Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 209 "The Deal"

Lin Jiang frowned as he stared at the person in front of him.

"Are you a severing ties?"

"I am," the man said without hesitation.

How did you get into the capital?

"We came in through the main entrance," Duan Libie said. "We went through the formalities and just walked in like that."

"They actually let you into the capital? Aren't you an assassin?"

"Why can't I enter the capital?" Duan Libie looked puzzled. "I'm not here to kill anyone. I came through the proper channels."

Lin Jiang's words caught in his throat for a moment.

Upon reflection, he realized there was nothing wrong with what he said.

If it were truly through legitimate channels, the city guards would have no reason to obstruct it.

"If you're not going to kill anyone, what are you doing here?" Lin Jiang asked.

Duan Libie's expression remained unchanged: "You came looking for my thumb ring. You took it."

His tone was too matter-of-fact, as if he had simply forgotten to pick up something he had left at a friend's house.

"You were planning to kill me, so why should I return your things?"

Lin Jiang was also perfectly justified.

“You’re right, so we can trade something else for it.” Duan Libie was more frank than Lin Jiang: “What do you want? Or who do you want to kill? I can help you with anything.”

"You're not going to argue?" Lin Jiang was surprised.

"What is there to defend yourself with? This is what I do for a living. The attack on you that day was just a business transaction, not a personal grudge."

They felt no difference whatsoever from the separation, and added:

"You might resent me for this, but I don't care. I just want that ring back."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiang couldn't help but glance at Duan Libie a few more times.

He hadn't expected this assassin to have such a personality.

"Aren't you afraid I'll destroy that ring right now?"

Upon hearing this, a different expression finally appeared on Duan Libie's face.

He stared intently at Lin Jiang, his eyebrows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"You won't, because it wouldn't benefit you at all."

"Some things cannot be judged solely by interests."

"Then you can?"

“…Alright, I really don’t know how.” Lin Jiang hesitated for a moment, then said, “It’s not a good place to talk, let’s go somewhere else.”

"it is good."

Lin Jiang and Gong Xuan led the way, with Duan Libie following behind. Gong Xuan couldn't help but glance at Duan Libie a few more times, then lowered his voice and asked:
"Young master, are you really going to make a deal with this man?"

"Why not?" Lin Jiang said, "Killing is forbidden in the capital, and fighting is prohibited in the city. That ring is useless in my hands, so let's talk and see what he wants."

The three of them continued on their way.

Gongxuan was initially curious about the destination, but soon recognized it as the direction of the teahouse where they had previously drunk tea, and immediately understood Lin Jiang's plan.

Since we don't trust Duan Libie, we might as well take him directly to Manager Guo's territory.

This is the perfect place to do business.

Before long, the three of them stopped at the entrance of the teahouse.

The middle-aged innkeeper who had previously served him looked puzzled when he saw that it was Lin Jiang. When Lin Jiang suggested renting a room, his gaze naturally turned to Duan Libie in the back.

The shopkeeper pondered for a moment and said:
"Please wait a moment, young master, while I go and consult my master."

"You go."

The shopkeeper hurried towards the backyard. Duan Libie's gaze fell upon the large courtyard in front of him.

"It looks quite elegant."

"It's a pity this tea isn't very good," Lin Jiang said regretfully.

"Tea? I'm not really used to drinking it."

"So what do you like? Alcohol?"

“I don’t like drinking either.” Duan Libie paused for a moment, lost in thought: “Alcohol is forbidden in my hometown.”

"Not being allowed to drink alcohol takes away a lot of the fun."

Gong Xuan shook his head; this was truly terrifying for someone who couldn't drink alcohol.

Duan Libie remained silent, neither approving nor denying, just as he had done before.

After a short while, the middle-aged man hurriedly came out of the room, his face beaming with smiles, and respectfully said to Lin Jiang:

"The master said that the room can be rented to you, but it won't be free; you need to buy a pot of tea first."

"How much silver?"

"One hundred taels."

Lin Jiang's eyebrows twitched slightly without him realizing it.
"Your tea isn't very good, but it's really expensive."

"The master anticipated that you would say this, and asked me to tell you: after drinking this fair tea, you don't have to worry about anyone lying in your room, not even a master."

Lin Jiang didn't say anything more, and took out a hundred-tael silver note from his pocket and handed it over.

The man took the silver note and immediately led the way, quickly bringing the group back to the room where he had spoken with Boss Guo earlier.

He served some different kinds of tea, poured them, and then left.

Lin Jiang stared at the tea, watching the qi (vital energy) within it permeate and envelop the entire room.

Boss Guo has clearly used his Taoist skills.

"Can we continue now?" Duan Libie asked.

“Okay.” Lin Jiang took out the emerald green thumb ring from his pocket. “You want this?” “Yes.”

Duan Libie's gaze was instantly captured by the ring. Lin Jiang clearly saw him raise his hand, but he suppressed his impulse and just stared at it intently.

"What exactly is the effect of this thing that makes you want to travel all the way to the capital to talk business with me?"

"It's just an ordinary object, useless to others, but very important to me."

