Chapter 201
Clearly, this was not a one-person job.
Li Mo just wanted to resolve the matter quickly, so he suddenly raised both hands and dispelled the Wuxiang Liuli Sha (无相琉璃纱, a mystical veil).
"Everyone, look at me!"
"I am Li Mo!"
---
**Chapter 218: The Black Tower Scene is Quite Lively**
Inside the Black Tower, there was a profound silence.
In the darkness, all eyes were fixed on him, yet no one spoke a word.
Little Li even began to suspect that the reason this place was called the Black Tower was that they didn’t bother to light it up; it was pitch black, making it hard to even see each other.
Perhaps it was due to poverty, or maybe it just added to the atmosphere.
To prevent any assassins from having a bad day, Little Li thoughtfully took out a luminous pearl.
"Is that really Li Mo?"
"He came to the Black Tower? How dare he?"
"Isn’t that a bit disrespectful to our profession? What’s the difference between this and jumping into the magistrate's office?"
The assassins in the Black Tower exchanged glances, their expressions varied.
Even the old man at the front desk, marked by a birthmark, scratched his head in confusion.
In all his years in the business, it was the first time he had seen such a high-profile target walk right into their trap.
The luminous pearl illuminated Li Mo's face, and the whispers began to stir.
"He seems quite wealthy. Should we take him out here? We could collect the bounty and grab his valuables."
"Hands off inside the Black Tower."
"Why do we have such a rule?"
"Guess why we call ourselves Xiyu Lou (细雨楼, 'Drizzle Tower') instead of Heifeng Zhai (黑风寨, 'Black Wind Stronghold')."
"Well, he has to leave the tower eventually, right? He can't just hide in there forever."
"Are we saying there’s a chance he’s carrying some powerful explosive treasure and came here to blow himself up?"
...
Someone said this, sending a chill down the spine of the manager at the counter.
Li Mo’s presence here could mean he was either hopelessly foolish or had the confidence to be here.
The nineteenth on the Qianlong List (潜龙榜, 'Hidden Dragon List') was clearly not the former.
"Young hero Li, you have quite the courage. May I ask what brings you here?"
The manager shot a glance at the others nearby and then asked.
"Not much to teach."
Li Mo walked up to the counter, took a seat, and smiled:
"When a guest arrives, not even a cup of tea is offered? That’s quite rude."
Xu Yi: "....."
He suddenly felt that all his past experiences of living on the edge were nothing compared to this.
The green-faced manager paused for a moment, squinting:
"When did you become a guest?"
"Xiyu Lou operates without restrictions, right?"
Li Mo showed no signs of shying away from the sharpness in the other’s gaze.
The green-faced manager nodded: "Aside from the rules of the tower, that’s correct."
"So that means, even those with bounties can place orders?"
Li Mo had already read the bounty list behind the counter.
There were indeed examples of mutual bounties.
For instance, Zhang San placed a bounty on Li Si, and Li Si returned the favor.
"That’s possible."
The green-faced manager thought for a moment and did not deny it.
After all, for Xiyu Lou, who to kill was not important; how much the target could pay was crucial.
But placing a bounty on someone else wouldn’t eliminate one’s own bounty.
At most, it could settle a score.
"Then if I come here to do business, I’m naturally a guest. I want to place a bounty on those who want to kill me."
"You want to place a bounty on whom? The Saintess?"
The green-faced manager seemed to find this amusing.
Laughter erupted in the Black Tower.
A bounty on the Saintess?
Even if the manager dared to put it up, who would dare take it?
"A bounty on someone in the Guanshen realm (观神境, 'Viewing the Divine Realm') is pointless; I’m talking about a big deal here."
Little Li’s performative personality kicked in, and his aura was quite impressive:
"I want to place a bounty on everyone who wants to kill me."
"In short, whoever takes the bounty to kill me, I’ll place a bounty on them."
The green-faced manager opened his mouth, his eyes filled with confusion.
Huh?
It was the first time he had heard such a ridiculous bounty.
When this was said, the brains of all the assassins in the Black Tower experienced a brief moment of shutdown.
"Is that even possible?"
"Ugh... my head feels a bit itchy."
The assassins huddled together to discuss, and after carefully reviewing the rules of Xiyu Lou, they concluded.
This could actually work.
But something felt off.
