Chapter 41: Chapter 41: The Scions of Southwind City: Assassination
He had wanted to ask where it ca from, but the words that left his mouth were, "You want to sell this thing?"
"Yes," Su Chen said with a shy smile. "I don’t know where the black market is. Besides, I’m young, and I’m afraid of getting ripped off."
"If it’s not too much trouble, could you help
buy so Black Fla Potions after you sell it?"
’He’s putting on quite an act,’ Fatty Sun grumbled internally. After a mont of thought, he said, "If you need Potions, don’t sell it on the black market. We’ll just say you confiscated it."
"When you turn in confiscated items, you can get internal Inspectorate points equivalent to fifty percent of the market price. But this thing is contraband, so it doesn’t have a normal market price. I can give you a higher rate."
"When you use internal Inspectorate points to redeem Potion-type support items, it’s also a fifty percent discount off the market price. Plus, this will count as a minor contribution on your record."
’Two birds with one stone,’ Su Chen thought. Understanding the logic, his respect for the man grew. "I’ll have to trouble you then, Brother Sun."
"It’s a small matter. I’ll take care of it for you." Fatty Sun left with a broad smile.
’Everything seems different now that I’m Yuan Chenyang’s student.’
Su Chen sighed to himself. After a short rest, when it was about ti, he left and headed for the address on the invitation.
The Qing’an Hotel was located in the center of Southwind City, almost directly beneath the artificial light source.
Though it was evening, the area was still brightly lit. Private hover cars of all shapes and sizes ca and went, their passengers alighting in magnificent attire.
Su Chen arrived in a car from the Inspectorate. As he got out, he looked up, and his gaze fell upon the artificial light source suspended in the sky.
Its proper na was the Do Light. Southwind City lacked the technology to manufacture it; it ca from Ying Feng.
From what little he knew, much of Southwind City’s technology originated from Ying Feng, an imasurably vast gacity that held dominion over Southwind City and others like it.
After he presented the invitation, a waiter led him upstairs. The party was being held in a private suite. As he pushed open the door, soft music drifted out. A number of people had already arrived, and they were all quite young.
When they saw the door open, their conversations ceased. All eyes turned to him, filled with a mixture of curiosity, confusion, and surprise.
"Ah, it’s Su Chen..." soone suddenly called out, approaching him enthusiastically. He then introduced him to the others, "This is Inspector General Yuan’s new student. He’s the one who went undercover, retrieved the stolen Holy Word Stone, and slaughtered the Cyan Scale Lion Group."
So faces showed dawning comprehension, others remained indifferent, while a few looked even more surprised.
They were not unfamiliar with the na. Almost everyone here knew that Zhou Zhong had died not long ago.
Despite their varied feelings, they began to introduce themselves one by one. A student of Yuan Chenyang was qualified to stand among them.
"...Shi Haqiang..."
"Vice Minister Shi of the Exploration Departnt’s second son..."
"...Zhu Mingxu..."
"The eldest son of Minister Zhu of the Patrol Departnt..."
"...Tian Lan..."
"Vice Minister Tian of the Research Departnt’s third daughter..."
As each person ca forward, the young man beside him would whisper their background.
After the introductions, the group dispersed. No one lingered to chat with him, except for the fellow at his side.
"I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Du Yu." He had a buzz cut and sharp eyebrows. He lowered his voice. "My father is one of the Vice Ministers of Inspection and an old subordinate of Minister Yuan."
’Oh... so based on his background, he should be on my side,’ Su Chen realized.
"Don’t mind them," Du Yu said. "They just don’t know you very well."
He said this because everyone else was gathered in small groups, leaving the two of them standing alone.
Su Chen didn’t mind. These were all scions of powerful families. A few of their fathers were even on par with Old Yuan. There was no reason for them to be overly friendly to him.
’He’s taking it well...’ Du Yu looked at him, rather surprised. What he didn’t ntion was that their coldness was also partly due to Su Chen’s status as a refugee.
More guests trickled in, and the two of them found a corner to hang back in.
"This is good... The at is really tender..." Su Chen sampled the delicacies nonstop. Since he’d arrived in this world, the best al he’d had was the one at Jiang He’s ho.
