"Oh? Please elaborate, Brother Song," Chen Yuan whispered.
"Have you heard of Tie Shou, who was formidable for a time?"
"I have heard a bit about him."
More than just a bit, he died by my hand, Chen Yuan thought to himself.
"If someone has the strength not inferior to Tie Shou, the danger should not be too great."
Song Lao Liu spoke in a subdued voice.
Chen Yuan gave Song Lao Liu a long look and then suddenly smiled,
"Brother Song's words are quite coincidental. Not long before Tie Shou's death, Yuan had sparred with him and we were evenly matched..."
"Oh, Brother Yuan actually has such strength!" Song Lao Liu had a face full of surprise and joy.
Then, he sincerely said,
"Please help Song out, Brother Yuan. After the matter is settled, fifty silvers will be yours with no regrets!"
"I still do not know what exactly Brother Song is talking about, how could I dare agree?" Chen Yuan said unhurriedly.
Song Lao Liu's gaze began to shift evasively, but it soon steadied, and he whispered,
"The favor Song wants to ask of Brother Yuan is actually to kill someone."
"Who does Brother Song wish to kill that it's worth fifty pieces of silver?" Chen Yuan asked in a serious tone.
"Song's wife, Tie Qinghua!"
"Who does Brother Song want to kill?" Chen Yuan raised his voice a notch.
He never expected that the person Song Lao Liu wanted to kill would be his own wife—truly... a peculiar turn of events.
"Brother Yuan doesn't know the full situation. Song really has no choice but to do this. Tie Qinghua cannot bear children, and she doesn't allow Song to take a concubine."
"The several concubines that Song was keeping outside have all been killed by that venomous woman, Tie Qinghua. She even said that if it happened one more time, she would take Song's life."
"Since Brother Yuan has come to seek Song out this time, maybe Tie Qinghua already knows. Song can only strike first for self-protection and take the initiative!"
"Tie Qinghua is powerful, with few rivals at the Blood Refining Level. Therefore, Song thought of finding a martial artist at the Bone Refining Level to eliminate her!"
A glint of murderous intent flashed in Song Lao Liu's eyes.
"The Tie Qinghua that Brother Song speaks of, I wonder what her relation is to Tie Xuan from the county government prison in Ping'an County?" Chen Yuan looked steadily at Song Lao Liu.
The surname Tie is not common in Ping'an County, and Chen Yuan only knew a few bearers of it, including the prison head, Tie Xuan!
This man is a more formidable expert than Huang Xing, with Bone Refining Cultivation, in charge of the prison's three divisions and six chambers, wielding no small power. If not for the backing of the Huang Family supporting Huang Xing, it is still uncertain to whom the position of arrest officer would belong.
Song Lao Liu felt a bit embarrassed, not expecting the person in front of him to know of Tie Xuan; he thus spoke truthfully,
"I won't hide it from Brother Yuan, Tie Xuan is indeed Tie Qinghua's elder brother."
"Brother Song, killing Tie Qinghua would mean offending Tie Xuan, a formidable expert—that's too great a risk, the loss would exceed the gain..." Chen Yuan said, shaking his head after a moment of silence.
Seeing Yuan Chen hesitate, Song Lao Liu hastily said,
"As long as Tie Qinghua is killed, Brother Yuan can travel far and wide, unreachable. Could Tie Xuan's reach extend that far? Those fifty silvers might even enable Brother Yuan to advance to the Bone Refining Level."
Chen Yuan looked at Song Lao Liu with an almost amused expression, speaking softly,
"It's not impossible to do it, but the price has to be higher!"
"Tie Qinghua's strength is extraordinary, and with a brother like Tie Xuan, the danger is too great. Without the lack of cultivation resources, Yuan would never take such a risk."
"How much does Brother Yuan want?" Song Lao Liu asked urgently.
"One hundred silvers!"
"Fine, one hundred taels it is, after the deed is done, Song..."
