The mission plaque for assassinating Xiao Fei contained detailed information about him, including his appearance, residence, hobbies, and strength.
Xiao Fei read it from beginning to end and found it to be quite accurate, with at least half of the information being correct.
However, it only scratched the surface. For instance, it stated his strength was at the early stage of the Incarnation realm, but offered no further details.
The reward for assassinating Xiao Fei, however, greatly tempted him.
A successful assassination would yield ten finger-sized Jianmu ore stones.
He had searched for over a hundred years in Tian Tong City without finding a single piece, and now his own life was valued at ten.
Xiao Fei examined the wooden plaque back and forth but found no information related to the employer.
"Fellow Daoist Ji, if a mission is completed, how does one submit it to the employer and collect the reward?"
"This secret market is operated by the Xing family, with them acting as the behind-the-scenes guarantor.
When everyone submits a mission, the reward has already been handed over to the Xing family. After completing the mission, you simply deliver it to the Xing family."
Xiao Fei was somewhat disappointed, finding no gain from this trip.
After Ji Zhu led Xiao Fei around the secret market for a while, they parted ways upon leaving.
As Xiao Fei exited the secret market, Huang Feifei immediately rushed to greet him. She was worried about his safety and had been waiting there for a long time.
"Young Master! How did it go? Did you gather any news?"
Xiao Fei shook his head.
"Let's go, we'll talk when we get back."
The two walked back in silence. As they reached a street corner, an arrow whizzed towards Xiao Fei.
Xiao Fei pulled Huang Feifei, and with a blink, they easily dodged the arrow.
Looking back in the direction the arrow came from, the assailant had already vanished.
Huang Feifei wanted to fly out in pursuit but was held back by Xiao Fei. With so many people around, it wasn't suitable for a confrontation.
It seemed the reward of ten ore stones was quite enticing, attracting many individuals.
However, they were unaware of his true strength. An attack like the current one was likely just a probe.
The two returned to the shop without further incident.
Upon returning home, Huang Feifei busied herself setting up more formations around the shop, ensuring not even a fly could get in.
Xiao Fei, meanwhile, had already entered the secret chamber to contemplate a countermeasure.
Driven by profit, many more people would surely attempt to assassinate him.
Even if his strength was formidable and he wasn't afraid of these ordinary Nascent Soul realm assassins, it would still be a constant nuisance.
What if they managed to attract a Void Refinement realm expert to attack him?
The most pressing matter now was to unmask the mastermind and then torture him with the 108 tortures.
He hadn't provoked anyone, yet he was being assassinated for no reason.
If the mastermind wasn't dealt with, his anger would remain unquenched.
Furthermore, the fact that they were willing to offer 10 Jianmu ore stones suggested they likely had more in stock.
However, no matter how much power he possessed now, he could only strike at empty air, unable to find out who the perpetrator was.
With no way to ascertain the culprit's identity, the only clue was the mission posted in the secret market.
As long as the mission remained unfulfilled, he would face endless assassination attempts.
However, Xiao Fei didn't want to play by the opponent's rules this time.
He could lend them a hand and complete the mission ahead of time.
With this thought, he entered his spatial dimension. The corpse of the young cultivator he had killed in the abandoned mine shaft was still intact and placed within the dimension.
The corpse, aside from a few missing limbs, was relatively well-preserved, with its head still attached to its neck.
Xiao Fei propped the corpse upright and began circulating the Law of Convergence and Divergence.
The corpse's physical body continuously collapsed and reassembled under the influence of the circulating law.
Through this continuous cycle of collapse and aggregation, the young man's corpse underwent constant changes.
This was Xiao Fei's first time using a law to alter a person's aura and appearance, and he wasn't very skilled.
However, since it was a corpse, he could do anything he pleased with it; it wouldn't cry out in pain.
Gradually, the corpse's shape began to resemble Xiao Fei's more and more, and the residual aura on the body also became increasingly similar to Xiao Fei's.
The changes he made to the corpse using the law were permanent.
This was different from the disguise techniques some cultivators used.
Such spells would revert the changes once the cultivator died and lost the maintenance of their spiritual power.
What Xiao Fei altered with his law was akin to transforming one item into another; it wouldn't change without the need for spiritual power.
After a day, the corpse of the young cultivator, despite its missing limbs, had become identical to Xiao Fei.
Xiao Fei then dressed the corpse in a robe he usually wore.
He then tossed the corpse aside and continued his cultivation.
Three days later, a fierce fight erupted from Xiao Fei's shop.
Following that, a handsome young boy, about sixteen or seventeen years old, fled from the shop.
Huang Feifei pursued him closely, her flying sword chasing after him.
"Villain, halt!"
Huang Feifei's expression was a mix of grief and indignation, but the young man was incredibly fast, vanishing from sight in an instant.
Shortly after, a city guard squad arrived at the scene, but they were dozens of steps too late. They could only inspect the area and then leave.
Xiao Fei's small shop was somewhat renowned in Tian Tong City.
Especially Huang Feifei's ability to heal old wounds had spread its fame to neighboring cities.
The events that transpired in the shop attracted much attention and quickly spread throughout the entire city.
"The well-known alchemist in Tian Tong City was assassinated, and the body was stolen."
"Alas! What a pity. This alchemist had excellent skills; I even had him refine pills for me."
"If this alchemist is dead, and only Fairy Huang remains in the shop, then we..."
"Heh heh heh..."
"You toad wanting to eat swan meat! Haven't you heard that Young Master Xing is interested in Fairy Huang?"
"With Young Master Xing's involvement, you won't even get a drop of soup."
"It seems that after Alchemist Xiao's death from this assassination, Young Master Xing stands to gain the most."
"Don't spread rumors without evidence. Who is Young Master Xing that we can afford to offend?"
Since Xiao Fei's assassination and supposed death, Huang Feifei had closed her doors to visitors, refusing contact with anyone.
During this period, Young Master Xing had visited several times but was met with a closed door.
Fellow Daoist Ji Zhu had also come a few times, but Huang Feifei had politely declined them all.
However, he came again today and transmitted a message to Huang Feifei at the door, stating he had found some clues.
Huang Feifei made an exception and invited him in.
"Fairy Huang, was Fellow Daoist Xiao really assassinated? I still find it hard to believe."
Huang Feifei nodded silently.
"The deceased cannot be brought back to life. Fairy Huang, please accept my condolences.
According to the information I've obtained, the mastermind behind this is very likely Young Master Xing."
Upon seeing Huang Feifei confirm Xiao Fei's assassination, Ji Zhu, without much preamble, conveyed the information he had gathered to her.
Hearing this, a surge of energy erupted from Huang Feifei.
"How did Fellow Daoist Ji know?"
However, Huang Feifei quickly suppressed her impulse and asked Ji Zhu for more detailed reasons.
"Has Fairy Huang ever heard of the Ji family?"
As Ji Zhu spoke, he produced a wooden plaque inscribed with the character "季" and flashed it before Huang Feifei before putting it away.
"The Ji family has been passed down since ancient times, and their strength is comparable to the Xing family. So, Fellow Daoist, you are from the Ji family. My apologies!" Huang Feifei cupped her hands.
"The specific details of this matter were provided by Ji family intelligence operatives, and I am not at liberty to disclose them. Please forgive me."