Chapter 77: The Branch Master’s Invitation

Wu Yuan's eyelids twitched involuntarily. Bai Yuxian was worth a staggering 240,000 silver taels? What a valuable head.

However, upon further reflection, Wu Yuan felt that the price was rather reasonable. Not only did the task involve eliminating a first-rate Adept, but it also demanded the ability to track down a slippery opponent who could cover their tracks with ease. Wu Yuan's own close encounter with death earlier that day served as a stark reminder of the dangers involved. If a weaker first-rate Adept were to carry out the assassination, they would likely be killed by Long Er even if they managed to assassinate Bai Yuxian!

To assassinate was to take lives, thus one couldn't avoid the risk of their own life being taken in the process. It was a treacherous path that teetered precariously between life and death.

Most importantly, someone had to be willing to offer a handsome bounty as a reward.

Considering these factors, four-star assassination missions were a rarity within the Southdream Province branch, likely limited to just a handful.

"Thousand Mountains, you ought to thank the branch master," Custodian Qin chimed in from the side, "Normally, bringing back a target's head without accepting the mission beforehand would only warrant half the reward at best. The branch master is essentially granting you an additional tens of thousands of silver taels."

Wu Yuan comprehended the subtle hint and immediately bowed in gratitude, "Thousand Mountains is grateful to the Branch Master for this kind gesture."

"Haha, our Pleiades Guild values talent. I, for one, appreciate competence," Branch Master Qing chuckled in response.

Wu Yuan naturally understood Branch Master Qing's intentions. His actions were all aimed at garnering Wu Yuan’s favor in an attempt to win him over.

"Thousand Mountains, the choice is yours," Custodian Qin reminded gently. "Whether silver or merits, both are quite valuable."

Silver? 288,000 silver taels was a monumental sum that had eluded Wu Yuan until now, capable of granting him endless opportunities.

Indeed, if he were to choose the silver, Wu Yuan would be free of financial worries for a good while.

"Branch Master, what can these merits be exchanged for?" Wu Yuan asked. "I would like to browse my options."

"Of course." Branch Master Qing laughed, signaling Custodian Qin with a look, who then swiftly fetched a book.

"Thousand Mountains, you may peruse this. Should you have any questions, feel free to ask," Branch Master Qing presented the book to Wu Yuan.

Wu Yuan reached out and accepted it. The book was not particularly thick, titled: ‘Merit Redemption Catalog (Three-star)’.

"Based on your membership ranking, you will receive different privileges, which will dictate the treasures you may redeem your merits for," Branch Master Qing explained. "Normally, the real treasures of the guild can only be obtained by five-star members. However, the merits needed for them are staggering."

"With your current merits, you may redeem most treasures at the three-star level," Branch Master Qing added.

Wu Yuan nodded slightly. Opening the book, he began to skim through it. Many items were available for redemption, most of which were related to martial artists. For example, high-grade body tempering pills, bone forging pills, and so on.

There were also fifth-grade superior weapons, fourth-grade superior weapons, fourth-grade soft armor, heavy armor, throwing knives, hidden weapons, and more.

Alongside each type of item were its price, introduction, medicinal effects, consumption methods, and other related details.

The prices here do seem rather steep.

Wu Yuan's brows furrowed in mild discontent.

If one were to equate one merit to two silver taels, then redeeming these items was costlier than purchasing them from the Starcom Consortium.

Wu Yuan flipped through the pages one by one. Merits could also be exchanged for a range of extravagant yet superfluous goods, including renowned calligraphies, antiques, and rare treasures.

But it didn't end with mere items. They could even be redeemed for plots of land beyond the city's borders, shops within the city itself, or even the services of third-rate Adepts and martial virtuosos. Various saber and sword techniques were also available for exchange.

Alas, Wu Yuan was not interested in these for the time being. Turning to the last two pages, he finally found what he was looking for.

Qi Enhancement Pill: 1000 merits for one pill, maximum redemption of 100 pills per member.

