From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

Two days later, Chen Shi followed the one-eyed man out of the city.

They first found a random place to stay, and then, as night fell, the one-eyed man led him to a deep mountain area.

"Why do they always choose these remote and desolate places?"

Looking around, Chen Shi couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

The Seventh Elder always gave him a medicinal bath in a secluded, wild forest outside the city.

But that makes sense; compared to the crowded and noisy city center, the area outside the city is indeed safer and more secluded.

The Fufeng Society is an organization that cannot be brought to light.

After walking for more than half an hour through the mountains, led by the one-eyed man, they finally arrived at the bottom of a valley.

Walking straight to the bottom of the valley, I saw a man in a long robe with his back to me.

"Greetings, Elder."

The one-eyed man stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and called out.

The man then turned around, his face wearing the bronze mask unique to elders.

"Your subordinate, Red Scorpion, greets the Elder."

Chen Shi then stepped forward and bowed, pretending to be somewhat surprised.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally met this elder from the capital.

"It's him."

Upon closer inspection, Chen Shi's heart stirred once more.

He had seen this elder before.

It was the elder who had contacted the rebels during the suppression of the rebellion.

Chen Shi had met him before.

That's right. Although he was wearing a mask, based on his build and luxurious clothes, plus Chen Shi's intuition, he was certain that this was the elder from that day.

When the rebels were being suppressed, some beast-like beings suddenly appeared; this must have been the work of this elder.

Unlike Qin Zhuyue and Chen Shi, the Seventh Elder, this elder from the capital region seemed to be frequently assigned important tasks.

Thinking of this, Chen Shi's gaze darkened, wondering if this was the Third Elder he was looking for.

If it's the Third Elder, it's even more important than calculating the list.

While he was pondering, the elder was also scrutinizing Chen Shi, as if trying to see through him.

He didn't speak until a moment later.

"You killed Yang Wencheng and Wei Daliang."

"Yes."

Chen Shi nodded, his gaze calm.

The elder paused slightly before asking again.

Why did you kill them both?

"Of course, it's for completing a mission."

"I mean, with so many tasks, why choose just these two?"

"You've accumulated a lot of points."

Chen Shi looked completely at ease. He smiled and said...

"I originally only accepted Yang Wencheng's task. I didn't expect Wei Daliang to come to me on his own, so I decided to take care of him as well."

"You are indeed quite capable to have accomplished these two tasks."

"You flatter me, Elder."

"What is your current cultivation level?"

"...Sixth rank!"

Chen Shi hesitated slightly, feigning indecision, before finally answering.

In accordance with Chen Shi's usual style, he would not easily reveal his true strength to others, but this time the situation is different. He needs to gain the elder's trust as soon as possible, so he must show strength beyond that of ordinary people.

"Hmm, not bad."

Sure enough, the elder nodded, a hint of approval in his eyes.

Then, as if asking a casual question.

"I heard you're from the Yongqiu branch, what brings you to Shengping Prefecture?"

"I have some personal matters to attend to, so I'll be staying here for a while."

"As far as I know, you didn't seem very interested in doing missions back in Yongqiu. Why are you suddenly so enthusiastic now?"

"I'd like to exchange some items."

Chen Shi answered casually, his gaze remaining completely unwavering.

He was secretly on guard; this elder had already investigated him!

Why investigate him? Is there any other purpose?

They waited two days before bringing him here. Chen Shi had initially thought the elder was simply unavailable. Now it seemed those two days were spent investigating him.

Fortunately, Chen Shi asked himself, and so far, he has not revealed any flaws.

"As long as there's demand, that's good."

The elder nodded, then his gaze turned serious. After a slight pause, he spoke in a deep voice.

"I need you to do some errands with me next. Don't worry, you'll have no problem accumulating the funds. But you must not leave Shengping Prefecture for at least six months."

"No problem."

Chen Shi nodded and agreed immediately.

In order to gain the elders' trust, he must meet their demands as much as possible.

Besides, it's not a big deal; he'll be staying at the military academy for almost half a year.

"You agreed very readily."

"I was originally going to stay in Shengping Prefecture for a while."

That's perfect.

The elder nodded again and then asked.

"How can I contact you if I want to find you?"

"Eighteen miles east of the city, there is a small hill with an old locust tree on it. If you tie a red ribbon to the top of the tree, I will come to the city to find you that very night."

"That works too."

The elder pondered for a moment, nodded slightly, and then chuckled softly.

"I'm very satisfied with you. I'll give you an extra twenty points in arithmetic tonight. Work hard for me."

"Thank you, Elder!"

Chen Shi looked excited and quickly thanked him.

Although it was all an act, it must be said that this elder was indeed very generous.

Keep in mind that an assassination mission typically only requires a few arithmetic operations.

He scored twenty points in one go, which is equivalent to completing five or six tasks.

Besides accumulating numbers, what made Chen Shi even happier was that this showed the elders valued him! This brought him one step closer to obtaining the list of arithmetic classics in the Martial Arts Pavilion.

After finishing his business, the elder waved his hand, indicating that Chen Shi could leave.

"Your subordinate takes his leave."

After paying his respects, Chen turned and left immediately.

A moment later, after confirming that Chen Shi had gone far away, the elder suddenly sneered.

"Chen Shi is from the Jing'an Marquis's residence."

"The Marquis of Jing'an's residence?"

The one-eyed man looked shocked and asked again, somewhat uncertainly.

"My lord, are you saying that this Red Scorpion is from the Marquis of Jing'an's residence?"

"His real name is Chen Shi, and he was previously the chief steward of the Marquis of Jing'an's residence."

"The Chief Steward of the Marquis of Jing'an's Residence!"

The one-eyed man was startled again, then frowned deeply.

"Could he have been sent by Gu Tingshu to deliberately gather intelligence?"

That's not necessarily true.

The elder shook his head slightly and said with a smile.

"Even if Gu Tingshu is incredibly resourceful, I haven't done anything, so how could he know? It's probably just a coincidence."

"That's too much of a coincidence."

"Many things in the world are just like that, and of course, there are connections between coincidences."

The elder gave a soft snort and continued speaking.

"Just over a month ago, Chen Shi was suddenly dismissed from his post as chief steward, and then Gu Tingshu sent him to this Jiangnan Military Command."

"What a coincidence!"

"As I just said, there is actually a connection between the coincidences. Gu Tingshu sent him here, so there must be a reason."

"You mean...?"

"Very likely."

The elder nodded, his gaze serious.

The one-eyed man gradually recovered from his shock, his expression also becoming serious. After a moment, he said in a deep voice.

"Should we have our men eliminate him?"

"No."

The elder waved his hand and smiled.

"Perhaps he can be of use to me!"