Chapter 18 Master Qu

"Brother Duan, here to turn in a mission again?"

Inside the Four Seas Pavilion, Seventh Master Zeng looked at the black bundle Yan Chu was carrying; the smell of blood from within had not yet dissipated.

His eyes held a hint of surprise.

This middle-aged man before him had taken several missions in the past half month, and every time, they were tasks with low rewards but strong targets.

Such missions were usually ignored by everyone; many had been sitting on the bounty boards of the Four Seas Pavilion and the Six Doors for years.

Like the Silver Hook Gambling Den mission that Yan Chu had just taken.

The twenty taels of silver bounty had been sitting in the corner of the Four Seas Pavilion's mission board for over three years.

It was truly impressive that Yan Chu could find it.

He remembered it was a mission posted by some down-and-out fellow back then.

That man was long dead and gone somewhere unknown, leaving only the bounty money behind at the Four Seas Pavilion.

Of course, what surprised Seventh Master Zeng even more was that every time Yan Chu took a mission, he would complete it cleanly and efficiently, returning to submit it within two days.

This showed that second-level missions were simply no match for him.

If it were anyone else like him, they would have long since retired.

Picking a high-bounty mission, then not taking another for half a year, spending every day drinking and visiting brothels.

Who would be like Yan Chu?

"Seventh Master, this is the head of Bao Ruyi from the Silver Hook Gambling Den. Please take a look."

Seventh Master Zeng lifted the black cloth, and a head with eyes wide open in death came into view. The people of the Four Seas Pavilion gathered around.

"It really is the head of Bao Ruyi!"

"I saw him in Qili Town two years ago. There's no mistake, it's him!"

"Bao Ruyi forced good women into prostitution and committed countless acts of destroying homes and exterminating families. It's a pity he was never listed by the Six Doors. I didn't expect him to be killed by Brother Duan now!"

"This scoundrel had the cultivation of the Peak of the Second Realm, and under his command were several experts of the first or second realm. Ordinary people wouldn't provoke him."

"Brother Duan is truly remarkable!"

The way the surrounding people looked at Yan Chu had changed. Being able to kill Bao Ruyi meant he possessed the strength of the Third Realm.

Yan Chu didn't take these gazes to heart and reached out, saying, "Seventh Master, where is the bounty?"

Although he had found over three thousand taels in the gambling den, he couldn't just pass up the twenty taels of silver.

Even a mosquito's leg is meat, no matter how small.

Seventh Master Zeng chuckled as he took out twenty taels of silver and placed them in Yan Chu's hand, saying, "To kill a Peak of the Second Realm for twenty taels of silver—only you, Brother Duan, would do that!"

Yan Chu laughed, "In my life, I do not cultivate good karma; I only love to kill and set fires. I cannot stand injustice in this world; if the officials won't manage it, I will!"

"Good! Brother Duan is righteous!"

"Great Hero Duan is truly a role model for our generation!"

"Brother Duan..."

The crowd began to heap praise upon him, and amidst the flattery, Yan Chu walked out of the Four Seas Pavilion...

After leaving the Four Seas Pavilion, Yan Chu arrived at a restaurant called Five Flavors Studio.

This was a century-old restaurant in Longhua Prefecture.

The aged Huadiao wine and signature side dishes inside were unforgettable, and Yan Chu would come here to satisfy his appetite after every mission.

Even though it wasn't mealtime, there were already a few guests seated in the shop.

"Oh! Great Hero, you've arrived? What would you like this time?"

Yan Chu had become a familiar face to the waiter at Five Flavors Studio, who immediately greeted him enthusiastically upon seeing him.

"Bring a pot of aged Huadiao wine, a plate of braised beef, a serving of lotus leaf chicken, and three or four side dishes!"

Yan Chu chose a seat by the window.

The view here was excellent, allowing him to see various peddlers and travelers on the street, and further away, the Ping River flowing through the city.

Under the azure sky, boats occasionally drifted across the water, creating ripples, which made one feel relaxed and happy.

Longhua Prefecture was not comparable to Pingyang City.

There were countless masters here.

There was a Sixth Realm master overseeing the place, and countless other mid-level Martial Artists.

Even though Yan Chu had now broken through to the Viscera Realm, he was essentially a nobody here.

He tried his best to keep a low profile here.

Before long, the wine and dishes were served.

As a mouthful of Huadiao went down his throat, the wine was rich and mellow. Taking a bite of the braised beef, he felt that life like this wasn't bad at all.

