The Informant

Never had he seen anyone so shameless!

Watching Old Jin walk away, Chen Wu had barely managed to hold back that classic line.

He'd taken thirty thousand silver dollars from Chen Wu and only agreed to hold Guo Xuchu off for fifteen minutes. He was treating Chen Wu like a fat lamb ripe for slaughter!

At first, seeing Old Jin's righteous, dignified air as a master, Chen Wu had thought he was some venerable expert who regarded money as dirt. He'd never imagined he could be so shameless.

The world had grown corrupt! So corrupt!

Chen Wu was heartbroken. He no longer felt like watching the folk procession and only wanted to hurry back.

"Well, Chen Gawa, back early, are you?"

Chen Wu had barely stepped through the West Wind Inn's entrance when he heard a familiar voice. It was Shopkeeper Ma, his contact in the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower and the proprietor of the inn.

The shopkeeper had a somewhat long face and looked to be around fifty. He sported a pointed goatee and wore a square pendant of fine white jade at his waist. Seeing Chen Wu, he greeted him with a beaming smile.

The moment Chen Wu saw Shopkeeper Ma's smiling face, his anger flared. He'd only been in this world for a few days, yet this fellow had pressured him into going out to assassinate someone and even threatened him with punishment from the Patrol Commissioner if he refused.

That much he could accept. After all, he'd transmigrated into the body of an assassin. He had to do the job he'd signed up for, and when in a temple, he had to burn incense.

But this fellow's intel had been way off. Not only had he failed to mention that someone else would interfere with the assassination, he hadn't even known that a super-master like Guo Xuchu was there. If Chen Wu hadn't gotten lucky today, he might've died on the spot.

Chen Wu folded his arms and glared at him. "The deal fell through! Your intel was bad, Shopkeeper. Just wait for the Patrol Commissioner to punish you."

"What was wrong with it?" Shopkeeper Ma's expression changed. He lowered his voice and asked.

"Star-Pulling Sword Guo Xuchu!" Chen Wu lowered his voice too, leaning close to Shopkeeper Ma's ear and gritting his teeth. "Why was he by Qiao Weisheng's side?"

"If someone hadn't cut in and taken the hit from Guo Xuchu for me, I wouldn't have made it back today!"

"What? There was someone else?" Shopkeeper Ma's voice grew even more nervous.

"Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower's Rules, Dingmao Section, Jia Clause: Informants whose intel contains major errors must report to the Patrol Commissioner for disposition." Chen Wu didn't answer. He recited the rules, word by word.

It wasn't hot in Jincheng Prefecture at this time of year. If anything, the air was chilly. But Shopkeeper Ma was sweating so profusely that beads rolled down his cheeks and dampened his goatee, making his whole face look ridiculous.

Shopkeeper Ma opened his mouth to say something, but Chen Wu ignored him and continued, "The Patrol Commissioner shall mete out Zhuanshu's Stab as punishment, at their discretion."

At the words Zhuanshu's Stab, Shopkeeper Ma's face changed dramatically. He stepped forward and grabbed Chen Wu's hand. "Brother, you know what I'm like. I've devoted myself to gathering intel and managing affairs, and my martial arts have long gone to seed. I'd never survive Zhuanshu's Stab. Save me, brother!"

Zhuanshu's Stab was the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower's most commonly used punishment. It was simple enough: a master of Patrol Commissioner rank would attempt to assassinate the offender once. If the offender was lucky enough to survive, the offense was wiped clean.

Chen Wu would have to endure Zhuanshu's Stab too if he refused to carry out the assassination. He'd only been in this world for three days, yet he'd rushed out to kill someone in such a frenzy largely because he feared Zhuanshu's Stab.

Now that Chen Wu had him in his grasp, he was in no hurry. "Old Ma, you've served in Jincheng Prefecture for years. Even if you haven't earned merit, you've certainly put in the effort. The Patrol Commissioner will take that into account, even if he does make a move. You might just survive."

"Aw, a man knows his own business best. Even if the Patrol Commissioner doesn't give it his all, I still won't survive!" Old Ma stomped his foot in desperation, tightening his grip on Chen Wu's hand.

"The rules are the rules..."

"Five thousand silver dollars. I'm only asking you to keep this under wraps, Brother Chen."

"Ahem..."

