Tie Chuanjia had made it clear he wasn't going to help.
Leo had to find a solution on his own.
The stalemate was dragging on, and the way the others in the tavern were looking at him was starting to get unsettling.
He had to think of something, fast.
Given his psychological block, personally bashing their heads in with a hammer was clearly not an option.
Leo decisively put the hammer away.
As the hammer slid back into Leo's belt, the Black Snake let out a quiet sigh of relief, the heart that had been lodged in his throat temporarily settling back into his chest.
He wanted to beg for mercy, but after decades of building a reputation for ruthlessness in the Jianghu, the words simply wouldn't come out.
He'd rather die than break character.
"Uncle Tie, lend me a few taels of silver! I'll pay you back in a bit," Leo said, turning to Tie Chuanjia.
Tie Chuanjia was baffled for a moment before subconsciously pulling a few loose pieces of silver from his robes and handing them to Leo. The timing of his requests was so jarringly random, he couldn't keep up.
"Waiter, want to earn some extra cash? Help me kill the Jade-Blooded Twin Snakes, and this silver is yours." As he spoke, Leo activated his Gilded Influence skill. If Tie Chuanjia wouldn't help, there were still others, right?
Whoosh!
The tavern boy leaped back ten feet, waving his hands with a placating smile. "Young hero, spare me! Just like you, I've never seen blood on my hands!"
Gilded Influence, first activation: failed.
Leo shot the boy a look of contempt. In a tavern in the Jianghu, where countless brawls break out every year, you could probably become a martial arts master just by picking up dropped manuals! You're telling me you've never seen blood? Who are you trying to fool?
Clearly, the probability-based Gilded Influence wasn't as reliable as the 100% success rate of Cinematic Disarm. Leo frowned and turned to a nearby table. "Big brother in the blue shirt, you've been watching the show for a while. I see you're carrying a sword, so you must be a man of the Jianghu. How about you help me out? Not only will you rid the world of a menace, but you'll also earn some pocket money."
"Young hero, you jest. I have no quarrel with the Jade-Blooded Twin Snakes. How could I harm them for a few measly taels of silver?" the man in blue righteously refused. He then stood up and calmly moved to a different table, though the way his chair clattered to the floor betrayed his panic.
Gilded Influence, second activation: failed.
Leo held the silver and scanned his surroundings.
Everyone actively avoided his gaze. Killing was one thing, but no one wanted to get involved with a bizarre and unpredictable madman.
No normal person acted like him.
Tie Chuanjia's jaw tightened, his expression growing stranger and stranger as he watched Leo. He wanted to say something, but his tongue felt tied. He had never encountered a situation like this before.
The north wind blew, rattling the blue cotton door curtain. Leo sighed. If only that angsty teen swordsman Ah Fei who'd kill for fifty taels of silver were here, he wouldn't be in this mess.
"Innkeeper!"
Leo turned his attention to the last living person in the tavern, the shopkeeper hiding behind the counter.
Before the innkeeper could speak, the Black Snake, who had been suffering immensely, finally broke.
The smiling young man before him was like a demon, gleefully trampling on the fragile hearts of the Twin Snakes.
The Black Snake's composure shattered, and tears streamed from his eyes. "Enough! Kid, my brother and I were outmatched. We admit defeat. If you're going to kill us, just do it. Stop tormenting us like this!"
The onlookers in the tavern couldn't help but shiver, their resolve to never provoke Leo hardening.
This guy was a certified lunatic!
The Jade-Blooded Twin Snakes were infamously vicious, yet he had driven them to tears.
"Young hero, killing is just a matter of a single blow. Give us a quick death…" the White Snake's face was beet red. He was suffering even more than his brother. The kneeling posture with his hands raised was utterly humiliating. He had been holding it for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Even if he survived, his life's reputation was ruined.
With Gilded Influence failing repeatedly, Leo was also getting frustrated. "I don't want this either! But no one's willing to take the job!"
"…" said the Black Snake.
"…" said the White Snake.
