Assassination

Beside the little noodle stall, steam curled from the soup pot, mingling with the gentle breeze.

"How much does the Hu Family Flower Shop sponsor you each month?" Xu Liqing asked casually, her gaze resting warmly on Cui Hao.

"Three taels," Cui Hao replied candidly.

"Not much, as expected." Zhou Hua gently shook her head, her tone tinged with regret. "That's only enough to buy two packets of the cheapest Qi and Blood Powder. For someone at the Minor Achievement stage of the Mortal Martial Realm hoping to improve, that little support is a drop in the bucket—barely enough to get by."

Cui Hao lifted his coarse pottery bowl and took a sip of the noodle broth. He smiled, his tone calm and frank. "Given my current strength and performance, someone's willing to support me with three taels of silver every month without expecting anything in return. That's already a pleasant surprise."

"There is a good opportunity right now. Things in the city have changed," Xu Liqing said, setting down her chopsticks. Her voice lowered, carrying a note of warning. "Junior Brother Cui, have you been keeping up with the news lately? The City Guard is expanding its ranks, and even the Patrol Division and Thief-Catching Office, which used to have extremely high standards, have lowered their requirements. They're recruiting Mortal Martial Realm experts in large numbers."

That faint unease in Cui Hao's heart stirred. He seized the opportunity to ask, "Do you know why, Senior Sister? The City Guard and these vital government offices have never been easy to get into."

Xu Liqing's delicate brows knit slightly as she pondered. "The exact reason isn't clear yet, but rumors around town say it's connected to the worsening border troubles in the west."

"It might also be because the three great families have been making frequent moves lately, recruiting young martial artists on a large scale. The government feels pressured and has no choice but to prepare for the worst, expanding its own forces to balance the situation."

"It's not just the government and the three great families," Zhou Hua added, sounding astonished. "The city's major medicinal shops and escort agencies—and even some merchant associations and workshops that usually keep a low profile—are all snatching people up, openly or behind the scenes!"

"I heard the elders in my family say that the monthly pay for martial artists at the Minor Achievement stage of the Mortal Martial Realm has generally been raised to four or five taels of silver! Those with specialized skills or combat experience can command even more. As for Clear Force experts..."

Zhou Hua paused, then continued. "An Attendant in the early Clear Force stage supposedly starts at twenty taels of silver! And that's just the basic salary. If they're willing to sign a long-term contract or take on dangerous assignments, they also get Qi and Blood Pills, weapons and armor, and even houses as rewards! The benefits are terrifyingly generous."

Early Clear Force, twenty taels a month, plus cultivation resources!

That number struck Cui Hao in the chest like a heavy hammer.

"Junior Brother Cui," Xu Liqing said, drawing him back from his turbulent thoughts. "This really is a rare opportunity. At the very least... you'd have far more cultivation resources at your disposal."

Cui Hao drew a deep breath of air scented with food and forced himself to calm down.

Pies didn't fall from the sky. If all the major powers were suddenly willing to pay a fortune to recruit people, there had to be a deeper reason—perhaps even one born of desperation.

Looking at it pessimistically, those high wages probably meant greater risks, fiercer struggles, and even... being used up like a disposable tool.

If you took someone's money, you had to be prepared to risk your life for them—or even to be worked to death.

That was an ironclad truth, true from ancient times to the present.

If, when trouble came, you coveted the benefits but shrank from the risks, that wasn't simply "being timid and afraid of trouble." It was courting death.

By contrast, the Hu Family Flower Shop only gave him three taels a month. The support was meager, but their position was clear: for now, they asked nothing of him. It was merely a "goodwill investment" in his future potential.

Even if they eventually expected something in return, it would most likely be within his ability to provide.

Besides, the Hu family's business was modest, with only a few shops in the city. Compared to the deeply entrenched three great families or government institutions with powerful backers, the entanglements and risks they might bring were relatively manageable.

Just as Cui Hao's thoughts raced and he weighed the pros and cons—

"Boom—!!"

A deafening explosion, violent enough to shake the earth, suddenly erupted from the direction of the docks!

The next moment, a plume of black smoke billowed into the sky.

Screams, cries, and curses—born of utter terror—surged toward them like floodwaters bursting through a dam, sweeping in at a terrifying speed!

