Bao Gu’s cultivation level was only at the ninth stage of Qi Refining.
Here, she couldn’t defeat any random cultivator she encountered.
The Nascent Soul-level magical treasures on her were mostly destroyed, leaving only a concealing jade bracelet on her wrist and a protective jade pendant around her neck.
Just now, Ning Ying had used some kind of treasure to break through the pendant’s defense, causing it to crack.
If she encountered an attack from a Golden Core stage cultivator, she might barely fend off a few strikes, but against an attack from a Nascent Soul-level treasure, she wouldn’t be able to withstand even one wave.
She had five Nascent Soul-level talismans left, which were her last remaining assets.
She rummaged through her storage bag, finding only a few Golden Core-level treasures she didn’t care for, a pile of pills, some fifth-grade or lower monkey wine, and some spiritual herbs and fruits.
Bao Gu calculated the losses from her recent confrontation with Han Yu, the chief disciple of the Immortal Sect, and felt her heart ache as if it were bleeding.
Even though she had some wealth, she couldn’t afford to squander it like this!
The main issue was that if she encountered another ambush, she wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.
Once she used up the five Nascent Soul-level talismans, she would have no choice but to fight to the death.
Some people, driven by greed, thought she was easy to bully and were willing to risk their lives to steal her treasures!
Bao Gu admired such people for their audacity!
Han Yu was truly something!
As the chief disciple of the sixth-ranked Immortal Sect in Xuanyue Ancient City, he was so desperate that he would risk his life to rob her!
And there was still Nan Yi with his God Transformation stage treasure waiting behind him.
Even if Han Yu managed to rob her, could he keep it from being taken by Nan Yi?
Bao Gu didn’t know whether to admire Han Yu’s courage or call him a fool.
Thinking about the losses she suffered in her fight with Han Yu made her so angry she could explode.
While Bao Gu was fuming, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure sitting in a tree not far from her.
At first, she thought she was seeing things, but upon closer inspection, she saw a green-clad woman wearing an intricately carved mask leaning against the tree trunk, watching her.
Bao Gu was so startled that she jumped up and shouted, “Who… who are you?”
She summoned her sword and held it in her hand, staring at the woman.
Only after speaking did she remember that she had activated the concealing treasure on her wrist.
If she hadn’t made a sound, the woman wouldn’t have seen her, right?
Now that she had spoken, the woman had probably locked onto her!
The woman chuckled lightly and said, “So you’re the famous ‘Treasure God of Wealth’ Bao Gu? Tsk, such a tiny little girl, truly not to be judged by appearances.”
Bao Gu didn’t sense any hostility from her and relaxed a bit, asking, “You can see me?”
“Do you think a mere concealing treasure can fool my eyes? You underestimate me.”
Bao Gu blinked innocently at the woman and said, “Sister, are you also here for the treasures on me?”
The woman replied, “People from the Soul Chasing Pavilion don’t steal, rob, or plunder. You should have heard of that, right?”
Bao Gu asked nervously, “No one has paid you to take my head or capture me, right?”
The woman responded, “Not at the moment.”
Bao Gu let out a long breath and said, “Thank goodness!”
She quickly used her lightness skill to climb up the tree and sit next to the woman, saying, “How should I address you, sister? I want to discuss a few deals with you!”
“A few deals? The Treasure God of Wealth indeed lives up to her name.”
Bao Gu said, “The first deal: I want you to help my senior sister capture Nan Yi alive and take his Deity Transformation stage sword, ensuring my senior sister Yu Mi’s safety. The second deal: eliminate all the Ning family members who entered here. The third deal: eliminate all the Immortal Sect members who entered here. The fourth deal: if your people encounter Lu Wendao and Hong Chen in danger, protect them. Name your price.”
She finished and handed her family heirloom abacus to the woman, saying, “You can use this to calculate the cost.”
The woman stared at Bao Gu for several moments before saying, “Forgive me for saying this, but you’re making enemies of both the Ning family and the Immortal Sect?”
Bao Gu replied, “Although I prefer to resolve matters peacefully, I’m not someone who won’t fight back when bullied. The Ning family’s two direct descendants attacked us and were killed in retaliation, so the feud is already set. Killing two or twenty makes no difference. As for the Immortal Sect, Han Yu, as the chief disciple, tried to rob me with heavy treasures. Naturally, I must retaliate! Robbing me comes at a steep price!”
