Young Noble Be Monster Slaying-Chapter 779: Assassination (II)

"You should pay your respects at the temple after taking a life. This will help regain some of the merit you’ve lost," a voice echoed in the ancient, quiet temple.

It was the voice of a child who appeared to be just over ten years old, dressed in a monk’s robe though he had yet to be tonsured. He looked clean and handsome, with a smile on his face that made it seem as though he would never harm a soul.

Behind him stood a young man in black, fresh blood staining one side of his face. His eyes still held a lingering fierceness and coldness.

These two individuals were none other than Chu Yi and Lu Jiangtong, who were currently at the Holy Mountain in the Northern Regions.

With a devout expression and his hands pressed together in prayer, Chu Yi kneeled and bowed gently.

Lu Jiangtong, however, seemed to show some disapproval of this statement as he questioned, "What difference can such a small bow make?"

"Every little bit helps," Chu Yi said, standing up after completing his bow. He then asked, "Did everything go smoothly?"

"It went fairly smoothly. After waiting in ambush for thirteen days, the right moment finally came," Lu Jiangtong said. "One strike with the saber, and he was dead."

"It was such a coincidence. He had summoned his mount because the Fuyao Kingdom seized a few small islands," Chu Yi said. "The one who made this happen is the Mount Shu Sect.

"Also, the cultivation legacy of the Seven Killings that you’re cultivating—I found it in the Mount Shu Sect’s Hall of Conservation.

"And then there’s me..."

Chu Yi walked out of the temple, heading to the top of the Holy Mountain, where the green fields were blanketed by white snow. Looking up at the sky, he sighed softly, "We are still receiving favors from him..."

"That dear senior brother of yours?" Lu Jiangtong asked.

A powerful seventh-realm cultivator couldn’t possibly be assassinated so easily—unless the assassin was also at the seventh realm.

Ever since Chu Yi ascended the Holy Mountain, the rebels of Mount Mang had settled down under his command. He then gave Lu Jiangtong a cultivation manual, instructing him to practice diligently and transition from being a warrior to an assassin.

Lu Jiangtong carried the bloodline of a demon. Those with demon blood who had yet to fully transform often possessed extraordinary talent for cultivation. His progress was swift, and he mastered divine abilities at twice the speed of others. Before long, he became a successful assassin.

"My senior brother is so capable that I can spend my whole life studying his ways, but I’ll never master them," Chu Yi said with a sigh. "So I always end up relying on schemes and strategies."

Lu Jiangtong clicked his tongue. "This way is much more convenient. We take them out one by one, and soon, no one will be left to challenge us."

Chu Yi chuckled softly. "You weren’t like this before. When you led the Mount Mang disciples on your own, you were brave and strategic."

Lu Jiangtong fell silent for a moment.

Recently, he realized he had begun acting without much thought. It seemed that after getting used to following someone else, he no longer cared to think for himself.

This was a terrifying realization.

However, he had to admit that back when he led the rebels of Mount Mang, he had been cautious and meticulous. His saber’s edge was always sharp, and he was struggling tirelessly to survive every day. Yet, ever since he started sharing a brain with Chu Yi, life had become much easier for him.

Perhaps there was something even more reassuring than relying on a powerful figure—relying on an intelligent person.

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"We’ve already struck Starhold Island, so there’s no need to target the Great Lunar Dao Sect," Chu Yi explained. "Since you used the Heavenly Star Unusual Art to kill Hong Zhenyuan, they’ll naturally assume it was the work of the Heavenly Star’s splinter factions. In the end, they’ll turn on each other. With a single kill, we eliminate two enemies.

"Let the people from the Ice Soul Sword Sect clash with the Buddhist sect.

"And let the War Tomb Mountain deal with the Yushan Academy.

"Leverage one force against another force and identify each opponent’s weakness as we go with the flow. Then, we dismantle them with the least effort."

Chu Yi said all that with clear logic and a calm, natural tone, showing no hint of arrogance.

Lu Jiangtong listened, nodding thoughtfully before asking, "What about the Talismanic Sect?"

"..." This time, it was Chu Yi’s turn to fall silent.

In the Terrestrial Ten’s Sect Selection, he knew every opponent's weakness. It was only the Talismanic Sect that confused him.

He didn't even know about this sect, let alone its weaknesses. And he was not the only one.

A few days ago, the Talismanic Sect gained some recognition during the 'Male and Female Cultivators, Charge Forward' event organized by Red Cotton Peak. While talisman masters on the market took the opportunity to raise their prices, this suddenly emerging sect continued selling at standard rates, refusing to charge their dear friends and family even a single extra spirit-stone coin. Their actions instantly won them the favor of those who had never heard of them before.

As Chu Yi pondered their approach, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it seemed oddly familiar.

