matter of Er Gou had caused a huge commotion.

That was why she had waited here.

"..."

Wu Qianhuan had no idea why Chu Qing had suddenly asked that. She thought it over carefully before answering.

"No."

"Good. It probably isn't radioactive, then."

Weapons forged from Outer Heavenly Meteorite Iron seem to pop up everywhere. You really can't just start using them without thinking.

Things that fell from the sky were often radioactive. These people didn't know any better, so they used them to forge swords and blades. Each strike dealt a dose of radiation damage, and the weapons were passed off as miraculous.

But weapons like these often came with rumors that they brought misfortune to their owners.

After all, if you carried a radioactive sword every day, even with powerful Internal Energy, you wouldn't last ten or twenty years.

Sooner or later, radiation would kill you...

But if there were no rumors of it bringing misfortune, it was probably fine.

He held the sword and gave it a light turn. It spun once in his hand. Then he rested two fingers on the guard and gently slid them outward.

With a hum, the sword slid halfway from its sheath.

A faint blue gleam shimmered, chilling to the eye.

Chu Qing's pupils contracted, and he gave a slight nod.

"Indeed, a fine sword."

Wu Qianhuan smiled.

"I'm glad you're satisfied. You killed Tang Xi and wounded Tang Yinfeng, making it incredibly easy for the City Lord's Mansion to take down Luoyu Hall. So don't refuse this sword..."

Before she could finish, Chu Qing slid the blade back into its sheath and took hold of it, as naturally as if it had always belonged to him.

Wu Qianhuan felt there was no point in saying anything more.

This guy had no virtue of modesty... and no shame, either.

She took a deep breath and did her best to calm herself.

Then she said:

"I came here mainly to give you this sword."

"Besides that, there's something else..."

Chu Qing looked at her, a little surprised.

"Let's hear it."

Wu Qianhuan spoke softly.

"I want to hire you to kill someone!"

"Oh?"

Chu Qing's lips curled.

"That's good news. Come, Miss Wu, let's find somewhere nice to sit and talk it over."

"No need."

Wu Qianhuan shook her head.

"We can talk here. You wouldn't really have me discuss a murder in front of a crowd, would you?"

"Couldn't say that's impossible."

Chu Qing smiled.

"But never mind that. Who is it you want dead, Eldest Young Lady?"

"Since you're a regular client, I can charge you a little less."

"...His Excellency the Night Emperor has always had an eye for money and loved it like his life. I'm surprised to see the iron rooster finally pluck out a feather."

Wu Qianhuan suddenly laughed.

"Did the sun rise in the west today?"

"Eldest Young Lady... can't you tell I'm 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 has the City Lord's Mansion been so short on money?"

"I knew it..."

Wu Qianhuan snorted.

"You really are obsessed with money. Please don't put on this kind of false politeness again. Someone might take you at your word."

"Enough idle talk... I told you before that Heavenly Dance City and Ten Thousand Night Valley would inevitably fight soon."

"You want me to help you kill people from Ten Thousand Night Valley?"

Chu Qing grinned. This was a big job.

Besides, this would have been difficult to handle before, but after talking with Chu Tian last night, he knew a trap targeting Ten Thousand Night Valley had already been laid.

Now that Wu Qianhuan had come to him, it was practically like she was bringing him a reward.

Thinking of that, Chu Qing felt Heavenly Dance City was a truly blessed place.

Two jobs in one day yesterday, and today a big one had come knocking. If he stayed here for ten or eight years, wouldn't he become invincible?

"That's right."

Wu Qianhuan didn't deny it.

"But I can't tell you the time, place, or plan just yet."

"In any case, you can't leave Heavenly Dance City for the next few days."

"Heavenly Dance City is under such tight guard that not even a fly can get out, right?"

"...A fly can't get out, but you can."

Wu Qianhuan gave him a sidelong glance.

"Also, tell me how I can get in touch with you."

"I'll notify you before things begin."

Chu Qing rubbed his chin, feeling this was a bit of a problem.

He was working alone now, with no one to find jobs for him and no messenger to carry letters. He had to handle some things himself, which was far too much trouble.

But when he glanced into the Land God Temple and saw Er Gou sitting on a rock, he suddenly smiled.

"Fine. I'll teach you the Secret Letter Writing Method."

"Let's see... Do you know Records of the Strange?"

"...Of course I do."

Wu Qianhuan frowned.

"But you should read less of those works about ghosts and spirits."

"That's your business..."

Chu Qing rolled his eyes.

"Here's the idea: the secret letter will use Records of the Strange as its base."

"You pick out the words you want from the book, then write something like 'first line, fifth character' or 'second line, third character'..."

"But when you write it, don't put the actual message you want to send. Instead, shift each character back by two positions."

Wu Qianhuan thought it over briefly and understood what Chu Qing meant.

"So if what I really want to tell you is the seventh character on the first line, the letter would say the fifth character on the first line?"

"Exactly. The Eldest Young Lady is as clever as ever."

Chu Qing smiled.

"There are countless miscellaneous books in the world. Even if someone found the secret letter and tracked down Records of the Strange, following the instructions would still get them nowhere."