The White Snake gritted his teeth. "Young hero, why don't you release us, and my brother and I will kill ourselves."
The Black Snake's eyes lit up, and he quickly agreed. "Yes, we'll kill ourselves. We guarantee it won't tarnish the name of your Sword of Mercy."
"…" Tie Chuanjia silently picked up a wine jug from a nearby table, filled a cup with white wine, and downed it in one go.
The wine was strong, but he couldn't taste a thing. He just needed to do something to calm himself down.
This is madness. The Jianghu has gone completely mad!
Tie Chuanjia could already foresee the chaos Leo would bring upon the world.
The Jianghu was about to descend into turmoil.
Looking at the Twin Snakes, Leo hesitated for a moment. "How about this: I use these few taels of silver to hire you two as my bodyguards?"
"…" said the Black Snake.
"…" said the White Snake.
"…" said Tie Chuanjia.
What kind of demented logic is that?
Gulp!
Tie Chuanjia downed another cup of wine.
"Old Tie, take it easy. Don't get yourself knocked out. I can't take care of two drunkards," Leo reminded him, seeing Tie Chuanjia's determination to drink himself into a stupor.
"I know my limits," Tie Chuanjia grumbled back.
At this moment, he desperately wanted to stop talking to Leo.
If time could be turned back, he wouldn't have even stepped into this tavern.
If he hadn't entered, he wouldn't have met Alba Li, and he wouldn't have witnessed this series of events that challenged his entire worldview.
It was a dramatic turn of events.
The Twin Snakes found it incredible.
The Black Snake asked tentatively, "Young hero, are you serious?"
If it were anyone else, they wouldn't have held out hope. But Leo's thought process was clearly not normal. Maybe it could actually happen.
A miserable life is better than a good death.
Who would choose to die if they could live?
"Of course," Leo said after a moment's thought. "For three months, I'll hire you two as our guards to protect me and the young lady who fainted. After three months, we go our separate ways."
"What are the conditions?" the White Snake asked.
"Smart man. Of course, there are conditions." Leo gave the White Snake an appreciative look. "During your employment, you must not flee. You must obey the orders of your employer—that's me—100% of the time. Your top priority must be the employer's safety. You must not harm the employer or conspire with others to do so. This is non-negotiable. If you don't agree, I'd rather just kill you."
Such childish conditions!
The wine cup at Tie Chuanjia's lips froze.
He really wanted to tell Leo that the Jianghu was a dangerous place and not a game.
But for some reason, he had no desire to remind him. He even secretly wished Leo would get a taste of the real dangers of the Jianghu, to see what it was truly like.
"We agree, we agree!" the Twin Snakes said in unison.
Their eyes sparkled.
He really is an idiot!
And here we thought he'd have some kind of poison to control us.
It's just a verbal promise! We'd be idiots not to agree!
As long as we can get out of this predicament, even if we can't kill this bizarre kid, we can just run!
"Willingly?" Leo asked.
"Willingly!" the Twin Snakes nodded.
Gilded Influence successful!
A notification sound echoed in Leo's mind. He relaxed and smoothly retracted the Green Lotus Sword. "Congratulations, gentlemen. You get to live."
The moment the Green Lotus Sword left his hand, the Twin Snakes instantly regained their freedom.
He actually let them go. They exchanged a look of disbelief.
Leo stood there, full of openings.
The Black Snake was tempted. He shot a look at his brother. Do we strike?
The White Snake shook his head slightly, returning the look. He's too strange. Better be careful.
The Black Snake: Do we run?
The White Snake: Wait for an opportunity.
Years of working together had given them a telepathic understanding.
"Ahem!" Leo coughed and tossed the silver to them. "You two, stop making eyes at each other. Anyone who didn't know better would think you practice the 'Flirty Glance Sword Style.' Take the silver. Our agreement is now sealed."
At that moment, Leo was in a great mood. He had finally discovered the true secret of Gilded Influence.
There truly were no useless skills in the world.
Spend the least amount of money to achieve the greatest results.
It turned out that Cinematic Disarm and Gilded Influence were the perfect match.