Chapter 65: Misplaced Passion

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Misplaced Passion

Only then did Yi Xiaoyao realize that the difficulty of his mission had been elevated to this level.

"Since Elder Linjie arranged for me to undertake this mission, he naturally has his reasons. There’s no need for you to worry, Shopkeeper."

A mission of this difficulty was nothing to Yi Xiaoyao, of course, but he wasn’t about to waste his breath explaining that to the Shopkeeper.

The Shopkeeper shook his head and said, "Elder Linjie was a great benefactor to me, and I can see your relationship with him is not a shallow one. Since he sent you here to me, I naturally understand his intentions."

It turned out the Shopkeeper had misunderstood, thinking Lin Jie wanted him to help Yi Xiaoyao pull some strings and become a two-star assassin directly.

Yi Xiaoyao understood what he was implying and smiled. "Shopkeeper, you’ve misunderstood. You just need to give me the mission details."

"No need to worry, young man. I’ll keep this a secret for you. Just stay here for a few days, and you’ll be a two-star assassin."

The Shopkeeper chuckled knowingly, giving him a look that said, ’You get me’.

"You can do that?" Yi Xiaoyao asked, surprised.

"Of course," the Shopkeeper explained. "Ten people accepted this mission, and it just so happens my daughter is one of them. After she completes it, I’ll have her give you credit for her work. It’s that simple."

Yi Xiaoyao was speechless. So this could be faked, too. The Shopkeeper’s misunderstanding was getting deeper and deeper.

"Shopkeeper, you’ve truly misunderstood. I have to carry out this mission myself. Please, just tell me the details now!"

Yi Xiaoyao knew the man meant well, but he detested this kind of dealing, and his tone grew impatient.

The Shopkeeper sighed softly. ’How could he possibly believe Yi Xiaoyao could handle a two-star mission with a Cultivation of only the Foundation Establishment Second Realm? If something happened to Yi Xiaoyao, how could he ever face his benefactor, Lin Jie?’

But Yi Xiaoyao’s attitude was resolute; he was clearly determined to take the mission. Left with no choice, the Shopkeeper decided to relay the details, hoping Yi Xiaoyao would understand the difficulty and back down.

"In the region of Gui Mountain City, there is a Spirit Stone Vein. The vein is protected by thirty guards at the Foundation Establishment Fourth Realm. Eight of these guards carry a Mine Key on their person."

"For this mission, ten participants are to assassinate these thirty Foundation Establishment Fourth Realm guards and obtain those eight keys."

"In the end, only those who obtain and turn in a key will be considered to have completed the mission."

When he finished speaking, the Shopkeeper looked at Yi Xiaoyao, hoping he would give up on the mission and just obediently accept his offer to cheat.

But Yi Xiaoyao’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest. He looked at the Shopkeeper and asked, "So you’re saying that out of ten participants, only eight can complete the mission in the end?"

"Exactly! For this mission, each person will need to assassinate an average of three enemies at the Foundation Establishment Fourth Realm. It’s incredibly dangerous. Are you still planning to participate, young man?" the Shopkeeper asked.

"Of course. When does it start?" Yi Xiaoyao replied.

The Shopkeeper sighed. "The mission is tonight. You can set out as soon as the others arrive."

Yi Xiaoyao nodded, found a table, and sat down to wait.

The Shopkeeper thought for a moment, then turned and went into the back room.

A moment later, Yi Xiaoyao thought he heard the sound of arguing. Immediately after, a young woman about Luo Yi’s age walked out.

The young woman was quite beautiful, and she marched up to Yi Xiaoyao, fuming, and pointed a finger at him.

"Protect him? Dad, are you kidding me?! You actually expect me to protect someone at the Foundation Establishment Second Realm during such a dangerous mission!"

The Shopkeeper rushed over and grabbed the young woman’s arm, his tone firm. "Ping’Er, are you not even going to listen to your father? You must protect this young man during tonight’s operation!"

