"You want to be in charge of the escort?"
Zhou Qian stared at Bai Yuan in surprise.
Although some time had passed since Xu Wen's death, a sense of panic still lingered in the Martial Arts Hall, and most disciples were unwilling to take jobs that required them to leave.
Just as he was worrying about finding someone to escort the daily food supplies, Bai Yuan had come to him.
"That's right."
Bai Yuan nodded.
After some deep thought, he had decided to return to his old line of work.
According to the information he'd gotten from Zhuang Zhao, the pay for an Outer Disciple escorting food supplies had risen to five taels a month.
'I really am short on money...'
"Alright."
Zhou Qian was straightforward about it. He tossed Bai Yuan a black Tiger Pattern Token.
Bai Yuan caught the token and took a closer look. It was the exact one Liu Chu had given the old groom before.
"You're familiar with this job, so I don't need to say much more. You can take over tomorrow."
Zhou Qian added a few more instructions.
The ones currently transporting the food were still Ma Qi and his two companions. They were old acquaintances, so Bai Yuan didn't need any time to get familiar with them.
He didn't linger at the Martial Arts Hall. After leaving Qinghe County Town, he dove into the mountain forest to focus on grinding mobs.
...
「Qinghe County, Soul-Chasing Tower.」
The Soul-Chasing Tower was indeed a tower, but it wasn't on the surface—it was underground.
The infamous Soul-Chasing Tower was hidden beneath the Qinghe riverbed.
Within a massive cavern stood a nine-story wooden tower. Red lanterns hung from its flying eaves, adding a touch of the bizarre.
The Qinghe County Magistrate's Office, the Iron Saber Gang, and other factions were all aware of the Soul-Chasing Tower's existence.
No one would raise a fuss if you killed one of the Soul-Chasing Tower's Soul-Grabbing Little Ghosts, but daring to wipe out a branch office was a death wish.
Not even the County Magistrate's Office was that bold.
The Soul-Chasing Tower had become Xuan Yang's number one assassin organization, and its true strength was unknown.
Legend had it that even the Grand Ancestor Emperor who founded the dynasty had been targeted for assassination by the Soul-Chasing Tower.
A hunched old man, leading a sword-wearing youth, walked slowly into the Soul-Chasing Tower.
"I want someone killed,"
the hunched old man said in a raspy voice.
A person in a ghost-faced mask replied with an androgynous voice.
"Time, place, target."
"Tomorrow night. Huwei Arts Hall. Everyone."
"One thousand gold coins."
"Done."
With a trembling hand, the hunched old man pulled a silver note from his robes, printed with the name of the Celestial Essence Money Shop. It was for exactly one thousand gold coins.
The Ghost-faced Man took the silver note and said no more.
The hunched old man wasn't worried that the Soul-Chasing Tower would go back on its word. He turned and left with the sword-wearing youth.
Once the Soul-Chasing Tower accepted a job, it never broke its promise.
As the two reached the cave's exit, the hunched old man glanced at the youth beside him.
"Liu Chu, you should know what to do."
...
「Baisha Town, Bai Family Ancestral Mansion.」
Xiao Qiaoniang looked at Bai Yuan, her face full of worry.
"Brother-in-law, eat a little slower."
"HUFF..."
Bai Yuan set a large bowl—one as big as his face—down heavily. The stack of bowls on the wooden table was already piled higher than his head.
While the Tiger-Crane Form could replenish the losses to his Qi and Blood, the energy consumed could only be restored by eating.
The Blood Tiger Saber was vicious in how it drained blood, but the effects were also obvious.
Bai Yuan wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
The wild game he hunted each day was barely enough to feed himself.
An appetite equivalent to a whole pig a day was indeed terrifying.
The competitive eaters from his past life would have been put to shame.
Bai Yuan worked from dawn till dusk, returning home around 9 p.m. Most of the villagers in Baisha Town were already asleep, with only the lights of the Bai Family home still on.
Ever since he started practicing the Tiger-Crane Form, his stamina had become frighteningly abundant.