From ti to ti, secretive glances were cast their way, followed by the subtle shaking of heads.
The party’s atmosphere remained peaceful, until—
"Hengyu’s here!"
Soone shouted, and the indifferent masks on the faces of the crowd seed to lt away. They strode quickly toward the entrance, their faces wreathed in smiles.
’Zhang Hengyu...’ Su Chen couldn’t help but look over to get a glimpse of the talented young man who had taken the fall for him twice.
He bore a strong resemblance to the City Lord, but his deanor seed cold. His face was devoid of expression as his eyes scanned the room.
Following behind him was a tall woman. She wore a gentle smile, her lips were a fiery red, and her eyes were captivating.
GULP!
Su Chen clearly heard soone gulp beside him.
eting Su Chen’s knowing gaze, Du Yu gave an embarrassed smile and quickly explained, "That’s Zhang Yunqing. She has a nasty personality. We’ve all been on the receiving end of her wrath before."
"Of course, for our younger selves, that kind of older-sister type was absolutely lethal."
"However..." Du Yu changed the subject, feigning a thoughtful expression. "She left for Ying Feng a long ti ago but suddenly ca back four months ago. No one knows why."
With the arrival of Zhang Hengyu and Zhang Yunqing, the party seed to find its center, and everyone gathered around them.
Zhang Hengyu looked uncomfortable, but Zhang Yunqing was completely at ease, occasionally sharing amusing anecdotes and keeping the atmosphere lively.
As the conversation deepened, Zhang Yunqing brought up Ying Feng, and Su Chen listened intently.
The gap between the people at the bottom and this group wasn’t just a matter of wealth, power, or Talent.
Many of the things Zhang Yunqing spoke of were matters Su Chen would have had no way of learning about otherwise.
He didn’t even know about many of the topics the group had been discussing earlier.
For example, Tier One Top-level Professions.
Su Chen was only just learning that even in Ying Feng, Tier One Top-level Professions were exceedingly rare—fewer than five, it seed. Each one was strictly controlled and could only be obtained after passing nurous screenings.
But at Tier Two, they didn’t beco rarer; in fact, there were more. At Tier Three, however, they beca scarce again.
"Tier One is the start of a Profession. It’s like seeking perfection within a limited scope, which is extrely difficult," Zhang Yunqing explained. "By Tier Two and Tier Three, the stage is much larger, making it easier for Top Level Professions to erge."
"However, this ’ease’ is only relative."
’No wonder Old Yuan reacted that way...’ Su Chen thought, clicking his tongue. ’If I hadn’t attributed the source of my Top-tier Profession to Yuan Chenyang, I would have been in a lot of trouble.’
He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but as she spoke about this, Zhang Yunqing’s gaze seed to flicker toward him from ti to ti.
"But within any given tier, one shouldn’t obsess over achieving a Top Level Profession. I’ve seen many people with decent Talent strive for those Top-tier Professions," Zhang Yunqing said, a sad look on her face. "In the end, they died trying to et the advancent requirents."
"Top-tier Professions are powerful, yes, but they are almost twice as difficult to obtain as Upper-tier Professions."
Su Chen couldn’t agree more. He had nearly died when he was becoming a Secret Artifact Master.
She couldn’t help but emphasize, "Besides, no matter how amazing your Profession is, it’s almost impossible to defeat soone with an ordinary Profession from the Upper Tier."
"Is there sothing wrong with Zhang Hengyu?" Su Chen turned and whispered. "Why does he keep staring at ?"
Du Yu, who had been engrossed in the "gentle teachings" of the "older sister," glanced over and grinned. "He’s just curious."
"I heard from my dad that if it weren’t for your refugee status, the position to go to Ying Feng might not have gone to him."
"He’s a bit single-minded. He can’t accept winning like that. I bet he wants to defeat you in a direct confrontation to prove himself."
"You guys know about that?" Su Chen asked, surprised.
Du Yu waved his hand dismissively. "It’s only known among the top brass, so don’t worry. Since the City Lord has already given his word, no one will dare to cross him."
"Doesn’t he know I took out the entire Cyan Scale Lion Group, aside from their leader?" Su Chen asked.