"Why should I?! He’s some guy at the Foundation Establishment Second Realm who doesn’t know his own limits and accepted a two-star mission. What’s that got to do with me!" The young woman was so furious her chest heaved.

Yi Xiaoyao finally lost his patience. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "When did I ever say I needed protection? Whether or not I’m biting off more than I can chew has nothing to do with you. Just worry about yourselves!"

The Shopkeeper quickly turned to Yi Xiaoyao with an apologetic smile. "Young man, please don’t be angry. My daughter doesn’t know how to watch her words. It’s my fault for spoiling her."

Yi Xiaoyao couldn’t be bothered to respond and walked out of the building.

From inside, the arguing continued.

"Dad, the man himself said he doesn’t need my protection. Can you please stop being so presumptuous?"

"Elder Linjie was our benefactor. This young man was sent by him. If you understand what it means to repay a debt of gratitude, you will protect him."

"Fine. If I agree to protect him, you have to promise me something: stop letting the Lin Family send people over with marriage proposals."

"I promise you."

The two inside finally reached a compromise, and silence returned.

Yi Xiaoyao stood outside, hands clasped behind his back. Suddenly, the faint, sweet fragrance of a young woman drifted to him from behind.

"Hey. During the mission tonight, you stick close to me. That’s the only way I can do my best to keep you safe," the young woman said to Yi Xiaoyao.

Upon hearing her words, Yi Xiaoyao just gave a resigned smile and ignored her.

’Him, Yi Xiaoyao, needing protection from a girl at the Foundation Establishment Fourth Realm?’

"My name is Ye Ping. Call me if you run into any trouble." Leaving him with those words, the young woman gave a soft huff and went back inside.

A short while later, eight young men arrived at the tavern one after another.

"Ye Ping, isn’t it supposed to be ten people? Why is one of them still not here?"

A burly young man asked Ye Ping, who was still sulking.

Ye Ping shot him a glance and pointed to Yi Xiaoyao outside.

"That’s him. Except his Cultivation is only at the Foundation Establishment Second Realm."

Instantly, all eight young men froze, their expressions turning cold.

"Foundation Establishment Second Realm? Are you kidding me!"

"How can someone with such a low Cultivation level take on a two-star mission? Are the people in the Mission Hall blind?"

"This mission was already going to be difficult enough! The nine of us at the Foundation Establishment Fourth Realm might not even be able to pull it off, and now they’ve added someone who’s just going to drag us down!"

Grumbling and cursing, a few of them walked over to Yi Xiaoyao and sized him up.

"Kid, if you’re looking to get yourself killed, find another way to do it. Don’t drag us down! Now scram!"

The burly young man, who seemed to be the most aggressive and likely the strongest of the group, pointed at Yi Xiaoyao and barked.

Yi Xiaoyao’s icy gaze fell upon him. "If you keep running your mouth," he said coldly, "I don’t mind shutting it for you. Permanently."

"Kid, you dare talk to me like that?!"

The burly youth flew into a rage. ’A mere Foundation Establishment Second Realm punk dares to be this arrogant with me, someone at the Foundation Establishment Fourth Realm? He’s courting death!’

"Lin Chuang, shut your mouth!"

The tavern’s Shopkeeper came out and yelled at the burly young man, "It’s time for the mission! Get going!"

The burly young man named Lin Chuang snorted coldly and said to Yi Xiaoyao in a menacing tone, "Kid, with that pathetic level of Cultivation, even if we let you tag along, you’ll never get a key and complete the mission."

With that, Lin Chuang led the other young men and disappeared into the night.

Yi Xiaoyao watched their retreating figures, his eyes narrowing slightly. No one knew what was going through his mind.

Ye Ping stomped her foot in frustration, then turned back to Yi Xiaoyao. "Follow me."

As he was new here and didn’t know the way to the mission location, Yi Xiaoyao followed closely behind Ye Ping.