Chapter 58: Inside the Blood Blade Tavern

Night fell upon Qinghe City, where a luxurious mansion sprawled across more than a mile of land.

Scores of brutish guards patrolled the perimeter of the estate, and even within its walls, squadrons of guards moved about, maintaining an extremely tight vigilance. This was because the master of the mansion, Cui Jinpeng, was the undisputed kingpin of Qinghe’s underworld, controlling every dark and sordid affair with an iron grip. He was also a loyal hound of the Si Clan.

Many sought to replace him, to seize the throne of the underworld, so bloodshed and conflict were ever-present.

“Whoosh.”

“Whoosh.”

The breaths of the servants within the mansion were hushed, suppressed, only daring to inhale slowly when they could no longer bear it, their backs soaked in sweat.

Because tonight, their master had already killed twelve servants.

“Cursed.”

“Cursed, cursed, cursed.” Inside the opulent hall, Cui Jinpeng paced back and forth in a golden robe, his eyes burning with boundless fury.

Everyone else in the hall had long since been dismissed, waiting outside.

“Hu’er, my Hu’er.” Cui Jinpeng’s heart trembled.

He was cruel, he was maniacal.

He had been born in the slums, his mother a prostitute, and he had no father. His mother cared nothing for his life or death. From childhood, he had lived like a stray dog, climbing step by step over countless corpses and rivers of blood, eventually rising to a supreme position in the underworld. He had even gained the favor of Qinghe’s uncrowned king—Si Lianghong.

After endless years of walking in darkness, he had committed every imaginable atrocity. Yet, his only son remained his most cherished treasure. He had prepared everything for his son—beautiful women, which he personally arranged to capture and deliver. Spoiled beyond measure, or perhaps simply unfit to guide his son properly, the boy grew increasingly arrogant.

He could no longer shield his son, so he sent him into the military for discipline and training. But who could have imagined…

That he would die?

“Hu’er, my beloved Hu’er, how can I go on without you…” Tears streamed down Cui Jinpeng’s face; the mad tyrant of the underworld was now consumed with grief.

“I want them dead.”

“I want them to die with him—the Dongbo family of the Xueying Domain! That accursed Dongbo Qingshi, his elder brother Dongbo Xueying, and every soul in their castle! I want them all to die with my son!” Cui Jinpeng’s eyes burned with madness. “I want them all to die with him!”

“Brother.”

A man burst into the hall from outside. He was a beastman with a face and body covered in thick fur, his eyes glowing green—clearly a werewolf. He was the second-in-command of this faction, a powerful Silver Moon Knight.

While their leader was known to enemies as the “Mad Dog,” he was known as the “Wild Wolf.”

“Just say the word, Brother, and we’ll strike!” the werewolf growled savagely.

“Do we have a chance if we strike? None!” Cui Jinpeng’s face twisted with rage. “Haven’t you heard? Hu’er and Old Fifth Zhao died under a magical scroll! A spell that even a Meteor Knight couldn’t withstand, killing them instantly—it must have been a fifth-tier spell. That Dongbo Xueying is likely a Silver Moon Knight himself. Within his castle, we have only three Silver Moon-level fighters in our entire gang. Do we have the strength to destroy them? That’s their stronghold!”

“What should we do then?” the werewolf asked anxiously.

“Put a bounty!” Cui Jinpeng said coldly. “The Blood Blade Tavern!”

“The Blood Blade Tavern?” The werewolf was startled.

The Blood Blade Tavern was an ancient and venerable organization, its existence nearly as old as the history of the entire plane.

Placing a bounty there meant the reward was set by the Tavern itself. And the Tavern took eight-tenths of the payment, leaving only two-tenths for the actual assassin. Thus, the price was usually exorbitant.

“It’ll be extremely expensive,” the werewolf couldn’t help but say.

“I don’t care about the price! I want them dead, the entire Dongbo family must die! I will spare no cost to ensure their deaths!” Cui Jinpeng gritted his teeth. “This information came from my second brother through the imperial army. I must act quickly—once Dongbo Xueying discovers it was my son, he might strike first!”

“Understood.” The werewolf nodded.

