Commission!

There was no law in this world!

Three hundred years ago, the jianghu and the imperial court had clashed.

At first, the Great Gan Dynasty had held the upper hand, beating back the scattered forces of the jianghu. It had nearly brought the entire jianghu beneath its iron hooves.

Then, somehow, everything changed. In a single night, those masters breached the Great Gan royal court.

The battle shook heaven and earth. The court crumbled, and the army couldn't return in time to reinforce it. Great numbers of imperial guards and martial experts were killed or wounded, and the Great Gan royal court ran red with blood.

Even the Great Gan emperor himself was dragged before the Meridian Gate and beheaded by those jianghu masters.

It was an outright inversion of the natural order.

After that battle, the Great Gan imperial house never recovered, and soon vanished from sight.

Meanwhile, heroes rose up across the jianghu, claiming territory and ruling their own domains.

Thus began, in a blaze of glory, a new chapter in the jianghu's three hundred years of blood and rain.

The earliest years were the bloodiest. The world's balance of power was overturned, the jianghu was riven by endless strife, and bloodshed could be found everywhere.

Even now, the jianghu remained mired in chaos.

In an age like this, human life was cheaper than a dog's...

No one would turn back for an insignificant waiter, let alone care about the life of someone so lowly.

Except for those closest to him.

The tea-house owner had perhaps cried enough. A coldness, rare in his life, flickered in his eyes.

He looked all around and walked over to a corpse.

Grinding his teeth, he snatched the knife from the dead man's hand, got to his feet, and set off after the Iron Horse Seven Bandits.

But after only two steps, a hoarse voice suddenly came from behind him:

"Want revenge?"

"Who!?"

The tea-house owner jumped at the voice. Instinctively, he thought the Iron Horse Seven Bandits had returned, and he whirled around, swinging his knife wildly.

But there was nothing behind him. No person, not even a shadow.

The tea-house owner froze, thinking he must have imagined it. But the next instant, the voice sounded again:

"You don't know martial arts. Even if you find them, you'll only get yourself killed."

The hair all over the tea-house owner's body stood on end. He understood now that the speaker was also a person of the jianghu.

But it couldn't be one of the Iron Horse Seven Bandits. Otherwise, he'd already be dead.

He let go, and the knife clattered to the ground.

He had no idea where the speaker was, so he dropped to his knees with a thud:

"Great Hero! Tiger was killed unjustly!

"I've never had a wife or children. I had only this nephew, and I raised him as my own from the time he was little.

"Now... now he's dead, and his mother may not survive it either.

"I know I'm powerless. I beg you, Great Hero, please help us!"

The tea-house owner didn't know who had spoken, but the man had spoken up. Perhaps that meant he was willing to intervene.

Even if there was only the faintest hope, he wanted his nephew to be able to rest in peace.

But after he spoke, it was as if his words had sunk into the sea.

For a long while, there was no answer.

The owner's heart sank lower and lower. Just as he thought the man had left, the voice sounded once more:

"You're wrong about one thing."

"I... What am I wrong about?"

The owner's heart pounded with unease as he asked.

"I'm no Great Hero. I charge for killing."

The tea-house owner replied at once:

"I'm willing to give you everything I own. I'd even become your servant. I won't refuse anything!"

"Remember what you said."

The voice suddenly turned cold, making the tea-house owner's heart tighten. Then it fell silent.

After a long while, he finally looked around again, but still found nothing.

Yet the encounter had calmed him down.

He turned back to the waiter's body and walked over, his face full of grief. He lifted the corpse into his arms:

"Tiger... did you hear? Someone—someone's willing to avenge you.

"Wait a little longer... just a little longer."

[Commission: Assassinate the Iron Horse Seven Bandits (3 remaining)]

Chu Qing concealed his tracks as he hurried through the woods, checking his system page as he went.

Naturally, he had been the one speaking with the tea-house owner just now.

Having inherited all of the original owner's memories, Chu Qing understood that in this world, human life was as cheap as grass.

It hardly seemed worth going to great lengths for a waiter.

But Chu Qing had his reasons for getting involved.

He had obtained an Assassin System. How could he grow stronger if he didn't assassinate his targets?

And if he didn't grow stronger, how could he withstand the Sin Mirror Platform's endless pursuit?

He might be safe for the moment, but a moment's peace wasn't forever.

This act would never end until he and the Sin Mirror Platform had settled things once and for all.

So, since he had the chance, he couldn't let it pass...

The grudge between Chu Fan and the Iron Horse Seven Bandits was another reason. It wasn't that Chu Qing felt any deep affection for this brother of his, who was only related to him through marriage.

The main thing was that Chu Fan was a formidable martial artist. He had natural strength and had studied under a renowned master. His skill had been clear from their earlier fight.

The Thief Leader of the Iron Horse Seven Bandits was being hunted by him. He probably wouldn't survive.

That meant one-third of the targets would be taken care of without Chu Qing having to lift a finger.

Taking this commission was a sure win.

There was no reason to leave it alone.

Tracking was a basic skill for an assassin.

After nearly a year among the ranks of the Sin Mirror Platform, Chu Qing had naturally learned it.

He also reckoned that, apart from the Iron Horse Seven Bandits' leader, the other two wouldn't have gotten far.

Chu Fan wanted to eliminate the leader first. They weren't his main targets, so once they were out of Chu Fan's sight, they would naturally let their guard down.

And just as Chu Qing had expected, he had followed their trail along the road for barely three miles before he heard the clopping of hooves.

The horse wasn't moving very fast, and its rider seemed to be turning back. That surprised Chu Qing a little.

After figuring out which way the horse was headed, Chu Qing veered off slightly and soon reached a narrow path.

When he looked up, the galloping horse was already right in front of him. The man astride it was one of the Iron Horse Seven Bandits.

Faced with the sudden appearance of a beggar, the mounted bandit froze for a moment, then shouted angrily:

"Stinking beggar, are you looking to die?"

He didn't stop after shouting. Instead, he urged his horse on even faster.

He meant to trample the foolhardy beggar to death beneath its hooves.

Chu Qing said nothing. He raised a hand slightly, and the bamboo staff in his palm flew up. He reached out and caught it. With a sharp crack, the staff shattered in his grip.

Whoosh!

The broken bamboo staff carried the sword scabbard forward, and a blade flashed into view!

The mounted bandit knew something was wrong. He reached behind his waist for his chain, about to swing it.

A flash of silver—and blood filled the air!

Clatter! His severed hand, still gripping the chain, went flying.

The mounted bandit had no time to be horrified by the speed and savagery of that sword strike. A thud sounded from his chest, accompanied by the crack of breaking bones, and Chu Qing kicked him off his horse.