320: Xuanji Pavilion

Deep within the Hanyue Valley Underground Palace, Jun Xiaoyao reclined on the cold jade couch, twisting a "Concentration Pearl" he had just traded for from the black market between his fingertips.

The spiritual energy flowing within the pearl was reflected in his eyes, casting a cold, chilling light.

On the stone table in front of the couch, The Net's latest mission list was spread out, and next to the top-ranked mission, "Assassinate the Xuanji Pavilion Messenger," an "Urgent" mark had been written in cinnabar.

"Zhao Gao." Jun Xiaoyao did not even lift his head, his voice carrying through the light clinking of bead strings, "When will the Xuanji Pavilion messenger arrive in Luoyang?"

Zhao Gao slid out from the shadows, holding a parchment scroll in his hands, and bowed as he replied: "Reporting to the Young Lord, he will pass through the East Gate of Luoyang at the hour of Mao in three days. This person is carrying a secret agreement between Xuanji Pavilion and the Li family, and it is said that he is also hiding a token from a Void Shattering Realm old monster."

Jun Xiaoyao's fingertips paused, and the halo of the Concentration Pearl shattered into specks of golden dust at his fingertips.

"Void Shattering Realm?" He chuckled softly, "The Li family is certainly willing to pay a high price to hire an existence of that level."

He raised his hand and pulled the parchment scroll in front of him; the messenger's characteristics were written on it in cipher: [Green shirt, lame, silver crane embroidered on the left shoulder].

"Send the 'Shadow' unit." Jun Xiaoyao traced his fingertips over the cipher, leaving a faint white mark, "If he's alive, I want to see the person; if he's dead, I want to see the letter."

"Your subordinate will certainly handle it." Zhao Gao placed the mission plaque on a tray; the skull engraved on the plaque shimmered with an eerie light under the candlelight—this was the highest-level assassination order of The Net, and the one who accepted it could make any condition.

After Zhao Gao retreated, Jun Xiaoyao turned toward the summoning array in the center of the underground palace.

After several days of accumulation, the spiritual energy in the array's core had risen to 62%, and pale golden runes slowly circulated around the edge of the array like a group of dormant snakes.

A blood-red summoning list popped up on the light screen, carrying a bit more pressure than usual.

[Summonable Character: Fu Hongxue]

[From: "The Bordertown Wanderer"]

[Realm: Peak Grandmaster Realm]

[Martial Skill: Quick-Draw Saber Technique (Perfection), Extinction Cross Saber (Major Achievement)]

[Trait: Ruthless and steady-handed, skilled at long-distance pursuit]

[Summoning Cost: 55% Spiritual Energy]

"Peak Grandmaster Realm..." Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertips on the light screen; Fu Hongxue's Quick-Draw Saber Technique was as fast as lightning, which was perfect for intercepting the messenger.

He bent his finger and pointed at the center of the array's core, and the pale golden runes suddenly boiled, like sparks thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting a raging blaze of light.

Within the blaze of light, a figure in black slowly took shape.

A black cloak dragged on the ground, stained with virtual bloodstains, and the scabbard at his waist gleamed with an ancient, dark light; the person lowered his head, and his jawline, exposed outside the shadows, was as cold and hard as if carved by a blade.

"Fu Hongxue greets the Young Lord." His voice had a texture like gravel rubbing together, and his right hand remained pressed on the saber hilt, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Jun Xiaoyao pushed the parchment scroll over, his tone flat: "In three days, at the Luoyang East Gate, intercept and kill the green-shirted, lame messenger and retrieve the secret agreement he is carrying."

Fu Hongxue picked up the parchment scroll, glanced at it once, and nodded: "Understood."

Without any extra words, when he turned, his cloak stirred up a cold wind, actually leaving a shallow mark on the stone floor—that was the unconscious leakage of Saber Qi.

The light of the summoning array gradually faded, and the spiritual energy bar stopped at 7%.

Jun Xiaoyao watched the direction in which Fu Hongxue had disappeared, and his fingertips twisted that Concentration Pearl again.