Chen Wu was stunned. He'd only meant to use this leverage to rein in Shopkeeper Ma and make things easier for himself later. He hadn't expected Old Ma to offer five thousand silver dollars right off the bat.

It still couldn't match Qiao Weisheng's extravagant thirty thousand, but it was enough to break Chen Wu. So he was the only penniless one here!

Since the fat lamb had walked right into his hands, he'd better give it a good shearing. Chen Wu suddenly understood Old Jin.

"Well, given our relationship, it's not that I can't make an exception. It's just..." Chen Wu put on airs and looked at Shopkeeper Ma.

"Name your price, brother. If I can do it, I'll do it!"

Chen Wu thought for a moment, then held up a hand and gestured eight.

"Deal!" Shopkeeper Ma agreed at once.

Damn it, he'd asked for too little!

Chen Wu was a fresh graduate just starting out in the workplace. Sure enough, he didn't have Old Jin's experience. Next time he ran into Old Jin, he'd have to get some pointers.

"Here's an eight-thousand-silver-dollar note. Keep it safe!" While Chen Wu was still regretting his mistake, Shopkeeper Ma had already rummaged through his things and scraped together a note worth eight thousand silver dollars.

Chen Wu took the note. "Spend the next two days getting the details straight. I'll make another attempt three days from now. Don't let anything go wrong again."

"Don't worry. That mistake cost too much; I can't afford another!" Shopkeeper Ma gave a wry smile. "I'll have new intel for you first thing tomorrow morning."

Chen Wu nodded and returned to his room.

It was a single room at the corner of the inn's second floor, sparsely furnished with nothing but a table, a chair, and a bed. The table faced a small window. An octagonal glass oil lamp sat on it, and beside it stood a square suitcase woven from bamboo strips.

Chen Wu checked the window first. There were no signs of anyone breaking in. Then he took the banknote Old Ma had given him from his chest and counted it carefully.

No mistake. It was indeed an eight-thousand-silver-dollar note from Zhong'an Bank.

Only then did Chen Wu relax. He opened his suitcase, took out a piece of cloth, carefully wrapped the banknote, and tucked it into the innermost pocket against his body.

He felt the banknote through his clothes. The uneven texture finally put Chen Wu at ease.

Ever since transmigrating, Chen Wu had been like a duckweed adrift on the water, constantly pushed along by wave after wave of outside events. At last, he could take a moment to catch his breath.

Even though he still had to complete the assassination mission against Qiao Weisheng, this time Qiao Weisheng had invited him to do it himself. That made it entirely different from before.

Qiao Weisheng had asked Chen Wu to make another attempt three days later, at the same time and place as before.

He'd even specified the details to a hair: Chen Wu was to drive a sharp blade into Qiao Weisheng's left chest, within an exact area marked out there—one spot no bigger than a silver dollar.

The moment Chen Wu heard the request, he understood. They were going to stage a sham fight!

Old Master Qiao wasn't a noble soul trying to make room for the younger generation by taking his own life. This was clearly a bitter-meat ploy. Chen Wu just didn't know who Old Master Qiao wanted to fool.

What Qiao Weisheng wanted was none of Chen Wu's concern. He'd taken the man's money, so he'd deal with his troubles.

But Qiao Weisheng had no idea that this supposed expert from the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower was the bargain-bin version, all looks and no substance.

In Old Master Qiao's mind, Chen Wu was a super-master from the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower, with a reputation towering to the heavens.

Even if he wasn't as good as Guo Xuchu, he couldn't be far off. As long as Guo Xuchu held back a little, Chen Wu could pull off the assassination without a flaw.

The real Chen Wu, though, had only been in this world for three days. He was weak, pitiful, and helpless, and all he knew was the revolver technique.

Even if Guo Xuchu held back, Chen Wu had no way of accurately stabbing Old Master Qiao in the left chest under the nose of a super-master like him.

After leaving Zhong'an Bank, Chen Wu had briefly considered taking the money and running. If he hadn't been afraid of the Golden Wind and Drizzle Tower's Sound Transmission Soul-Searching Technique, he would probably have grabbed Qiao Weisheng's banknotes and fled on the spot.

After thinking it over, Chen Wu had come up with only one solution: call in reinforcements!

His original plan had been to ask Shopkeeper Ma to find a few masters. They would move together and hold Guo Xuchu off for a moment, giving Chen Wu the chance to make the kill and ensuring nothing went wrong.