He knew someone quite well who often advertised and promoted using the phrase "dear friends and family."[1]

His dear senior brother had never run a business for profit. He spent his life "benefiting his dear friends and family" yet somehow became the wealthiest man on Mount Shu and a major figure in the world of immortal cultivation.

And this Talismanic Sect happened to be nominated by the Mount Shu Sect to participate in the Selection of a Terrestrial Ten Sect.

As for the connection between the Talismanic Sect and the Mount Shu Sect, Chu Yi couldn't quite figure it out.

The Talismanic Sect had neither renowned Eminent Ones nor powerful cultivators. It lacked great forces and had no long-standing cultivation legacy. Their participation in the Selection of a Terrestrial Ten Sect felt like nothing more than a joke.

The reason Chu Yi couldn’t pinpoint its weakness was simple—everything about it was a weakness.

Yet, because this sect was nominated by the Mount Shu Sect, he didn't dare to look down on it for even one bit. He felt that this was most likely Chu Liang's doing. After all, he could never predict what his senior brother wanted to do.

After a long pause, Chu Yi finally smiled.

"If it comes down to us and the Mount Shu Sect, does it really matter if we let them have it?"

...

While the world outside was in upheaval over the Selection of a Terrestrial Ten Sect, Chu Liang was delivering a speech with unwavering passion.

"Dear friends and family, who can truly understand our struggles? Ever since the Hall of Construction of the Mount Shu Sect began accepting commissions, we have never dared to forget our responsibilities. After working tirelessly for so long, we can finally begin construction! Today is the day that we start the construction of the first fifty Feng-grade buildings!

"Though our delay was caused solely by someone maliciously restricting our access to the Mountain-Suppressing Rock Quarry, we at Red Cotton Peak will still take full responsibility. Any sect affected by the delay will receive an exclusive 20% discount voucher from Red Cotton Peak!"

Having remained idle since the supply of Mountain-Suppressing Rocks was cut off, the Hall of Construction was finally back in operation.

Li Wanda, Li Wanke, Chen Baoli, and Fang Zhonghai beamed with joy, rolling up their sleeves and throwing themselves into their work with enthusiasm.

Meanwhile, Bi Guiyuan could only watch eagerly, yearning for the day Chu Liang would finally acknowledge his abilities. However, until he could construct buildings that met the required standards, Chu Liang had no intention of letting him out there and putting the reputation of Mount Shu’s Hall of Construction at risk.

At the same time, the Talismanic Sect’s affordable talismans were steadily gaining traction in the market. Initially, the well-established talisman shops that had increased their prices dismissed the competition. They believed that with demand so high, the Talismanic Sect’s success would be inconsequential. After all, there was no way a single sect could meet the needs of every cultivator. Sooner or later, its stock would be depleted, and when that happened, buyers would have no choice but to return to the overpriced talismans of the well-established talisman shops.

However, after the past few days, those shops were starting to panic. How was it that the Talismanic Sect’s talismans just... never seemed to run out? Not only had they met their own demand, but they had also siphoned away a significant portion of their competitors’ customers. Even as this was happening, they showed no sign of slowing down.

While the owners of those old shops were still grumbling to themselves, oblivious to the dawn of a new era, Chu Liang finally let out a sigh of relief. With the Talismanic Sect shaping up to be a cash cow, the immense burden on Red Cotton Peak to expand its market finally lightened.

Still, Chu Liang reminded his team, "Even though we now have a stable source of Mountain-Suppressing Rock, we still need to slow down our pace. We should only build when there’s demand and charge only after completion. We must not get ahead of ourselves. The supply of Mountain-Suppressing Rock isn’t entirely stable, and there’s always the risk of being cut off due to external forces. There are risks."

"But since we already have orders, why not collect payments upfront?" Lackey A asked in confusion. "We were short on funds not long ago, so why not ask for a portion of the payment first? If our supply of Mountain-Suppressing Rock gets cut off and we can’t deliver the buildings, the buyers should share some of the risk with us. Wouldn’t that make things a lot easier on our end?"

Chu Liang gave him a big thumbs-up. "And if we still can’t deliver, we just take the money and run, right?"

Well now, Lackey A. That was a downright heartless suggestion.

Chu Liang could already picture himself sneaking away while Mount Shu was overrun by furious buyers from the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten, banners waving as they protested in outrage. It would be... quite the spectacle.

"Can we guarantee that we'll complete every order?" Chu Liang asked as he looked at Lackey A in a serious manner. "If we can’t, then why should someone who just wants a single building bear that much risk?

"We can run promotions, develop new products, and find ways to cut costs, but we can’t ignore our conscience. We must always remember that money lost can be earned back, but if we betray our conscience..."

...we can make even more money.

Chu Liang paused, swallowing those words that were right at the tip of his tongue.

Instead, he slowly said, "Then we would no longer be human."

1. Mentioned in chapter 597 and chapter 758 ☜