"Young Master Ji, wait. It's me," a familiar voice reached Ji Qing's ears. At the same time, a figure stepped out from a shadowed corner.
"It's you... the guy from Wind Listening Tower..." Ji Qing really couldn't remember the man's name. He hadn't asked for it back then. However, he had a deep impression of the fact that the man only had "one ear." After all, Ji Qing was the one who had sliced off that missing ear.
"Young Master Ji, I have come on Shopkeeper Yu's orders to invite you to Wind Listening Tower."
"Shopkeeper Yu?"
"She is the person in charge of Wind Listening Tower in Anyang City. Internally, we all call her Shopkeeper. You should have met her; the woman who provided you with intel..."
Ji Qing remembered. The woman who sold various kinds of intelligence in that underground secret room. He looked his "acquaintance" up and down. Back at Mule Horse Inn, Ji Qing had spared the man's life, but he had also obtained the Lightweight Skill, Cao Shangfei.
"I cut off one of your ears. You don't hate me?" Ji Qing asked.
"What are you saying, Young Master Ji? It was my own fault for being careless and getting noticed. When Martial Artists clash in the Martial World, blades are unforgiving, and injuries are unavoidable. Besides, I've benefited from your reputation; now I've made somewhat of a name for myself in the Martial World."
"Oh? What name?"
"People in the Martial World call me 'One-Ear'. I'm known as the most well-informed intel gatherer in Wind Listening Tower. Hehe, to be honest, I shot to fame purely by tracking your whereabouts, so I'm actually very grateful to you."
Ji Qing understood. This "One-Ear" had ridden on his coattails to fame, using his status as a Great Demon ranked eighth on the Evil People List. The man had likely been heavily promoted within Wind Listening Tower as well. Therefore, what did losing an ear matter? It wasn't worth mentioning at all!
"This time, Shopkeeper Yu specifically 'invited' me to Anyang City to build a bridge of communication between Wind Listening Tower and you, Young Master Ji. After all, she has a favor to ask of you. Why don't we go and hear what she has to say?"
One-Ear could be considered fairly acquainted with Ji Qing by now, and he had a deep understanding of Ji Qing's temperament. Shopkeeper Yu must have paid a considerable price to specifically bring him to the Wind Listening Tower in Anyang City.
"Lead the way."
"Right away. Please follow me."
With One-Ear leading the way, Ji Qing soon arrived at Wind Listening Tower once more. It was still that hidden underground secret room. This time, One-Ear didn't leave; instead, he stayed inside. Ji Qing saw Shopkeeper Yu, who was still wearing her veil.
"You've arrived. Please, have a seat."
Ji Qing sat across from her while One-Ear stood by her side.
"Shopkeeper Yu, you specifically brought One-Ear to Anyang City and made such a big fuss. What exactly is this about?" Ji Qing asked.
Shopkeeper Yu smiled. "There is indeed a very important matter, which is why I had to trouble you to visit Wind Listening Tower again. It involves some special requests from one of our VIPs. We deliberated for a long time and concluded that only you could likely satisfy this esteemed guest's demands."
"What requests?"
"That guest shares a similar past with you. Their entire family was massacred, and the skin on the corpses' faces was flayed off..."
BOOM.
A booming roar echoed in Ji Qing's mind. Waves of shock crashed through his heart.
"Painted Skin Demon!" he exclaimed inwardly. "It must be the Painted Skin Demon!"
He had actually been searching for traces of the Painted Skin Demon recently, but without any leads. He had originally planned to rely on Wind Listening Tower's intelligence network to track it down. Who would have thought the opportunity would deliver itself right to his doorstep? However, since Wind Listening Tower was currently the one asking him for a favor, Ji Qing suppressed his excitement and maintained a neutral expression.
"Care to explain why Wind Listening Tower, an intelligence-peddling faction, is taking up mercenary work?" Ji Qing asked.
Shopkeeper Yu lowered her head in thought for a moment before looking up with a long sigh and a wry smile. "To be honest, the reason we are doing this is very simple... That guest simply offered too much."