Third-grade divine weapon: One weapon can be redeemed with 130,000 merits. The Starcom Consortium will assume responsibility for crafting and delivering it within three months. Maximum redemption of two per member.

Natural treasure: Ancient Immortal Dew, 60,000 merits for one drop. Maximum redemption of ten drops per member.

Natural treasure: Starlight Liquid, 10,000 merits for one drop. Maximum redemption of ten drops per member.

These were the treasures that Wu Yuan desired. He read the details of the Qi Enhancement Pill and the two natural treasures carefully.

This Ancient Immortal Dew?

Wu Yuan’s astonishment grew as he read the description.

Why does it feel so similar to the spiritual liquid I obtained from Yang Long?

According to the description, the liquid was purple in color. Its medicinal properties were nothing short of astounding, and its essence was remarkably pure, devoid of any impurities. It could fortify one's physical constitution without any negative repercussions. The more Wu Yuan compared the two, the more he felt that the so-called spiritual liquid he obtained was none other than Ancient Immortal Dew.

I acquired about three or four drops of it, which amounts to hundreds of thousands of silver taels?

No wonder it produced such a miraculous effect!

Instinctively, Wu Yuan was tempted to redeem his merits for Ancient Immortal Dew. However, he couldn't help but hesitate. The price tag attached to it was simply too steep.

When compared to the more affordable Starlight Liquid and Qi Enhancement Pills, it was clear that they were cheaper for a reason. They contained impurities and could potentially bring about undesirable side effects after consumption.

But with my impeccable control over my body and the aid of the blood-red mist, even a medium-grade bone forging pill can yield wondrous results. Not to mention these superior treasures.

Forget natural treasures, even Qi Enhancement Pills were hard to come by for second-rate and first-rate Adepts.

"Thousand Mountains, have you made up your mind?" Custodian Qin asked.

“Branch Master, I've decided.” Wu Yuan nodded, “I would like to exchange 140,000 merits for 10 drops of Starlight Liquid and 40 Qi Enhancement Pills. The remaining merits will be converted to 8,000 silver taels. Is that feasible?" Wu Yuan's gaze shifted between Branch Master Qing and Custodian Qin. He was not leaving a single merit untouched, using up all of them. Who knew what the branch master would think of this.

Custodian Qin remained silent.

"No problem at all," Branch Master Qing smiled. "If you had chosen to redeem your merits for Ancient Immortal Dew, it would have been quite troublesome. I would've had to send your request to the continent-level branch, and you would take at least a month to receive it. But for the Starlight Liquid?"

"Fortunately, we have some in stock right here at the branch. We can give it to you right away." Branch Master Qing's smile widened.

"In that case, I must express my gratitude to Branch Master," Wu Yuan replied.

A month? He couldn't afford to wait.

"Custodian Qin, please retrieve the rewards," Branch Master Qing instructed. "I would like to have a private word with Thousand Mountains."

Custodian Qin bowed, leaving the room obediently.

Within the secret room, only Wu Yuan and Branch Master Qing remained.

"Thousand Mountains, I will be frank. You need not answer if you find the question intrusive," said Branch Master Qing with a smile. "Are you above 30 years old this year?"

A sudden wariness sprang up in Wu Yuan's heart. Age?

Yet he showed no change in his demeanor, casually replying, "30 years old? Are you joking, Branch Master? I am nearing 40."

"Oh?" A fleeting trace of disappointment crossed Branch Master Qing's gaze. "What a pity. From Custodian Qin's description of you, I assumed that you were in your twenties."

"And if I were in my twenties?" Wu Yuan queried, his interest piqued.

"Haha, it would imply that you possess astounding potential. If you're willing to join us, you would receive exclusive nurturing from the highest echelons of the Pleiades Guild," Branch Master Qing chuckled.

Understanding dawned on Wu Yuan. A first-rate Adept in his twenties? In any major faction, such an individual would be hailed as a supreme prodigy.

