Volcanic Age

The next day.

Thanks to the excessive hospitality of the Gold Will Merchants, Zhou Xuchuan felt all the fatigue that had built up in his body melt away. In particular, the banquets Li Yicai arranged, with tables laden with so much food that they almost broke, were so delicious that the joy on his face nearly stretched the corners of his mouth wide.

No matter how nutritious grain pills were, they tasted absolutely horrible. They were completely different from the food prepared by a chef.

After filling his stomach with medicinal wine, he introduced Luo Xiaoyue to the people he considered family.

Incidentally, as he met Wu Qu again, he realized once again how great his cultivation was.

"Oho. It's quite interesting how they're both here and not at the same time. Are these the Phantoms of the Valley of Phantoms?"

Wu Qu immediately detected the Phantoms the moment he saw Zhou Xuchuan. He had an extraordinary eye for detail.

"I greet the benefactor," Wu Zhenhua greeted politely, her hands clasped together like a lady.

"To be honest, it's a little awkward to be called benefactor. After all, your real benefactor isn't me but Lady Tang."

"While the Poison Phoenix is the one who cured me, you are still my benefactor, Great Hero Zhou Xuchuan. According to what my father told me, you were the one who requested the Poison Phoenix to cure me and even risked your life to get the necessary tools for the treatment."

Since Wu Zhenhua had been so ill, she had spent most of her life sitting or lying down inside a house rather than playing outside. In addition, because Wu Qu was wary of outsiders, she never had the chance to make friends of the same age.

Naturally, she spent her time reading books to relieve her boredom.

She learned etiquette and speech by reading etiquette books.

On days when she felt a little better, Wu Qu invited scholars and tutors with whom she studied diligently. Her etiquette, as a result, was anything but ordinary.

"That's right. Why would I have made an oath if we weren't indebted to you?"

Wu Qu smiled proudly at his daughter.

"She's right, senior brother. It's good to be polite, but it will be rude if you keep refusing. A great boon is a great boon."

The junior sister smiled as her senior brother was complimented.

It felt a little strange compared to when she had been the only one who knew his true worth, but it still felt good.

At least her senior brother wouldn't be undervalued like before, which had often angered her.

"I lost."

Zhou Xuchuan scratched his head and laughed awkwardly.

"By the way, I heard that you've been giving the Gold Will Sword Sect lessons lately."

"It's nothing special. I've just been pointing out things that caught my eye."

"Isn't that impressive enough? If it’s alright with you, have you ever considered taking on the position of Sect Master?”

"That would be impossible."

Wu Qu shook his head, an apologetic expression on his face.

"No matter how much you ask me, I won't be able to do so because of my sect."

"Oh, your sect?"

The sect of the Sword Demon, who would later be called the Number One Under Heaven!

As a martial artist, Zhou Xuchuan couldn't help but be curious.

There was a lot of information about the Sword Demon, but there was nothing about his sect. Although everyone back then knew how great his techniques and cultivation were, they didn't really know much about the source of his martial arts.

Part of it was because Wu Qu never spoke about it, the other part was because he was so terrifying that no one had ever asked.

"If it's not too much trouble, may I ask what sect it is?"

"It's no trouble at all. It's a single lineage sect that doesn't show up much within the murim, so you most likely haven't heard of it. It's called the Dragon Emperor Gate. Have you heard of it?"[1]

"This is the first time I've heard that name."

Originally, Wu Qu should have taken on a disciple, but he hadn’t, largely because he had spent so much time traveling to treat his daughter.

In the future, he had fought as the Dark Heavens Association Leader's right-hand man before eventually disappearing into the darkness of history.

As the sect itself was known for its seclusion, it wasn't well-known, and considering the circumstances of its last Sect Master, it was inevitable that Zhou Xuchuan would never have heard of it.

"Well, it's unfortunate, but there's no helping it. Oh, if it's okay with you, I'd like to assign the Young Lady some bodyguards. What do you think?"

“There’s no reason to refuse. Would it be one of them?”

“Yes. Since they're the same gender, she shouldn’t feel uncomfortable.”