The waters of Xuanji Pavilion were deeper than imagined, but... the murkier the water, the easier it was to catch fish.

Three days later, Luoyang East Gate.

The dew of the Yin hour dampened the bluestone slabs, and Fu Hongxue leaned against the old locust tree at the base of the city wall, his cloak wrapped around half his face, with only those eyes staring at the city gate, shining like a poison-quenched blade.

The night watchman on the city tower yawned, the clapper sounded with a "dong," and the horizon just began to show a fish-belly white.

"Creak—" The East Gate slowly opened, and a figure in a green shirt appeared behind the door, his left leg slightly lame, and a silver crane was indeed embroidered on his left shoulder.

He was carrying a black wood box in his hand, walking in a hurry, and just as he stepped out of the threshold, he was fixed in place by a sudden gust of wind.

Fu Hongxue's saber had already been drawn.

The saber light was brighter than the morning light, so fast that it was impossible to see the trajectory.

By the time the green-shirted man reacted, the black wood box was already in Fu Hongxue's hands, while he himself clutched his throat, blood gushing out from between his fingers, and he fell to the ground without even a groan.

Fu Hongxue weighed the black wood box and turned to disappear into the alley entrance.

In the shadows at the end of the alley, Zhao Gao had already prepared a carriage, and seeing him come over, he hurriedly lifted the curtain: "Mr. Fu, the Young Lord is waiting for the secret agreement."

As the carriage sped away, Fu Hongxue opened the black wood box.

There was indeed a scroll inside, and it was pressed down by a black jade token, with the two characters "Xuanji" engraved on the token, feeling ice-cold to the touch—this was the token of the Void Shattering Realm old monster.

"Interesting." Fu Hongxue tucked the token into his bosom, and handed the scroll to Zhao Gao, "Give this to the Young Lord."

In the Hanyue Valley Underground Palace, Jun Xiaoyao unfolded the scroll, and the cipher on it was casually dissolved by him using spiritual energy.

The Li family had actually agreed to cede 30% of the profits from the Jiangnan salt route to Xuanji Pavilion, only asking them to take action to destroy all of The Net's strongholds in the Central Plains.

"A big appetite." Jun Xiaoyao brought the scroll to the candle flame, watching it burn to ashes, "Zhao Gao, send the 'Poison' unit to Jiangnan and 'add some ingredients' to the Li family's merchant firms on the salt route."

"Add ingredients?" Zhao Gao understood, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes, "Yes, your subordinate will arrange it immediately, ensuring that their salt changes 'flavor'."

Jun Xiaoyao didn't speak again, his gaze falling back to the summoning array.

Fu Hongxue's summoning consumed 55% of the spiritual energy, and although the remaining 7% was little, it was like a seed.

He knew that Xuanji Pavilion would not let it go, and what he had to do was to make the blade of The Net even sharper.

At this moment, the message talisman suddenly vibrated; it was a message from Fu Hongxue: [Token retrieved, Xuanji Pavilion seems to have sensed unusual movements and is sending experts to investigate.]

Jun Xiaoyao's fingertips traced across the edge of the summoning array, and the runes there brightened a bit more.

"Tell Fu Hongxue to return to Luoyang and wait for orders," he said indifferently, "Tell Xuanji Pavilion, if they want to snatch territory, they must see if their bones are hard enough."

Zhao Gao acknowledged the order and left, leaving only the flickering candlelight in the underground palace.

Jun Xiaoyao picked up the black jade token, the token gleaming with cold light in his palm, like a piece of iron just fished out of an ice cellar.

So what if it's the Void Shattering Realm? If they block the path of Beyond Heaven, they will still be shattered all the same.

He threw the token back onto the stone table and turned to walk toward the cold jade couch.

Next, it was time to settle the final account with the Li family—the Jiangnan salt route, and those resources hidden in the dark, would all soon have to change owners.

And The Net's next mission plaque was already shimmering with a cold light in Zhao Gao's tray, waiting for the name of the next prey.