"Jiang Dali, this task isn't an easy one, so while you should try to capture, you are allowed to kill the target," said Xiong Ba, seated on a pear wood chair covered with tiger skin inside the spacious council hall of Black Wind Mountain Village, smoking a dry pipe and looking approvingly at Jiang Dali, who was as robust and fierce as a tiger or leopard.
He was now forty-six years old and hadn't engaged in combat for several years. His figure had also grown out of shape, and in the past two years, he had taken two more concubines, losing the fiery spirit he once had when he could stand alone with an axe to ambush armed escorts.
It just so happened that over these years, the emergence of Jiang Dali was like the timely arrival of a heaven-sent warrior, becoming the sharpest and swiftest knife in his hands, taking care of many difficult matters. Every so often, they could seize a convoy with minimal effort, which meant he no longer had to risk life and limb to reap fame and profit.
Therefore, he had only grown fonder of Jiang Dali, treating him almost like his own.
If it weren't for the recent concubines pleasing him greatly, he would have even considered rewarding this Third Master for his service.
"Xiong Ba of Black Wind Village is assigning you a capture or kill mission. Task details: Capture or kill Qiu Xue Mei of the Ancient Tomb Sect who wields the Gale Whip.
Task difficulty: C Grade B
Qiu Xue Mei: Just entered the realm of Inner Qi, a renegade of the Ancient Tomb Sect, adept with long whip, whereabouts detailed in enclosed secret letter.
Capture reward: 50 Cultivation Points, 50 Potential Points, 50 reputation points in the martial world.
Kill reward: 30 Cultivation Points, 30 Potential Points, 30 reputation points in the martial world.
Accept the task?"
"It's just a C-level task, accepted!"
Jiang Dali hesitated for less than a moment before confidently taking on the mission.
To an experienced old hand in the Martial World who had been in the Inner Qi Realm for a long time, he would have refused without hesitation.
Although in this world, he would not truly die.
But to court death willingly and actually die after, would lead to substantial losses, and there was no need to take such a risk.
But facing a master who had only just entered the Inner Qi Realm, he thought he could give it a try.
"Third Master, are you sure you've considered this carefully? This is not any simple character... she has even made a name for herself in Yuanzhou," said the Second Master, Life-stealing Scholar, drinking tea and smiling, "Although she has only just entered the Inner Qi Realm and can't yet project her Inner Qi externally, she's no trifling matter. If you do encounter her, I suggest using some underhanded tactics, the ones I've taught you, and don't be too brash."
"I'm aware," Jiang Dali said, taking the secret letter for the mission and grabbing a jar of Xiong Ba's old wine from the table, before striding out of the hall with his back bearing his knife.
"On this trip, whether the mission is completed or not, I will definitively return within a month."
"Ha-ha, good, I will make sure to arrange a feast to welcome you back in advance," Xiong Ba exclaimed as he got up and watched Jiang Dali set off.
Life-stealing Scholar slowly put down his tea cup, his fair face still wearing a smile, "If the Third Master really manages to complete the mission this time, the merits he accumulates will surely get noticed by the Upper Gang and lead him to be transferred early, right?"
Xiong Ba took a puff of his pipe and sighed, "That Third Master is truly talented, it's a shame, our Black Wind Village is just too small a temple for him."
The Second Master, Life-stealing Scholar, rolled his eyes, "Big Brother, if I also wish to follow the Third Master to the Upper Gang, what do you think?"
Xiong Ba glared at him, "What are you thinking, if anyone can go to the Upper Gang, it's only the Third Master. If he rises high enough, naturally you and I will benefit, living the good life."
"Big Brother, Big Brother..." Life-stealing Scholar slightly tilted his eyelids, sighing inwardly, "Water flows down, and people strive upwards. This is why you've always remained here in Black Wind Village, leading bandits—it's because you're too kind-hearted. I'm different... sorry to the Third Brother then. It's a pity to lose such a good fighter."
...
In this Martial World, there are many secret organizations.
One of these organizations is spoken of in hushed tones by the people of the Martial World.
No one knows who the mysterious owner of this organization is.
He could be your most ordinary and boring friend, the lady who sells vegetables at your doorstep everyday, a teahouse owner with extraordinary skills, or even the rapist who boasts of plucking flowers while they are still fresh...
No one knows who the head of this organization is, or what they look like.
All the people in the Martial World only know that such a person must exist.
Just like they know that Little Li's Flying Knife is accurate; as for how accurate, only the dead know.
Jiang Dali's other identity was as an assassin of the Qingyi Building.
In nearly these two years, since his rebirth in this world, Jiang Dali spent a year rising from a minor bandit leader to Third Master of the Mountain Village, and another year to become an assassin of the Qingyi Building.
So, he had both a public and a secret identity.
