The Secret in the Box

“Big brother Xue Yi, the Administration Office sent someone to deliver this.”

Opening the door, maid Zidi brought over a letter.

Xue Yi opened it and took a look.

It had a few lines written on it:

[The Drinking Horse Lake five hundred miles east of Ling Province has been occupied by a gang of bandits for over a year, bringing disaster to the common people. The bandit leader is said to have the strength at the Cave Heaven Peak level, and there are no less than ten other Cave Heaven Realm experts. The local government troops are powerless to campaign against them, so they have specifically asked Holy Might Manor for help. Our manor has enjoyed the imperial favor for two thousand years, so we naturally cannot decline. However, all the Long Life Realm experts in the manor currently have important matters to attend to, and cannot go to suppress them for now. Thus, I ask that young miss go in person to Drinking Horse Lake, and rescue the common people from their dire straits within ten days.]

After reading it, Xue Yi closed the door and handed the letter to Xiao Qingruo.

Xiao Qingruo read the contents of the letter with slightly knitted brows.

Xue Yi: “The letter didn’t say we could mobilize troops from the Guard Office, so it’s just the two of us.”

“Mm, I’m at the third layer of the Long Life Realm. Sweeping away a bandit den single-handedly is easy, so not giving us guards is reasonable.” Xiao Qingruo said.

Since the Administration Office arranged it this way, it was naturally justifiable.

But the problem was, she didn’t have that level of strength!

The bandit lair had a Cave Heaven Peak level expert, plus over ten other Cave Heaven Realm cultivators, and an unknown number of ordinary bandits.

Facing such a lineup with almost no Long Life Realm strength was practically suicidal.

“This is the test the manor lord has given you. As expected, it’s quite difficult.” Xue Yi felt a little heavy-hearted.

Xiao Qingruo thought for a moment, and said, “We have ten days, and it’s a five hundred mile journey. Rushing back and forth on fast horses takes about a day, so we have nine days to prepare.”

“Nine days...”

Xue Yi calculated in his mind: “During this time I can definitely step into the Cave Heaven Realm, but facing so many enemies at Drinking Horse Lake alone, we still don’t stand a chance.”

The manor lord wanted to see if Xiao Qingruo really had Long Life Realm strength.

The lineup at Drinking Horse Lake was positioned just right - either dispatch large numbers of Cave Heaven Realm experts to surround and suppress them, or have a Long Life Realm expert sweep through them alone.

By sending Xiao Qingruo, if she didn't have enough strength, she would just die.

If she returned safely, it would prove she was a genuine expert.

This test was simple and crude, yet also very effective.

"If only we could hire an unfamiliar Long Life Realm expert as a secret hitter..."

Xiao Qingruo muttered to herself.

A Long Life Realm hitter?

Xue Yi couldn't help but shake his head.

How could an expert at this level still work as a hitter? Hitters make money, but Long Life Realm experts, by simply joining some power, would have endless resources and money to squander. There was no need to lower themselves like this.

Unless the other party urgently needed money.

"Alas, all the local experts in Ling Province know you. There are practically no unfamiliar Long Life Realm experts. Where can we find one..."

Xue Yi was vexed.

Just then, a scene flashed through his mind.

The young swordswoman he met at Qingyu Teahouse yesterday claimed to be a Long Life Realm expert, and said she owed him a favor and could help kill someone...

"That's not possible right? That little girl looks so young, how could she be at the Long Life Realm?" Xue Yi shook his head, feeling his idea was a bit absurd.

Hearing his mutterings, Xiao Qingruo asked curiously: "What little girl? Who are you talking about?"

"It's someone I met while buying tea yesterday."

Xue Yi recounted what happened.

Hearing that he had casually given away one hundred taels of silver in the end, Xiao Qingruo was dumbstruck: "I didn't take you as the pretentious type, spending my money so freely."

"Ha, I got carried away for a moment, thinking that if she really was a Long Life Realm expert, becoming friends wouldn't be bad." Xue Yi said awkwardly, not expecting to be exposed for spending extra so quickly.

But Xiao Qingruo was not angry, instead praising: "Money is external. Using it in the right place is not wasteful. That girl called Yan Chengxue is probably not simple, and certainly not a local. Go back to Qingyu Teahouse and see if you can meet her again. If you do, test her depth. If she really is at the Long Life Realm, ask if she wants to earn a million taels - take it or leave it."

A million taels!

Now that was young miss's style!

Xue Yi was a little excited.

"Alright, I'll go take a look! It'd be best to meet her, but if not, I'll just buy some Qingyu Dew for you."

Anyway, there were still 10 days before dealing with Drinking Horse Lake. He didn't need to rush off these two days while he was still in Ling Province, so he had ample justification for staying put.

Xue Yi picked up his dragon-slaying saber and took a ten thousand tael banknote from young miss's cabinet before leaving Azure Garden and heading into town.

"This guy works pretty efficiently and also has good luck. Maybe he really can bring a Long Life Realm hitter back for me." Xiao Qingruo watched him leave with a satisfied expression.

But after Xue Yi left, her expression became somewhat sly.

"Humph... This time I'm definitely going to figure out what you're hiding in that box!"

Xiao Qingruo went into the inner room and took out a silver key from under the dressing table.

Then she went to Xue Yi's side room and easily opened the lock she had changed herself.

Next, she opened the wardrobe and took out the wooden box.

"I wonder what weapon it could be?" She was a little curious.

The wooden box scraped as the lid slowly slid open.

Xiao Qingruo widened her eyes full of anticipation.

The next second...

"Huh?"

Seeing the contents of the box, she was stunned for a moment.

Inside the wooden box, lying flat, was a slip of paper with a single line of words.

[Quite the guts you have, daring to peek at master's belongings. I'll twist your head off!]

Below was a drawing of a bloody saber.

Xiao Qingruo couldn't help grinning. "This dummy, does he think putting a slip of paper in the box can scare people off?"

She took the note away, only to find another one underneath!

[Hurry and put the box back where you found it, or you'll suffer the consequences!]

The more these warnings appeared, the more interested Xiao Qingruo became.

She removed the second note again, and finally saw Xue Yi's "secret weapon."

Hiss~

Before she could examine it closely, a wisp of white smoke spurted out from the bottom of the box.

"Huh? Cough cough..."

Xiao Qingruo was caught off guard and happened to inhale the smoke at close range. She was choked.

"What is this?" She rubbed her nose, surprised inwardly.

Inside the box, neatly laid out, were dozens of silver needles.

The tip of each needle was a different color - red, green, gray, purple - clearly from long-term soaking in medicinal liquids, resulting in discoloration.

"Poison needles? So he knows hidden weapons." Xiao Qingruo realized inwardly.

Just then, she noticed another smaller slip at the bottom of the box.

Looking closely, it read: [You've inhaled Five Steps Death Scatter. After one step your body will feel hot, after two steps dizzy and blurred vision, after three steps limp and weak. Five steps later certain death. Don't move if you don't want to die, wait for me to come back and give you the antidote.]

Xiao Qingruo frowned.