The man seemed to sit up slightly as he spoke. "At your level, the only thing that can be reasonably done is assassination. This makes the question, have you ever killed someone?"
"No." Zhu Yi responded.
"Are you willing to kill someone?"
Zhu Yi did not speak immediately but thought.
"All cultivators kill. Even if you try to be a saint, it is almost impossible. You need to choose how you'll live right now. Are you willing to kill, or not willing at all?" Zhou Fan spoke.
Over his many years of life, he had observed much more than anyone could comprehend. He had seen countless people, no lack of which had tried to cultivate without harming anyone else.
These people usually ended up dead or killing someone. Very few could happily live their lives without ever killing someone. Out of all the gods and true gods that Zhou Fan knew, none had never killed. A few had tried, but none had succeeded, especially with the destruction race present.
Zhu Yi continued to think, and the man across from him waited patiently.
After a while, the man spoke. "In case you're curious, there will be no distinction between good and evil people. You may get a mission to kill a murder, or a mission to kill a saint. Regardless, it is expected that you carry it out."
Zhu Yi nodded. "If it's someone who truly lives selflessly, I don't believe that I'd be willing to kill him."
"You don't need to worry too much. We don't accept missions to simply kill anyone. The people we kill need to go through a checklist. For example, if someone hired us to kill a very talented cultivator, like another Chen Jie, who would be able to help all of humanity, we would not do it. We do not kill mortals. We do not kill people who live honestly unless the pay is very high. If you ever get a mission to kill a saint, you can be assured that they have a dark side to them."
Zhu Yi continued thinking.
"I believe I'd be willing for the most part." Zhu Yi finally said.
The man nodded. "In that case, we naturally need proof. Here is your first mission. It will pay triple what such a mission would normally pay due to it being your first time."
The man slid a piece of paper to Zhu Yi. "Good luck, and welcome to the assassination guild."
Before long, Zhu Yi was once again walking the streets of the White Palace City. Looking at the paper, his target was someone around the age of 20. He was a 3rd level Qi gathering realm cultivator. The information about him was not very large, but it said that when returning from a mission, he would stay in the city for two days before leaving once again.
It also gave his home address. As the sky dimmed, Zhu Yi wandered to the house and looked inside from the street. Inside, the man was sitting at a dinner table with what appeared to be his family. A wife, a daughter, and a son.
Zhu Yi stared for a while before leaving. As he walked towards his inn, he spoke to Zhou Fan.
"Master. Is it wrong to kill those with a family?"
"Only if you believe it to be wrong. I don't have an opinion, disciple. Long ago, I helped an evil person gain talent and strength. He brought harm to many, and I knew that he would when I did it, yet I still did it. Perhaps I too am evil."
Zhu Yi did not know how to respond.
Zhou Fan had indirectly killed a lot of people, and he had done so without caring.
He had known that Yao Mun was evil, and it was why he had given him power and talent. He had known that the destruction race would destroy and kill, and that was why he had created them.
"I am above good and evil. I am supreme."
Perhaps, if the theorized karma truly existed in an undetectable form, someone would eventually kill Zhou Fan.
"What?" Zhu Yi asked.
"Nothing." Zhou Fan shook his head.
Zhu Yi rubbed his ears and returned to the inn. The next morning, he did not go to the rogue cultivator guild, but sat in a tea shop, drinking. Across from the tea shop was the house of his target.
Zhu Yi sat in the tea shop for three hours before his target left the house. Zhu Yi paid for his overpriced tea and followed the man from afar. The man entered the rogue cultivator guild, and Zhu Yi waited outside. When the man came out, Zhu Yi followed him.
The man soon left the city, and the assassination was a go.
Zhu Yi stayed hidden behind trees and gripped his sword. When the man eventually entered a heavily forested area, Zhu Yi ran parallel to the path hidden behind many plants.
He eventually got ahead of the man, and on top of a tree branch, he waited.
"Isn't there an easier way to do this?" Zhou Fan said.
Zhu Yi was confused. "What way would that be?"
"Alright. Listen up…"
A few minutes later, Zhu Yi entered the man's line of sight. The man looked at him. Zhu Yi was sitting on the ground, one of his arms covered in blood as he held it.
After a moment, the man realized that Zhu Yi was just a child, though mature looking for his age, and ran up to him.
"Hey kid. Do you need medical assistance?"
Zhu Yi looked up at the man. His eyes seemed so kind. Why did such a good person need to die? A man with a family?
"You seem like a truly good man. I'm sorry." The man looked at Zhu Yi confused, before a sword pierced his throat.
As the man understood his situation, the way he looked at Zhu Yi changed. His face crumpled up and he roared in anger.
Killing intent could be felt from him, and it was not light either.
"Perhaps he's not as good as you thought." Zhou Fan said as Zhu Yi backed away from the man.
The man fell, but even as he bled out, his killing intent was focused on Zhu Yi.