Chapter One Hundred Thirteen: Assassination

The road ahead was fraught with tension. The group cautiously followed the riverbank along the hillside, heading west. Whenever they encountered difficult terrain, they preferred to detour around the mountain rather than proceed along the river’s edge.

After four days, they finally arrived at the designated location.

It was a wide, open-air abandoned mine pit carved into the mountainside. The gray-white rocks jutted out, barren of any vegetation. From afar, it looked like an unsightly scar marring the green mountain.

“This used to be the famous XX open-pit iron mine,” Lin Zhongshi explained. “Records show it stretched 2.9 kilometers east to west, 1.7 kilometers north to south, and was 67 meters deep. But after the evil tide arrived, it was naturally abandoned. In reality, it was far from fully excavated. It’s unlikely anyone will use this iron mine again in their lifetime.”

Fan Bei gazed into the distance and saw that along the mine’s edges, some people had already set up camp. Scattered in small groups, the camps were disorganized but some were quite sizable, even displaying signs.

Squinting to read the inscriptions, he saw names like “Starlight Guild” and “Silver Guild.”

“The location has been handed over. Brother He Xing, we should settle the mid-term escort fees,” Lin Zhongshi said to He Xing nearby.

“Alright.” He Xing exhaled deeply, then pulled a note from his pocket and handed it to Lin Zhongshi. “Here is a 100,000 silver note. Chairman Lin, please keep it safe.”

He had assumed that after He Gui’s death, many more would have to perish before reaching here. That this had not happened made another possibility rapidly rise in his mind.

He cast a glance at Fan Bei in the distance — this person must be connected to He Gui’s death.

With that thought, he ordered the caravan to quickly enter the mine pit, settling close to other caravans while avoiding the surrounding foliage.

Fortunately, there was no vegetation inside the pit itself. He silently thanked their ancestors’ reckless mining.

Fan Bei felt a gaze lingering on him and looked up, but found no one.

After He Gui’s death, Fan Bei had spent several days piecing together the events and finally caught a clue.

The other party must have had their eyes on Da Bai and wanted him to die by accident on the way, unwilling to act personally. They had coaxed him into picking some honeysuckle.

If it hadn’t been for Lin Qing’s death earlier, he might have believed Lin Zhongshi’s explanation. But now, he vaguely sensed something was protecting him.

He wasn’t foolish—after two such incidents, how could he not harbor suspicion?

But who or what was this protector?

Da Bai was loyal but lacked the ability.

The orchid pot had just begun cultivation; although its spiritual talent was high, its power was fragile and insufficient.

The only one capable was Xiao Bai, but it lacked loyalty. Bound by the system, it would never harm him but certainly had no initiative to do such things.

Could it be that he was too handsome and had attracted some plant spirit or tree demon watching over him in secret?

The thought appeared but was quickly dismissed. This was no peaceful world. One couldn’t be too vain or indulge in fantasy; only by staying grounded could one survive.

Just as Fan Bei pondered this, Lin Zhongshi approached.

“Brother Fan, how long do you plan to stay here?”

“That depends,” Fan Bei replied. “If I find the evil nest, I’ll probably return quickly and leave Da Bai here to practice and fight monsters on his own.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, we’ll probably have to part ways since we have missions elsewhere,” Lin Zhongshi said apologetically.

“Do as you please. When I return, I’ll join up with other caravans,” Fan Bei quickly responded.

“Alright, Brother Fan, be careful. I’ll go discuss the departure time with the people from Youhe,” Lin Zhongshi added.

“Brother Lin, do as you see fit.”

After a while, Lin Zhongshi returned. “They plan to stay here for over three months to investigate the situation. We agreed to pick them up after three months.”

“Three months? Seems they have a lot to do,” Fan Bei remarked, looking at the Youhe group who were setting up camp. “Do they have enough supplies? Could they also be favored by some entity?”

He recalled that after killing Wu Zicheng and failing to find their supplies, Xiao Bai had explained the other party was favored by some being and could use a spiritual space to store items.

“Oh, for supplies, they can purchase from the ‘Energy Providers.’ Food and water are types of energy, just for human consumption,” Lin Zhongshi explained.

“How much do they need to buy at a time? If it’s a small amount, would the other party bother?” Fan Bei remembered his previous dealings with Detective Hu, where small transactions weren’t worth the effort.

“No matter how much is bought, the handling fee remains the same: 2,000 Spiritual Cores per transaction. Supplies are bought with silver coins,” Lin Zhongshi continued.

“Understood.” Fan Bei nodded.

Spiritual Cores were used to command unknown entities, while silver coins circulated among humans for various goods.

This explained why so many caravans gathered in the mine pit.

...

After arranging the lodging camp, He Xing disguised himself and went to the nearby Starlight Guild campsite to speak with a receptionist.

“I heard you accept various commissions. Do you take assassination jobs?” he asked.

“Sorry, our guild is security-oriented; we don’t handle those kinds of tasks,” the receptionist shook her head.

“Oh, refusing money for the sake of principle,” He Xing sneered.

“Some money isn’t worth earning. Our master always instructs us so,” she explained.

“Then forget it. Will our conversation remain confidential?” he pressed.

“Client confidentiality is our principle,” she answered earnestly.

He Xing nodded and left the tent. After some thought, he sought out the Silver Guild.

The same conversation repeated.

“We do accept assassination jobs, but it depends on the target,” the Silver Guild receptionist said.

“It’s someone named Fan Bei. He is the valley master of Refuge 364,” He Xing said eagerly.

He had to report to the city lord. After all, He Gui had served for many years and frequently offered treasures, holding some status there.

Previously, on the march, he couldn't act. Now, settled, he naturally had to find a way to resolve the matter.

Handling it in the wild was safer than going into the enemy’s valley.

The receptionist paused, then opened a laptop and searched through software.

“Sorry, he’s a VIP member of ours and not within our service range.”

“Forget it.”

He Xing was a bit surprised but quickly left, confident his disguise wouldn't be uncovered. He headed to another campsite.

Unbeknownst to him, the Silver Guild receptionist sent out a message via computer shortly after.

He Xing searched around and, with money as his leverage, finally obtained information at one campsite.

“Brother, this is simple. Though we don’t accept such jobs, I can point you to a clear path.”

“What path?”

“A new big shot has risen in the west, titled ‘The Assassin.’ It’s 3,000 per attempt, with surcharges based on the target’s strength.”

“The sacrificial method?”

“That one?” The man rubbed his fingers nervously.

“How much?”

“A flat ten thousand.”

“Ten thousand it is.” He Xing drew a 10,000 denomination banknote.

“The method is written here,” the man handed over a piece of paper. “Remember to burn it after reading. Since you’re so straightforward, here’s an extra tip: only use it once.”

“Understood.” He Xing had been suspicious at first, but after the added advice, his trust grew.

Of course, he wasn’t worried about being duped—after all, you can run from the monk, but not from the temple.

He left the campsite, winding through secluded paths to change his disguise, then returned to the Youhe caravan camp, immediately retreating into his private tent and ordering not to be disturbed.