He only needed to sleep for four hours a day to be full of energy.
"Sister-in-law, you should go to sleep. I'm going to practice my saber for a while."
Xiao Qiaoniang was long accustomed to Bai Yuan's habits.
"Brother-in-law, please don't overwork yourself."
"I know."
Bai Yuan smiled faintly and began to sharpen the Firewood Cutting Saber his father had left him on a whetstone.
Since he didn't have a long saber, he had to make do with the Firewood Cutting Saber.
...
The sky had just begun to show the first sliver of dawn.
Bai Yuan was already sitting upright by his bed, fully dressed.
He glanced at the sky. It was about time to leave.
He picked up the Firewood Cutting Saber he had sharpened to a razor's edge the night before, wrapping it in layers of linen cloth to conceal its shape.
Braving the chilly morning air, Bai Yuan walked out the door.
He timed his arrival perfectly, reaching the southern market of Qinghe City just as 7 a.m. rolled around.
Just as when Liu Chu was still around, Ma Qi and his two companions were already waiting at the market entrance.
"Brother Yuan!"
Ma Qi, the most lively of the group, waved and called out to Bai Yuan.
Bai Yuan quickened his pace to join them. They were all acquaintances, so there was no need for formalities.
As the men were chatting idly, a horse-drawn carriage slowly emerged from the market.
When he got a clear look at the groom's face, Bai Yuan frowned slightly.
"Where's Old Xu?"
"Old Xu caught a cold. I'm filling in for him today,"
a man's resonant voice replied.
Bai Yuan nodded, took the black token from his robes, and tossed it to the middle-aged groom.
The middle-aged groom caught the token, inspected it carefully, and then said, "No problem."
After both parties had confirmed each other's identities, the carriage started to move slowly.
Unlike Liu Chu before him, Bai Yuan didn't sit alone in the carriage pretending to nap.
It wasn't that he disliked comfort, but rather that he felt such a posture would be disadvantageous for drawing his saber.
The carriage moved very slowly.
A full hour passed before the Huwei Arts Hall came into view.
When he saw the person standing at the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall, Bai Yuan tightened his grip on the Firewood Cutting Saber.
"Junior Brother Bai, you can leave the carriage to me."
Standing at the entrance was none other than Liu Chu, who had already been promoted to an Inner Courtyard Disciple.
"Senior Brother Liu, there's no need to trouble you with such a small matter."
Bai Yuan refused immediately.
Although Liu Chu was an Inner Courtyard Disciple, the one in charge of the kitchens was Zhou Qian, not him.
If Liu Chu was harboring malicious intent, Bai Yuan would be the one to suffer the consequences.
"Junior Brother Bai, is it that you don't trust your senior brother?"
Liu Chu's eyes narrowed, the threat in his words palpable.
Hearing this, the faces of Ma Qi and his companions changed. Liu Chu was an Inner Courtyard Disciple; offending one would surely lead to unpleasant consequences.
Just as the three were about to try and mediate—
A flash of brilliant white light streaked before their eyes!
Liu Chu had actually drawn his sword on Bai Yuan!
Inner Courtyard Disciples were all masters of the Bone Forging Realm, so Liu Chu's sword was fast.
But to his surprise, Bai Yuan's saber was faster!
His Firewood Cutting Saber, to be precise.
One slash...
The blade sliced through Liu Chu's body as if it were water, splitting him in two.
'So fast... so strong!'
A thin line of blood appeared down the center of Liu Chu's body, perfectly straight.
Liu Chu stared at Bai Yuan with eyes full of disbelief.
'A Skin Grinding Martial Master who only just became an Outer Disciple... how could this be possible?!'
THUD...
The body, split by the blade, slid apart to either side, completely lifeless.
It all happened so fast that the middle-aged groom on the carriage hadn't even had time to react before Bai Yuan's strangely blood-colored Firewood Cutting Saber was right in front of his eyes.
The groom died!
The moment Bai Yuan pulled his saber from the groom's body,
a bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the Huwei Arts Hall!