"A shame indeed. Had I been a decade younger, I might have given it a shot," Wu Yuan laughed. He wasn't overly concerned about the other party discerning his true age.

Age? For a martial arts expert, successful cultivation could allow one to preserve the youthful appearance of their twenties well into their forties, without a single wrinkle. Therefore, determining the age of a martial arts expert through appearance alone was highly challenging, and required special methods.

"Since you have exceeded the age limit, we'll leave it at that," Branch Master Qing slowly intoned. "However, I'd like to seek your opinion on another matter."

"Please speak, Branch Master," Wu Yuan said.

"Currently, within my Southdream Province branch, there are two four-star missions remaining on our list. Might you be interested?" Branch Master Qing asked.

"Only two?" Wu Yuan seemed somewhat puzzled.

"Yes, the majority of assassination missions arise from enmity. They often have a time limit, and the price set by our Pleiades Guild isn't low."

"Therefore, high level assassination tasks are very scarce. A four-star task is the highest level mission that a province-level branch can issue," Branch Master Qing elucidated.

"Originally, there were three four-star tasks. You have killed Bai Yuxian, which counts as completing one. Now only two remain," Branch Master Qing disclosed.

"You are currently a three-star assassin. If you complete another four-star task, not only will you receive a large reward, but you can also advance straight to the rank of a four-star assassin."

"A four-star assassin can redeem their merits for treasures several times more precious than a three-star assassin," Branch Master Qing tempted, fixing Wu Yuan with an expectant gaze.

But Wu Yuan was unmoved. This was his first meeting with Branch Master Qing, there was no reason for him to be generous. If the two four-star tasks were easy to complete, he could go and finish them up himself. Why ask him? And show goodwill on top of that?

When I just became a three-star assassin, even though I demonstrated the power of a first-rate Adept, this branch master couldn't be bothered to meet me. But now he’s suddenly so enthusiastic. I'm guessing it's because I killed Bai Yuxian.

Wu Yuan had his suspicions. Perhaps the Southdream Branch of the Pleiades Guild lacked an expert at Iron Tower Long Er's level.

"What's the task?" Wu Yuan asked.

"Have a look for yourself." Branch Master Qing produced a scroll from behind him, clearly prepared beforehand.

Wu Yuan accepted it and had a look. The scroll was none other than the mission archives of the Southdream Province branch.

He flipped directly to the last page, where three four-star missions were detailed. Apart from the task of killing Bai Yuxian, there were two others.

The Bloodwolf Gang...Southdream City. The task is to kill the gang leader Wu Shan, also known as Blood Wolf, a first-rate Adept. This mission is rated four stars.

Mission Reward: 680,000 silver taels or 340,000 merits.

Requirements: The target must die via beheading, and the head must be brought back as proof. Methods such as poisoning are prohibited. The task must be completed before the 26th of August.

Wu Yuan frowned slightly. The description of this mission was an exact replica of the previous one targeting Bald Wolf. Could it be that someone held a grudge against the Bloodwolf Gang and wanted to crush the gang with silver?

The exorbitant reward indicated that the leader of the Bloodwolf Gang had to be extremely strong. Additionally, Wu Yuan roughly understood the opponent's strength. Blood Wolf Wu Shan ranked 163rd in the Jiang Continent Human Rankings!

As for the other four-star mission?

Kill the governor of Southdream Province?

Wu Yuan shook his head slightly, someone actually posted such a mission?

This region fell under the Cloudstride Sect's jurisdiction, and the governor held the highest position within the sect's civil administration. If he were to be assassinated, wouldn't it enrage the entire Cloudstride Sect?

Hmm?

Wu Yuan casually skimmed through the previous three-star missions, narrowing his gaze.

Interesting.

On the previous page, an unremarkable three-star task read:

Kill the general of defense of the county city in Li County of Southdream Province. The target is named Xu Shouyi, a near first-rate Adept. This mission is rated three stars.