The woman stared at Bao Gu for a while before saying, “Alright, I’ll take on all four of your deals. My price is half of your gains from the ancient ruins!”
Bao Gu laughed and said, “I’m currently at a huge loss in Xuanyue Ancient City. If you take half, you’ll be at a loss too! All I’ve dug up are some soil and a few herb seedlings. Are you sure you want half of that?”
Seeing the woman’s surprised expression, Bao Gu couldn’t help but doubt, “Sister, are you really a Soul Chasing Pavilion assassin? You’re not lying to me, are you?”
Could an assassin be this approachable and easy to talk to?
Just looking at the lips under the mask, hearing the voice, and sensing the aura, she felt this person must be a beauty.
The woman snorted and said, “Helping your senior sister capture Nan Yi will cost one hundred top-grade spirit stones.”
Bao Gu exclaimed, “So cheap?”
The woman snorted twice and said, “If you think it’s cheap, you can increase the price. I don’t mind.”
Bao Gu quickly said, “One hundred top-grade spirit stones it is. But can I ask why it’s so cheap?”
“Assassinating a Golden Core stage cultivator costs one hundred mid-grade spirit stones. He’s the son of the Longevity Heavenly Venerable of the Taiyin Sect and has protective treasures, making him harder to kill. So, I’m giving you the price for an ordinary Nascent Soul stage cultivator. What? Surprised? Oh, and you owe me another hundred mid-grade spirit stones for the information fee. You didn’t know Nan Yi was the son of the Longevity Heavenly Venerable, did you? Now that I’ve told you, you owe me.”
Bao Gu was stunned for a long time before exclaiming, “I mean… isn’t the Longevity Heavenly Venerable one of the three highest-ranking God Transformation stage cultivators in the Taiyin Sect? Why would he send his son to the Xuanyue Sect…”
No wonder Nan Yi wanted to be a traitor.
As the son of the Longevity Heavenly Venerable, he had a significant chance of competing for the sect leader position in the Taiyin Sect.
Compared to the declining Xuanyue Sect, the Taiyin Sect’s leader position was much more desirable.
The woman said, “Three? Wasn’t the Nameless Heavenly Venerable of the Taiyin Sect killed by your Xuanyue Sect outside Xuanyue Ancient City? Now only the Dragon Roar Heavenly Venerable and the Longevity Heavenly Venerable remain. As the Longevity Heavenly Venerable’s status rises, Nan Yi’s head naturally becomes more valuable, worth one hundred top-grade spirit stones.”
Bao Gu was moved to tears.
She thought to herself, “Sister, your Soul Chasing Pavilion is truly cost-effective and affordable! If I had known, I wouldn’t have fought so hard. I should have hired you. My pile of Nascent Soul-level treasures and talismans!”
She felt heartbroken.
The woman glanced at Bao Gu and said, “Don’t think it’s cheap. If he hadn’t been severely injured by Yu Mi, and I wasn’t sure he couldn’t use the Longevity Heavenly Venerable’s Da Luo Red Gold Sword, I wouldn’t take this job even for a thousand supreme-grade spirit stones.”
Bao Gu suddenly realized and thought to herself, “What a shrewd businesswoman!”
This was taking advantage of a downed opponent!
The woman continued, “Killing ordinary rogue cultivators at the Golden Core stage costs one hundred mid-grade spirit stones. Killing disciples of the top ten cultivation forces triples the price. For the Ning family and the Immortal Sect, it’s three hundred mid-grade spirit stones per head.”
Bao Gu nodded and agreed, “Alright!”
The woman added, “As for protecting Lu Wendao and Hong Chen, it’s ten mid-grade spirit stones.”
Bao Gu exclaimed, “So cheap?”
The woman explained, “Lu Wendao is cunning and has many friends. If he’s in danger, he can call for help from all directions. Even if you die, he’ll be fine. So, I’ll charge you a symbolic ten mid-grade spirit stones. I don’t think you’re short on spirit stones.”
Bao Gu was speechless.
The woman said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to tell Lu Wendao that you paid to hire me to protect him, so he owes you a favor.”
Bao Gu was speechless, thinking, “No wonder the Soul Chasing Pavilion has such a good reputation.”