Chen Yuan cut off Song Laoliu's words, whispering:
"I want those one hundred taels now!"
"That's impossible; if Brother Yuan takes the money and doesn't do the job, wouldn't I be throwing my money to the winds?" Song Laoliu frowned.
"And if Brother Song reneges after the deed is done, what should Yuan do then?"
Chen Yuan and Song Laoliu exchanged a glance, smiled at each other, and Song Laoliu said:
"In that case, how about I first hand over thirty taels of silver as a deposit, and after Tie Qinghua's death, I'll give the remaining seventy taels to Brother Yuan?"
"Deal!"
Chen Yuan revealed a slight smile; the silver he had just spent had come back to him.
After a while, having discussed the details, Chen Yuan left with thirty taels of silver and three Tiger Bone Pills. Inside the room, Song Laoliu's mouth curled up slightly in disdain, he said:
"Thinking you can take my money? You're not worthy!"
...
"Tsk, trying to deceive me, haha..." Chen Yuan glanced back at the courtyard, his eyes full of cold intent.
Perhaps from the very beginning, Song Laoliu had intended to use him as a pawn, which is why he had indirectly gauged Chen Yuan's strength and calculated his lack of cultivation resources, luring him with the promise of fifty taels of silver.
Then he feigned saying that if one had the strength of Tie Shou, it could be done as well.
This was entirely in line with what Chen Yuan had said before, for he had mentioned that he was only a step away from reaching the Bone Refining level; naturally, his strength wouldn't be weak.
If Chen Yuan hadn't asked about Tie Xuan, Song Laoliu would likely have kept that information hidden as well.
However, after deducing Song Laoliu's plan, Chen Yuan still decided to cooperate because he was indeed in dire need of silver. If he didn't take this opportunity, once he finished using the three Tiger Bone Pills, he would have to find another way to get money.
If this went well, he might even be able to earn some extra silver, and possibly even gain the connections of the prison head, Tie Xuan.
If Chen Yuan wasn't mistaken about Song Laoliu's plan, it must involve waiting for him to kill Tie Qinghua and then unexpectedly striking to silence him.
By doing so, he could explain himself to Tie Xuan.
Otherwise, with his own sister dying tragically, how could Tie Xuan just let it go? Would he not suspect Song Laoliu's involvement? Does he really think Tie Xuan is a fool?
Back at his home, Chen Yuan couldn't wait to take out the three Tiger Bone Pills he had bought from Song Laoliu, his eyes burning with eagerness.
Three Tiger Bone Pills were enough to advance him a step further in the Blood Refining Level.
He and Song Laoliu had agreed on a three-day period because Chen Yuan needed to fully assimilate the Tiger Bone Pills to enhance his strength within those three days.
Ordinary people, when assimilating elixirs, usually take half a month or even a month to assimilate one without affecting their foundations, allowing them to maximize the potency of the medicine.
But Chen Yuan was somewhat different because Vajra Glaze Body, this divine skill, wasn't like ordinary Body Refining Techniques. Practicing under the scorching sun, he could assimilate elixirs very quickly.
Of course, continuously assimilating elixirs could lead to an unstable foundation.
However, once the elixirs were assimilated, smoothing out some of the volatile Qi and Blood wouldn't be a big problem.
He could completely manage one Tiger Bone Pill a day in the short term!
This was one of the marvels of Vajra Glaze Body. It even made Chen Yuan marvel, thinking it truly deserved its reputation as one of the top Body Refinement skills in Buddhism, renowned throughout the land.
It was exactly because of the marvel of Vajra Glaze Body that Chen Yuan became so interested in the Huang Family's Marrow Cleansing Spirit Pearl. Although he didn't know the true value of the Marrow Cleansing Spirit,
just by Vajra Glaze Body alone, he could determine that it must be of immense help to him, perhaps even more precious than Vajra Glaze Body itself.
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