The moment Sun Wei moved, the command hall exploded into chaos.
His polite merchant smile vanished like cheap perfume in the wind.
Steel flashed from his sleeve—a thin black dagger coated in poison, aimed straight for my throat.
Fast.
Clean.
Professional.
Definitely not a grain merchant.
I stepped sideways.
The dagger missed by less than an inch.
Close enough to remind me that immortality was still very far away.
I drove my elbow into his ribs.
Crack.
He stumbled back, coughing.
Outside, screams erupted across the courtyard.
Yue Lian had moved.
The Phoenix Flame Guards clashed with the disguised assassins from the caravan, crimson spears against hidden black blades.
Hu Mei's laughter echoed through the halls like a festival hosted by bad decisions.
Purple foxfire spread through the snow-covered courtyard, twisting into beautiful illusions.
Men attacked shadows.
Some attacked their own allies.
Some simply screamed.
Honestly—
excellent customer service.
Sun Wei steadied himself and wiped blood from his mouth.
His eyes were no longer polite.
Good.
I preferred honest enemies.
"You really are troublesome," he said coldly.
I smiled.
"And you really overestimated your negotiating skills."
He rushed again.
This time, no hidden tricks.
Just murder.
His cultivation aura exploded outward.
Qi Gathering Realm, Level 4.
Not weak.
Stronger than most merchants, which continued to support my theory that he was a terrible merchant.
Our blades collided.
Clang!
The impact shook the tea table into retirement.
He fought like a man trained to kill quietly.
Efficient.
No wasted movement.
But unlike Luo Shan—
He relied too much on surprise.
And surprise was already dead.
I let qi flow through my sword.
The recently learnt Lightning Body Tempering Art made my movements sharper, faster.
The Thunder Serpent's reward was already proving useful.
He slashed low.
I stepped over it.
Countered high.
He blocked.
Too slow.
My blade cut across his shoulder, tearing cloth and blood together.
His face twisted.
Outside—
BOOM.
A burst of golden flame lit the windows.
Feng Yuehuang.
So much for "not burning the building".
I sighed.
She really never listened.
Sun Wei used that moment to retreat toward the door.
Smart.
He had realised something important.
This was not a negotiation.
This was an obituary.
He reached the courtyard and shouted,
"Retreat!"
His assassins immediately tried to break formation.
Too late.
Yue Lian's spear pierced one man clean through.
Lin Xue's frost sword froze where he stood.
Fa Yun calmly pressed two fingers forward, and golden Buddhist light sent a black-clad assassin flying into a wall.
Even Ye Shura looked disappointed.
"I expected more."
Mo Jianli, from the roof, yawned loudly.
"I left my nap for this?"
Harsh.
But fair.
Sun Wei's face had turned pale.
He looked around.
No escape.
No reinforcements.
Only enemies.
And Hu Mei—
which was arguably worse.
She appeared beside him in a swirl of violet mist.
Her fox ears twitched slightly, and her smile was far too sweet.
"Leaving already?"
He spun and attacked.
The dagger passed straight through her.
Illusion.
He froze.
Bad choice.
Her real voice whispered from behind him.
"That hurts my feelings."
Purple foxfire wrapped around his legs.
He screamed as illusion and reality mixed together.
The ground beneath him seemed to become an endless abyss.
His own shadow looked back at him.
Fear.
Pure fear.
Hu Mei stepped closer and smiled.
"I could let you fall forever…"
She tapped his forehead lightly.
"…but Master likes answers."
Good.
She understood workplace priorities.
I walked into the courtyard, sword still in hand.
Snow melted beneath scattered flames.
Bodies lay across the stone.
Blood on white snow.
Classic cultivation décor.
Sun Wei knelt trapped in foxfire, breathing hard.
For the first time—
real fear.
He looked at me.
"The Third Prince will never let you live."
I crouched in front of him.
"Probably true."
I tilted my head.
"But right now, I'm more concerned about whether I let you live."
He swallowed.
Good.
Negotiation had finally improved.
I held up the black wolf jade token.
"Tell me everything."
He hesitated.
Hu Mei smiled wider.
Purple flames rose.
He spoke immediately.
Excellent.
People were always more honest near supernatural death.
"He controls the southern grain merchants."
"Three trade guilds."
"Two noble houses."
"He already bribed officials in the border villages."
Useful.
Very useful.
I kept listening.
Names.
Routes.
Hidden supply caches.
Bribed village elders.
Every ugly detail of how Chen Lie planned to strangle the north without drawing a sword.
Perfect.
War had rules.
And now I had his strategy.
When he finally finished, Sun Wei looked exhausted.
Like a man who had just realised honesty was his final business model.
He looked at me desperately.
"I told you everything."
I nodded.
"Yes."
Hope flickered in his eyes.
Adorable.
Then I stood.
"And that was your smartest decision."
Hope died.
Also adorable.
He shouted,
"Wait—!"
My sword flashed.
Clean.
Fast.
Merciful, by this world's standards.
His body fell into the snow.
Silence.
The Myth System rang brightly.
[Elite Enemy Slain]
Merchant Spy Sun Wei eliminated
EXP +1100
Reward: Hidden Trade Route Map
Reward: Merchant Alliance Token
Reward: Mid-Grade Spirit Weapon Chest
Excellent.
I liked rewards.
Especially when they came with betrayal.
Yue Lian approached and bowed.
"The assassins are dead. None escaped."
Perfect.
Lin Xue added,
"The trade guild records were recovered."
Even better.
Feng Yuehuang walked through the fading flames, perfectly untouched by the destruction she absolutely caused.
She looked around the damaged courtyard.
Then at me.
"I did not burn the main building."
I stared.
"…This is your version of restraint?"
She crossed her arms.
"Yes."
Honestly?
Terrifying.
Hu Mei leaned against my shoulder dramatically.
"Master, reward me. I delivered betrayal, information, and emotional trauma."
I raised a brow.
"What kind of reward?"
She smiled like a fox planning crimes.
"A kiss would be fair."
The courtyard became very quiet.
Feng Yuehuang looked at me.
Lin Xue looked away.
Yue Lian suddenly found the sky fascinating.
Even Fa Yun silently prayed for everyone.
I smiled slowly.
This kingdom-building thing was getting complicated.
Very complicated.
And somehow—
I was enjoying every second.