Maybe I should just die for real

Hiss-

As Yue Wen finished carefully reading the words on the purple hide, the fiery letters that had lingered for a while scattered in the wind, one by one.

Only a few embers remained drifting through the air.

After a long moment, Yue Wen was once again left holding a blank piece of purple hide. This time, even casting the spell again revealed nothing, because he had already read the information it carried.

Those three short sentences kept Yue Wen thinking for a long time.

Judging by their wording, this "Demon Emperor Hide" had been given to the Purple Throne together with the "Snake Mountain Bronze Cauldron," and the sender was the person who had written the letter.

Without a doubt, that was the "Demon Emperor."

If he had sent someone else's hide, the recipient would have no way to contact him through it. That would be like approaching someone on the street to ask for their phone number, then leaving them a fake number in return.

Pure trolling.

A normal person probably wouldn't do that.

Even among the Demon Race, few beings could be called a "Demon Emperor."

And the only one connected to the Snake Mountain Tiger Tomb seemed to be the "Demon Snake Emperor" who had descended six thousand years ago.

Wasn't that a little too long ago?

Granted, the Demon Race had long lifespans, and according to legend, his cultivation rivaled the Ninth Realm... but that was six thousand years. The spiritual energy era had gone through two cycles since then. Even the Tiger Heavenly Emperor who had suppressed him had become a hazy figure of myth.

Was he still trying to escape?

With this Demon Emperor Hide, Yue Wen could send a message back, but he had no intention of doing so yet. This was far too big a matter for him to experiment casually.

Anything involving figures from mythology could genuinely get him killed.

If possible, he would much rather hide the piece of hide away and stay out of it, or hand it over to the Supernatural Affairs Bureau for a reward.

But the "Snake Mountain Bronze Cauldron" mentioned on the hide caught his attention. He didn't care what the gift was, but the writer had said it was the key to entering the Tiger Tomb...

The Snake Mountain Tiger Tomb was precisely the place he wanted to investigate.

The only clue to the card his father had mentioned before leaving was the emblem of the Snake Mountain Tiger Tomb. Sooner or later, he would have to go there. Was that Snake Mountain Bronze Cauldron the key to getting inside?

What was this bronze cauldron, and where was it?

To put it simply, the "Demon Emperor" who had written the letter apparently wanted to establish contact with the "Purple Throne." Perhaps he wanted the Purple Throne to help him escape? As a show of sincerity, he had sent this Demon Emperor Hide and a treasure called the Snake Mountain Bronze Cauldron, which could lead someone into the Tiger Tomb.

But now the Demon Emperor Hide had ended up in Yue Wen's hands, and he had no idea what had gone wrong along the way. Before he acquired it, the hide had already been sold to an antiques shop.

The information on the hide would deteriorate to varying degrees over time. Judging by the wear, it should have been recorded no more than six months ago.

As for the bronze cauldron that should have been with the Demon Emperor Hide, its whereabouts were unknown.

After thinking it over for a while, Yue Wen decided to seal the hide away and keep it for now.

If he handed it over to the Supernatural Affairs Bureau, there would be too many things he couldn't explain, such as why he hadn't reported what he knew about the Zhang Wei incident, and how he had obtained the Curse-Breaking Method.

Those things involved his parents' disappearance and Da Long's secrets. He couldn't tell outsiders about them.

Besides, the writing had vanished after he read it, leaving him with no proof of his claims. Even if the people at the Supernatural Affairs Bureau believed him, could he trust them completely?

Not necessarily.

The Demon Race's influence in the human realm reached almost everywhere. Who knew where their spies might be lurking?

Keeping the secret himself was safest.

As for the Snake Mountain Bronze Cauldron... if he encountered it in the future, he would have to try to get it.

Just as he was thinking this over, Zhao Xing'er called from downstairs.

"Boss, someone's here to see you!"

Since the agency still had little business, Yue Wen usually cultivated upstairs. His assistant, Zhao Xing'er, handled the front desk and called him down whenever something came up.

When Yue Wen went downstairs, he saw a young man in a White Martial Arts Uniform standing by the entrance. His bangs covered half his brows and eyes, and his expression was cool and aloof. He was waiting quietly with a large, colorful fruit basket in his hand.

"Brother Qi!" Yue Wen chuckled. "What brings you here?"

"Brother Yue." Only then did Qi Dian relax a little. He stepped forward and offered the fruit basket. "I came to City Seven on a mission with my sect. I had half a day free, so I thought I'd come see you."

"Oh, you could've just sent the fruit basket. No need to come yourself." Yue Wen graciously accepted it.

Qi Dian froze for a moment. Huh?

Yue Wen knew he must still be thinking about how Yue Wen had saved his life last time, which was why he had come to visit. Qi Dian was a decent fellow. Although Yue Wen felt that getting two Minor Divine Abilities out of him was fair enough, Qi Dian clearly thought it wasn't enough.

Yue Wen turned and introduced Zhao Xing'er and Qi Dian to each other, then invited Qi Dian to sit down.

"Brother Qi, have some yogurt." He took some yogurt from the drawer and offered it to him.

Qi Dian glanced at it, silently set it down, and looked up. "I don't like yogurt."

"By the way, it's almost noon. You haven't eaten yet, have you, Brother Qi?" Yue Wen said. "Zhao, use my phone to order some takeout. Get something fancy so we can treat Brother Qi."

