"What on earth are you talking about?" Ah Jiu said in a fluster as she grabbed a clean white handkerchief to wipe the tea stains off her body, glaring at Wufu.
Murder, arson, theft.
What did she consider herself, a hooligan or an assassin? She was a young lady—how could she entertain such thoughts?
"Murder and arson? You’re supposed to be an upright citizen," Ah Jiu glared and lowered her voice, "In the deep forest on the mountain, when that hunter had ill intentions, it was justifiable to kill him. But now, if you rashly kill someone, you would bring disaster upon yourself."
"How is it that Beiyan and Nanyue don’t have those shady organizations, like assassins?" Wufu asked with the curiosity of a child. That can’t be right—where there are people, there is Jianghu, and there will always be heroes from the Green Forest who live unfettered by society’s rules, both righteous and evil.
And besides, aren’t there many sects in Jianghu? How could there be no assassins?
Ah Jiu looked at her earnestness in asking these disgraceful questions, feeling a chill in her heart. So, she wasn’t joking just now—she really had considered this before?
"You, you want to become an assassin?" he asked with a stern face.
Assassins certainly existed, but who were they? They were people who operated in the shadows, changing identities and never showing their true faces to the public.
"Where did you get the courage to even think about this? Do you think it’s easy to be an assassin? I don’t know where your confidence comes from, but let me advise you, dispel that idea," Ah Jiu said, his voice growing cold.
He was somewhat angry. Assassins were not to be taken lightly, and yet she harbored such thoughts. What road had she not the option to travel, that she would choose this crooked path instead?
"Does Ninth Master look down on me?" Wufu asked, narrowing her eyes at his intense reaction.
"It’s not about looking down on you, it’s just..." Ah Jiu trailed off, at a loss for words.
He took a deep breath and continued seriously, "In Beiyan and Nanyue, the largest assassin organization is Shadow Charm. The top ten in their ranks start with bounties of ten thousand taels of silver; the number one has a bounty of even one hundred thousand taels." As he looked at the gleam in Wufu’s eyes, he couldn’t help but snort and add, "But do you know how they managed to get these rankings?"
Without waiting for Wufu’s response, he continued, "By killing, killing many people. Not only do they fulfill the tasks given by their employers, but they also challenge each other internally to fight for rankings. Do you know what a challenge entails? You may challenge any assassin; it’s a life-and-death struggle. If you win, your rank rises and you take the other’s place."
Wufu’s eyes sparkled, not with fear but with a daring light that seemed eager for a challenge.
It seems that regardless of the shift in time and space, some rules never change. Take these assassin rankings, for example, they’re just like the world she knew.
The Mercenary Corps had their rankings too. The one ranked first would naturally have a higher price on their head. Of course, it all came down to real strength, and the recognition had to be earned, not simply claimed.
Seeing that Wufu showed no sign of reconsideration, Ah Jiu’s face darkened, "Moreover, even the number one ranked assassin would draw the Government Office’s attention if they committed a crime. Have you seen the notice boards plastered with wanted posters? Large and small, how many criminals are listed there? Wufu, do you also wish to have your portrait posted and become the target of a city-wide manhunt?"
He was indeed infuriated, wanting to pry open the girl’s head to see just what was inside. What was she thinking to come up with such absurd ideas?