Yuan’s Ascension

"Thousand Mountains, you look eager to begin." Custodian Qin said curiously, sensing a shift in Wu Yuan's emotions. Who exactly was this Thousand Mountains?

"Haha, Custodian Qin, assassination is essentially a fight, and I, for one, crave a good fight." Wu Yuan said with a grin, "How can one progress swiftly without engaging in battles? The limits of martial arts are meant to be broken through life-and-death battles."

The term 'martial fanatic' immediately came to Custodian Qin's mind.

Little did he know that Wu Yuan had long planned to create the persona of an arrogant and self-absorbed martial artist who was wholeheartedly obsessed with martial arts for his alter ego within the underground organization. It was distinctly different from his public identity as Wu Yuan. With this, he could hide his identity under another layer of disguise, keeping it secret for longer.

"Your thirst for battle is commendable. The Pleiades Guild needs talents like you," Custodian Qin said encouragingly, his admiration for Wu Yuan evident in his words.

"Thousand Mountains, before we delve into the specifics of the missions, I have something for you." He retrieved a badge from a box in the room and handed it to Wu Yuan, "This is your identity badge."

Without hesitation, Wu Yuan accepted the badge, running his fingers over its surface. Crafted from a unique material, the badge was completely azure, with a subtle crimson glow. The front was engraved with a seven-story building, while on the back were three stars, and beneath them was a series of tiny characters. Wu Yuan made it out to be his ID. This was a three-star assassin badge of the Pleiades Guild.

"Once you've completed your first mission, I will formally register your ID with the higher echelons, ensuring that every branch of the Pleiades Guild across the Jiang Continent acknowledges your membership."

"From that moment forth, you may use this badge to undertake missions at any Pleiades Guild branch within the Jiang Continent." Custodian Qin pointed at the token and said, "It will also serve as your sole proof of identity."

"In the event of your demise and the badge falls into the wrong hands, it may be used to impersonate you," Custodian Qin cautioned, his tone turning serious. "Hence, during your visits to different branches, there may be instances where you are required to demonstrate your strength to confirm your identity. Please understand, this procedure is merely a routine check, and not specifically targeted at you. Do you comprehend?"

Wu Yuan nodded subtly, signaling his understanding. "Affirmative."

In a world much like the Middle Ages, where transportation was arduous and communication was primitive, even the greatest of nations and sacred sects were not immune to impostors pretending to be important figures. And in an underground organization like the Pleiades Guild, such deception would likely be even more widespread. Thus, identity verification was unavoidable.

"When I become an official member, will I be able to undertake missions from other continents?" Wu Yuan asked.

Custodian Qin smiled and replied, "No, unless you rise to the rank of a five-star assassin, affiliate members of the guild are not permitted to take on missions from other continents. Managing such arrangements would be far too cumbersome."

"However, if you happen to journey to other continents in the future, you can create an additional identity at the guild branches there without any conflict," Custodian Qin spoke candidly.

Wu Yuan was left speechless. Was this a subtle hint from an administrator that he could have an alternate account? Either way, he wasn’t overly concerned about these restrictions. The Jiang Continent alone was vast enough to provide him with plenty of experiences.

After Wu Yuan stored away the badge, Custodian Qin handed him a file containing a list of missions. "You have yet to officially join the guild, thus you can only access a portion of the assassination missions. You may undertake any two-star or three-star mission, but none rated higher or lower."

"Upon successful completion of each mission, you will receive corresponding rewards. Most rewards are in silver, but you can also choose to receive merits."

"Merits are unique to the Pleiades Guild and can be exchanged for items that cannot be bought with silver, such as blade techniques or secret techniques created by a Grandmaster, natural treasures to aid cultivation, and specialized training environments," Custodian Qin chuckled, "If you accumulate enough merits, theoretically, you could even occupy the seat of the guild master."

"The position of the guild master?" Wu Yuan was mildly surprised. An affiliate member could become the guild master?

"Don't be shocked, the Pleiades Guild does not belong to any one person or clan. In some aspects, the Pleiades Guild is a congregation of those accustomed to acting in the shadows, with thousands of years of heritage and interwoven rules imposing many restrictions and constraints on the upper echelons." Custodian Qin elaborated. "The guild master holds a term of office, they don’t have as much authority as you imagine."

Understanding began to dawn on Wu Yuan. He reached out and took the scroll from Custodian Qin, opening it immediately. Simple descriptions of various missions were written on it. For example, a two-star mission to assassinate a certain clan elder of a large family offered a reward of 8000 silver taels or 4000 merits. A two-star mission to slay a certain cavalier wreaking havoc in someone's territory offered a reward of 2000 silver taels or 1000 merits.

...The rewards are quite meager. Wu Yuan shook his head.

These two-star missions were not to be taken lightly, especially for third-rate Adepts. Take the assassination of a family chieftain, for example. Regardless of the chieftain’s strength, the defensive measures implemented by these large families alone would make escape nearly impossible once the assassin was discovered. After risking life and limb, the meager reward of a few thousand silver taels hardly seemed worth it.

Without a guarantee of success, how long could one continue to tempt fate with such dangerous missions?

Making money is not easy at all. Wu Yuan lamented quietly. However, these tasks present no challenge to me.

With Wu Yuan's prowess, these two-star missions were a walk in the park. He had no interest in them at all.

Hmm, there are protection missions? Glancing over the remaining tasks, one of them caught his attention. It involved protecting a municipality for six months, and the reward could be claimed if the municipality leader remained alive for that period.

