flstandardbreds Chapter 150 The First Mission in the Martial World
Chapter 150 The First Mission in the Martial World
"Is there any difference in price between non-Jianghu people and Jianghu people?" Quan Yuyuan suddenly asked.
"There's not much difference. It's just that the bounty amount and the individual's strength on the bounty list determine the price. After all, the harder someone is to kill, the higher the price will be!" the man explained.
"Who is the most expensive person on the current bounty list?" Quan Yuyuan asked curiously.
"Of course, it's the number one ranked martial arts hero—Gongshan Mufeng, who is now the leader of the Wuji Sect! The Wuji Sect's rival, Guan Zhijin, the successor of the Sword Shadow Sect, is dead."
"Gongshan Mufeng has become a top figure among the younger generation. With the protection of the elders of Wuji Sect, assassinating him is naturally more difficult, and the bounty is naturally more generous!" the man explained.
"Oh, are there any others? I'm open to names with big reputations, even if the bounty isn't high!" Zheng Luoqi asked.
After listening to Zheng Luoqi's words, the man pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of someone and said, "There's a man named Dai Rong. This man is dashing and charming, and he's had countless affairs with women from the martial arts world. Almost all those who hunt him down are his old lovers, but..."
"But what?" Quan Yuyuan asked impatiently, as he hated it when people only said half of what they meant.
"But I don't know whether the women who had relationships with him truly hate him or not. After you kill him, his lovers might not let you go, so this bounty is quite difficult to offer."
"If you take the bounty list today but don't kill the person, you'll have to pay double the bounty price if you want to cancel the order!" the man continued to explain.
"What is the bounty on his head?" Zheng Luoqi asked.
"Fifty gold!"
“Okay! We’ll accept the bounty!” Zheng Luoqi said.
"Everyone, please register here. Because we're worried that someone might take the bounty and then not do the job, thus delaying others who want to get things done, you all need to bring something important, something of similar value to the bounty, as collateral to us before you can take the bounty list," the man said with a smile to Zheng Luoqi and the others.
Zheng Luoqi casually took out a jade hairpin and lied without batting an eye, saying, "This was originally a token of love between me and my beloved, but sadly, she married another man before I could return."
“This jade hairpin is of great significance to me. Every time I look at it, the beautiful times I spent with her in the past come flooding back to me, and every little detail is vivid in my mind.”
At this point, Zheng Luoqi's eyes became increasingly dim, as if shrouded in endless sorrow.
Zheng Luoqi gently stroked the jade hairpin in her hand and continued in a low, affectionate tone, "This hairpin is meticulously carved from the finest red jade, and its value is immeasurable. Why don't you take a closer look and see if it can be used as collateral?"
As she spoke, Zheng Luoqi handed the jade hairpin forward, her eyes filled with reluctance.
Those familiar with Zheng Luoqi know that he's used to lying so readily without batting an eye.
Quan Yuyuan, who had been listening to Zheng Luoqi's words, fell silent. He hadn't expected Zheng Luoqi to make such a big sacrifice, and he was deeply moved. He planned to give Zheng Luoqi some advice after this matter was over.
The man took Zheng Luoqi's hairpin, examined it, and confirmed that it was indeed a high-quality red jade, worth a considerable amount of money. He sensed that Zheng Luoqi's tone was genuine and knew the importance of the hairpin to her. He wasn't worried that she would take the bounty and not do anything, so he agreed to use it as collateral.
"I must tell you something else: you only have two years. If you fail to complete it within two years, this hairpin will be confiscated."
"The bounty list will reappear here, and the bounty notices in your hands will be invalidated. Even if you kill the people on the list later, you won't get the bounty!" the man warned.
Zheng Luoqi and the others nodded, indicating that they understood.
"Well then, gentlemen, I won't see you off any further. Just follow the path you came in through to get out! There's a third candle on the right at the door; bend it upwards to open the door," the man said.
Zheng Luoqi and the others didn't dawdle; they took the bounty list and left.
They walked to the doorway they had come in through, did as the man had instructed, opened the door, went out, and found that the shopkeeper had already left.
At this moment, Quan Yuyuan suddenly walked over and patted Zheng Luoqi on the shoulder, comforting her, "Don't worry, I, the young master, will definitely not let you lose this hairpin!"
Zheng Luoqi looked at him speechlessly. This guy is incredibly stupid!
"What I said was a lie, just an excuse. I just wanted to make them believe that the hairpin was very important to me so that I could use it as collateral. Otherwise, why would they give you the bounty list?" Zheng Luoqi said calmly.
"What? It's fake? But you made it sound so real that I almost believed you. Why did you do this in the first place?" Quan Yuyuan asked curiously.
"Whether the hairpin is heavy or not is irrelevant. What's important is that we get the bounty list, kill the people on the list, and make a name for ourselves. That's the first step!" Zheng Luoqi explained.
After saying that, Zheng Luoqi stopped paying attention to Quan Yuyuan and turned back to the inn to rest.
..............
In the following days, Zheng Luoqi and her friends investigated the whereabouts of this man named Dai Rong and discovered that he frequented brothels and places where literati and scholars would gather.
This man is fond of persuading prostitutes to reform themselves, rescuing beauties from their misfortunes, and using sweet words to bewitch women and make them devoted to him.
Zheng Luoqi and his group learned that Dai Rong's last appearance was in Yangzhou, which was Cao Yan's territory. It was the same Yangzhou where Zheng Luoqi had previously suppressed the rebel army, and Zheng Luoqi had also discovered gold and iron mines there.
After arriving in Yangzhou, Zheng Luoqi and her group began searching for Dai Rong's whereabouts.
Dai Rong appeared in Yangzhou because one of his former confidantes was about to get married.
Upon learning this news, Dai Rong was extremely anxious and rushed to Yangzhou, just to see her former lover one last time. Then, a month before the bride's wedding, she tricked him into leaving.
If you say he loves her, he treats more than just one person like that; if you say he doesn't love her, he seems to care a lot about every single one of his lovers.
To date, Dai Rong has had relationships with no fewer than several dozen women. Some of these women couldn't bear the thought of Dai Rong having so many female confidantes and left with resentment.
However, those close female friends, after leaving Dai Rong, would still be coaxed back by Dai Rong with a few words the next time they met.
So it's like a vicious cycle: you finally manage to coax one person back home, only to have another run away, and then you have to go and coax the next one, and then you meet a new lover on the way.