149: Undercurrents

Jun Xiaoyao sat on the sandalwood couch in the secret chamber of Beyond Heaven, his fingertips twisting a white jade chess piece, which he placed carelessly on the chessboard.

The bronze burner in front of the couch was burning dragon saliva incense, the curling smoke obscuring the expression on his face.

The four walls of the secret chamber were draped in dark brocade, isolating it from all outside sounds; only the water mirror on the desk shimmered with a faint light, reflecting the recent movement trajectories of The Net.

"Zhao Gao." He did not look up, his voice flat and waveless.

A figure immediately stepped out from the shadows, Zhao Gao bowing his head with his hands cupping a black scroll: "Young Lord."

The scroll was embroidered with the characters "The Net" in gold thread, its cover exuding a cold, hard luster, and inside it recorded the roster and mission details of the Luowang Assassins.

"Why was the 'Blood Jade Marrow' mission from the black market last month delayed until today to be completed?"

Jun Xiaoyao's gaze fell upon the water mirror, which displayed a piece of blood jade the size of a pigeon's egg, with blood-red light seemingly flowing within the marrow—this was the ancestral treasure of a small tribe in the Southern Border, and The Net had accepted the employer's order to "retrieve" it.

Zhao Gao opened the third page of the scroll, his fingertip pointing to a line of red annotations: "Reporting to Young Lord, the mission was handled by the Grade-C Luowang Assassin 'Shadow Seven,' who encountered a patrol of Outer Sect Disciples from the Holy Land 'Qingyun Sect' midway, causing a three-day delay. Shadow Seven has already received punishment according to the rules and has had a finger severed."

Jun Xiaoyao gave a hum of acknowledgment, his gaze shifting to the summoning array in the center of the secret chamber.

The seven Spirit Stones at the array's eye were emitting a soft halo, the energy value fully charged, sufficient for a medium-intensity summoning.

He tapped his fingertips on his knee, and after a moment said: "Initiate the summoning, limit the range to the 'Grandmaster Realm,' focusing on assassination and concealment."

[System Prompt: Energy detecting... Matching qualified characters... Summoning begins...]

The light at the array's eye suddenly became intense, and pale purple runes roamed like living things, weaving together in mid-air to form a figure.

The person wore a night-traveling outfit and a black mask, revealing only a pair of eyes radiating sharp light, with two short blades tucked at his waist; he landed silently, like a ghost merging into the shadows.

[Character Panel Generated: Name: Star Plucker, From World: "legend of lu xiaofeng", Realm: Late Grandmaster Realm, Martial Skill: 1. Empty Hand Technique: An unparalleled stealing technique that can take items without the target noticing, with success rate increasing with focus; 2. Treading Snow Without a Trace: A Foundation of light movement technique, leaving no traces when walking, with speed far exceeding Martial Artists of the same rank; 3. Shadow Splitting Technique: Can create brief afterimages to confuse opponents, mostly used for escaping or sneak attacks. Additional Items: -Specialized Gloves (anti-slip, anti-stab, useful for taking items by hand); -Hundred Treasure Pouch (containing various lock-picking tools, knockout powders). Loyalty: 85% (Has a strong interest in novel things, can be increased through rare treasures)]

"Star Plucker?" Jun Xiaoyao looked at the newcomer, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, "I have long heard of the 'King of Thieves,' I did not expect to summon you."

Star Plucker removed his mask, revealing a face with a hint of cunning; he scratched his head and looked around the secret chamber: "This place is quite hidden. Are you the one who summoned me? What did you call me here for? To steal something?" A gleam of excitement flashed in his eyes, clearly full of passion for the act of "stealing."

"Beyond Heaven needs your skills." Jun Xiaoyao signaled Zhao Gao to hand over a black token, "The 'Thief Department' of The Net lacks a commander, responsible for retrieving things that are 'inconvenient to buy.' After the task is done, you may choose any three rare treasures in the world."

Star Plucker took the token, weighed it twice, and suddenly his figure flickered, leaving only an afterimage in place—when he reappeared, a white jade chess piece from Jun Xiaoyao's couch was surprisingly in his hand. "Interesting." He toyed with the chess piece and laughed, "I'll take this job."

After Star Plucker followed Zhao Gao to familiarize himself with the affairs of the Thief Department, Jun Xiaoyao looked back at the water mirror.

The image in the mirror switched; Marshal of the Unruly was standing on the martial arts practice field of The Net's general headquarters, his gaze beneath the bronze mask as cold as ice.

Kneeling before him were three Luowang Assassins, all of them with withered auras, clearly having just been tortured.

