Chapter 78: The Best Swimmers Often Drown

Chapter 78: The Best Swimmers Often Drown

Assassinate Xu Shouyi? Wu Yuan's gaze remained calm. And the reward is 100,000 silver taels?

That was the highest reward for a three-star mission! Clearly, the challenge was not in assassinating Xu Shouyi, but in weathering the wrath of the Cloudstride Sect afterward, just like the task of assassinating the governor of Southdream Province. The mission reward for the latter was a whopping one million silver taels!

The governor himself was merely a second-rate Adept. Even if he were protected by a first-rate Adept, the difficulty of assassination was disproportionate to the reward. Such a hefty reward represented not only the strength of the target, but also the power of the Cloudstride Sect behind them, which acted as a form of deterrence.

However, there are no extra requirements, meaning both straightforward assassination and poisoning are acceptable?

For the missions involving the family heads of the Bloodwolf Gang, bringing back their heads was a necessary condition. But for killing the governor and Xu Shouyi, there were no such requirements. The employer must have specifically requested this condition, most likely due to a major grudge against the Bloodwolf Gang.

"Thousand Mountains, what are your thoughts on these two four-star missions?" Branch Master Qing asked quietly.

"Branch Master, I will pass on the governor's assassination." Wu Yuan shook his head slightly. "If it's discovered that I am the culprit, I fear there will be no place for me in all of the Jiang Continent."

Normally, if the governor of a province was assassinated, one would be unable to escape retaliation even if they fled the territory of the Cloudstride Sect. The Cloudstride Sect would dispatch experts for revenge upon receiving the news, hence if the assassin didn't manage to get far enough, they would be hunted down. Any major power would do the same. Otherwise, how could they deter those who challenged their rule?

"Branch Master, why not arrange for someone to poison him? It might be easier." Wu Yuan suggested.

"Poison?" Branch Master Qing was left speechless. If poisoning the governor were so simple, why would this mission still be left incomplete to this day?

"The difficulty and risk of assassinating the governor are indeed extremely high," commented Branch Master Qing, shifting the conversation. "And the other task? Would you be willing to attempt it, Thousand Mountains?" The other task was to assassinate Blood Wolf Wu Shan.

"In the event of a failed assassination, is there a penalty?" Wu Yuan asked in return.

"The penalty is not serious." Branch Master Qing replied. "If you fail the mission, some star points will be deducted."

"Star points?" Wu Yuan looked puzzled.

"For each task you complete, you will earn star points." Branch Master Qing explained. "Once you accumulate enough star points, you can be promoted to a higher rank and gain more privileges."

Wu Yuan nodded in understanding.

"For instance, to advance from a three-star assassin to a four-star assassin, you need 20,000 star points," Branch Master Qing continued. "Each four-star task you complete will earn you 10,000 star points, while completing a three-star task will earn you 2000 star points."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly. No wonder Branch Master Qing had said that he could be promoted to a four-star assassin just by completing another four-star task.

If a second-rate Adept wanted to be promoted to a four-star expert, they would have to complete ten three-star missions? That was equivalent to walking on the edge of life and death ten times! How many times could they survive?

"If you fail, a tenth of the task reward's star points will be deducted, that is, 1000 star points." Branch Master Qing stated.

"Branch Master, I understand. I will accept the mission to assassinate Blood Wolf Wu Shan," Wu Yuan declared calmly. "However, I would also like to undertake a three-star task simultaneously."

"A three-star task? Which one?" Branch Master Qing looked surprised.

"This one." Wu Yuan pointed to the mission archives.

"Kill the general of defense of Li County?" Branch Master Qing scanned the mission details.

Instantly, he frowned. "Thousand Mountains, you must consider this carefully. Xu Shouyi's strength is average, and it won't be difficult for you to assassinate him. However, his master is a sect elder of the Cloudstride Sect. If your identity is exposed, the repercussions you will face won't be trivial."

"His master?" Wu Yuan's eyes shimmered with an icy glint.

Ah, now it made sense! No wonder Xu Shouyi could act so fearlessly, daring to meddle in local politics. The sect elders of the Cloudstride Sect were nothing like the Wu Clan's clan elders. One had to be at least a Savant expert to assume the former role.