"That was real?" Du Yu was stunned.
Su Chen was speechless.
Du Yu stared at him in amazent. "The rumors circulating outside are just too wild," he explained. "They say you wiped out the entire lion group in under a minute and that you scared the leader into fleeing. Only a Tier Two Professional should be capable of that."
Su Chen understood. There had been plenty of witnesses, but the outlandish rumors, passed from one person to another, had ironically made the truth seem less believable.
He figured that few people here actually believed the stories.
"A toast to Hengyu’s future success in Ying Feng..." Zhang Yunqing raised her glass. The crowd echoed her sentint, and waiters moved through the throng, offering drinks.
Su Chen and Du Yu didn’t want to stand out, so they each took a glass from a passing waiter.
But just as they raised their glasses, Su Chen’s expression shifted. His left hand shot out and yanked Du Yu.
Du Yu looked dazed. Before he could react, he felt an imnse force on his body. His vision spun, and he was sent flying backward.
At the sa mont, Su Chen raised his right hand. Silently, cyan-gold tal threads coiled around his forearm.
CLANG!
Sparks flew from the impact. The waiter beside him had produced a slender, sickly green dagger from beneath his tal tray and lunged straight for him.
Simultaneously, another waiter across from them launched an attack.
"You’re courting death!" A fierce light flashed in Su Chen’s eyes as he locked onto the target with Spiritual Spike.
The assassin attacking from the front faltered, freezing in place.
Twisting at the waist, Su Chen spun and threw a punch.
BANG!
With the sickening crunch of cracking bone, the assassin behind him crumpled, his chest caved in and his eyes bulging. He was dead before he hit the floor.
A single tal thread split off from his arm, wrapped around the dagger, and with a sharp tug, sent it flying like a dart. It struck the other assassin in the head, but with the hilt, not the blade.
THWACK!
The man fell backward, blood gushing from his forehead.
It had all happened in a flash. By the ti Du Yu processed what had occurred, he could only see two bodies on the floor.
"Ass... assassins!?" he stamred, crying out in shock.
As a fellow Tier One Professional, he had barely been able to react.
The other guests finally turned around, bewildered. The sight of Su Chen, his arm dripping blood, and the corpses on the ground, sent a jolt of horror through them.
Zhang Hengyu’s pupils contracted. Zhang Yunqing narrowed her captivating, almond-shaped eyes.
SWOOSH—
From behind a nearby curtain, a shadow shot out abruptly. It moved like a silent, venomous snake that had been lying in wait for the perfect mont to deliver a fatal strike.
It was so fast that Su Chen could hardly react.
’A Tier Two Professional!’ was the only thought that flashed through his mind.
But even faster than his thought was the sight of the assassin being sent flying backward.
BOOM!
The man was embedded in the wall, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Su Chen looked at the figure standing before him, his bald head gleaming under the lights.
’I knew it...’ he thought, twitching his lips, but still cried out excitedly, "Teacher!"
"Black Tuo will always be watching you!" the figure embedded in the wall roared, his bloodshot eyes locked on Su Chen. "You ruined Black Tuo’s plan! Black Tuo will not forgive you! Just you wait!"
He broke into a fit of maniacal laughter as blood began to seep from his eyes. His body convulsed, and then he went still.
BANG!
The doors to the banquet hall burst open, and fully ard Inspector Guards rushed in to secure the bodies.
"This one’s still alive," an Inspector Guard reported, indicating the man who had been struck in the head with the dagger’s hilt.
"Oh..." Yuan Chenyang glanced over. "Take him back for questioning."
It was only then that the other guests seed to snap out of their shock.
"Inspector General Yuan, what was that?" Zhang Yunqing ca forward to ask, her displeased gaze sweeping over Su Chen.
"Nothing. Just an assassination attempt," Yuan Chenyang said, his face impassive.
Just... an assassination attempt?
Everyone looked at Su Chen with complicated expressions. Judging by where the bodies had fallen, they knew how close a call it had been.
Yet Su Chen had dealt with two of them before they had even turned their heads. His reaction speed and decisiveness were startling, and he looked completely unfazed.
’Are all refugees this ferocious?’
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