Chapter 83

Is it a hostage or a burden?

"Bring the assassin over."

"Yes!"

After a while, several black-robed men dragged a battered figure over. Despite the severe torture, his meridians were not damaged due to Mo Xiang's strict orders, so with proper rest, he could recover his martial arts skills without much trouble. As the gaunt man stood before Mo Xiang, Mo Xiang smiled.

"Well, you've been captured for quite some time now. Is there anything you want to say to me?"

The man glared at Mo Xiang with burning hatred and replied curtly.

"No. Kill me."

"Do you really want to die? Even if a martial artist's life is close to death, there's no need to deliberately seek it. The reason I've kept you alive until now is for one reason: I find your skills valuable. Even though you're riddled with holes, our duel was quite entertaining. Few people have made me this entertained in recent times. If I give you another chance, could you plan a meticulous assassination against me again?"

The man gnashed his teeth in anger and shouted.

"Of course! If I get another chance, that day will be your doom."

At his words, the black-robed men around him stirred, but Mo Xiang's restraint prevented them from acting.

"Fine. I'll give you another chance. But there are a few conditions."

"..."

"First, you must not communicate with your backers until you kill me. Second, if you fail to kill me, you must do a few things for me. You need to earn your keep. Third, you can do whatever it takes to assassinate me, but you cannot kill my subordinates. Do you agree?"

After thinking for a moment, the man sneered.

"Are you trying to recruit me by putting my life on the line?"

"Exactly. I like strong people. I don't particularly like those who scheme behind the scenes, but I love the simplicity of a martial artist. I've already laid out my conditions. Think about it carefully and give me your answer in a week. Take him away."

"Yes, sir!"

Huashan Mountain, located in Huayin County at the southern end of Shaanxi Province, is famous for its stunning scenery. Additionally, the Huashan Sect, founded by Daoists who gathered to admire the beautiful scenery, is also situated there.

The Huashan Sect is one of the nine major sects and five great families in the orthodox world, but as a place for Daoists to practice, it has not deeply involved itself in the martial world. However, it has always taken the lead in providing assistance during important events, so it has not been ostracized like Shaolin Temple. The monks of Shaolin, who cannot break the precept against killing, often fled when major events, which could cause significant harm, occurred.

In any case, there is a rather obscure inn called Huajinlou, which offers a good view of the famous Huashan Mountain. It was too far from Huashan to attract tourists, and its food was not particularly good, so it did not have many customers. However, very different and unusual guests appeared at this inn.

"Is there a table available?"

A martial artist in blue, with sharp eyes, asked. The waiter quickly glanced at the sword on his left waist and the martial artist's eyes. This place was not far from the Huashan Sect, and the nearby Jixiang Escort Agency deterred any troublemakers. Moreover, the owner of this inn had a close relationship with the head of the Jixiang Escort Agency, so if any troublemakers caused trouble, they would call in the escorts rather than the constables to quickly and quietly resolve the issue.

It was natural for the waiter to quickly assess their attire and weapons. This allowed him to gauge their status and financial situation and evaluate their skills, which was advantageous in many ways. They did not seem to be great masters, but their clothes were made of good material, and their sword scabbards looked decent, so he thought there would be no problem collecting payment later.

However, the waiter's eyes were quickly darting around, looking at the beautiful young ladies who had come with them. They were so beautiful that they could make one's eyes pop out. But the waiter, with his thorough professional spirit, managed to avert his gaze from the young ladies who were distracting him and quickly bowed.

"Welcome, sirs."

The waiter quickly led the guests to a quiet and scenic spot. Most martial artists were quick to repay kindness, so if he was kind, he might receive a generous tip, but if he was rude, he might get a punch. He had once been hit and the pain had seeped into his bones, so he never forgot that lesson.

However, not all the guests sat at the table the waiter had offered. Only the two women sat there, while the other two martial artists and a woman who seemed to be a maid sat at another table. This suggested that the women's status was much higher than the three men at the other table. Therefore, the waiter asked them more politely.

"What would you like to order?"

A slightly younger young lady replied.

"Bring some wine and a few simple dishes."

Her fresh and beautiful voice almost made him lose his composure, but the waiter quickly went to the kitchen.

These unusual guests did not meet the person they were waiting for until two hours later. A man with thick eyebrows and a strong appearance, but a slender build that did not look like he practiced martial arts, appeared with four subordinates, carrying a short black sword on his waist.

He glanced around the restaurant and then walked straight to where the women were sitting, plopping down in a chair and calling the waiter.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"Bring another wine glass."

Judging from the four subordinates he brought, the waiter thought this man was somewhat dangerous and quickly brought the glass.

"Is there anything else you need, sir?"

"Bring another bottle of wine."

"Yes."

