Exchanging Pills, Green Snake

The touch was soft, delicate, and warm.

A fragrant breeze brushed against his face, refreshing and invigorating.

Lu Li felt somewhat uneasy.

But since the young mistress was the one before him, he could not say much, and could only stand in place, letting her have her way.

Immediately after, Lu Li felt the young mistress's soft hands gripping his fist.

Skin against skin, it gave Lu Li a sensation as smooth as silk.

"Your punch is too straight. While that may increase its power, if an enemy plays dirty, you won't have time to recover and defend. I suggest bending your arm a little more." She gently adjusted Lu Li's arm.

"Also, sink your waist a bit lower. Power rises from the ground and is unleashed from the waist; keep your center of gravity stable, and only then can your explosive force reach its peak."

She corrected and guided him with great patience, acting like a gentle older sister.

Lu Li desperately wanted to pull away, but she held his shoulders to adjust his posture, leaving him unable to move easily.

Li Qing and the others wore expressions that shifted between anger and uncertainty, their eyes twitching. Seeing Lu Li hunched beneath the young mistress's proud bosom, their eyes turned blood-red with jealousy.

Soon, the posture was adjusted, and the young mistress nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, let's take a break."

"Lu Li, you really are a genius. You understand everything the moment it's explained." She hooked her arm around Lu Li's neck, praising him with a beaming smile, looking every bit like a good buddy.

Suddenly seeing her act so bold, Lu Li felt quite uncomfortable, as he was a naturally dull person.

"You have great talent, and I am very satisfied. How about we become friends?" she laughed.

Lu Li shook his head hurriedly. If he became friends and they hung out every few days, how was he supposed to continue his work as an assassin?

He carried far too many secrets on his person.

He quickly shook his head in refusal: "Young Mistress, you jest. You are of noble birth, and I am merely a lowly guard. It's best not to."

The young mistress waved her hand dismissively: "Pfft, what does that matter? I've even been friends with the night-soil collector before."

Lu Li still shook his head.

The young mistress did not get angry, but let out a sigh of helplessness: "Fine, since you aren't willing, I won't force you."

"However, if you ever need anything in the future, don't hesitate to come find me."

Having said that, she offered Lu Li a few words of encouragement, telling him not to slack off and to cultivate diligently, before moving with light, lotus-like steps and drifting away.

Only then did Lu Li let out a long sigh of relief. Sometimes, having a master who is too enthusiastic is not a good thing.

"Lu Li, how could you refuse? That's the young mistress! That's a massive opportunity!" Li Qing's eyes were completely bloodshot, filled with envy, jealousy, and even hatred.

The others around them also looked at Lu Li as if he were an idiot.

The young mistress was beautiful and kind-hearted, and she was generous with her rewards. Following her meant many benefits.

Yet, Lu Li had refused. It was truly baffling; they really wanted to crack his skull open to see how his brain was wired.

Lu Li smiled faintly: "Then why don't you go?"

Li Qing fell silent. After a long while, he stammered: "Isn't it... that she doesn't think much of me?"

"If you had my skills, she would think much of you." Lu Li patted Li Qing on the shoulder and walked away.

"But I don't." Li Qing gave a bitter smile, his head hanging low, his heart heavy.

Suddenly, he realized he had admitted to being inferior to Lu Li and that he had been mocked by him. He was struck as if by lightning.

"Lu Li, you, you..."

Both sides had just finished a fight and needed time to regroup.

Seeing that a battle wouldn't break out for the time being, Lu Li prepared to leave the city to visit the Wind and Rain Pavilion and trade the ears in his possession for silver.

On his way out, he saw the young mistress personally serving porridge. The scent of meat and oil wafted from the pot; one could tell it had been carefully simmered.

This time, no one caused trouble, and a smile rippled across her face, warm and brilliant like the winter sun.

When he arrived at the cave, Hu Niu happened to be returning. She was covered in snowflakes, and ice shards and mud clung to her paws.

