The man in the black robe took off the bamboo hat obscuring his face, revealing his true identity.

It was the Soul Chasing Tower Lord from Qinghe County, Xinchou!

Ever since Dong Wanjun had wiped out the Soul-Chasing Tower in Qinghe, he had come to Huanglong Prefecture.

A playful smirk tugged at the corners of Xinchou’s mouth.

"Elder Wang, is the Cultivation Technique my sect gave you working well?"

The Cultivation Technique Xinchou spoke of was, of course, the Evil Technique of Stealing Yin that the Wang Family practiced.

Elder Wang’s expression darkened.

The reason the Wang Family was able to obtain this evil technique, lost for several hundred years, was no mere coincidence. It had originated from the Soul-Chasing Tower—or more precisely, the Demon Sect.

"What is it you want? Spit it out."

Elder Wang urged, his expression hostile.

He was, after all, still an Elder of the Divine Mansion Sect. If the wrong person discovered that an Assassin from the Soul-Chasing Tower had visited the Wang Family, not even his backer, the Peak Master, would lift a finger to save him.

Xinchou’s smile widened as he toyed with the teacup, a look of great interest on his face.

"If you like it, you can have it," Elder Wang said coldly.

Xinchou chuckled, then placed the cup back on the tea table.

"My lord tasked me with asking you how the preparations are coming along for what he requires."

"Two of Dong Wanjun’s disciples have been on my tail recently," Elder Wang said. "Please ask his lordship to grant me a little more time."

"Dong Wanjun’s disciples?"

Xinchou’s face went cold.

’Not many people can be called disciples of Dong Wanjun, and as it happens, they’re all my enemies.’

"If they’re causing trouble, then just kill them."

A murderous glint flashed across Xinchou’s face, followed by a wicked smile.

"They can even be made into top-quality Yin-Yang Corpses. I’m sure Dong Wanjun would be very pleased to see that."

’A Yin-Yang Corpse refined from a Strong Internal Martial Artist would certainly be a fine thing.’

Elder Wang said nothing. For a Strong Internal Martial Artist, his temper was already remarkably good.

Of course, his good temper wasn’t for Xinchou’s benefit. A mere Strong-Hearted Assassin wasn’t worthy of such caution from an Elder of the Divine Mansion Sect. What he truly feared was the Soul-Chasing Tower behind Xinchou—or rather, the Demon Sect.

"I’ll get on it right away."

Wang Changsheng wasted no more words.

’Those two disciples of Dong Wanjun are quite capable. They’ve already found some leads. If they dig any deeper, they might uncover the Wang Family’s involvement. I’ve wanted to kill them for a while now.’

’So what if their master is Dong Wanjun?’

’If you’re not strong enough, you die all the same.’

A satisfied smile appeared on Xinchou’s face. "Excellent. My lord will be very pleased to see the corpses of Dong Wanjun’s disciples."

With that, he put his bamboo hat back on and departed without a backward glance.

...

「Deep in the night.」

A mere three hours after Xinchou had left.

Another person appeared soundlessly in the Wang Family’s courtyard.

Clad in pitch-black Night Clothes, he blended perfectly with the darkness. Even the Wang Family’s patrolling guards failed to notice his presence.

Before long, Wang Changsheng pushed his door open and stepped out.

He seemed to have been expecting him, showing not the slightest surprise at the appearance of the man in black.

"Who is the target?" the man in black asked slowly.

Wang Changsheng scoffed. "Does a Ghostwriter need to know the target?"

The man in black fell silent.

’Under normal circumstances, a Ghostwriter needed to know the target’s identity. But Wang Changsheng was paying an exorbitant price—so much that he would kill anyone. Besides, Wang Changsheng himself was going to make a move this time.’

"Let’s go," Wang Changsheng said. "We shouldn’t keep our guests waiting."

With that, he vaulted over the courtyard wall.

The man in black remained expressionless. Though he couldn’t understand why this Wang Family ancestor had such a penchant for jumping walls instead of using the main gate, he followed along nonetheless.

...

「Elsewhere.」

In the southern part of the city, at the Huanglong Market.

The Huanglong Market was immense, occupying more than half the land in the south of Huanglong Prefecture City.

Nearly every rare treasure and material in Huanglong Prefecture could be found here.

Even items that the Divine Mansion Sect might not possess could occasionally turn up at an ordinary stall in the Huanglong Market.