As he watched the man, who had brought four subordinates, pour the wine the women were drinking into a glass and drink it, then fill another glass, a slightly younger woman became visibly irritated by his rudeness.

"Isn't it polite to introduce yourself?"

At her words, the man glared at her and replied coldly.

"I know who is sitting in front of me, and you know who I am, so is it really necessary?"

The young lady, not to be outdone, glared back at him, but when the explosive aura hidden deep in his eyes was momentarily revealed, she froze. When the man saw that the young lady was completely intimidated, he smirked and then turned his indifferent gaze to the woman sitting next to her.

"What is the matter that you wanted to see me about?"

The woman sighed slightly.

"You are even more impolite than I heard. Don't you think a little courtesy is necessary?"

But the man replied curtly.

"That's not necessary. Just tell me what you want. I've already been polite enough by not drawing my sword when we met..."

"Do you always act like this?"

"Not always."

The man scanned the two women and, seeing that the younger one was desperately trying to suppress her fear, said bluntly.

"This girl doesn't have the qualifications to be here. Tell her to go sit over there."

The woman then turned to look at the woman sitting next to her. She had been so focused on the man that she had not paid attention to her surroundings. She looked at the young lady with a warm gaze and nodded.

"Go sit over there."

The young lady cast an uneasy glance at the man and reluctantly got up. However, the way she walked to the table where the martial artists were sitting seemed quite brisk, suggesting that she did not want to sit there at all.

"What do you think of this girl's appearance?"

"Hmm..."

"Mo Xiang, the Deputy Leader, why don't you consider getting married? You've established a solid foundation and your martial arts are unrivaled, aren't they?"

"Huh, is this secret meeting just to play matchmaker? It seems the Jade Flower Martial Lord has nothing better to do these days."

Mo Xiang's words made the Jade Flower Martial Lord's mood sour. He knew that the other party was well aware that he was the Jade Flower Martial Lord himself, not just a representative.

If Mo Xiang, who is around 70 years old, is considered, then the Jade Flower Martial Lord is over 140 years old. Despite this, Mo Xiang spoke to him informally, which made him slightly irritated. However, the Jade Flower Martial Lord suppressed his irritation. In the martial world, seniority is important, but only when backed by skill. There was no point in getting upset with a high-level expert.

"Well, it's just a side matter. This girl is one of the four beauties of the current martial world, my granddaughter. Isn't 31 still a young age?"

"I've never thought about marriage, so let's just skip that. Is there anything else you want to say?"

Seeing that the other party was not interested in marriage, the Jade Flower Martial Lord subtly changed the subject.

"You don't want to form an alliance with our sect? The Wu Ying Sect is the most recognized information organization in the martial world. Your martial strength may be among the top five, but your information-gathering ability is not outstanding. What do you think?"

Mo Xiang found the Jade Flower Martial Lord's proposal quite tempting. However, this applied to the Wu Ying Sect without the Jade Flower Martial Lord.

A dish with the right amount of salt is more delicious than one without, but too much salt makes it inedibly bad. Mo Xiang saw the current Wu Ying Sect in this light.

"Frankly, it's a tempting offer. But I've heard this: the Jade Flower Martial Lord is as wise as a snake and as cunning as a fox. I can achieve what I want on my own. Why would I bring in an external troublemaker and complicate things?"

The man, who had suddenly become a troublemaker, rebutted.

"That's not true. The current martial world is very complex, and it's hard to see even a step ahead. The rebellion of the True Heaven King, the emergence of the Blood Sect, the change of the Devil Sect's leader, the disappearance of the Martial World Alliance leader, the discovery of the tomb of the righteous hero, and the sudden bloodshed in recent times. To avoid the many traps ahead, it's good to have excellent information."

"Sudden bloodshed?"

Mo Xiang's question, tinged with curiosity, made Mai Xiang Yu smile. Just as a murderer might go to the scene of the crime to see how others perceive it, Mo Xiang was curious to know how the Wu Ying Sect's leader, who had the best information, viewed what he had done.

"Three orthodox sects in Shanxi and Sichuan provinces have fallen."

Mai Xiang Yu looked at Mo Xiang with interest and continued.

"The Tai Zheng Sect, the Great Alliance Sect, and the Ascending Dragon Sect all fell almost simultaneously. The culprit is suspected to be the Devil Sect. Since you were directly involved, you should know this, so why are you asking?"

Mo Xiang's face stiffened for a moment, but as he usually maintained a poker face, it was barely noticeable. Realizing his mistake, Mo Xiang deliberately smiled slightly.

"I don't know about that. It's probably just a prank by Zhang Renge."

The Jade Flower Martial Lord smiled slightly but her words were subtly irritating to Mo Xiang.

"No, Zhang Renge only recently became the leader of the Devil Sect, but the sect's power is very weakened. He's not foolish enough to start a