Hong Jiu let out a “phoenix cry,” her tone so sharp and shrill it sounded like fingernails scratching across porcelain. The three people in the room were all startled—Lu Yan thought she had failed to suppress her cultivation technique again and her wicked fire was flaring up; Yao Wu shook a pant-leg full of melon seed shells; and Jiang Ci also raised her head, looking blankly toward the door. Hong Jiu didn't bother to explain. She pointed at Jiang Ci, her finger stabbing the air several times before she finally stammered out, “Y-You... say that again... What is her name?”
Lu Yan's heart sank. Oh no. Don't tell me Hong Jiu fucking knows her. Just as he opened his mouth to make up some excuse, Hong Jiu had already pulled a bounty scroll out of her sleeve. She carried that scroll with her everywhere, folded into a narrow strip and tucked into a hidden pocket in her cuff. She never went without it. At this moment, she ripped it open and infused it with spiritual energy, causing the words on the scroll to light up one by one.
“Lao Wu! Get your ass over here!” Hong Jiu grabbed Yao Wu by the hair, dragging him off balance. “Look at this! Is it her?”
Yao Wu flailed his arms to claw his hair back, cursing under his breath. Just as he was about to blow his top, a portrait was thrust in front of his eyes. Drawn in ink, it bore a seventy percent resemblance, overlapping perfectly with the person sitting on the bed. He looked at the portrait, then at her, back at the portrait, and back at her again. Finally, his gaze landed on the tiny script written next to the portrait.
“Jiang Ci. Traitor of the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, colluded with the Ice Spirit Cult, slaughtered fellow disciples...” He stopped halfway through reading, his voice catching in his throat. The next line of text—“Anyone who captures her alive and delivers her to the Central Continent Alliance will be rewarded with ten thousand spirit crystals”—was like a heavy hammer slamming into his temples. The number burned his eyes; the string of zeros after the bounty amount practically blinded him.
“Didn't Shiyi just say her name is Jiang Ci?” Yao Wu and Hong Jiu exchanged a look. Both saw the exact same thing in each other's eyes—not greed, but sheer disbelief. A sword cultivator was worth ten thousand spirit crystals. On what grounds?
Yao Wu swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. The room was so quiet that the crackle of the burning candle wick could be heard, making the sound of his gulp incredibly distinct.
“Shiyi,” Yao Wu's voice was tight. He wasn't trembling, but his throat felt constricted, as if something were blocking it, forcing the words out with a raspy effort. “Do you know who she is?”
It wasn't that he was greedy for those ten thousand spirit crystals. The people of the Abandoned Guest Hall never accepted bounties on their own kind; this was a rule, and even more so, a tacit understanding. Rather, he knew very well what kind of ruthless figures commanded a price of over ten thousand spirit crystals on the bounty list. His own bounty was over six thousand because he was a rare, world-class natural treasure—a medicinal herb turned spirit, with no second specimen to be found in the entire world. Lu Yan's bounty was even higher because he held all the heritages of the Formation Sect. The two of them were valuable because of their additional assets, not because they were great fighters.
But Jiang Ci was a sword cultivator. It was common knowledge in the cultivation world that sword cultivators were dirt-poor. For her to command such a price, there was no other explanation—her own strength had to be terrifying beyond imagination.
Yao Wu swallowed again, the sound just as loud. He glanced at Jiang Ci, who was leaning against the headboard with a calm expression, as if she hadn't heard a word they said. Does this kid even know what on earth he slept with and brought back? he thought.
He was on the verge of a breakdown. He was only at the early stage of the Golden Core Rank, and his spells had absolutely zero offensive power, consisting entirely of plant growth, restoration, and healing. For a notorious sword cultivator to slash him in the face would take no more than two breaths of time. This was no exaggeration; he had actually calculated it—the first breath to draw the sword, the second breath for his head to hit the floor.
In truth, Hong Jiu's legs were also weak. She leaned against the doorframe without drawing attention, using the wood to support herself as she reached up to wipe the fine sweat from her temples. She looked at Lu Yan, momentarily at a loss for words. Only one thought kept spinning in her mind: This kid usually keeps a low profile, but the first time he hooks up with a girl, he brings back an ancestor. And an ancestor capable of flipping half of the Abandoned Guest Hall upside down, at that. She recalled what Jiang Ci had called Lu Yan just now—Master. How long had it been since Lu Yan last came to the Abandoned Guest Hall? At most, they had known each other for two or three months. Two or three months to go from strangers to “Master.” How could the pace of a relationship be this fast? She didn't dare think any further.