In both the open and the hidden world, he monopolized all the information.
It was so much more convenient to do many things in the Martial World with the identity of an Assassin from Qingyi Building, who was well-informed.
...
Two days later, on the secluded path leading to Yuanzhou.
A carrier pigeon flapped its wings through the azure sky and landed on the calloused hand of Jiang Dali.
He read the message from the cylinder, and a faint smile flashed in his eyes.
"Go!"
He released the pigeon and mounted his horse.
"Hyah!"
With a swift horse and a golden knife, Jiang Dali, who had changed his appearance and attire by wearing a human skin mask, spurred his horse and galloped away.
He was now dressed in green clothes with a black veil hanging from his conical hat, a spitting image of a Qingyi Building Assassin.
In the past two days, he had utilized the channels of Qingyi Building to uncover a piece of news not even Black Wind Mountain Village had managed to find out about—news regarding Qiu Xue Mei of Gale Whip.
Qiu Xue Mei had quietly traveled by water from Hui Prefecture and returned to Yuanzhou two days ago.
She was now staying in a hidden inn in Qingyang County, Yuanzhou, hiding from the court's pursuit.
A hidden inn, by its very nature, is an inn not officially registered, forbidden to operate.
Typically, those who run such inns are figures from the underground, mainly serving those who prefer not to draw much attention.
As a white road force, the leadership of Black Wind Mountain Village naturally found it difficult to investigate the guests of such hidden inns.
But Qingyi Building, as an Assassin institution, was not bound by the white forces and could easily unearth such information.
Jiang Dali had not only found Qiu Xue Mei's whereabouts but also investigated all her learned Martial Arts styles, personality traits, and preferences.
Speaking of the countless and weird sects in the Martial World, there were plenty that had their quirks.
For instance, the West Xiang Corpse Chasing Sect, whose members spent their days in the company of corpses.
Or the White Lotus Sect, who constantly schemed against the court, the Sun and Moon Divine Sect who bickered with the Five Sword Sects, the Xingxiu Sect and Five Poison Sect that studied insect breeding, each acting in unpredictable and insidious ways, filled with Evil Energy.
However, compared to the disciples of the Ancient Tomb Sect, who spent their days secluded, in closed meditation, almost never making an appearance in the Martial World, these sects seemed rather open.
Since Lin Chaoying founded the Ancient Tomb Sect, in all these years, the only disciples who left the ancient tomb were the renegade Red Training Immortal Li Mochou and those who left voluntarily, Yang Guo and Little Dragon Girl. Qiu Xue Mei might be the fourth disciple to emerge from the ancient tomb.
From the moment she left the ancient tomb, Qiu Xue Mei became a renegade of the sect, never did much good in the Martial World. Instead, she caused unnecessary killings, taking a path filled with distortion similar to her former fellow disciple, Red Training Immortal Li Mochou, and thus being wanted by the court.
However, Qiu Xue Mei was not as skilled in Martial Arts as Li Mochou, her meager skills lacking strong backing. Being wanted by the court for not even half a month, she was already hiding hither and thither, in a very sorry state.
Regarding this, Jiang Dali could only sigh, thinking to himself that "this is a poor woman suffering from depression, ostracized and unaware of the outside world's laws," and he found no other words to say.
He could even imagine.
The moment a woman, who had lived for years in an isolated ancient tomb knowing only Martial Arts, totally ignorant of propriety, integrity, shame, worldly ethics, and court laws, enters the chaotic Martial World, she must be severely shocked and influenced.
Likely, any man with a bit of sweet talk could deceive the inexperienced Qiu Xue Mei.
And what would follow could be a narrative of betrayal.
After that, the story of Qiu Xue Mei's dark revenge on society was foreseeable.
It was essentially the same sad story in the Martial World as her fellow sect member, Li Mochou.
Even initially, if Little Dragon Girl didn't have her deeply beloved Yang Guo, and had Yang Guo not abandoned the little steamed bun, she probably would have turned dark as well, walking the same path as Li Mochou.
So, as far as the Ancient Tomb Sect's ancient and absurd institution created by the Grandmaster Lin Chaoying, Jiang Dali had nothing but disdain, believing it completely twisted a person's normal world view and values.
But this did not hinder Jiang Dali's resolve to eliminate Qiu Xue Mei.
Sympathy in terms of emotion did not equate to weakness in action.
"Qiu Xue Mei loves listening to music. After settling in Qingyang County, she went to listen to a wandering Little Ling sing yesterday.
Qiu Xue Mei truly lived up to being a naive disciple of the Ancient Tomb Sect. Despite years in the Martial World, she still lacked the experience, listening to music even while being sought after by the court.
And furthermore... a wandering performer just so happened to pass through Qingyang County?"