Taking a Commission, Luoxia City Lord

While Qingzhou City was still abuzz over the news released by the Misty Rain Tower,

a travel-worn old man finally arrived in Qingzhou City.

"Qingzhou City—we are fated, after all. Last time, I fled from here in disgrace. This time, I hope to finally avenge my great hatred."

Liu Canglan gazed at Qingzhou City with a sigh, then headed straight for the Langya Pavilion within the city.

After walking for a while, he finally arrived at the Langya Pavilion's main hall.

"May I ask what brings this honored guest here?" Su Mei, with her exquisite features, stepped forward.

"Miss, I am here to find the Misty Rain Tower. Please help me contact them and tell them I have a commission to discuss."

Liu Canglan spoke politely. Though she was not particularly strong, he still did not dare cause trouble here.

"Very well. Please wait a moment."

The woman then swayed her slender waist as she went inside to report to Shangguan Hong.

Su Mei then arranged for a servant to head to Jing Ke and the others' residence to notify them.

A moment later, Jing Ke entered. The moment he heard there was a major deal, he hurried over.

"Greetings, my lord."

The moment Liu Canglan saw Jing Ke, he immediately spoke.

"You were the one looking for the Misty Rain Tower? What is it you wish to discuss? Let us speak in the Side Hall."

After receiving a signal from Su Mei, Jing Ke recognized that this was the man seeking him out.

"My lord, I have come to hire your faction to kill someone."

As soon as Liu Canglan entered, he said this to Jing Ke.

"Oh? No problem. Who do you wish to kill? I need to determine the price."

Jing Ke's interest was instantly piqued. The Misty Rain Tower's first job was finally about to begin.

Liu Canglan suddenly raised his head, and the flames in his eyes blazed fiercely.

It was hatred suppressed for ten years, nearly enough to burn his entire being to ashes.

"Mo Chen—the Luoxia City Lord of Green Province!"

Those three words were like a poisoned dagger, forced out from between his clenched teeth one syllable at a time, carrying bone-chilling cold.

"Ten years ago, the Liu Family was the foremost Spirit Grass family in Green Province. For generations, we cultivated Spirit Grass for a living. Three Void Glimpse Realm Strong Ones had emerged from our clan, so we had gained a measure of fame."

Liu Canglan's voice began to tremble. The past glory and the brutality of their destruction intertwined in his words, forming a suffocating web.

"My Liu Family possessed a clan treasure known as the Nine Revolutions Soul Returning Grass. It could help someone break through the bottleneck of the Void Glimpse Realm and even bring the dead back to life."

"Mo Chen coveted that grass, so he fabricated charges, slandered my Liu Family for colluding with the Demonic Path, and slaughtered the entire Liu Family!"

"Hundreds of people..." The old man's voice suddenly caught, and muddy tears finally broke free from his eyes, rolling down his deeply lined cheeks.

"Men, women, old, and young—none were spared. I escaped through the Secret Passage with my Grandson, Liu Mingxuan, who was still in swaddling clothes. That Nine Revolutions Soul Returning Grass was taken by him as well..."

Ten years of concealing his identity, ten years of hardship and wandering.

He sold every valuable possession he had and traveled through every corner of Green Province.

He begged every sect and Strong One with any reputation, but whenever they heard the name "Mo Chen," all of them avoided him like the plague, afraid of provoking the force behind him.

Only a few days ago had the name of the Misty Rain Tower quietly spread through Green Province's Black Market.

Liu Canglan had grasped it as though it were his final lifeline.

Jing Ke's gaze fell upon Liu Canglan's bloodshot eyes, and he slowly nodded.

"How much do you know about Mo Chen's cultivation?"

Liu Canglan hurriedly replied, "Ten years ago, Mo Chen was already at Mid-stage Cultivation in the Void Glimpse Realm. He has three Grandmaster-level personal guards under his command who never leave his side."

"It is rumored that he has a Top Power behind him, but no one knows exactly which force it is."

Jing Ke heard that there might be a force behind Mo Chen, but he did not take it to heart. The Misty Rain Tower urgently needed a mission to make a name for itself in the Great Gan Dynasty.

"The Misty Rain Tower accepts your commission. You are the first to come to us, so the price will be one million Low-grade Spirit Stones."

Jing Ke's voice cut through the silence in the hall and reached Liu Canglan's ears.

The short sentence was like a thunderclap exploding in Liu Canglan's heart.

His entire body trembled. He staggered half a step back, then suddenly dropped to his knees.

He kowtowed heavily to Jing Ke, his forehead striking the cold ground with a dull thud.

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, Misty Rain Tower!" He wept uncontrollably. Ten years of suppression and agony poured out in this instant.

"The hundreds of souls of the Liu Family can finally rest in peace!"

Jing Ke said nothing as he watched the old man weep bitterly.

He rose to his feet, his black robes cutting a cold arc through the wind.

"Pay half the deposit first." Jing Ke's voice cut through the silence in the hall and reached Liu Canglan's ears.

"Come to the Black Market in Three Days to collect Mo Chen's head, then pay the other half."

Trembling, he held out the Storage Bag in his hand to Jing Ke and slowly opened it.

Inside the Storage Bag, Spirit Stones were stacked in neat rows. Their color was warm and lustrous, and they brimmed with Spiritual Energy. They were the Spirit Stones cultivators dreamed of. Upon counting them, there were exactly one million.

"This is this old man's final savings. I believe in you, my lord, so I am willing to pay you all at once."

Liu Canglan's voice carried a trace of resolve.