Shadow Sect: This Customer Has Zero Manners!

There was a patch of plum forest in front of the courtyard.

Wind blew past.

Petals fell like rain.

Two figures walked hand in hand across the soft soil covered in petals. The man possessed an extraordinary demeanor, and the woman was captivating and stunning.

Anyone who saw them would sigh that they truly were a rare match of immortals in this mortal world.

"My luck today is truly wonderful. I got to encounter such scenery the moment I stepped out!" The woman looked at the sea of falling plum blossoms, a glowing light seemingly dancing within her eyes.

"I actually think the luck of these mountain-wide plum blossoms is even better. Right as they are withering, they still get to witness such a peerlessly stunning human like madam. It wasn't in vain for them to make a trip into this world!" Tang Qian curved the corners of his lips into a smile, his gaze toward the woman as warm as the winter sun.

A wave of captivating and bashful shyness bloomed across Qiu Shan Yue's cheeks. "Husband is teasing me again!"

Tang Qian's gaze remained gentle. "What this husband speaks is the absolute truth. You know it, I have never lied to you."

Qiu Shan Yue only felt her heart filled to the brim with happiness, immediately throwing herself into her lover's embrace.

Suddenly.

Remembering something, she raised her head to look at Tang Qian's face. "That's right, husband. I heard people say that business on Heavenly Severing Island ran into some trouble, and it was the handiwork of that young master from the Langya Merchant Association?"

Tang Qian's smile shrank slightly, the corners of his eyes twitching for a moment, but he still forced a calm expression. "Indeed. That Wang Mu threw money around wildly on Heavenly Severing Island, and it actually turned out to be a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, causing the Langya Merchant Association's business on that island to multiply severalfold for no reason at all.

However, madam need not worry. This kind of thing won't last long."

Qiu Shan Yue nodded and said, "I naturally trust husband's ability! However, since you and I are husband and wife, this matter of taking revenge for your family is something we ought to face together! If you encounter difficulties, you must remember to tell me, and I'll go tell dad!"

Tang Qian held Qiu Shan Yue's hand, his eyes brimming with emotion. "With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?"

The two hugged tightly once again.

A communication jade talisman at Tang Qian's waist suddenly emitted a faint, flickering glow.

He maintained his composure and continued appreciating the plum blossoms with Qiu Shan Yue.

After a long time.

"Madam, let's stroll here for today. There are still quite a few matters in the merchant association that require me to handle them." Tang Qian looked at Qiu Shan Yue and said.

"Mn, husband should also pay attention to rest and not tire yourself out." Qiu Shan Yue offered a few parting words of advice, then turned and left.

Tang Qian watched Qiu Shan Yue's figure recede further and further away, the warmth in his eyes rapidly fading, replaced by ultimate ice and apathy.

He returned to his room, and with a wave of his hand, a surge of dharma power sank into a landscape painting hanging on the wall.

Ripples formed on the wall, resembling a passageway.

He stepped inside, traversing a long, narrow, and dim passage. As he passed each section of distance, an array formation rose up behind him, completely isolating his aura.

Finally.

He arrived at an ancient altar, circulated his dharma technique, and a ray of spiritual light landed upon the altar.

Hum~

Runes were lit up one by one, rising with brilliance and faint smoke, converging into a blurry human figure.

"The person you wanted has been found." The blurry human figure slowly spoke, its voice dry and cold, like the wind in the desert.

"Speak." A trace of change appeared on Tang Qian's detached face.

"She once appeared at the Ascension Convention on Heavenly Severing Island, was personally taken away by the Young Master Wang, and should now be hidden within the Great Liang Royal Palace."

Tang Qian frowned, his voice growing more and more cold. "Are you certain?"

"Although intelligence gathering is not Shadow Sect's primary business, we have never made a habit of telling customers fake intelligence!"

Dissatisfaction bled through Tang Qian's brows and eyes. "You still have the nerve to speak? If it weren't for your incompetence back then, how could you possibly have let that stinky girl get away?

Dignified as one of the three great assassin factions of the Northern Region, you actually couldn't even catch a little girl who hasn't even begun cultivating!

In my eyes, the reputation of Shadow Sect is nothing much after all!"