"Since you can pay Pleiades Guild to kill, naturally, you can also pay Pleiades Guild to protect," Custodian Qin chuckled. "There are even several high-ranking missions where teams of experts are hired to venture into dangerous regions."

"As long as you're willing to pay the price, the Pleiades Guild will do anything."

Wu Yuan nodded slightly. This was a special aspect of the Pleiades Guild as compared to Ninedeaths Circle. Their actions were more varied, more like an intermediary agency rather than solely focusing on bloodshed.

Three-star tasks. After Wu Yuan flipped past dozens of two-star tasks, he finally arrived at the three-star missions. They were considerably fewer in number, with only three options available for Wu Yuan to choose from. However, the difficulty took a significant leap, and the rewards in kind were far more generous - the lowest of them offering a staggering 18,000 silver taels!

"I choose this task," Wu Yuan declared, pointing to one of the tasks.

"This one?" After scanning through Wu Yuan’s choice, Custodian Qin could barely conceal his surprise. "Thousand Mountains, are you certain? Although it's a three-star task, its true difficulty is on par with many four-star tasks. That's why the rewards are so high."

"I am aware," Wu Yuan replied. Where Wu Yuan's finger landed on the scroll, the following was clearly written:

The Bloodwolf Gang is the sixth-ranked land bandit gang within the territory of Southdream City. The task is to kill the third family head Wang Xian, also known as Bald Wolf, a second-rate Adept. This mission is rated three stars.

Mission rewards: 80,000 silver taels or 40,000 merits.

Requirements: The target must die via beheading, and the head must be brought back as proof. Methods such as poisoning are prohibited. The task must be completed before the 26th of August.

The minimum reward for a three-star task was 10,000 silver taels, while the maximum reward was 100,000 silver taels.

"Thousand Mountains, I know you are strong. In a one-on-one fight, killing Wang Xian shouldn't pose much difficulty," Custodian Qin couldn't help but advise, "But you must not underestimate the overall strength of the Bloodwolf Gang. Both family heads are first-rate Adepts, and the gang is filled with countless experts. Completing this task won't be easy."

"Do we have detailed intelligence?" Wu Yuan asked in return. He didn't have the patience to gather the information by himself.

"If you accept the task, detailed intelligence will be provided to you," Custodian Qin said. "However, if you want the most comprehensive intelligence and real-time updates on the target's movements, the guild will deduct an additional ten percent from your reward."

"No problem," Wu Yuan agreed without hesitation. "Custodian Qin, please provide me with all the relevant intelligence."

"Are you really going to accept it?" Custodian Qin furrowed his brows. He believed he had made the dangers of this mission abundantly clear.

"Yes!" Wu Yuan uttered a single word.

Custodian Qin could only sigh. It was difficult to dissuade those hell-bent on throwing away their lives. "Alright, follow me then," he said.

The two left the secret chamber, arriving in another room with simple furnishings. Aside from two doors, the room was completely enclosed.

"I will retrieve the information." Custodian Qin excused himself and left.

Wu Yuan waited for an hour before Custodian Qin returned and handed over a stack of scrolls. "Thousand Mountains, here is a summary of the Intelligence Division's latest findings on the Bloodwolf Gang. Of these, there are two pieces of news, one good, one bad. Which would you prefer to hear first?"

"The good," Wu Yuan replied with a smile.

Custodian Qin began, "The good news is that we have located Wang Xian's recent whereabouts. He has been residing at the Moonlit Haven in the southern part of the city."

"The Moonlit Haven that has branches all over the world?" Wu Yuan was surprised.

"Correct," Custodian Qin confirmed.

Wu Yuan frowned slightly. Apart from the Starcom Consortium, there were a few other influential powers that spanned the world. One such major power was the Moonlit Haven.

It was a renowned brothel organization that countless men patronized, willingly emptying their wallets. Every year, the selections for Moonlit Oiran of each province and continent were grand events that drew a great deal of attention.

In some respects, the fame of the Moonlit Haven far outstripped that of the Pleiades Guild, or the Ninedeaths Circle. One major reason was its quality, but another important factor was its security.

A province-level Moonlit Haven might very well be guarded by a first-rate Adept and numerous second-rate Adepts, ensuring the safety of its guests.

"This is good news, but what about the bad?" inquired Wu Yuan, shaking his head.

"Accompanying Wang Xian is the second family head of the Bloodwolf Gang. They have not left the Moonlit Haven the entire time," said Custodian Qin.

"You could stake out the perimeter, and once they leave the Moonlit Haven, seize the opportunity to assassinate Wang Xian when he is alone," he suggested.

"Hmm, I will consider it." Wu Yuan nodded, reaching out to take the intelligence dossier. He proceeded to read it in detail.

…

The layout of Southdream City differed greatly from that of Li City. The southern area, bustling with activity, housed the Starcom Consortium and the Moonlit Haven.

There was no curfew imposed in the city, and even late into the night, it remained vibrant. On the main street, crowds of people came and went. A robust man with a saber at his waist stood nearby, studying a large, solitary building.

Several women loitered by the entrance, soliciting potential patrons. The majority of the men passing by, regardless of whether they succumbed to the temptations or not, couldn't help but cast lingering glances.

"The Moonlit Haven?" The robust man murmured to himself, "In my two lifetimes combined, I've yet to step foot in a brothel."

"The Bloodwolf Gang, merciless killers who sow chaos wherever they tread. I will have no guilt killing them."

A faint change washed over the man's countenance. An expression of desire and avarice arose, akin to a lecher.

He strode boldly towards the Moonlit Haven.