In the herb garden, she had planted several medicinal plants, colorful and vibrant—all painstakingly collected by Hu Niu.

Lu Li examined them carefully and discovered that among these herbs, there was actually a stalk of Gut-Severing Grass!

This was the primary ingredient for refining Heart-Severing Gut-Breaking Powder!

He had stumbled upon it thanks to Hu Niu!

Lu Li was instantly overjoyed.

This was truly an unexpected harvest; the most difficult item to find had been located by Hu Niu.

As for the secondary ingredients, they would be much simpler.

Lu Li prepared to visit various pharmacies to see if he could find them.

Immediately after, he rode Hu Niu toward the Wind and Rain Pavilion.

Inside the Wind and Rain Pavilion, the number of people had visibly increased.

Some people saw Lu Li bringing Blood Mask and hurriedly gave way, while others made a throat-slitting gesture toward him.

This left Lu Li somewhat confused.

On Elder Qing's side, he exchanged the kills for three thousand taels of silver.

Lu Li felt quite regretful; Wang Yu, an Organ-Refining Realm expert, had provided one thousand taels alone.

Last night, he had killed a total of two Organ-Refining Realm experts.

Unfortunately, the other one was dressed in black robes from head to toe, having crawled out from some unknown corner; this person was not on the bounty list.

There were also several Tendon-Refining Realm experts who had no bounties either.

This made Lu Li's heart bleed.

He didn't know how much silver he had lost.

"You took out quite a few of your peers yesterday," Elder Qing said comfortably, his hands pillowing the back of his head.

Lu Li raised an eyebrow.

Elder Qing continued, "The other Organ-Refining Realm expert you killed yesterday was called Cunning Rabbit, a Bronze Rank Assassin of my Wind and Rain Pavilion."

Lu Li suddenly understood; no wonder some people looked at him with awe while others looked at him with malice. So that was the reason.

"Assassins should rely on their own abilities, right?" Lu Li asked.

Elder Qing nodded slightly. "Don't feel pressured. Just do as you please. You are competitors by nature; not everyone is as warm and generous as Black Hawk, who likes to make friends."

Hearing this, Lu Li couldn't help but wonder what kind of sparks would fly if the Young Miss and Black Hawk were to meet.

Just as he thought this, Black Hawk strode in, browsing the mission list, and happened to pick up the bounty for Huang Rongyue.

"Uh, Black Hawk, why not pick someone else?" Lu Li said hurriedly.

In this world, good people were hard to find. The Young Miss had a kind heart, and Lu Li did not want her to die just like that.

Black Hawk looked deeply at Lu Li, then looked at Elder Qing. Seeing Elder Qing shrug, he scratched his head and asked, "Are you really a member of the Huang Family?"

Lu Li gave a sheepish laugh. "I suppose you could say that."

Black Hawk immediately put down Huang Rongyue's bounty and began selecting from the Wang Family section.

"Brother Black Hawk's strength is unfathomable; you even dare to take Huang Rongyue's bounty."

"Heh, if you can kill an Organ-Refining Realm expert while in the Tendon-Refining Realm, why can't I kill a Blood-Exchange Realm expert while in the Organ-Refining Realm? I am a genius too!" Black Hawk laughed proudly.

"However, Lu Li, you cannot be careless. Green Snake has returned. You snatched his Sandalwood Purple Bamboo last time, and he hates you to the bone now."

"He has also taken a bounty this time. Be careful he doesn't make a move on you." Black Hawk's smile faded as he gave a serious and solemn warning.

"That guy is in the Organ-Refining Realm and is skilled with poison. You must be careful!"

"Many thanks for the heads-up, Brother Black Hawk!" Lu Li cupped his fists in gratitude.

Afterward, Lu Li went to the pavilion to purchase three Dragon Essence Pills and accepted a few more bounties before heading back.