Chapter 248 - 248 232 Conditions of the Seven Killings Hall

Chapter 248: Chapter 232 Conditions of the Seven Killings Hall Chapter 248: Chapter 232 Conditions of the Seven Killings Hall One couldn’t fault the Seven Killings Hall for being too pragmatic; the reality was simply that.

If Tang Qian couldn’t afford to pay for a second assassination on Chen Yuan, it meant that Chen Yuan would live. And if such a talented individual was alive, why not recruit him to the Seven Killings Hall?

In the past twenty years, the Seven Killings Hall hadn’t seen a seedling with talent comparable to Chen Yuan’s.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan, originally cautious, suddenly raised an eyebrow. What was going on?

The other party was actually inviting him to join the Seven Killings Hall?

Just a few days ago, he had killed one of their men. Not only had they not retaliated, but they were also inviting him to join their ranks. Was this how everyone in the Seven Killings Hall conducted themselves?

What Chen Yuan didn’t know was that this was indeed how the Seven Killings Hall operated.

According to their principles, an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, and unless it was a mission to annihilate a lineage, they generally did not exterminate everyone involved; if a mission failed, they withdrew immediately.

As long as the employer didn’t issue a second mission, the assassination was essentially considered concluded.

“How is it, Chen Patrol Envoy? Are you surprised?”

“Indeed a bit, I had thought you were here to kill me, I didn’t expect…”

“Heh…without someone buying your life, the Seven Killings Hall naturally won’t make a move for nothing.”

“Then how about the assassin I killed of yours?”

“Mission failed, name erased, the failed are not worthy of sympathy.”

“Tsk tsk… that’s truly cold-hearted.”

“This is the principle upon which the Seven Killings Hall survives,” the man in the black robe said, unwilling to elaborate further on this topic.

“Was it Tang Qian who sent someone to kill me?”

Chen Yuan’s gaze was tightly fixed on the other person.

“No comment.”

The man in the black robe shook his head and then added,

“I am here this time to invite you, Chen Patrol Envoy, not for anything else.”

“Hmm.”

The man in the black robe said, “The Seven Killings Hall has investigated your background, and it can be said that you have hardly received any protection or resources from the imperial court, and everything you have achieved has been through your own efforts.

To work unrewarded for the imperial court, and yet the court can’t protect you, if it were me, I would have long betrayed the imperial court and joined another power.”

“All under heaven belongs to the king; you’re exaggerating, sir. After all, this world ultimately belongs to the imperial court.”

Chen Yuan actually felt indifferent towards the imperial court. His desire to climb higher was merely to gain power and position, and to better seek his own Qi Fortune child.

Becoming an assassin in the Seven Killings Hall was not what Chen Yuan wished for.

Moreover, he had not forgotten that he had already joined another organization, the Taoist Divine Palace, and if they knew he had betrayed them, he would likely face endless pursuit.

This had already been mentioned by Su Ziyue before.

And he had a vague feeling that if the Taoist Divine Palace had been merely observing him in the past, his recent rise to fame in Qingzhou and even across the world must have already attracted their attention.

Surely, they wouldn’t be too far off from contacting him.

Surprised at what he saw in Chen Yuan, the man in the black robe did not argue but simply said:

“The power of the imperial court is indeed strong and the resources substantial, but correspondingly, there are countless officials and military generals under the court. The resources that trickle down are already very limited,

as seen now; your abilities are enough to enter the top fifty of the Hidden Dragon List, but it seems the court has shown no reaction, indicating they do not value you,”

“Without backing, it’s hard to make a single step forward in the court.”

“Continue,” Chen Yuan smiled and nodded.

It seemed that the Seven Killings Hall’s intelligence was limited, at least about Qingzhou’s Golden Envoy, Jiang He’s intentions of moving him. The Seven Killings Hall either hadn’t received the news, or they chose not to mention it—just to lower Chen Yuan’s guard.

“But if you join the Seven Killings Hall, just by passing the test, you would be personally mentored by a Core Realm powerhouse, who might even take you as an apprentice.

With your talent and the full support of the Seven Killings Hall, entering the Core Realm in the future will be within easy reach.”

Feng Jiu’s raspy voice arose.

“Hmm… if you agree, the Seven Killings Hall can even take care of any concerns you might have about those who wanted you dead previously—we’ve accepted that task,

how about it?”

Chen Yuan smiled. At first, the offer sounded good, but upon closer consideration, it seemed just average.

With Jiang He’s attention, did Chen Yuan need the guidance of a powerhouse from the Seven Killings Hall?

Or to put it another way, with the Qi Fortune Altar at his disposal, did he need someone else’s guidance at all?

Moreover, although it was not explicitly stated, Chen Yuan had already guessed who wanted him dead and had even prepared for retaliation. Did he need the Seven Killings Hall to handle it?

And the tests…

“Your terms are indeed not bad, but unfortunately, I am not yet willing to betray the imperial court,” Chen Yuan murmured contemplatively.

Feng Jiu glanced at Chen Yuan and continued,

“Chen Patrol Envoy, you truly are loyal, but it’s a pity the imperial court is corrupt… I still hope you will consider it carefully; joining the Seven Killings Hall doesn’t necessarily mean betraying the imperial court.”

As he spoke, Feng Jiu gave Chen Yuan a meaningful look.

It was evident from his words: if Chen Yuan did not wish to enter the Seven Killings Hall for cultivation, he could still work for them and gain some resources from the Seven Killings Hall.

