Maybe I Should Just Die

Hiss— As Yue Wen finished reading the words inscribed on the purple hide, the fiery characters that had hovered for a brief moment scattered one by one with the wind. Only a few drifting embers remained in the air. After a long pause, Yue Wen was left holding nothing more than a blank sheet of purple hide. This time, even if he cast the incantation again, nothing would appear—the message it carried had already been delivered and seen. Those brief three sentences left Yue Wen lost in thought for a long time. Judging by the phrasing, this demon emperor hide had been offered to the Purple Throne alongside the Snake Mountain bronze cauldron, and the one who sent them was the author of the letter. Without a doubt, that was the Demon Emperor. If the sender had used someone else's hide, the recipient would have had no way of contacting them. That would be like walking up to someone on the street to ask for their number, only to leave a fake one in return. Pure mockery. No sane person would do such a thing. Even among the demon race, beings qualified to be called a Demon Emperor were few and far between. And the only one tied to Snake Mountain Tiger Tomb appeared to be the Demon Snake Emperor, who had descended six thousand years ago. Wasn't that far too long ago? Granted, demons possessed immense lifespans, and legends claimed its cultivation level was comparable to the Ninth Realm... but six thousand years had passed, long enough for two distinct spiritual qi eras to cycle through. Even Tiger Heavenly Emperor, who had suppressed it back then, had blurred into a mythical figure of legend. Was it still trying to break free? Holding this demon emperor hide meant he could theoretically send a message back, but Yue Wen had no such plans for now. The stakes were far too high; he wouldn't dare test the waters recklessly. Anything involving mythical-level figures could genuinely cost him his life. If possible, he would love to tuck this hide away and stay entirely out of it, or hand it over to the Supernatural Management Bureau in exchange for a reward. Yet the Snake Mountain bronze cauldron mentioned on the hide caught his attention. He didn't care what the gift was, but the writer had called it the key to entering Tiger Mound... Snake Mountain Tiger Tomb happened to be the very place he wanted to investigate. The card his father had mentioned before disappearing carried only one lead: the snake-and-tiger emblem. Yue Wen would have to make a trip there sooner or later. Was that Snake Mountain bronze cauldron truly the key to getting inside? What was this bronze cauldron, and where was it now? Piecing things together, the Demon Emperor writing the letter likely wanted to establish contact with the Purple Throne, perhaps seeking help to escape confinement. To demonstrate sincerity, it had sent this demon emperor hide and the treasure known as the Snake Mountain bronze cauldron, an artifact capable of guiding someone into Tiger Mound. Yet somehow, through an unknown mishap, this demon emperor hide had fallen into his hands. Before reaching him, it had already been sold to an antique shop. The information on such hides degraded over time. Judging by the extent of its wear, the message couldn't have been recorded more than half a year ago. As for the bronze cauldron that was supposed to accompany the hide, its whereabouts remained unknown. After pondering for a while, Yue Wen decided to seal the hide away for now. Turning it over to the Supernatural Management Bureau would leave him with too many things he couldn't explain—such as his failure to report the Zhang Wei incident, or how he had obtained the curse-breaking method in the first place. All of that tied into his parents' disappearance and Da Long's secrets, none of which could be revealed to outsiders. Besides, the writing vanished once read, leaving him with no proof of what he had seen. Even if the bureau believed him, could he trust them completely? Not necessarily. The demon race's influence in the human realm was practically pervasive; who knew where their informants were lurking? Keeping the secret to himself was the safest path. As for the Snake Mountain bronze cauldron... if he ever crossed paths with it in the future, he would certainly strive to claim it. While he was still deep in thought, Zhao Xing'er called up from downstairs. "Boss, someone's here for you!" ... Since commissions remained sparse at the agency, Yue Wen spent most of his time cultivating upstairs, leaving Zhao Xing'er to handle reception duties and call him down whenever something came up. Heading downstairs, Yue Wen saw a young man standing at the entrance dressed in a white martial arts uniform. Bangs shielded half his brow and eyes, his expression cool and detached. He held a colorful, oversized fruit basket, waiting quietly. "Brother Qi!" Yue Wen chuckled. "What good wind blew you over?" "Brother Yue." Only then did Qi Dian relax slightly. He stepped forward and presented the fruit basket. "I came to Seventh City on an assignment with my sect. Having half a day off, I thought I'd drop by to see you." "Oh, just sending the fruit basket would have been enough! Why bother coming yourself?" Yue Wen accepted it cordially. Qi Dian blinked. Wait, what? Yue Wen knew he was still fixated on having had his life saved last time. Qi Dian was an honest man; while Yue Wen felt taking two minor supernatural powers from him was more than fair compensation, Qi Dian clearly believed it wasn't enough. Yue Wen turned to introduce Zhao Xing'er and Qi Dian to each other, then gestured for Qi Dian to take a seat. "Brother Qi, have some yogurt." He pulled a bottle from the drawer and offered it. Qi Dian glanced at it, set it down quietly, and looked up. "I'm not fond of yogurt." "Right, it's almost noon. Brother Qi, you haven't eaten yet, have you?" Yue Wen offered. "Xiao Zhao, take my phone and order some