The biggest risk was that those masters might be all show and no substance. If Guo Xuchu killed them in a flash, things would get awkward.

It wasn't until he ran into the Patrol Commissioner along the way that Chen Wu had an idea. Judging by Old Jin's bearing, even if he couldn't win, he should be able to hold Guo Xuchu off for a little while. Chen Wu just hadn't expected Old Jin to have such a huge appetite. Thinking about it still hurt.

Fortunately, things had taken shape for now. All that remained was the assassination three days later. Once it succeeded, Qiao Weisheng would have to play dead for a while, giving Chen Wu plenty of room to maneuver.

Once the assassination was done, Chen Wu would definitely take some time to recover. He wouldn't accept any more missions; he'd get to know this world properly and plan his future. That was the sensible thing to do.

Thinking of that, Chen Wu touched the banknotes against his body again, feeling more and more at ease.

Thanks to Shopkeeper Ma's generous tip, he wouldn't have to worry about money for quite some time.

The fatigue from a whole morning spent wound tight could no longer be held back. Chen Wu lay down on the bed and sank into a deep sleep.

Perhaps it was a dream. Just before he lost consciousness completely, Chen Wu faintly sensed a gentle force softly enveloping him, as if he'd returned to his cradle.

Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock...

Chen Wu suddenly jolted awake. Sure enough, someone was knocking on the door!

That rhythm... Oh, it was Shopkeeper Ma. Chen Wu steadied himself, got up, and walked to the door.

"Shopkeeper Ma?" he asked softly through the crack in the door.

"It's me!" Shopkeeper Ma's figure appeared through the gap.

Chen Wu opened the door and welcomed Shopkeeper Ma inside. Only then did he realize the room was much too dim.

"You came back to your room without even eating lunch. It's almost dark, and you still haven't come out. I was worried about you, so I came to check." Shopkeeper Ma went straight to the table, opened the glass cover of the oil lamp, took out a match, and lit the wick.

The smell of kerosene spread through the room, and the space brightened. The lamplight was dim and yellow, shining through the glass and casting shifting shadows across Shopkeeper Ma's face.

"This job's gotten harder, Chen Gawa."

"Got new intel?"

"The assassin they arrested this morning was a Red Lantern Society gang member."

"Mm." Chen Wu had no idea what the Red Lantern Society was, let alone what they meant by a gang member, but that didn't stop him from pretending he understood.

"Though they're also considered part of the Yongjiu School, they've always been entrenched in the capital and the northeastern provinces. They don't have much to do with us, so they won't do us many favors."

"Since the Red Lantern Society's assassination failed, they'll definitely send another master. If you want to get the job done before them, you'd better move sooner." Shopkeeper Ma continued.

"What about Guo Xuchu?"

"When Qiao Weisheng went to Rakshasa to sell tea in his early years, he became friends with Star-Pulling Sword. They took part in the Imperial Guard coup in Petersburg together. I'd say they're sworn brothers."

"Seven days ago, Guo Xuchu secretly rushed to Qiao Weisheng's side and began guarding him in secret. I figure Qiao Weisheng knows someone wants to buy his life."

At that, Shopkeeper Ma shook his head, his face turning mocking. "Well, he's hired so many assassins, he might as well have announced the whole thing from the rooftops. If Qiao Weisheng still hadn't caught wind of it, Zhong'an Bank would've stopped bearing the Qiao name ages ago."

Not bad. He'd managed to get new intel in such a short time. Looked like Old Ma had pulled an emergency all-nighter.

"Anything else? Those are all minor details." Chen Wu still wanted to keep Shopkeeper Ma working, and he didn't show him the slightest kindness.

"Yes, yes!" Shopkeeper Ma hurriedly added, "There's one more thing. Three days from now, Qiao Weisheng will be receiving a guest, apparently from the capital."

"Apparently?"

Shopkeeper Ma looked a little embarrassed. "It's only a guess. I don't have any hard evidence."

Seeing that Shopkeeper Ma had been squeezed dry, Chen Wu made a few random excuses, turned down his invitation to dinner, and showed him to the door.

Strangely enough, Chen Wu wasn't hungry at all. Instead, sleepiness washed over him, and all he wanted was to sleep a little longer.