Zhou Xuchuan assigned two female Phantoms, roughly Wu Zhenhua's age, to serve as her guards.

Wu Qu smiled contentedly, expressing gratitude upon seeing them. He was even more grateful to see that Zhou Xuchuan had considered their gender.

Even without Zhou Xuchuan's offer, Wu Qu had already been thinking about asking Li Yicai to help him hire new escorts or maids.

Zhou Xuchuan gave Wu Zhenhua some information about the Phantoms before designating her and Wu Qu as their masters.

After that, the party had tea and chatted for a while.

Luo Xiaoyue and Wu Zhenhua were girls of a similar age, and they quickly became close. Moreover, their personalities matched well.

Seeing his daughter smile, Wu Qu excused himself, not wanting to disturb her, and left. Zhou Xuchuan followed shortly after, and the two of them spoke in the courtyard.

***

Little Ghost was the last of the Phantoms brought from the Valley of Phantoms' Hebei Branch, so Zhou Xuchuan’s next destination was the Shandong Branch, hoping to fill the ranks.

He needed to go there anyway to expand his territory.

This time, instead of bringing Luo Xiaoyue along, he left alone. Well, considering Little Ghost was his guide, technically speaking, he wasn't alone.

Either way, the Shandong Branch didn't have a situation where madmen were attacking Phantoms. The Hebei Branch was special to begin with.

There were forty Phantoms and a hundred Phantom Recruits at the Shandong Branch.

Because of this, Zhou Xuchuan found himself in a dilemma upon arriving at the Shandong Branch.

‘What should I do about the Phantom Recruits?’

The Phantom Training was by no means humane. He couldn't just let it continue.

In the case of the Hebei Branch, Jia Wuliang had such great willpower that he was successfully able to rebel and escape, but the Shandong Branch Phantom Recruits didn't have anyone like that.

They had given up everything, focusing solely on survival and obeying every command without question.

While Zhou Xuchuan could have turned a blind eye and let things be, he didn’t want to.

However, that didn't mean that he could just let them all go.

After much thought, he decided to come up with another option.

"From this point on, Mind-Killing is forbidden."

There was no one who could match the Phantoms in the art of assassination.

They were considered legends among the assassins for nothing.

While they would gain the best ability if they were able to overcome the Mind-Killing, the risk of failure was far too great.

The fact that it stripped them of their individuality and emotions continued to plague his conscience.

Although he didn't know what would happen after this new order, he wanted to leave them with something, at the very least, their humanity.

He also sent a letter to the Hebei Branch to inform them of this new order.

He had originally intended to send it to all the other branches, but since the process of Mind-Killing was so integral to the Valley of Phantoms, they required proof before carrying out the order.

"Hmm?"

While looking at the list of requests in the Shandong Branch, he came across a familiar name.

"Why is the Head Merchant listed here? You're not preparing to assassinate him, are you?"

"This is a request we received before obtaining the off-limits list a short while ago. We will be declining them all and paying the penalty."

Failing an assassination meant that the Valley would have to pay four to six times the request fee as a penalty while refusing the assassination after acceptance meant double the request fee as a penalty. Though the request fee for the Head Merchant's head wasn't small, the Valley of Phantoms' coffers weren't anything to be scoffed at, with more than enough to pay for it.

"So, the client is a Merchant from Jiangsu? It seems he requested this because he was losing his rice bowl after Yicai expanded his territory to Shandong."

As time passed, Li Yicai began to resemble the Merchant King. The only difference was that he shortened the time required by several decades. Zhou Xuchuan realized how scary a heaven-sent talent like Li Yicai could be once he was given funds.

Zhou Xuchuan left thirty Phantoms at the Shandong Branch, taking ten more Phantoms with him.

Upon returning to the Gold Will Merchants, he told Li Yicai the name of the one who had requested the assassination. Li Yicai's eyes lit up, and he thanked him.

While the merchant was still kissing up to Zhou Xuchuan, the moment he heard the name, his gaze turned as cold as ice.

"I guess more people must be targeting me now that the Gold Will Merchants are getting bigger. Besides, some of these people are empty-headed fools, which makes them really good prey.”

