Chu Qingyun's plan was simple.
If he could kill a few key members of the Blood Wolf Gang, he could definitely divert their attention and prevent them from causing trouble for the Chu Family Village.
But the only problem was that the Blood Wolf Gang's upper echelons were likely quite powerful themselves.
"The Blood Wolf Gang, hmph. Almost every single one of them has a bounty on their head."
"But do you have the strength to kill their leaders?"
"The Blood Wolf Gang has nine Protectors, all of whom are level-nine Martial Artists. Their four Elders are even Martial Master Level experts. With your strength as a level-seven Martial Artist, I'm afraid you can't handle them."
You Yun said with a cold laugh.
"However, I can think of a way to help you, as long as you let me see your Martial Soul."
'See my Martial Soul?'
Chu Qingyun frowned, not knowing why You Yun wanted to see his Martial Soul.
However, he had a faint suspicion. 'She must have sensed something to make such a strange request.'
After pretending to hesitate for a moment, Chu Qingyun extended his hand and said, "Fine, take a look."
With that, a somewhat ethereal Five-star Vine Soul appeared in his hand.
"Hm? It's just a very ordinary Tier Two Martial Soul. How can this be..."
A thoughtful look appeared in You Yun's eyes.
At the same time, Chu Qingyun was laughing coldly inside. 'Even if she wracked her brain, she would never guess that I have three Martial Souls!'
You Yun observed it for a while, even reaching out to touch the Five-star Vine Soul, but she discovered nothing.
It was just a very ordinary Tier Two Martial Soul.
Chu Qingyun, however, noticed that You Yun's hands were very delicate and fair, which meant she wasn't old at all.
'So young, yet so terrifyingly strong. Qingshan City is truly full of hidden masters...'
In the end, You Yun chose to give up.
"Alright, that's enough. If you want to kill a Blood Wolf Gang Protector, you'll need some equipment and Secret Techniques."
"Black Iron War Crossbow. It can break through a level-nine Martial Artist's Primordial Power defense. Price: 300 Middle Grade Primordial Stones."
"Rhino Horn Poison. A poison that can take down a level-one Martial Master. Price: 250 Middle Grade Primordial Stones per dose."
"Hidden Qi Technique, Martial Artist Chapter. 3,000 Middle Grade Primordial Stones."
"And of course, intelligence on your target, which will be about 100 Middle Grade Primordial Stones."
At this, Chu Qingyun was completely stunned.
He couldn't even afford the cheapest item You Yun had listed!
Chu Qingyun only had a pathetic 17 Middle Grade Primordial Stones on him, all of which he had gotten from Young Master Ning and his group.
He thought he'd made a fortune, but it turned out to be nowhere near enough.
Only now did Chu Qingyun realize that Young Master Ning and the others hadn't been carrying any real money when they left the city!
At this moment, Chu Qingyun finally understood why the village chief had repeatedly told him before he left that once he reached Qingshan City, he would realize just how small Chu Family Village was.
Chu Qingyun still didn't know how small Chu Family Village was, but he was certainly feeling how poor it was.
The items above added up to three thousand six hundred and fifty Middle Grade Primordial Stones. Converted to Lower Grade Primordial Stones, that was three hundred and sixty-five thousand. He probably couldn't get that much even if he sold the entire Chu Family Village...
"I... have no money."
Chu Qingyun said, his face flushing red.
Luckily, he was wearing a mask, so You Yun couldn't see his expression.
PFFT.
You Yun couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
"Never mind, never mind. I'll help you out one more time."
"There are still two paths for you. First, the Great Xia Martial Palace. Basically every Martial Artist in the Great Xia nation goes there. If you're strong enough, you should be able to get some Primordial Stones, though not a lot."
"The other option is our Assassin Alliance's Life and Death Arena."
"Once you step into the Life and Death Arena, a victor must be decided by death. And your opponents won't just be humans; they could also be bloodthirsty Demon Beasts."
"The Great Xia Martial Palace is relatively safe, but you won't earn much."
"The Life and Death Arena is very dangerous, but you can earn a large amount of Primordial Stones quickly. The choice is yours."
You Yun said, lightly tapping the table.
After hesitating for a moment, Chu Qingyun decided to go check out the Great Xia Martial Palace first.
Based on the estimates of Chu Qingyun and the village chief, even if the Blood Wolf Gang investigated, it would take them some time to connect Young Master Ning's death to him.
After all, everyone at the Yuan Stone Ore Vein that day was dead.
As long as Chu Qingyun, Chu Gang, and Chu Yun didn't say anything and stayed hidden, it would be very difficult to trace it back to them.
"Thank you for the guidance, Miss Youyun. I think I'll go to the Great Xia Martial Palace first."
Chu Qingyun said, cupping his fists.
You Yun nodded. "As you wish. If you decide to go to the Life and Death Arena, you can come find me anytime."
Watching Chu Qingyun's disappearing figure, You Yun frowned and muttered softly, "Strange. A mere Tier Two Martial Soul actually made my Martial Soul feel fear? Not even my sister's Martial Soul can do that. What's going on...?"
You Yun's Martial Soul was of a very high tier. High Tier Martial Souls possessed a strong spirituality.
The moment she saw Chu Qingyun earlier, she had sensed her own Martial Soul produce a trace of fear.
This was something she had never encountered before in her entire life.
That was why she had tried to find a way to see Chu Qingyun's Martial Soul.
By the time Chu Qingyun left the Assassin Alliance, it was already getting late, so he found an inn to stay at for the time being.
The next day, he asked for directions and went to the Great Xia Martial Palace.
After he went inside, a beautiful attendant quickly came to greet him.
"Sir, are you here to watch or to challenge?"
the attendant asked politely.
"To challenge. This is my first time here."
Chu Qingyun replied.
"First-timers need to register. Please come with me, Sir."
The beautiful attendant led Chu Qingyun to a white-bearded old man to register him.
"Name?"
"Chu Qingyun."
"Age?"
"Fifteen."
"Strength and Martial Soul?"
"Level-seven Martial Artist, Tier Two Martial Soul, Five-Star Vine."
As Chu Qingyun spoke, he released the aura of a level-seven Martial Artist and materialized the Five-Star Vine Martial Soul in his hand.
Unlike the Assassin Alliance, the Great Xia Martial Palace was an official institution of the Great Xia nation, and it kept detailed records on every Martial Artist.
Furthermore, they considered a Martial Artist's strength when arranging challenges.
"Mm, not bad. To have the strength of a level-seven at fifteen... you're quite something, young man."
"Alright, Mo, take him to the back to wait."
The attendant assented and led Chu Qingyun to the back area.
"Sir, if you get a winning streak while challenging at the Great Xia Martial Palace, you can receive many benefits."
"At our Qingshan City branch, the highest you can get is a ten-win streak. If you achieve that, you can earn the title of Great Xia Samurai."
"With the title of Great Xia Samurai, you and your immediate family will receive the protection of the Great Xia nation. Unless you commit a crime, anyone who harms your family will be seen as provoking the authority of Great Xia."
On the way, the attendant, Mo, enthusiastically explained things to Chu Qingyun.
Hearing that he could receive the protection of the Great Xia nation, Chu Qingyun's eyes couldn't help but light up.
The safety of his family was his biggest worry right now. He never expected to find a potential solution here.
Unfortunately, even becoming a Great Xia Samurai would only protect his immediate family, not the entire Chu Family Village.