"..."

The opposite human figure was silent for a moment. "Customer, your insults are a bit too harsh!"

Yet he could not refute it.

Let alone Tang Qian, even within the interior of Shadow Sect, everyone felt that this matter reeked of strangeness from beginning to end.

To this day, they still hadn't figured out how a little girl who was only seven or eight years old back then managed to escape alive from the hands of the assassins dispatched by Shadow Sect!

It was as if in the dark, an invisible pair of hands was manipulating everything.

"That girl must die!" A fierce look flashed through Tang Qian's eyes.

"In light of our previous mistake, we've gone through internal discussions and can offer you a discount!"

"State your price!"

"Eighty million... High-Grade Spirit Stones!"

"???"

The corners of Tang Qian's eyes couldn't help but twitch violently. "Did you lose your mind or did I lose my mind? It only cost me ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones to wipe out that girl's entire family last time! Eighty million High-Grade Spirit Stones is enough to buy this senior's life!"

"Customer is joking! Times are different now; that girl is currently with Young Master Wang. Wanting to kill her—the difficulty compared to directly killing Young Master Wang isn't much lower!"

"That Young Master Wang has two Spirit Severing Stage experts escorting him and guarding his safety on the surface alone! As for the ones in the dark, there is no need to speak of them..."

"This price is already very humane!"

Tang Qian: "I your mother %￥#@!"

"If it's like this, why don't I just tack on a bit more and have you guys slaughter that Wang Mu directly? Wouldn't that be even better?"

"Uh, there is still a difference!"

The Shadow Sect person hesitated for a moment and said, "If the customer issues a task for us to assassinate Young Master Wang, then we wouldn't take on this task at all!"

Tang Qian: "..."

He didn't communicate with the other party any further. With a flick of his sleeve, the altar's light dissipated, and the human figure vanished without a trace.

The secret room plunged into darkness.

Tang Qian retrieved a human-shaped puppet from his spatial ring, its appearance extremely lifelike.

If Wang Mu were here, he would discover that this puppet's appearance was identical to his own.

"Wang Mu! Wang Mu! It's you again, dammit!"

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Tang Qian swung his fist, gathering dharma power, and viciously smashed it into the puppet's face.

The puppet timely let out a miserable scream.

"..."

After a bout of venting, Tang Qian calmed down, his pupils turning icy once more.

He took out a new communication jade talisman, lit it up with dharma power, and spoke slowly, "How have you all considered my previous proposal? If we join forces, it will be enough to cause the Langya Merchant Association to crumble and be carved up in an instant!"

Northern Region.

Some secluded place.

"What did he say?"

"The other party had zero manners, cursed us out, and then directly cut off the communication array formation!"

"Was the final payment settled?"

"It was settled!"

"Then we don't need to care! I've seen too many people like this; spending a tiny bit of coin while wanting to accomplish a major task, not treating us assassins like humans at all! They don't even stop to think what kind of mortal danger our assassins have to face just to kill someone by Young Master Wang's side!

Sigh, these days, it is too hard to find a customer with a conscience!"

Heavenly Severing Island.

Daliang Royal City.

Inside the royal palace grand hall.

Ren Pingsheng looked at the young man meticulously reviewing the ledger, a somewhat unspeakable complexity residing within his heart.

He always felt that this young master was a bit different from before, but as for where exactly the difference lay, he couldn't put his finger on it for a moment.

"Not bad!"

Wang Mu put down the ledger, his mood exceptionally wonderful. "With business on this island being so good, Chief Manager Ren deserves massive credit!"

Ren Pingsheng hurriedly said with modest shame, "Young Master jokes! This matter has completely nothing to do with this old man; it is all the rewards brought by your benevolent acts, Young Master!"

Saying this, he respectfully presented a spatial ring.

"This is the reward bestowed by the guild master, and this old man feels it ought to belong to you, Young Master!"

Wang Mu looked over Ren Pingsheng, and only after a good while did he smile. "Chief Manager Ren doesn't look much like a businessman!"

"Not at all!"

Ren Pingsheng earnestly said, "Ren only earns money that rightfully belongs to Ren, which makes holding it feel secure!"