"Run!"

"Damn you! Move! Get out of the way!"

"Someone's been trampled to death!!"

"..."

The crowd near the docks erupted into chaos. A sea of dark heads surged outward like a swarm of startled ants.

Some people were knocked to the ground and swallowed up in an instant by those rushing behind them.

Stalls toppled, their goods scattering across the ground and trampled underfoot.

Children's sobs, women's screams, and men's roars tangled together, forming a scene of utter devastation.

The deafening din and surging tide of people drained the color from everyone's faces at the noodle stall. A huge cloud of black smoke rose from the direction of the explosion.

"Don't move! Stay close to the stall, and don't let the crowd separate you!" Xu Liqing sprang to her feet and raised a hand to motion everyone down. Her voice rang clear, carrying an unquestionable authority.

The stall owner was a man in his forties. He was ashen with fright. He wanted to flee with the others but couldn't bear to abandon his equipment.

Liu Yan's heart raced at the sudden chaos, but she reacted quickly. She got up, helped bring over the bowls of noodles, and rapidly handed one to each person. "Stop staring! Eat! You'll need your strength to run!"

Everyone snapped out of it. They didn't even care that the noodles were hot. Standing there, they picked up their bowls and wolfed down the noodles amid the uproar.

At a time like this, every ounce of strength mattered.

They had only just finished eating, and hadn't even set down their bowls and chopsticks, when—

A tall, burly figure, built like an iron tower, stumbled toward the noodle stall against the surging flow of people.

It was their second senior brother, Halan Sheng! His face was as white as paper, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and the front of his sturdy training clothes was stained with a startling smear of dark red blood that had not yet fully dried!

"Se... Senior Sister! Commander... Commander Pang has been blown up!" Halan Sheng stammered, trembling. "His head... rolled right to my feet!"

"Boom—!!!"

Those words were like a thunderbolt from the heavens, exploding in the minds of everyone near the noodle stall!

"What!?" Xu Liqing's body shook violently. The empty bowl she still held slipped from her hand and clattered onto the table, shattering into several pieces.

"Th-this can't be!" Xu Ren protested, his voice trembling. "Lord Pang was a military examination graduate..."

Zhou Hua cut in, "And he still got blown up."

"Who did it?! What kind of damnable beast would do such a thing? Lord Pang was the bedrock of our Qingyuan City!" A passing martial artist beat his chest and stamped his feet, fear in his eyes, along with genuine grief and anger.

Sun Cheng was utterly stunned as well. His mouth hung slightly open, but for a long moment he couldn't speak. Events had taken a turn completely beyond their expectations.

Cui Hao's expression also darkened at once. It felt as though an invisible hand had clamped around his heart.

Commander Pang Gaoshan was not only the highest-ranking law enforcement official in Qingyuan City, but also an imperial official bearing the court's seal, representing the authority of the Da'an Dynasty in this region! He was also acknowledged throughout Qingyuan City as one of its strongest fighters, an existence countless martial artists looked up to.

And now, a figure like him had been assassinated during a public sacrificial ceremony—

For ordinary people, the murder of a City Guard commander meant the court would certainly impose "levies to quell the unrest," "contributions for relief," and "punitive commercial taxes."

These were all but inevitable. They would make life even harder for ordinary people and merchants alike.

For martial artists, the consequences were even more direct. Cultivation resources such as Qi and Blood Powder and Qi and Blood Pills would become more expensive—punishment from the government aimed at martial artists.

It gave the impression of an emperor's wrath leaving a million corpses in its wake.

Just as panic and chaos gripped the crowd—

"Liqing!"

A low shout rang out, steeped in suppressed fury.

Xu Dian appeared, supported by a disciple, pushing through the crowd as he hurried toward the noodle stall.

His face was livid, sweat glistened at his temples, and his usually neat topknot had come partly undone. Dust clung to the hem of his robe. Clearly, he too had only just escaped the chaos near the docks.

"Father!" Seeing that he was safe, Xu Liqing let out half a breath of relief and hurried to meet him.

Xu Dian forced three words through clenched teeth, his decision leaving no room for argument. "Back to the martial arts school! Now!"