"If you can't even deal with a single Innate Realm escort, what use are you?" Marshal of the Unruly's bone whip cracked on the ground with a "snap," sending gravel flying, "The Net raises you to take heads, not to be deserters!"

The lead assassin trembled and said: "That escort is an Elder of the 'Iron Sword Sect,' he carries a mysterious iron sword with him, we..."

"Trash!" The bone whip was suddenly raised, but at the moment it was about to fall, it was blocked by a figure—Li Xunhuan had appeared on the practice field, his Flying Dagger unsheathed, precisely resting on the bone whip.

"Marshal of the Unruly," Li Xunhuan's voice was flat, "Although they failed, they have brought back the escort's whereabouts; according to the rules, the crime does not warrant death."

Marshal of the Unruly snorted coldly and retracted the bone whip: "The Shadow Department commander certainly knows how to plead for others. Fine, I will give them one more chance; if they cannot take the escort's head within three days, they can bring their own heads to see me."

The image in the water mirror disappeared, and Jun Xiaoyao picked up another scroll, which was the "Potential Threat List" compiled by Zhao Gao.

At the top of the list was "Blazing Fire Palace," as they had recently been frequently seizing resources in The Net's territory and had even wounded two Grade-B assassins.

"Have Star Plucker go meet the Palace Master of Blazing Fire Palace." Jun Xiaoyao circled a name on the list, "Steal the 'Blazing Fire Order' from his waist; that will serve as a warning to them."

Zhao Gao agreed and was about to withdraw, but was stopped by Jun Xiaoyao: "Wait, how much energy is left in the summoning array?"

"Reporting to Young Lord, there is enough for one low-tier summoning."

"Find someone good at detoxifying." Jun Xiaoyao recalled that during the last mission of The Net, an assassin was struck by "Bone Rotting Powder" and nearly lost his life, "The Realm does not need to be too high, Innate Realm is sufficient."

[System Prompt: Matching qualified character... Summoning successful...]

This time, the summoning array lit up with a pale green light, and the figure of an old man carrying a medicine basket slowly solidified.

He wore coarse cloth clothing, his beard and hair were all white, and he leaned on a medicine hoe, looking like an ordinary herb gatherer.

[Character Panel Generated: Name: Great Doctor Ping, From World: "the smiling, proud wanderer", Realm: Late Innate Realm, Medical Skills: 1. Bring Back the Dead: Skilled in detoxifying and treating trauma, with unique insights into strange poisons; 2. One Needle Ends the Soul: Can use silver needles to perform acupoint pressing and anesthesia, and can be used as a weapon when necessary. Additional Items: -Hundred Poison Pouch (containing various detoxifying medicinal materials, silver needles); -Medicine Hoe (special material, can split the scales of a Tier 3 Yao Beast). Loyalty: 90% (Benevolent heart of a doctor, cannot bear to see innocent deaths or injuries)]

"Great Doctor Ping." Jun Xiaoyao stood up, "The Medical Department of Beyond Heaven is entrusted to you; the injury medicines and antidotes for the Luowang Assassins will all be prepared by you."

Great Doctor Ping put down the medicine basket and carefully examined the poison injury records handed over by Zhao Gao, his brows slightly furrowed: "'Bone Rotting Powder' requires Tianshan Snow Lotus as a medicinal ingredient, 'Power Dissolving Powder' needs to be paired with seven star grass... I will make a list of these medicinal materials and have them prepared as soon as possible."

He spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly, his gaze falling on the injured assassins in the water mirror, a trace of pity flashing in his eyes.

Outside the secret chamber, the sounds of The Net's training, Marshal of the Unruly's scolding, Li Xunhuan's coughing, the light sounds of Star Plucker fiddling with tools, and the rustling of Great Doctor Ping grinding medicine were intertwined, like a musical movement of surging undercurrents.

Jun Xiaoyao lay back on the couch, toying with the white jade chess piece that had been lost and found—Star Plucker had somehow returned it, and even pressed a note underneath: "This chess piece is boring, next time change to a harder one."

He smiled and placed the chess piece back on the chessboard.

The Foundation of Beyond Heaven had just been laid, the blade that was The Net still needed to be sharpened, and the summoned powerhouses also needed to be integrated, but he had plenty of patience.

After all, those forces standing in front of Beyond Heaven would eventually become the dead souls under The Net's blade, and all he had to do was to make every move well in this secret chamber.

The night grew deeper, and the water mirror lit up again, reflecting the Blazing Fire Palace Master sleeping soundly after drinking—the figure of Star Plucker had already infiltrated his bedroom and was lightly untying the token at the other's waist.

Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene and slowly closed his eyes.

The era belonging to Beyond Heaven had only just begun.