For this reason, Treasure Hunters often roamed the market, seeking out precious items that stall owners had mistaken for common goods, which they could then resell for thousands of taels of Gold. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Of course, to make a living in this trade, one needed an exceptionally keen eye. Much like appraising antiques in his previous life, it wasn’t a job just anyone could do.

The Huanglong Market bustled with a constant stream of people.

Many merchants from the Outer Mansions were drawn here by its fame.

Bai Yuan stood before a vegetable stall, haggling with the owner.

"Ten taels. I’ll buy this cabbage."

"Nope. Twenty taels."

"Eight taels."

"...There’s something off about you. Fifteen taels. Take it or leave it."

"Wrap it up."

"..."

The stall owner blinked, feeling he’d somehow been tricked. The man had accepted way too quickly.

But since it was the price he had named, he couldn’t very well go back on his word.

Besides, fifteen taels of silver wasn’t a bad price.

An ordinary cabbage wasn’t worth a single copper coin, so it could never sell for the sky-high price of fifteen taels—unless, of course, it was a Spirit Vegetable.

That was right. Bai Yuan had come to the Huanglong Market for the express purpose of buying Spirit Vegetables.

In just half a day, he had gathered all the Spirit Vegetables he needed to prepare Fire Spirit Soup.

Unlike Spirit Grass, a single stalk of which could be worth a thousand taels of silver, Spirit Vegetables were far less valuable. They were usually foraged from the deep mountains by villagers and then sold to the city’s major restaurants, their prices fluctuating wildly.

But for Bai Yuan, who possessed the Spirit Cooker class, there was no difference between Spirit Vegetables and Spirit Grass—except that the vegetables were a hundred times cheaper. It was an unbelievable bargain.

The stall owner grabbed a hemp rope, tied a few knots around the cabbage, and handed it to Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan accepted the cabbage.

’Honestly, with my current net worth, forget fifteen taels; I would have paid a hundred and fifty.’

’But when you’re at the market, you have to haggle. Many vendors in the Huanglong Market secretly exchange information. Once you’re labeled an easy mark, prices will multiply the next time you visit.’

’Bai Yuan had sold wild game in Qinghe County before. He knew all about these games.’

With all the necessary Spirit Vegetables gathered, he didn’t linger in the Huanglong Market.

Soon, he was back in his small courtyard on Wan Jun Peak.

A fierce fire blazed in the stove. In the large iron wok above it, a vegetable soup bubbled away, its fragrant aroma filling the air.

Bai Yuan’s master-level cooking skill gave him a godlike mastery of heat control. Everything was timed to perfection.

Noticing a subtle change in the soup’s color, Bai Yuan flicked his left wrist, and motes of Fire Spirit sprinkled into the broth.

This was the very soul of the soup.

The broth instantly turned a tempting crimson, closely resembling the beef-tallow hot pot from his previous life. He let it reduce over high heat until it thickened, and at last, the Fire Spirit Soup was complete.

Bai Yuan retrieved several small, glazed vials and portioned out the Fire Spirit Soup.

Then, he lifted the wok and gulped down the remaining soup.

Just like the Water Spirit Soup, one couldn’t be greedy. Too much would cause the overwhelming Fire Spirit to make one spontaneously combust.

After drinking the Fire Spirit Soup, Bai Yuan felt the blood in his veins begin to boil.

A moment later, beads of filthy sweat broke out all over his body, carrying an incredibly rank odor.

The Fire Spirit Soup was forcing the impurities out of his blood.

Bai Yuan felt utterly refreshed, and the Qi and Blood within him grew much purer.

This single bowl of Fire Spirit Soup was even more potent than two Blood Refining Pills.

But the stench wafting off his body made him wrinkle his nose in disgust.

It was absolutely foul, worse than a beggar who hadn’t bathed in ten years.

Bai Yuan had no choice but to heat a large tub of water and scrub himself thoroughly. He had to change the water several times before the odor was finally washed away.

He changed into fresh clothes, intending to return to his room to rest.

But just as he was about to lie down—

THWIP!

A small pebble shot through the paper of his window. With lightning reflexes, Bai Yuan caught it.

In the same instant, he rolled off the bed and vaulted through the window, frowning as he scanned the darkness outside.

’They’re fast,’ he thought.

The person’s Lightweight Technique was clearly excellent; they were already too far gone to pursue.

He looked down at the pebble in his hand.

A piece of paper was wrapped around it. Clearly, the person’s intent was to deliver a message.

Bai Yuan uncrumpled the wad of paper.

"Junior Brother Bai, it’s urgent. Meet at the City God Temple. —You Shengnan"