Sometimes, Li Yicai would smile eerily, just like he was doing now. When it came to money and profits, his cruelty was almost unnerving.

"It seems like fame is really exhausting. Not too long ago, there was someone who told me all these crazy things, like how they would allow us to take over all the commercial districts of the Central Plains."

Zhou Xuchuan’s hands trembled as he drank his tea.

“Who was it?”

"He didn't tell me his name but gave me ten taels of gold as a favor. While I quickly accepted it, I just listened to his request half-heartedly and forgot about it afterward. He said he would come back to find me later."

"Head Merchant, for the time being, please make sure that you thoroughly secure your company, both inside and out. Moreover, be careful of those you've hired recently."

"As expected of the Great Hero. You could tell that man was suspicious just from listening to my story!"

While it seemed as though he was flattering Zhou Xuchuan casually, that couldn't be further from the case. Li Yicai's eyes, buried deep within his fleshy face, glinted murderously.

"While you don't have to get my permission on how to proceed, I'd like to ask you to be careful in the future."

In Zhou Xuchuan's previous life, Li Yicai had dealt with this on his own without much damage during the Era of War and Chaos, and was able to grow the Gold Will Merchants and achieve incredible success.

There was no need to advise someone who would succeed even if left alone.

So, after giving him a vague yet appropriate warning, Zhou Xuchuan decided to move separately.

‘Has Twisted Melody begun his approach?’

Twisted Melody of the Seven Stars Division had received orders from Blessed Existence and the Dark Heavens Association Leader to preemptively plant moles in forces that may stand out in the future.

Before he planted his moles, he would always send someone to try and persuade them to join his forces.

It seemed it was his subordinate who had come this time.

Although Zhou Xuchuan couldn't be sure yet, it was likely.

The growth of the Gold Will Merchants.

The Gold Will Merchants had grown beyond recognition in the past few years and had begun to exert its influence not just in one region but throughout the Central Plains.

He didn't know how the Merchant King had resisted the Dark Heavens Association’s persuasion and protected his assets in his previous life, but he had to stop them in this one.

Otherwise, they would be attacked one day.

‘You won’t be able to do as you wish.’

He could still hear the screams whenever he closed his eyes.

The cries and screams of those who had died in a war that painted the whole world red.

Above them was the Dark Heavens Association, and below were countless sacrifices.

The Seven Stars Division, the Archive, and the Dark Heavens Association.

Vast Gate.

The time had come to counterattack, no, to attack. The first target was Vast Gate, the center of intelligence for the Dark Heavens Association.

The information that Twisted Melody was able to obtain by planting spies wasn't ordinary, but compared to the information that Vast Gate had at their fingertips, the amount was overwhelmingly small.

That was because the true identity of Vast Gate was one of the greatest intelligence forces within the murim.

The Xia Wu Sect (下五門).

In the murim, there was the Righteous Faction, Evil Faction, and Demonic Path.

However, there was one other faction called the Black Hand (黑道).

Despite its name, the Xia Wu Sect wasn't treated as a proper martial school in the world of the murim.

That was because, although it was called a sect, its members were made up of only those from the underbelly of society.

Starting from pickpockets who roamed the markets to courtesans, attendants, servants, even coachmen, slaves, and bottom-level grunts of the imperial army. One could guess what the Xia Wu Sect was like just by looking at its members.

It was a place where the lowest class of the murim gathered, and though their numbers were the highest among all sects, their solidarity was laughable.

Because they were the scum of society, things like benevolence and loyalty were just jokes to them.

However, since people of all kinds of professions had come together, their ability to gather intelligence was exceptional.[2]

The Xia Wu Sect Master, one of the Seven Stars!

The Xia Wu Sect's Sect Master was the true identity of Vast Gate.

Although the leader of the Xia Wu Sect was called a Sect Master, they were absolutely belittled because they were part of the Black Hand.

However, their true identity was one of the leaders of the Dark Heavens Association!

1. A reference to the gate a carp has to leap over to become a dragon. ☜

2. This is the same philosophy as to why the Beggar Gang is the intelligence arm of the Nine Sects and One Gang. ☜