Did you come here to hire bodyguards?
Well, it was possible, but there had never been a precedent for this.
Because the money wasn’t enough.
The green-faced manager also noticed this and cheerfully brought out an abacus, clicking it loudly:
"A bounty for someone in the Neixi realm (内息境, 'Inner Breath Realm') ranges from a thousand taels of silver to ten thousand taels of gold."
"A bounty for an ordinary Guanshen realm is priced between five thousand to fifty thousand taels of gold, of course, except for a talent like Young Hero Li on the Qianlong List."
"A bounty for someone in the Neijing realm (内景境, 'Inner Scene Realm') starts at a hundred thousand taels of gold, plus rare treasures, before any assassin would be willing to take the order."
"As for the Waijing realm (外景境, 'Outer Scene Realm')... heh, Young Hero Li might be..."
There were more than one person willing to take Li Mo’s bounty.
"Alright, you don’t need to calculate anymore. I’ll give you a number."
Li Mo held up five fingers:
"Five times the market price."
"You can offer..."
*Smack—*
A deposit slip from Hengtong Commercial Bank was slapped onto the table.
The green-faced manager frowned and began to read:
"Party A, Young Hero Li, has deposited a mountain of gold at my bank... what the hell is this unit of measurement... plus thirty boxes of rare treasures... a hundred pieces of Xuanjing (玄晶, 'Mysterious Crystal')..."
"The esteemed tower can periodically come to my bank to withdraw the deposited assets..."
"—Signed, Sun Gui personally."
*Thud—*
The green-faced manager’s knees buckled.
He sent someone quick-footed to Hengtong Commercial Bank.
When that person returned, he whispered something in his ear.
The manager’s lips twitched, forming an awkward smile:
"Young Hero Li, would you prefer Longjing (龙井, 'Dragon Well Tea') or Dahongpao (大红袍, 'Big Red Robe Tea')?"
The first-ever commercial collaboration in the history of Xiyu Lou began.
Little Li’s bounty was set at the highest level, making him the top dog of the Yunzhou branch of Xiyu Lou.
---
In no time, the news spread like wildfire, and nearby assassins flocked to the Black Tower.
Yet, no one dared to step forward to take the order.
After all, accepting the order would mean challenging the Saintess.
Although what bounty someone accepted was a secret, no one wanted to be the one to stick their neck out.
Greed was real, though.
"To hell with the Saintess! Giving her face by calling her a Saintess, how much silver is her face worth?"
A cold voice drew the attention of all the assassins.
"Saintess this, Saintess that—if we really have business, can the Saintess handle it?"
"That’s true; we’re not a sect."
"That’s the way it is..."
The assassins began to waver.
She walked up to the counter and slammed her palm on the table:
"We’ve all joined Xiyu Lou; why are we still looking at others’ faces? Joining Xiyu Lou is not for free!"
"I’ll take this order first!"
With that, the aura of a pure outsider burst forth, no longer concealed.
Neijing realm!
"That makes sense!"
"I’m in!"
Another pure outsider, Qian Bufan, stepped forward.
Also in the Neijing realm!
"Those who hesitate will never achieve great things."
A cold-faced female assassin also approached Li Mo.
It seemed she would be sticking close to him from now on.
Though her realm was indiscernible, the cold, unwelcoming look in her eyes conveyed a clear message.
Whoever comes, dies.
She was definitely a tough one.
"Heh, you’ve got guts."
Li Mo slammed the table and said, "I admire those with commendable courage. Please don’t refuse this small token of appreciation."
He directly took out a few pieces of Xuanjing and stuffed them into the female assassin’s hands.
As a result, more pure outsiders joined in.
There was a short, stout dwarf assassin, a very gloomy one who looked like he was full of malice, and a poison master in the Neijing realm, adorned with various bottles and jars, exuding the scent of herbs.
It’s well known.
People have a herd mentality, and assassins are no exception.
Seeing so many people accepting the order, even if the Saintess wanted to settle scores later, she wouldn’t know who to blame.
Thus, the area in front of the counter became crowded.
The scene was quite lively, reminiscent of an old lady rushing to the supermarket for eggs.
---
**Chapter 219: Warning the Best Actor at the Golden Statue Awards**
"Have you heard? Li Mo has become the top dog of our Xiyu Lou."
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