"An entire day has passed, and still there's no word. Do you think the kid might have failed?" Elder Qing sat on a stool with his hands clasped behind his head, speaking casually.
"Ah, if only I'd known, I would've taken you up on that bet." He smacked his lips, feeling as though he'd missed out on a fine opportunity.
"You even went on a long trip and came back, and there's still no news from that kid. He's probably already failed."
"Ah, what a pity. He had real promise."
"There's a good reason they say, 'Ignore an old man's advice, and you'll suffer for it.'"
Elder Qing plucked a peanut from the dish and chewed it slowly, his face full of regret.
Black Hawk rolled his eyes, lifted his mask, and exposed his mouth.
He picked up the plate and gobbled down every last peanut.
Ignoring Elder Qing's murderous glare, he put his mask back on and said in a muffled voice, "I told you to bet with me, but you wouldn't. Now look at you—you're the one who's lost out."
Elder Qing was speechless. The two stared at each other.
Black Hawk suddenly laughed. "Elder Qing, why don't we make another bet?"
"I bet the kid's fine."
"What?" Elder Qing echoed, looking astonished. He thought he must have misheard.
Black Hawk repeated himself.
Elder Qing was even more confused. "You trust that kid that much?"
"Old man, enough talk. Are you in or not?"
"What are we betting?" Elder Qing stroked his chin and glanced at Black Hawk.
"How about that Cyan Steel Sword of yours?" Black Hawk said boldly.
A hesitant look crossed Elder Qing's face.
His Cyan Steel Sword was a famous blade, worth a fortune.
It was forged from a blend of cyan steel and meteoric iron. Its blade was sharp enough to slice through iron like mud, and it was beautifully made, with a superb feel in the hand.
You couldn't get one for less than ten thousand taels of silver!
"You've been with the Wind and Rain Pavilion for years. Surely you can spare one Cyan Steel Sword," Black Hawk coaxed.
"If I lose, heh, I'll serve the Wind and Rain Pavilion for the rest of my life. What do you say?"
"You're always trying to pull a fast one, kid. Who else would you serve if not the Wind and Rain Pavilion?" Elder Qing shot him a look, then finally made up his mind. "Fine. I'll take the bet."
Black Hawk beamed, his eyes narrowing into slits.
Just then, Lu Li stepped into the Wind and Rain Pavilion.
Elder Qing's smile froze.
Black Hawk, on the other hand, grinned so broadly that his whole face crumpled, and his mask nearly split open.
"Little brother, you're finally back!" Black Hawk sprang to his feet and greeted him with great enthusiasm.
Lu Li didn't know what to make of it.
He walked over to the counter and looked from Elder Qing's gloomy, angry face to Black Hawk's grinning one, completely baffled.
Black Hawk composed himself. "Lu Li, how did the mission go?"
"Not bad. I killed two members of the Incense Fragrance Sect. Here are their ears."
Lu Li took out Gao Huaiyi and Zhang Tianlong's ears and handed them to Elder Qing.
Elder Qing looked at Lu Li in surprise, nodded, and put the ears away.
His gaze suddenly sharpened. "Kid, the Wind and Rain Pavilion has a verification department. If you dare try to cheat us, I won't let you get away with it."
"You'll be hunted by the Wind and Rain Pavilion for the rest of your life!"
"Enough, you old fool. Can't you take a loss?" Black Hawk scoffed.
Only then did Lu Li understand. The two had made a bet about him.
So Elder Qing had bet that he would fail?
"Old man, hand over the Cyan Steel Sword first." Black Hawk was getting impatient.
Elder Qing snorted, but kept his word and handed over the Cyan Steel Sword.
It really was a famous blade: its cold light was dazzling, and delicate, lifelike patterns were carved along its length.
The blade was thin and sharp, yet exceptionally sturdy.
But the Cyan Steel Sword was broken, leaving only a hand-sized fragment.
Black Hawk's expression changed in an instant, and Elder Qing's smile returned.
"Forgot to mention, the Cyan Steel Sword is broken. Do you still want it?"
"H-how did it break?" Black Hawk's voice trembled. His heart was bleeding.
The veins on his plump hand stood out. He was clearly furious.
Elder Qing sighed. "It was cut in a fight with a powerful enemy."
He patted Black Hawk on the shoulder. "Otherwise, why do you think I, Elder Qing, got transferred to this place?"
Black Hawk had been about to argue with Elder Qing, but now he fell silent, his anger vanishing.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Black Hawk asked.
Elder Qing shook his head and sighed.
The mood suddenly grew heavy.
Black Hawk looked at Lu Li and smiled as he accepted the broken half of the Cyan Steel Sword. "Haha, that old fox is crafty. He's fooled me again."
The heavy silence broke.
Elder Qing snorted and reached into the dish for a peanut, only to find it empty. Then he remembered the plate had already been cleared.
Only then did he look at Lu Li. "The two of them were worth five hundred taels. But since he injured one of our assassins, the Wind and Rain Pavilion has reassessed the difficulty and added another two hundred taels."
Elder Qing casually took out seven hundred-tael banknotes.
Then he glared at Black Hawk and made up the rest of his introduction fee.
He also gave him another share of the reward from before.
Lu Li was surprised to see Black Hawk receive another introduction fee.
It gave him a new appreciation for the Wind and Rain Pavilion's deep pockets.
"Lu Li, congratulations. You're now an official assassin of the Wind and Rain Pavilion," Elder Qing said solemnly.
"Thank you, Elder Qing."
"Oh, right. There's one more thing." Elder Qing and Black Hawk had interrupted him earlier, and only now did Lu Li remember the ear in his pocket.
"This is the ear of Wang Ju, the head of the Wang Family."
"Hm?" Elder Qing looked at him with deep suspicion, his dark eyes fixed on Lu Li. "You killed Wang Ju?"
Having established a Wind and Rain Pavilion branch in Changfeng County, he naturally knew the city's power structure.
The Wind and Rain Pavilion also had its own intelligence network.
Lu Li nodded.
As soon as he spoke, a black-clad figure rushed over using lightness skills and whispered into Elder Qing's ear.
The figure's black clothes were completely different from those worn by the other assassins. A blood-red dagger was embroidered on his chest in a standard uniform.
Clearly, he was with the Wind and Rain Pavilion.
A moment later, the black-clad figure left.
Elder Qing gave a slight nod. The look he gave Lu Li was full of surprise.
But it didn't last long before admiration replaced it.
"Not bad. Killing someone in the Organ-Refining Realm is enough to make you a Bronze Rank Assassin of the Wind and Rain Pavilion."
"Bronze Rank Assassins get a ten percent discount on resources purchased from the Wind and Rain Pavilion."
"Congratulations, kid. You're now qualified to choose a codename for yourself."
Lu Li paused, surprised that the Wind and Rain Pavilion was so strict. Even official assassins didn't get codenames; only Bronze Rank Assassins did.
"Blood Ghost," Lu Li replied.
Elder Qing nodded slightly. As he took out a bronze token and engraved something on its back, he said with a smile, "Just like your mask."
A short while later, Elder Qing handed the token to Lu Li.
It was cold and hard to the touch. The three characters for Wind and Rain Pavilion were engraved on the front, and the codename Blood Ghost on the back.
Then Elder Qing waved him off, indicating he was free to leave.
Lu Li took his leave and went upstairs with Black Hawk to buy resources.
Elder Qing opened his eyes and watched Lu Li's retreating figure, astonishment on his face.
"That kid's no ordinary talent. He might be a genius!"
Before you continue