Su Mei walked lightly, leading the two towards the inner hall, and turned past a carved wooden screen.
There, she saw Shangguan Hong sitting on a soft couch by the window, brewing tea. Amidst the rising mist, his expression appeared gentle and calm.
Hearing footsteps, Shangguan Hong raised his gaze. When his eyes landed on Jing Ke and Yao Li,
a flash of knowing amusement crossed them. He raised a hand to gesture for the two to be seated. "Daoist Friends, we meet again."
He poured the freshly brewed hot tea into white jade teacups and pushed them before the two.
"I wonder what brings you two Daoist Friends here today, and what matter you need my Langya Pavilion to handle?"
After Jing Ke and Yao Li took their seats, they looked toward Shangguan Hong, speaking in deep voices.
"Starting from today, my Misty Rain Tower will officially open its doors in Qingzhou to accept bounties! We hope Langya Pavilion can help spread the word on our behalf."
"If anyone within Qingzhou has such a need, they can go straight to the General Store across from the plaza in the depths of the black market. There, you will find a bounty stele set up by our Misty Rain Tower."
Subsequently, Jing Ke introduced the function of the bounty sub-stele to Shangguan Hong.
After hearing this, Shangguan Hong was stunned for quite a while.
"Rest assured, Daoist Friend Jing Ke, my Langya Pavilion will definitely spread the news across all of Qingzhou."
He turned his head to look at Su Mei outside the screen, speaking in a loud voice, "Su Mei, pass down my order to spread the news of the Misty Rain Tower taking on jobs to every corner of Qingzhou City."
"Especially those black market shops and gang strongholds. Not a single one must be missed."
Su Mei responded respectfully, "Understood, Pavilion Master."
Yao Li cupped his hands in a salute. "Many thanks for your assistance, Pavilion Master Shangguan. When the news spreads, there will surely be a generous reward."
Shangguan Hong waved his hand and spoke in a deep voice, "Daoist Friend Yao Li, you are too polite! As for the generous reward, there is no need."
"It's just that I wonder if I might meet the person in charge of your Misty Rain Tower. This subordinate has a matter he wishes to ask your organization to assist with."
Jing Ke's expression grew solemn. "This matter will require us to return and report first."
Shangguan Hong paused slightly, raised his head to look at the two men, and said with an earnest tone, "Then I must trouble the Daoist Friends to convey the message."
Seeing this situation, Jing Ke nodded slightly. "Alright, then we shall part ways here."
Seeing that the matter had been properly handled, Jing Ke and Yao Li rose to take their leave.
Their figures were as fast as lightning. In less than a moment, they once again plunged into the crowds of the black market, heading in the direction of the Misty Rain Tower.
Returning to the Misty Rain Tower stronghold, Jing Ke and Yao Li explained the course of events in detail to Nie Zheng and the others.
After hearing it, everyone was satisfied with the efficiency of Jing Ke and the other.
At this moment, Yao Li suddenly remembered Shangguan Hong's desire to meet the person in charge, so he looked toward Jing Ke.
Yao Li spoke in a deep voice, "It's just that Shangguan Hong entrusted us with a matter, wishing to meet the person in charge of our Misty Rain Tower face to face. What about this?"
"Shangguan Hong..." Jing Ke pondered for a moment. "The Pavilion Master of Langya Pavilion. This man is unfathomably deep. The favor he seeks is likely not simple."
Several people nodded, saying, "This matter needs to be reported to the Lord for a decision."
Jing Ke nodded and said, "In that case, I shall immediately return to the Eternal Night Space to report. You all keep a close eye on the main stele."
Jing Ke immediately flew out of the stronghold, headed for the canyon outside Qingzhou City, and entered the Eternal Night Space.
Within the Eternal Night Space, Jing Ke reported in detail about the placement of the bounty stone stele and the recruitment of Ground Rat.
Then, he relayed Shangguan Hong's request to Ye Junlin.
Ye Junlin frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said,
"Since that is the case, go and inform Shangguan Hong. Tell him that three days from now, we shall meet at Wenxian Tower."
After receiving his orders, Jing Ke once again vanished from the Eternal Night Space.
The next day.
The news that the Misty Rain Tower was going to officially accept bounties in Qingzhou City spread like a massive boulder thrown into a calm lake.
Utilizing the channels of Langya Pavilion, it swept across the entirety of Qingzhou in a mere half day.
Qingzhou City, top-floor private room of Wenxian Tower.
Xingluo Yao stood by the window, listening to her maid's report while twisting a strand of hair around her fingertips, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips.
"The Misty Rain Tower has established a bounty stele in the black market? Their movements are quite fast indeed."
She chuckled softly, "It seems the person behind the scenes of this Misty Rain Tower is by no means an ordinary individual."
The maid beside her lowered her voice. "Mistress, the Misty Rain Tower clearly knows that the black market has a mission hall, yet they still built a bounty stele. What is the meaning of this?"
"Should we send someone to remind them that in the black market, they must obey our orders?"
"There is no need." Xingluo Yao waved her hand, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes.
"The situation in the Eastern Region is turbulent right now. Having one more friend is always better than having one more enemy."
"Let them build their bounty stele. After all, I believe the Misty Rain Tower has no idea that the black market is backed by our Star Pavilion."
"Besides, assassin organizations have their own strongholds, and this sort of thing is completely normal to begin with. We aren't going to offend them just to earn a few Spirit Stones."
"Step down."
"Understood, Mistress."
The maid acknowledged the order and retreated, leaving only Xingluo Yao in the private room.
She gazed out the window and murmured to herself,
"The Misty Rain Tower... are they about to officially step into the muddy waters of the Eastern Region?"
Qingzhou City, Shadow Guard stronghold.
The Shadow Guard Right Emissary sat upon the main hall, with several trusted aides seated on either side. At this moment, he listened to his subordinates' reports, his brow twitching slightly.
"The Shadow Guard established a bounty stronghold? They've started officially accepting bounties? Their movements aren't slow at all." He picked up his teacup and gently blew away the floating froth.
"It seems they want to ride the momentum of the battle against the Qingyun Sect to rapidly rise."
A thousand-man commander spoke in a deep voice, "Lord Right Emissary, with the rise of the Misty Rain Tower this time around, I'm afraid it will disrupt the order in Qingzhou."
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