"How much?"
"Ten thousand taels of silver."
"..."
Ji Qing fell silent. Fine, he had been too quick to judge. Faced with such an extravagant VIP, who could resist? No wonder Wind Listening Tower took on a side job and specifically brought One-Ear in to mediate.
"What's in it for me? If you can hide my intel..."
"No. Young Master Ji, Wind Listening Tower makes a living selling intel; that is our bottom line! We cannot hide your intel... However, if you are willing to do us this favor, while we can't conceal your information, we can 'delay' its release.
"For example, we would only provide intel on your whereabouts from three days prior. This is equivalent to buying you three days of time. What do you think?"
Ji Qing carefully weighed the offer in his mind. A three-day delay? That would give him a three-day buffer, meaning no one could track his movements in real time through Wind Listening Tower. This was indeed a tangible benefit. It was no easy feat to force Wind Listening Tower to make such a concession.
"I also need a manual for Inner Strength, preferably an Upper Second-class Inner Strength."
"Wind Listening Tower has no way to provide you with an Upper Second-class Inner Strength, but that esteemed guest might be able to. If you are willing to wait, we will give you an answer in three days."
"Alright. I'll wait."
Ji Qing stood up, preparing to leave.
"Oh, as a show of sincerity, Wind Listening Tower is willing to offer you a free piece of intel. Qingzhou's number one constable, Wind Chasing Saber Du Chen, has already set out to personally hunt down the Liang City fugitive, Ji Qing!"
Hearing this, Ji Qing's footsteps faltered slightly.
"Thank you." With that, he left Wind Listening Tower.
SWISH.
One-Ear chased after him. "Du Chen is a Second-class Martial Artist, renowned throughout the world. You must be careful!"
One-Ear's figure then swiftly disappeared without a trace.
Three days later, Ji Qing returned to Wind Listening Tower.
Shopkeeper Yu skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point. "The VIP is very satisfied with your 'experience', but they do not possess a Second-class Inner Strength. They only have an Upper Third-class Inner Strength! Moreover, regardless of whether you can solve their problem, as long as you are willing to go, the VIP will gift you this Upper Third-class Inner Strength."
Ji Qing furrowed his brows. Experience? He knew Wind Listening Tower must have leaked his information to that mysterious guest. Only because they shared a similar past had the guest agreed to let him come. But the other party didn't have a Second-class Inner Strength either? In the Martial World, profound Inner Strength manuals were incredibly difficult to come by. After mulling it over, Ji Qing ultimately nodded in agreement.
"I assume I can know the client's information now?"
"The Thousand Gold of the Lei Family Fortress, Lei Yu!"
"Where is the exact location?"
"It's not far. It's at the Lei Family Fortress right outside Anyuan City. Also, Miss Lei is... well, how should I put it? She's unforgettable at first sight. If you go to the Lei Family Fortress, you should be able to recognize Miss Lei with a single glance."
Ji Qing asked no further questions. He stood up, left Wind Listening Tower, and headed straight for the Lei Family Fortress outside the city.
Several Two-hours later, Ji Qing came to a halt. He had arrived at the Lei Family Fortress. At this moment, the fortress was exceedingly quiet. It was already located in a remote area, so hardly anyone ever came here.
After taking a few steps, Ji Qing spotted a woman with her back to him, standing outside the fortress and gazing into the distance.
"Ranked eighth on the Evil People List, Liang City's Scholar, Ji Qing?"
The woman slowly turned around. Perhaps because her body was too heavy, even the ground trembled slightly. This woman was tall and burly, her face covered in fierce, fleshy jowls. Her thighs were thicker than Ji Qing's waist, and she stood a full head taller than him. From a distance, she looked like a mountain of flesh.
"Miss Lei..."
Ji Qing fell silent. No wonder Shopkeeper Yu said Miss Lei was unforgettable at first sight. With such an appearance, it would be hard to forget her even if one tried.