"Have you heard? Three days ago, the Fourth Chieftain of Big Black Mountain, Bi Hong, clashed with the Chief Manager of Mingtong Trading Company, Bai Zhenghao, in Linjiang Town. Bi Hong escaped with serious injuries!"

"Really? Chief Manager Bai is a Fifth Realm Master at the Late Stage. Could that Bi Hong escape from his hands?"

"Hey! Bi Hong is known as 'Thousand-Mile Flying Goose,' and his movement technique is the best among the five chieftains of Big Black Mountain. Escaping from Chief Manager Bai isn't difficult."

"Why did they clash?"

"It is said that a batch of precious goods being transported to Cangzhou Prefecture by Mingtong Trading Company was robbed by Big Black Mountain, which is why Mingtong Trading Company went to cause trouble for Bi Hong."

Big Black Mountain was a group of bandits entrenched in the mountains of Linjiang Prefecture; all five chieftains were at the Meridian Connecting Realm, which made them a top-tier force in Linjiang Prefecture.

Mingtong Trading Company was the largest trading company in Longhua Prefecture, with businesses spread across nearly half of Cangzhou Prefecture.

These two forces occasionally had friction, but it was rare for Fifth Realm Masters to clash.

"Although Mingtong Trading Company is strong, they cannot do anything to Big Black Mountain for the time being. I heard that not long ago, the Six Doors suddenly struck and destroyed a branch of the Holy Lotus Sect. It is said that except for the Branch Master Ji Mingcheng who escaped, everyone else was either killed or captured. The Six Doors' prison is now heavily guarded, and no one is allowed to enter..."

"And then there's the Lian Family. I heard they are now offering a bounty everywhere for a young man named Yan Chu. Just providing information earns one thousand taels of silver, and if he can be captured, the reward is a full five thousand taels!"

"I know about this. That Yan Chu is said to be only at the Second Realm, and he's already on the Six Doors' bounty list. With the Lian Family's maneuvering, the bounty offered by the Six Doors is also two thousand taels. They are truly generous..."

Yan Chu sat by the window, gently sipping his wine, while taking in every word of the discussion around him.

He hadn't come to Five Flavors Studio just to taste good wine and food.

This was a place where Jianghu people often gathered, and it was also an important spot for gathering information.

He didn't expect the Lian Family to offer such a high bounty for him!

It seemed the young man he had killed back then must have been a core member of the Lian Family.

A sense of urgency began to grow in Yan Chu's heart.

At the same time, he was considering whether he should leave Longhua Prefecture first to avoid the current heat.

Meanwhile, inside the Four Seas Pavilion.

The Longhua Prefecture Four Seas Pavilion had one Pavilion Master and two Protectors.

Below the Protectors were seven Managers.

Each Manager was responsible for a specific area of affairs and managed a varying number of retainers, responsible for coordinating missions and rewards with them.

Among them, the Fourth Manager was named Qu Zhenhai, known as Fourth Master Qu.

At this moment, Fourth Master Qu was entertaining a guest in his room.

Opposite him sat a middle-aged man around forty years old with a square face and a mature, steady temperament.

If anyone familiar with him were here, they would know this was the Lian Family's Second Master, Lian Weifeng, the younger brother of the Family Head, Lian Weitao.

Behind each of them stood a young man; the one behind Lian Weifeng was none other than Lian Jiaze, who had appeared at the Black Wind Stockade.

Fourth Master Qu took out a stack of papers, seven or eight in total, all containing portraits and detailed introductions of each person.

"Brother Lian, these are the young men at the Bone Strengthening Realm who have recently appeared in Longhua Prefecture. According to the information you provided, he is skilled with a fast blade. We have had people investigate, but we haven't found the person you are looking for."

Although the Four Seas Pavilion dealt in the business of information, there were limits to it.

There were eight or ten thousand Second Realm Martial Artists in Longhua Prefecture; trying to find one person among so many was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Moreover, the information stated that the young man was proficient in the Disguise Art. As long as he disguised himself and changed his identity, he could stay in any place for a few years, and no one would be able to find him.

Although the Six Doors had issued a bounty, they didn't expect to find the person either.

Didn't you see that the Constables hadn't made any moves?

A mere Second Realm, it was truly a waste of manpower and resources.

If it weren't for the fact that the Lian Family paid enough, he wouldn't have bothered taking on this matter.