Chapter 46: A New Contract
Chu Qing ignored the question completely.
He continued searching through Mei Qianluo's belongings until, after a short while, he pulled a small pouch from her sleeve.
A faint smile appeared on his face. "Found it."
"The Plum Blossom Needles."
Xia Wanshuang's expression changed instantly.
Chu Qing glanced at her. "You recognize them? Do you know which one is the antidote?"
"…I don't."
Xia Wanshuang shook her head—not out of resentment that Chu Qing had ignored her earlier, but because she truly didn't know.
The Plum Blossom Needles were Mei Qianluo's secret weapon, never spoken of openly. If not for Xia Wanshuang's long attention toward the Divine Sand Gang, she wouldn't even have known they existed.
Chu Qing wasn't disappointed. He had already considered all possibilities before coming. The simplest way was to force Mei Qianluo to hand over the antidote.
But the moment he saw Ge Jingchun, he realized that was unlikely.
Ge Jingchun, the schemer known as the Subduing Dragon with the Cunning Staff, was a master of deceit and manipulation—his words always a mix of truth and falsehood. Trusting him blindly would be foolish.
And Mei Qianluo, as the Divine Sand Gang's Third Chief, would never surrender the antidote so easily.
Rather than waste time wrangling with them for something uncertain, it was better to restrain them first and then—
Chu Qing approached Ge Jingchun, needle pouch in hand, and pried open one of his palms.
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle."
Gentle?
Before Ge Jingchun could even react, Chu Qing had already pricked his palm with one of the Plum Blossom Needles.
His expression changed drastically. "You… you actually used the Plum Blossom Needle on me! Quick! The antidote is in the green bottle!"
Chu Qing looked at the three small bottles in his hand and immediately set the green one aside. "You're going to die tonight. How could you suddenly be so afraid of death? You wouldn't reveal Cheng Sihai's whereabouts even if it killed you—now you want me to end you quickly?"
"…"
Ge Jingchun's face turned ashen.
"Seems I guessed right."
Chu Qing exhaled softly. "You people are all too cunning for your own good…"
There were three bottles in total from Mei Qianluo. With the green one eliminated, two remained.
He picked up the red bottle, poured out a pill, and shoved it into Ge Jingchun's mouth.
Ge Jingchun swallowed it expressionlessly.
Moments later, the blackened color spreading over his hand began to fade rapidly before their eyes.
Chu Qing smiled. "Looks like luck's on my side tonight. Found it on the first try. Now then—what's this one for?"
He lifted the final small bottle, which contained an ointment.
After a moment's thought, he drew a shallow cut across Ge Jingchun's arm with his knife. Once enough blood had flowed, he applied a bit of the ointment to the wound.
After watching for a while, he saw no sign of pain or irritation.
"Regenerative and hemostatic?"
Such medicine wouldn't show results immediately. And the small amount inside the bottle was barely enough to treat even minor wounds—on injuries as severe as Ge Jingchun's and Mei Qianluo's, it was practically useless.
Even when Mei Qianluo lost an arm, she hadn't used it to stop the bleeding.
Afterward, Chu Qing searched Ge Jingchun's body again. Compared to Mei Qianluo, he was far more straightforward—no hidden bottles or secret tools.
No banknotes, but plenty of silver.
Chu Qing accepted them without hesitation, then pocketed the antidote to the Plum Blossom Needles. Turning to Xia Wanshuang, he asked, "You have a grudge with Cheng Sihai?"
"...I do."
"You want me to kill him for you?"
Chu Qing's question was simple and direct.
Xia Wanshuang's expression shifted several times before she finally nodded deeply.
"You've killed Ge Jingchun and Mei Qianluo. You and Cheng Sihai are already enemies to the death."
"That's not how debts are settled. Each account must be kept separate."
Chu Qing spoke softly. "I can help you kill Cheng Sihai, but if you want me to take action, you'll have to pay a price."
"A price…"
Xia Wanshuang didn't understand. Why had things suddenly taken this turn?
Wasn't he already planning to kill Cheng Sihai himself? How did it become her paying a price now?
"What do you want?" she asked quietly.
"Silver, gold—either will do."
Chu Qing's answer was blunt, almost vulgar.
"…You're an assassin?"
Xia Wanshuang looked at him in shock.
Chu Qing touched the cloth covering his face. "Can't you tell?"
A dim light flickered in her eyes. Assassins killed only for money.
And after saying what she just had, this killer—no matter how hostile he was to Cheng Sihai—might not act unless there was profit in it.
Thinking this, Xia Wanshuang felt a strange impulse and blurted out, "I don't have much money… my looks aren't bad, though. If I don't have enough silver, I can make up for it with myself?"
The air instantly froze.
The words had already left her mouth—she couldn't take them back.
Chu Qing cast her a stiff sideways glance, then muttered under his breath, "Lunatic."
What did he just say?
Xia Wanshuang's eyes widened in disbelief, unable to believe what she'd heard.
But Chu Qing's attention was elsewhere—on the prompt before him.
[Mission Triggered: Assassinate Cheng Sihai, leader of the Divine Sand Gang!]
[Accept mission?]
Though it seemed the system was meddling again, Chu Qing didn't hesitate and accepted it immediately.
He'd long suspected his system was a simple one—no intelligence, no interaction, rigid activation rules. It didn't care about who made the request, nor did it fix any specific reward amounts.
Of course, whether Chu Qing chose to claim the reward or not was entirely up to him.
The system never interfered—it only triggered the mission and issued the reward.
Crude, perhaps—but convenient.
Xia Wanshuang was still reeling from Chu Qing's response when he quietly said, "Deal."
"??"
He called her a lunatic—then agreed? Was this assassin schizophrenic?
Whatever the case, at least he agreed.
Killing Cheng Sihai wouldn't be easy. Back in the Divine Sand Gang, Xia Wanshuang had never stood a chance.
Now, however, Cheng Sihai had brought four protectors and several lieutenants to Tianwu City—this was the best opportunity for an assassination.
Unfortunately, she was gravely injured and couldn't act herself.
Otherwise, why would she seek help from this mysterious stranger?
Now, she could only hope he meant what he said—that he wouldn't make empty promises.
With his martial skill, if he truly acted, perhaps her vengeance could finally be fulfilled.
As for the payment...
Xia Wanshuang bit her lip, defiance flashing in her eyes.
"I'll just take it as being bitten by a dog!"
(End of Chapter)
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