Within the court, there were those who secretly played as chess pieces for the Seven Killings Hall.

Chen Yuan merely smiled at this and neither agreed nor declined.

If he declined, what would he do if the man before him became angry and resorted to violence?

But if he agreed, they could easily manipulate him. Then, if he wanted to get by within the court, he would be forced to cooperate with them.

After a long while without receiving an answer from Chen Yuan, Feng Jiu felt somewhat regretful. He then took out a Seven Killings Black Token from his robe and placed it in front of Chen Yuan:

“Now, not agreeing is no harm; Chen can consider it over some time. If you’ve decided by then…. I, Feng, will come, and yes, this black token can also be used by you to issue assassination missions.”

“As long as the price is right, the Seven Killings Hall will solve all your troubles for you.”

With a light chuckle, Feng Jiu turned and left, slowly disappearing into the night.

If it were not for the black token in front of Chen Yuan, no one would have thought anyone had been there.

Chen Yuan picked up the black post on the table, with just one ‘kill’ character on it. If one immersed their spirit within it, they could tell that the person who wrote this character was definitely extraordinary.

A chilling aura of killing intent emanated from the black post.

“Seven Kills without orders…”

In the secret room, Chen Yuan muttered to himself.

If he had not joined the court or the Taoist Divine Palace earlier, Chen Yuan would have definitely joined the Seven Killings Hall, but now there were too many constraints, and the conditions offered by the Seven Killings Hall were not satisfactory to Chen Yuan.

With the Qi Fortune Alter at his disposal, Chen Yuan only needed to follow the routine cultivation to grow up to a certain level.

This initial contact was not enough to make Chen Yuan commit himself to the Seven Killings Hall.

His caution was still in play, always applicable no matter whom he dealt with.

…

…

Another simple and tedious night followed the departure of Feng Jiu from the Seven Killings Hall. Chen Yuan did not ponder for long, as thinking more did no help.

The real issue at hand was still cultivation.

In the early morning, Chen Yuan was eating the simple breakfast that Li Dongshan had someone buy: a stack of pickled vegetables, several steamed buns, a few eggs, along with a bowl of rice porridge.

This was Chen Yuan’s morning setup.

He had a habit of eating breakfast, which he had always adhered to; only a full stomach could truly feel secure.

Yue Shan entered the backyard with a stern face, slowly sat opposite Chen Yuan, reached out to grab a large meat bun, and stuffed it directly into his mouth, looking quite satisfied.

“How’s the investigation going?”

Chen Yuan took a sip of his porridge, picked up an egg, and rapidly spun it in his hand. The eggshell was peeled off bit by bit, revealing the white inside. He took a light bite and asked.

Since they had returned to Nanling Prefecture, Chen Yuan had Yue Shan investigate the matter of the ‘Lock Dragon Well,’ but unfortunately, they hadn’t found out much.

It was just guessed that Lock Dragon Well was likely inside the heavily guarded rear mountain of Dragon Tiger Mountain.

The rest, basically, couldn’t be traced any further.

This piece of information wasn’t useless. After weighing it, Chen Yuan changed the plan and started to have people focus on investigating the real core disciples of the Dragon Tiger Sect,

to find out who had the credentials to enter the rear mountain.

“My lord, after my investigation, it’s difficult to enter the rear mountain. The entire Dragon Tiger Sect probably has no more than five people who qualify to go there, including Xu Lingtian and several elders of the sect,” Yue Shan reported.

Although he didn’t know what Chen Yuan’s purpose was, since he had been given the mission and a target, Yue Shan knew he had to prepare fully.

“What else?”

Chen Yuan’s expression remained unchanged as he put half an egg into his mouth.

“I believe the most suitable person for us is Xu Lingtian’s daughter, Xu Caiyue. This woman is Xu Lingtian’s only daughter and is very spoiled by him,

holding unchecked power within the entire sect…” Yue Shan continued.

Chen Yuan asked, “Does this woman have any weaknesses?”

“Being bred in indulgence, she has many weaknesses. The investigation revealed that Xu Caiyue is particularly smitten with a young disciple within the sect. A few months ago, Xu Caiyue had a big argument with Xu Lingtian over this,

because Xu Lingtian disapproved of that disciple…” Yue Shan explained.

Chen Yuan’s eyes flickered; an old but very effective plan immediately came to mind. After thinking for a moment, he said indifferently:

“Find a way to capture that boy and send a message to Xu Caiyue, telling her to come out of Dragon Tiger Sect…”

In Chen Yuan’s plan, the idea was to use Xu Lingtian’s daughter because of her infatuation with that male disciple, to lead him inside Lock Dragon Well. The plan was simple,

but not so easy to execute.

Lock Dragon Well, hidden in the rear mountain of Dragon Tiger Mountain, was definitely heavily guarded. Whether Xu Caiyue would risk taking him inside was also an issue—it needed testing if she was a woman blinded by love.

After Chen Yuan finished speaking, Yue Shan began to double-check and tighten the entire plan.

After a while, Chen Yuan felt he had considered all the issues and instructed Yue Shan:

“Carry out this task immediately, without delay!”

“As you command, my lord!”

With a grave expression, Yue Shan nodded and turned to leave. Chen Yuan had entrusted the command of his subordinates to him and Zhao Beishan, while Mo Donghe,

was currently in seclusion.

It was just a pity that it was now too late to go to Ping’an County, otherwise he could have asked Zhao Nanshan about the situation in the rear mountain of Dragon Tiger Mountain.