"Boss, let me order," Zhao Xing'er said. "I still have a coupon I haven't used."

"You haven't even been paid yet. How could I spend your money?" Yue Wen immediately refused.

"Oh, I know you're strapped for cash too," Zhao Xing'er said generously. "I managed to snag a coupon for forty-five off an order of fifty!"

"..."

Watching the two argue back and forth, Qi Dian felt a little awkward sitting there. He took out his phone and offered, "Why don't I order?"

"Oh, we couldn't possibly," Yue Wen and Zhao Xing'er said in unison. Then they turned and looked expectantly at Qi Dian.

"?"

A question mark slowly rose over Qi Dian's head. It was only a meal, but why did he have the inexplicable feeling that he'd been set up?

While Qi Dian started ordering, Yue Wen made conversation. "Brother Qi, what sort of mission brought you to City Seven this time?"

"There's an auction here in City Seven next week. Our Riverside Gate was commissioned to handle part of the security. We just escorted a shipment of treasures here today, and we'll start guarding them this afternoon."

Qi Dian answered honestly, holding nothing back.

"The Treasure Forest auction?" Yue Wen asked.

"You know about it, Brother Yue?" Qi Dian asked.

"Heh, I've heard a little." Seeing that Qi Dian had finished placing the order, Yue Wen added, "You've come at just the right time today.

"There's actually something I've been meaning to ask about."

"Whatever it is, just ask, Brother Yue," Qi Dian said.

"You Immortal Sect disciples have plenty of connections. Have you heard of any jobs lately that pay big money?" Yue Wen asked with a somewhat embarrassed smile. "All we get here at the agency are small commissions, and I urgently need some money in a few days..."

"How much do you need, Brother Yue?" Qi Dian asked.

He figured that if it was an amount he could afford, he might as well pay it himself. After all, Yue Wen had saved his life last time, and it had only cost him a few hundred in total. He had felt a little embarrassed about that ever since.

Then Yue Wen answered, "Ideally, something that could earn me around a million in a week. Of course, there's no upper limit."

"What?" Qi Dian's pupils visibly trembled.

There were things he didn't say out loud, but his eyes more or less conveyed them... Brother Yue, have you gone money-crazy?

Yue Wen gave a couple of awkward chuckles. "Forget it if there isn't anything. I know it's a bit of a pipe dream."

But Qi Dian frowned in thought, then suddenly said, "If you're looking for something that pays well, I actually do know of one thing. You only need to go for three days. A million is a little unrealistic, but based on what they told me, earning several hundred thousand is possible."

Yue Wen's eyes immediately lit up. "Really, godfather?"

"Please, I wouldn't dare accept that title," Qi Dian hastily said.

"As expected of an Immortal Sect disciple," Zhao Xing'er remarked from the side. "You really do love helping people."

"Ahem." Hearing a beautiful woman praise him, the corner of Qi Dian's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly before he quickly forced it down again. He cleared his throat. "We cultivators ought to help one another. Miss Zhao, if you have any questions about cultivation, feel free to ask me too."

He wasn't being arrogant when he said that. He sincerely wanted to help.

As he saw it, even if Yue Wen surpassed him in cultivation, Yue Wen had nowhere near his access to cultivation resources. He had even needed to learn divine abilities from Qi Dian before.

Zhao Xing'er was just a junior assistant Yue Wen had hired, probably no more than a cultivation enthusiast, so that was naturally even more true for her. A little guidance from him should be a considerable help.

Before he had finished speaking, a small sedan pulled up in front of the agency's narrow entrance, flattening the yellow "No parking" sign. The road on the busy market street was already narrow, and the car completely blocked it.

Zhao Xing'er immediately shouted outside, "Can't you see the sign? You can't park here!"

A dozen or so burly men climbed out of the car. The driver casually waved toward the agency. "We're eating next door. We'll only be a little while."

"If you park here, nobody can get past! Have you got no manners?" Zhao Xing'er walked outside and stood on the steps with her hands on her hips, scolding them.

"Tch." Emboldened by their numbers, the men sneered. "Yeah, we've got no manners. What about it? Go get the public security office to tow it if you've got the guts!"

"Tow it?" A red gleam flashed through Zhao Xing'er's eyes. Reaching behind her, she drew a black-steel spiked club, stepped in, twisted at the waist, and powered both arms into an upward swing.

BANG!

Red light flashed past. Her blow sent the sedan flying into the sky like a golf ball, spinning dozens of times until it became a tiny speck on the horizon.

The dozen or so men stood rooted to the spot, dumbstruck for a long moment, before one of them shouted, "Hey! My parents, wife, and kids-six people-are still in that car!"

"..." Qi Dian stared at the scene outside, stunned. Then he turned back to Yue Wen. "Miss Zhao... what was that red light? It looked a little terrifying."

"To put it simply, Xing'er has an immature Innate Immortal Body," Yue Wen said. "Along with a very mature Martial Dao System."

"..." Qi Dian fell silent for a moment, then his face flushed bright red.

Heh.

So I actually just offered to guide someone with an immortal body?

I don't know why someone with skills like hers is working for you... but I really have made a joke of myself.

He lowered his head and pondered for a long time. Recalling his shameless boasting just moments ago, he felt as though shadows had swallowed his back.

Maybe I should just die for real?