“Um... young lady? No, no, Senior!” The smile on Yao Wu's face was uglier than a crying face, squeezing his skin into deep wrinkles. “Um... did we interrupt you? We really had no idea you two had this kind of relationship...” He was genuinely terrified that Jiang Ci would suddenly snap and cleave him in half with a single sword strike. As he spoke, the tips of his toes had already shifted backward half an inch, ready to bolt through the door at any moment.
Lu Yan was completely bewildered. He tugged at Jiang Ci's sleeve and leaned in, whispering, “What's wrong with them? Why are they suddenly so respectful to you? Did you threaten them?”
Jiang Ci shook her head and leaned closer to Lu Yan, keeping her voice incredibly low, her breathy whisper brushing right against his ear. “I don't know either.”
The two of them whispered together, heads practically touching. Watching this from the bedside, Hong Jiu and Yao Wu found their fear suddenly diluted by a wave of speechlessness. Yao Wu sighed, his tone helpless. “Actually, you could just ask us directly.”
Lu Yan scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. True, he had forgotten he could just ask the two of them directly.
Yao Wu took two deep breaths, wiping the fake smile completely off his face. His expression grew solemn, and he repeated his earlier question, enunciating every single word: “Shiyi, do you know who she is?”
Lu Yan froze. This was the second time Yao Wu had asked him this question. “Yes, why?” His tone was casual, but a layer of vigilance had crept into the depths of his eyes.
Yao Wu didn't let him off, his expression becoming even more solemn, as if delivering a weighty verdict. “Then how do you plan to handle the ten-thousand-spirit-crystal bounty on the bounty list?” He paused, his voice dropping. “More than one person has already accepted this bounty.” Du Qi had warned them in advance not to let anyone from the Abandoned Guest Hall touch this contract. However, the Abandoned Guest Hall wasn't the only organization in the world that made a living off bounties. The Beast Soul Sect, the Moon Walkers... several organizations that lived on the edge of a blade had been coveting those ten thousand spirit crystals for nearly a month. Yao Wu knew of two or three himself, and there were bound to be even more he didn't know about. More importantly, even if they successfully got through this wave, what about the next? And the one after that? Even if the Abandoned Guest Hall could help, even if the few of them could help, what if someone came along whom even the Abandoned Guest Hall couldn't handle? What would they do then?
Lu Yan's head buzzed. Ten thousand spirit crystals? What ten thousand spirit crystals? Ten years ago, ten thousand spirit crystals could almost buy a small sect's headquarters. Even now, with spirit stones depreciating, it was still an astronomical sum. A very bad thought suddenly sprouted in his mind, slithering up his spine like a snake.
“She... isn't on the wanted list, is she?”
“You didn't know?”
You didn't know? Are you playing dumb with me? He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, barely holding back the urge to punch him. Just a moment ago, he was acting all smug, saying “Yes, why?” You don't know shit! You didn't even know she was on the wanted list!
“Ten thousand spirit crystals?” Lu Yan asked again.
“Yes.”
“Say that to me one more time?” Lu Yan's tone changed. It wasn't just for confirmation; he simply could not believe that this NPC next to him, who possessed zero ability to take care of herself, could fetch such a high price. What did she do to deserve this? She had no cultivation to speak of, so on what basis was her bounty so high?
Seeing that this guy still didn't realize the severity of the situation and was even doubting if he had misheard, Yao Wu's teeth itched with rage. He gritted his teeth, squeezing the words out from between them: “Screw you! Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you've brought upon yourself? 'Yes, why?' You know jack shit!”
Lu Yan instinctively prepared to shoot back. His mouth was already open, the curses right at the tip of his tongue.
He didn't notice that Jiang Ci's expression had suddenly turned very pale. She bit her lower lip hard, so hard it turned white, until a metallic sweetness spread in her mouth. She licked it with the tip of her tongue; it tasted of rust. She had bitten her lip open. Was she really worth that much? She had never known her head was worth so much money. In the eyes of the Central Continent Alliance, she wasn't a person, but ten thousand spirit crystals. A number. A price tag that could be hunted, traded, and settled.
She had caused them trouble again. She sniffled, her nose stinging slightly, but she didn't cry. She didn't want to cry anymore.
“It's fine,” she said. Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was crystal clear. “I'll just leave.”
A deathly silence fell over the room.
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