They had long survived in the underworld, well aware of the principle of striking first.

“Spread the word—my son’s death must not leak. All the servants who know of this must be locked away,” Cui Jinpeng ordered coldly. “Only after the Dongbo family is utterly exterminated will they be released! I will depart now for the Blood Blade Tavern!”

If they were to act, they could not allow the enemy even the slightest chance to retaliate!

…

Night fell upon the Blood Blade Tavern.

It was a bustling tavern, frequented by adventurers and others who lived by the blade. Even noble families dared not act recklessly here, for these were people who lived with their lives on the line. Who cared about noble titles? Kill them, and they’d vanish into the night. Many of these assassins were wanderers from distant lands, nearly impossible to trace.

“Upstairs.”

A side door of the tavern led directly to the area where missions were issued and accepted.

Cui Jinpeng, cloaked in black, presented a Blood Blade Token. It was not just anyone who could issue or accept missions here. One must either possess a Blood Blade Token or a Black Iron or Bronze Token from the Longshan Pavilion—proof of one’s strength and status.

The second floor of the tavern was quiet. Though a few individuals were present, all wore disguises or masks. Few assassins were willing to reveal their identities. Even Qinghe’s strongest, Xiang Pangyun, who flaunted his power openly, was a rare exception. His strength was so overwhelming that had he wished to establish a clan, even the Si Clan’s dominance over Qinghe might have been shaken.

“I want to place a bounty,” Cui Jinpeng said, entering a private room and sitting down. Across from him sat a woman dressed in purple robes.

“Please proceed,” the woman smiled.

“I want the Dongbo family of the Xueying Domain in Yishui City dead. I want every soul in the Dongbo family’s Snowstone Castle wiped out! Especially the brothers Dongbo Qingshi and Dongbo Xueying—they must die!” Cui Jinpeng’s voice carried a murderous chill.

“Understood. Please wait a moment while we calculate the reward,” the woman replied.

Murder?

Even the killing of extraordinary beings was accepted by the Blood Blade Tavern.

As long as you could pay the price!

“Hmph.” Cui Jinpeng forced himself to wait, his eyes burning with killing intent. He could hardly contain his urge to eradicate the Dongbo family and avenge his son.

At this moment, the woman in purple glanced at a crystal orb in her hand, upon which some words appeared.

She nodded slightly, then said, “To annihilate the Dongbo family in Yishui City, the price is three million gold coins!”

“Three million?!” Cui Jinpeng shot to his feet. “How can it be so high? That’s insane! Dongbo Xueying is just a Silver Moon Knight. To destroy a family like that would cost three million gold coins? Even after the Tavern takes eight-tenths, the remaining two-tenths would still be sixty thousand coins. Do you really need such a high bounty to kill them? What kind of assassin would demand such a price?”

The pricing of the Blood Blade Tavern was extremely strict.

Although the Longshan Pavilion classified Dongbo Xueying’s intelligence as secret, the Blood Blade Tavern had gathered its own information—how he had slain a Silver Moon Wolf King and a Shadow Leopard at the age of fifteen. Though the killing of the Shadow Leopard had been secret, it had gradually leaked out and been sold in the shadows. The Blood Blade Tavern and the Longshan Pavilion were still able to uncover it. Thus, the Tavern believed Dongbo Xueying had likely become a Silver Moon Knight at fifteen.

And just days ago, he had spent over five hundred thousand coins! Such extravagant spending meant he must have had millions to spare.

The Blood Blade Tavern assessed that Dongbo Xueying had a thirty percent chance of already being a Title-Level warrior!

Hence, the price was set accordingly. If confirmed with certainty, it would double!

“This… this…” Cui Jinpeng could hardly believe it. The price was too high. A typical family of a Title-Level warrior might only be worth two or three million coins. In other words, even a Title-Level warrior would struggle to afford such a bounty. Though Cui Jinpeng was the underworld kingpin of Qinghe, he still answered to the Si Clan. After years of accumulation, he had barely scraped together a million coins.

“The Blood Blade Tavern’s price is final. If you cannot pay, please leave,” the woman in purple said calmly.