She thought for a moment and asked, “Are you really from the Soul Chasing Pavilion?”
The woman stood up and said, “You’ll find out soon enough! If you think the price is fair, pay me one hundred top-grade spirit stones as a deposit.”
Bao Gu thought for a moment and said, “No, I need to confirm your identity first. What if you’re a fraud?”
The woman couldn’t stand Bao Gu and rolled her eyes ungracefully.
She took off her mask and leaned close to Bao Gu, saying, “Now do you know I’m from the Soul Chasing Pavilion?”
Bao Gu looked at the beautiful but unfamiliar face and complimented, “Sister, you’re so beautiful.”
The woman smiled and said, “Thank you. One hundred top-grade spirit stones.”
She extended her hand to Bao Gu.
Bao Gu shrank her neck and laughed, “Sister, just because you look like a fairy doesn’t mean I should pay one hundred top-grade spirit stones just to see your face.”
The woman was speechless for several moments before saying, “Looking at my face and still not knowing I’m from the Soul Chasing Pavilion? Are you blind or just ignorant?”
Bao Gu said helplessly, “My only knowledge of the Soul Chasing Pavilion is that it’s the second most powerful force in Xuanyue Ancient City, a very reputable assassin organization. I don’t know anything else. Even if your leader stood in front of me, I wouldn’t recognize them.”
The woman sighed and patted Bao Gu’s head, saying, “Little sister, let me tell you, the Soul Chasing Pavilion doesn’t have a leader, only a master.”
Bao Gu said, “If it’s called a master, shouldn’t it be called the Soul Chasing Sect?”
The woman took a deep breath and asked with a smile, “Don’t you think ‘Soul Chasing Sect’ sounds ominous?”
She then asked, “What does it matter to you whether it’s called the Soul Chasing Pavilion or the Soul Chasing Sect?”
Bao Gu smiled and said, “Yes, yes. May I ask your name, sister? How does your face prove you’re from the Soul Chasing Pavilion?”
The woman pointed at Bao Gu and disappeared from sight.
Bao Gu was slightly startled to see the woman disappear like her senior sister.
She thought, “No wonder Nan Yi mistook my senior sister for someone from the Soul Chasing Pavilion. It turns out they also know this void teleportation technique!”
What left her speechless was how this self-proclaimed Soul Chasing Pavilion woman got angry and left.
Bao Gu jumped down from the tree, dusted off the moss from her hands and hips, and saw that her wounds had healed.
She summoned her flying sword, ready to leave.
A slight energy fluctuation appeared in front of her, and the woman reappeared with a young man in his twenties, blocking her path.
The young man was pale and sweating, looking terrified.
The woman took the storage bag from the young man and handed it to Bao Gu, saying, “Check his storage bag for an identity token to see who he is.”
She then said to the young man, “Tell Bao Gu who I am.”
“Soul Chasing Pavilion’s ‘Jade Asura,’ Miss Jade. Miss Jade…”
He closed his eyes and said, “I just want to know who bought my life before I die.”
He then said to Bao Gu, “Bao Gu, I never attacked you. I was just passing by, trying to pick up some leftovers, searching the corpses for some loot… I really didn’t attack you.”
Bao Gu searched the young man’s storage bag but found no identity token, only a bunch of miscellaneous books, freshly picked herbs, some spirit stones, and a few jade boxes for storing valuable items.
She returned the storage bag to the young man and said, “He’s a rogue cultivator.”
She asked, “Is this sister really from the Soul Chasing Pavilion? You’re not colluding with her to trick me, are you?”
The young man, half-crying and half-laughing, said, “Bao Gu, go ask around in Xuanyue Ancient City. Miss Jade’s reputation is much bigger than yours! There’s no one in Xuanyue Ancient City who doesn’t know her!”
Bao Gu looked at Miss Jade again and said, “An assassin with such a high profile? My dad told me that assassins should look as ordinary as possible, so people can’t remember them even after seeing them a few times. That’s the best way to kill.”
She still doubted whether Miss Jade was really an assassin from the Soul Chasing Pavilion.
But then she thought, one hundred top-grade spirit stones wasn’t much.
It wouldn’t be worth it for a fraud to risk the Soul Chasing Pavilion’s wrath for that amount.
She then felt that this beautiful sister, who didn’t look like an assassin, might indeed be one, given her void teleportation-like technique.