takeout. Get something fancy to treat Brother Qi properly." Zhao Xing'er chimed in, "Boss, let me order! I've still got coupons to use." "You haven't even drawn your first paycheck yet. How could I let you spend your own money?" Yue Wen refused immediately. "Come on, I know things are tight for you too," Zhao Xing'er said generously. "I managed to snag a coupon for forty-five off a fifty-yuan order!" "..." Watching the two bicker back and forth, Qi Dian felt a bit awkward sitting there. He pulled out his phone and offered, "How about I order?" "Oh, we couldn't possibly!" Yue Wen and Zhao Xing'er replied in unison, then snapped their heads around to stare at Qi Dian with wide, expectant eyes. "?" A question mark slowly rose over Qi Dian's forehead. It was just a meal, so why did he suddenly feel like he had walked straight into a trap? While Qi Dian started ordering, Yue Wen struck up small talk. "Brother Qi, what assignment brought you to Seventh City this time?" "There's an auction in Seventh City next week, and our Linjiang Sect was hired to handle part of the security. We just escorted a batch of treasures here today, and our guard duties begin this afternoon." Qi Dian answered truthfully, holding nothing back. Yue Wen asked, "The Treasure Forest auction?" "You know about it, Brother Yue?" "Heh, heard a bit about it." Watching Qi Dian finish placing the order, Yue Wen added, "You came at the perfect time today. Actually, I was hoping to ask you about something." Qi Dian said, "Whatever it is, Brother Yue, just speak your mind." "You immortal sect disciples have broad connections. Know of any gigs lately where I could make some serious money?" Yue Wen gave an embarrassed smile. "Our agency only gets small commissions, and I'm going to need cash urgently in a few days..." Qi Dian asked, "How much do you need, Brother Yue?" He figured that if it was an amount he could afford, he might as well just cover it himself. After all, when Yue Wen saved his life last time, it had only cost him a few hundred yuan in total, which had weighed on his conscience ever since. Yue Wen replied, "Ideally around a million within a week. Naturally, no upper limit." "What?" Qi Dian's pupils visibly shook. There were words he didn't say aloud, but his gaze conveyed them clearly: Brother Yue, have you gone mad from greed? Yue Wen chuckled self-deprecatingly. "If there aren't any, don't worry about it. I know it sounds a bit delusional." Qi Dian furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment before suddenly speaking up. "If we're talking about high pay, I actually do know of something. It only requires three days. A million might be unrealistic, but according to what they told me, pulling in several hundred thousand is entirely possible." Hearing that, Yue Wen's eyes lit up instantly. "For real, godfather?" Qi Dian flinched. "Please, don't call me that!" Zhao Xing'er chimed in from the side, "As expected of an immortal sect disciple—truly generous and eager to help." "Ahem." Hearing praise from a pretty girl, Qi Dian's lips twitched into an almost imperceptible smirk before he quickly forced it down. He cleared his throat. "We cultivators ought to help one another; it's only right. Miss Zhao, if you ever run into any confusion in your cultivation, feel free to ask me as well." He didn't say this out of arrogance, but from a genuine desire to help. In his eyes, even if Yue Wen surpassed him in raw cultivation level, Yue Wen lagged far behind in resources and had previously had to ask him for supernatural powers. Zhao Xing'er was merely an assistant Yue Wen had hired, likely just an amateur enthusiast, which meant she had even less. Offering her some guidance ought to be a tremendous help. Before his words could settle, a sedan pulled up right in front of the agency's narrow entrance, crushing the yellow 'No Parking' sign beneath its wheels. The street through this bustling market was narrow to begin with, and this maneuver blocked traffic completely. Zhao Xing'er immediately yelled out the door, "Can't you read? No parking here!" About a dozen burly men climbed out of the car. The driver waved a dismissive hand toward the shop. "We're just eating next door. It'll only be a moment." "You park here and nobody else can pass through. Where are your manners?" Zhao Xing'er stepped outside, hands on her hips, scolding them from the steps. "Tch." Emboldened by their numbers, the men sneered contemptuously. "So we don't have manners—what of it? If you've got the guts, call the Public Security Bureau to tow it!" "Tow it?" A crimson gleam flashed in Zhao Xing'er's eyes. She reached behind her back and drew out a spiked mace forged from black steel. Shifting her stance and twisting her waist, she gathered force through both arms and swung the weapon upward from below. Boom— A streak of red light flashed past. The blow sent the sedan flying like a golf ball, spinning dozens of times as it launched into the sky until it turned into a tiny speck on the horizon. The dozen or so men stood frozen, dumbfounded for a long while before one finally screamed, "Ah! My parents, wife, and kid—all six of them were still in the car!" "..." Qi Dian stared at the scene outside, stunned. He turned his head back toward Yue Wen. "Miss Zhao... what was that red light? It looked... rather terrifying." "To put it simply, Xing'er has an unawakened natural immortal physique," Yue Wen explained, "paired with a thoroughly developed martial arts foundation." "..." Qi Dian fell silent, his face flushing crimson in an instant. Ha. So I just offered to give pointers to someone with an immortal body? Setting aside why someone with that kind of skill was working here as an assistant... I've truly made a complete fool of myself. He hung his head in silence for a long time, recalling how boastfully he had spoken just moments before. A deep shadow seemed to loom over him. Maybe I should just die.