Xuanxia

Chapter 358 Strange Mission
The interior of Xiyu Pavilion was also dark.

Wu Yan didn't know where Xiyu Pavilion was, but he knew that this place used to be an ancient tomb... an ancient tomb that had never seen the light of day.

He left the small room and walked into a long corridor.

His footsteps echoed on the stone walls, as if every step was awakening this ancient tomb that had been sleeping for thousands of years.

Walking slowly along the winding corridor, the air around me seemed to be frozen, with a cold and heavy breath. Every inch of land and every stone here seemed to be soaked in time and blood, exuding an indescribable chill.

Wu Yan's gaze lingered briefly on these totems, and then he continued to move forward... and soon he came to an open area, which turned out to be a huge underground cave.

The river flows gently and the wooden bridge creaks.

A winding stream flows quietly at the bottom of the cave, and the surface of the water is glowing with a faint blue light, as if it contains some mysterious power.

Across the stream was an ancient wooden bridge. The bridge was made of thick logs, and the bridge deck was covered with thick moss, making it a little slippery. There were no railings on either side of the bridge, only a few thick hemp ropes as handrails, which looked quite crude. However, it was this seemingly inconspicuous wooden bridge that connected the various important areas of the Xiyu Pavilion headquarters and was the only way for the killers to travel.

In this open cave, killers in red clothes pass by from time to time. They act alone or in groups, walking hurriedly with sharp eyes.

Wu Yan walked across the wooden bridge and passed through a series of stone doors, and finally came to the mysterious hall located in the deepest part of the ancient tomb... It was even darker here, and you could hardly see your hand in front of you. The walls of the hall were covered with black curtains, which were like shadows in the night, depressing and heavy.

In the center of the hall, a tall figure stood with his back to Wu Yan, as if blending into the surrounding darkness. His black robe appeared even darker under the dim candlelight, as if it had swallowed up all the light.

"Your honor."

Wu Yan called out.

He could feel the cold breath emanating from His Majesty, a coldness that penetrated deep into the bone marrow, as if it could freeze a person's soul.

"The new mission, the employer has changed hands many times, the source is unknown... It's still killing people, but not killing living people."

His Majesty did not turn around or look back, he just made a strange sound, which was not like a human voice at all, as if it came from another world, without a trace of human emotion, like the whisper of ancient gods, or the light sound of jade stones colliding with each other. It was impossible to tell whether the voice was male or female, young or old.

Wu Yan, however, had long been accustomed to the Lord's god-like tone, and did not even ask, but just waited quietly.

Because he knew that His Majesty did not like people asking questions, and even less did he like people interrupting him.

Sure enough, after a brief pause, His Excellency continued, "You are going to kill a dead man."

Wu Yan frowned slightly.

This was not a mission he could understand.

But he still waited calmly.

"Sixty-eight miles west of the capital, Huailin Village."

The Lord said calmly, "A man died in the village three days ago, but someone is worried. You go open the coffin. No matter whether the man in the coffin is dead or alive, or something else, kill him again."

"Remember, he's missing three fingers on his right hand and has a big burn scar on his neck."

"If there is no one in the coffin, send a message back and wait for news in the village."

This time, Wu Yan understood.

Although he didn't understand what "something else" meant, it didn't matter.

It's the same for anything that moves.

So he half-knelt on the ground and bowed his head in response.

"And one more thing."

At this time, His Majesty spoke again: "You mentioned that you wanted to kill a man named Fu Qingzhou."

Wu Yan was startled: "Yes."

"He's famous." His Majesty said calmly, "He's the leader of the Hidden Dragon Hundred Heroes Society. Hidden Dragon...an interesting name. Who could this dragon be?"

As he spoke, His Majesty, who had his back turned all the time, actually turned his head slightly.

He was still in the shadows and gloom, but the candlelight still illuminated a corner of his hair, and his snow-white beard was slightly fluttering, but his face was still not visible.

"Why do you want him dead?" he asked.

Wu Yan frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then answered: "The only time I failed was because of him."

This doesn't seem to be the answer Your Excellency wants.

He slowly turned his face back and said calmly: "Every killer will fail, and you are no exception. It doesn't matter... We only kill people during missions. When a mission is over, the people and things in the mission are also over."

This was another tactful rejection, and Wu Yan understood it.

He did not feel any disappointment, but just lowered his head and said yes again.

His Majesty stopped talking. The black curtain in the hall rose, hiding his figure and extinguishing the already weak candlelight. The hall finally turned into complete darkness. Only a jade tablet slid out from the curtain and stopped at Wu Yan.

……

Wu Yan, who had just completed a task, had to go on to the next task immediately without any chance to rest.

He had no complaints and was even looking forward to it.

Because the people who stayed in Xiyu Pavilion were just "statues".

Practitioners can go without food or water for a long time, and the killers here can naturally do the same.

They had only a tiny room in the attic, with nothing in it except a small bed.

Most importantly, it takes a long time before food and water are provided.

His Majesty said that the spiritual energy in Xiyu Pavilion is extremely abundant. As long as the willpower is strong enough, one can survive even if he or she is just breathing the spiritual energy... This is done to allow them to remain pure.

For a killer, purity is very important.

Wu Yan was also very simple. He had no problem with the small room and the boring wait, he was just hungry.

The one thing he hated most was being hungry.

Therefore, after receiving the new task, he couldn't wait to set off.

Just like when he came here, he followed the same path he had taken and returned to the small room - and the man in the black hat was still waiting there.

"coming."

He nodded slightly to Wu Yan: "Jade token."

Wu Yan handed over the jade token, and the man in the black hat reached out to take it. No one knew what he did, but a faint light immediately flashed on the jade token.

"I see. Interesting task."

As the man in the black hat spoke, he took out a pill from his arms and handed it to Wu Yan: "Do you need to change your sword?"

"Yes." Wu Yan said, "I have killed so many people that the hilt of the sword has become loose."

"Okay, I will arrange it."

The black hat man said in a flat and emotionless tone: "I wish you success in your mission."

Wu Yan swallowed the pill skillfully, walked into the hut, and lay down on the straw mat.

Soon, the dizziness came again like a tide, drowning him.

This pill is very powerful. Not only can it cause people to fall into a coma, but even when they wake up, they will not feel the passage of time, as if they were just dizzy for a while.

Therefore, Wu Yan had taken this medicine countless times in the past and had never had a dream.

But this time, he had a dream for unknown reasons.

In his dream, he seemed to have returned to his childhood.

The tightly closed door was opened, and a ray of sunlight shone in, shining on him.

Then, he heard others shouting in fear, vomiting, and cursing...

But he didn't understand what was wrong with him.

If you're hungry, shouldn't you eat?

The dream was very short, and it seemed like just a moment of distraction before Wu Yan woke up.

The sun caught his eyes, causing him to tilt his head.

This is a mountain forest. Judging from the sun, it should be noon.

A brand new rapier lay beside him, shining coldly.

The red clothes on him turned into an ordinary linen clothes. After all, he came to the village on a mission. It was not a job that required quick advance and retreat or killing and running away. Moreover, the mission did not indicate whose family the "dead person" belonged to or where he was buried. He just had to conduct a simple investigation. Wearing a red dress was really too ostentatious.

Wu Yan picked up the rapier, stood up and looked into the distance - not far below the mountain was a cluster of small villages with smoke rising from the chimneys.

He knew that he had arrived at the mission location.

Sixty-eight miles west of the capital is Huailin Village.

(End of this chapter)