"It doesn't matter, I will be choosing this mission," Wu Yuan said nonchalantly. "I happen to be planning a trip to Yuanhu Province. Should I fail to assassinate Wu Shan, I can complete this task in passing." nove(l)bi(n.)com

Right from the start, Wu Yuan had no intention of fighting Blood Wolf Wu Shan. After exchanging blows with Iron Tower Long Er, he had already roughly grasped the strength of those on the Human Rankings. Each and every one of them were not to be trifled with!

Even if Blood Wolf Wu Shan was slightly weaker, the gap was not too large. At present, if Wu Yuan were to assassinate him, he stood an 80% chance of success. The probability of victory seemed high.

But with the resources I currently possess, I could cultivate for a considerable length of time. Why should I risk it all?

Wu Yuan had thought it through. Let alone a twenty percent risk of death, even a ten percent risk was one Wu Yuan was unwilling to take.

Taking risks, grinding, and engaging in battles were all methods to gather resources for cultivation. Stability should not be pursued blindly, as it would slow down one’s pace of progress. Yet, constantly taking risks could prove lethal too. The probability of death would escalate significantly the more one tempted fate. And even if one was lucky enough to win once, what about twice? Or thrice?

Those who frequent the river's edge would inevitably get their shoes wet. The best swimmers often drown! The best strategy was not to tread carefully along the river's edge, but to avoid it as much as possible.

Why then, did Wu Yuan accept the mission?

If I hadn’t agreed, would Branch Master Qing still kindly hand over these treasures? Wu Yuan smirked coldly. Perhaps, he would find an excuse to deceive me and make me wait.

This was precisely why Wu Yuan decided to redeem all his merits. He cared little about the identity of Thousand Mountains. In the worst-case scenario, he could always employ Transfiguration, visit a continent-level branch of the Pleiades Guild, and create a new identity called Ten Thousand Mountains.

But Xu Shouyi, you'd better not run. Killing intent blazed in Wu Yuan's eyes.

He didn't seek revenge earlier because he knew he wasn't powerful enough and lacked absolute confidence!

But now? It was time to avenge his clansmen.

...

Along the way, Wu Yuan shed the clothing he wore as part of his disguise, slipping into the clothes he had hidden earlier in the hollow of a towering old tree.

With new treasures and scrolls in his possession, he entered the martial academy in the dead of the night.

Though the upheaval at Moonlit Haven shook half the city, the Southdream Martial Academy remained unaffected. The courtyard was cloaked in a hushed silence in the deepest hours of the night.

Sailing through the slightly ajar window, Wu Yuan returned to the martial chamber on the second floor. He checked the hair-trigger alarm at the door, confirming it was not tampered with. Only then did he completely let his guard down.

Settling himself in the lotus position, he quieted his mind, attuning himself to his surroundings.

Gu Ji remained on the first floor, utterly oblivious to the whole slew of actions Wu Yuan had undertaken this night.

Let's have a look at the spoils I've gotten from this trip. Wu Yuan extracted the silver notes and treasures, quickly taking stock. Including the rewards from the Pleiades Guild, he had amassed approximately 45,000 silver taels in the form of silver and gold notes.

No wonder so many martial artists gravitate toward a life of banditry, thievery, and assassination. Plundering is indeed a quick way to wealth. Wu Yuan sighed inwardly.

Yes, it was risky. However, the rewards, once obtained, were dreadfully lucrative.

The tens of thousands of silver taels were just the beginning. Even more precious than the money were the 40 Qi Enhancement Pills, ten drops of starlight liquid, and 700 medium-grade bone forging pills he had accumulated.

All these should sustain my cultivation for a considerable time. Wu Yuan grinned slightly.

He consolidated and stored the items, leaving only a bottle of Qi Enhancement Pills in front of him, then closed his eyes.

There are roughly two hours left till dawn, let's see how much blood-red mist my body can absorb. Wu Yuan was filled with anticipation.

His consciousness converged on the upper dantian lobe. In the boundless and mysterious space, a copious amount of blood-red mist hovered around the black pagoda. In terms of total volume, it might even exceed the previous accumulation.

Previously, I killed Luo Fu and some other assassins. This time, I killed fewer people but gained more mist. Could it be that the amount of blood-red mist correlates with the strength of the enemies I kill?

The sample size was too small, hence this was just a speculation.

There’s no need to think so much, I should cultivate first. Wu Yuan's consciousness expertly guided the strands of blood-red mist, seamlessly weaving them through his three major dantian lobes, and gradually assimilating them into his body.