"And yet you didn't protect it properly," Gong Xuan muttered.

Duan Libie immediately turned to look at Gong Xuan:

"I protected him well. If you want to ask, ask your companion what kind of technique he used."

Lin Jiang thought about it and realized that he had simply wrapped the summer heat in his hands; he hadn't used any special techniques.

"Alright then." Lin Jiang pondered for a moment and decided to try severing ties first:

“Whoever tried to kill me last time, I’ll kill them too. If you can kill them, I’ll give this to you.”

“That won’t do.” Duan Libie shook his head: “It’s against the rules.”

"What rules?"

“I can’t kill my previous employer,” Duan Libie insisted. “But if you can find out his name and hire me to kill him, I can take the job.”

"What's the difference?"

"There is a difference; the tasks are separate and cannot be mixed up."

"You, a dignified Star Pointer, are subject to so many restrictions?"

“Precisely because it is a star, one must adhere to one’s principles.” Duan Libie explained seriously, “Here, this old bastard who has taken your money will do everything in his power to protect your business. If you make a move here, he will attack me along with you, even if you only pay a hundred taels.”

Lin Jiang frowned:
"You've already chosen a star, yet you still feel so uncomfortable?"

“This is the Way. Once you’ve been chosen, you must walk the Way,” Duan Libie said. “But he could have refused the deal or asked for more money; the rules aren’t entirely strict.”

Lin Jiang rubbed the ring against his fingers:
"I want one million taels of silver."

“One million taels…” Duan Libie was clearly taken aback, and subconsciously glanced at Gong Xuan, as if he had realized something.

But he immediately shook his head:
"I don't have that much money."

"You, an old-fashioned penny-pincher, have no money?"

“I never take money; I give it all to my subordinates. But that’s their money, not mine. I will never take money from them.”

At this point, Duan Libie paused, looked at Lin Jiang, and said:
"Besides, you don't actually really want this million taels, do you?"

"How do you know I'm not really a hedonist?" Lin Jiang shrugged. "That's a million taels of silver! Enough for me to live a life of revelry every night in the capital."

“You just don’t want a million taels of silver, because it won’t actually help him at all.” Duan Libie pointed at Gong Xuan: “The money is what you earned, it has nothing to do with him, understand?”

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiang's face immediately showed a look of realization.

According to Liang Huashan, what Gongxuan sought was to break his own destiny and provide him with the money he earned. It seemed like he was helping him make money, but in reality, it wasn't his money and did nothing to help him break through his destiny.

Lin Jiang looked at Duan Libie with a strange expression:
"You're quite helpful."

“It’s not enthusiasm, it’s a transaction,” Duan Libie said. “That’s how that bastard’s method works. If neither of us can find what we truly seek, the transaction will never stop. It will bother you and ruin me.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiang's opinion of Boss Guo changed considerably.

Although the tea he prepared was indeed terrible, Boss Guo really got things done for the money.

“I know what you want,” Duan Libie said. “I certainly can’t afford a million silver coins, but I know the locations of two treasures. If we can find them, the amount of silver coins will not be small.”

"tell me the story."

"The first place is the treasure trove of the former Zhou Dynasty. When the Zhou Dynasty was on the verge of destruction, its national teacher used magical means to seal the entire Zhou treasure trove on the other side of the distant and unseen shore. Countless treasure hunters have tried to obtain it, but all have returned empty-handed."

"I had no interest in this place at first, but later I killed a man from Biebao and got some fairly comprehensive clues from him, so I kept them on me and didn't go looking for them."

"Second..."

He paused here when he said "breaking off ties":

“It’s a treasure from my hometown, called the Golden Elephant King’s Extravagance. I know the exact location of this treasure, and you can go and find it if you want it.”

Only after saying goodbye did he look at Lin Jiang and Gong Xuan:
"What would you two like?"

Lin Jiang and Gong Xuan exchanged a glance.

A moment later, Lin Jiang turned his head to look at Duan Libie:

"Of course... I want them all."

Upon hearing Lin Jiang's words, Duan Libie's expression, which had remained largely unchanged, subtly shifted.

“Treasure, treasure, it’s still hidden. How can I be sure if these things have already been found? Or what you’re giving me is real or fake?” Lin Jiang shook his head: “I even think that you’re not being sincere enough by only bringing out two headless clues.”

“This is the inner workings of the business. If I were lying, he would come out and warn you.” Duan Libie concealed the strange expression on his face and continued to speak calmly.

“I believe you are not lying, but the clues you have may not be true.”

Finally, they stopped talking.

He remained silent for a long time before finally sighing.

He reached into his robes and pulled out a short sword.

“I can tell you the clues from both places, and I can also have him follow you until you find the treasure.”

The short sword hummed on the table, and spoke in a strange Daxing dialect:

"I've met a few of them."

Then came silence.

"This is my usual weapon, a star-pointing weapon. If you really find nothing in both treasures, then I will give it to you."

Lin Jiang stared at the precious artifact on the table.

At this moment, Boss Guo did not come out to remind him, so it is likely that this treasure is genuine.

He considered the situation in his mind:
"can."