Starting Reward – A Three Thousand Assassin Network

Chapter 12 – Divine Flame Sect, Autumn Wind Clears the Leaves?

Zhao Ling’er on the side saw this and immediately shook her head with a smile.

Ye Xiaoyun also looked extremely helpless, only able to wear a bitter smile; his own sister could only be spoiled.

Just as they left the courtyard, they saw a sneaky young lad hiding behind a wall, peeking discreetly. Seeing this, Ye Xiaoyun frowned slightly, thinking: Where did this brat come from? How did he sneak into the Lord’s Mansion?

With a blink, Ye Xiaoyun appeared behind him, immediately grabbing his collar, “Kid, who are you? Confess honestly, how did you get in? Otherwise, you’ll suffer.”

Caught off guard, the youth struggled hard against Ye Xiaoyun’s grip, then looked up at him.

However, facing Ye Xiaoyun’s questioning, the youth showed no fear. Instead, he wore a disdainful expression, crossed his arms, tilted his head, and glanced at him, “You’re Ye Xiaoyun of the Ye Family, right?”

At these words, Ye Xiaoyun felt puzzled, “Who are you?”

This brat in front of him unexpectedly knew his background and didn’t seem afraid at all. His identity must not be simple.

At this point, the youth extended his right thumb, pointed to himself, and arrogantly declared, “I am who I am. Zhao Family’s, Zhao Hao!”

“Zhao Hao?” After pondering for a while, Ye Xiaoyun carefully searched his memory and felt a sense of familiarity.

“It’s him! The little tyrant of the Zhao Family!” Ye Xiaoyun finally remembered.

“So, you’re the little tyrant of the Zhao Family, rumored to roam brothels at three, steal brides at five, peep at the widow next door bathing at seven, and lead a gang of thugs to rob innocent women at nine …”

“Haha, seems like my reputation precedes me; my deeds in Qingzhou have even reached Liangzhou!” Zhao Hao laughed heartily, then lifted his right hand, patting Ye Xiaoyun’s shoulder. “Not bad, Ye Xiaoyun, I’ve got my eye on you!”

“I’ve heard about your Ye Family having a Ye Chen; I’m quite interested and came specifically to meet him.”

With that said, he left with hands behind his back, leaving Ye Xiaoyun completely bewildered.

“Could this kid be crazy?” Ye Xiaoyun scratched his head.

The phrase “crazy” was a habitual one he’d picked up from Ye Chen.

Since he was from the Zhao Family, Ye Xiaoyun didn’t bother dealing with him; after all, no one in his Lord’s Mansion would harm him.

“I bet it’ll be interesting if this kid meets Ye Chen back at home!” Ye Xiaoyun pondered secretly.

Ye Chen, the most mysterious figure in the Ye Family and the one least advisable to provoke. With the patriarch’s support above and skilled guards protecting him below, the Ye Family had endured for centuries.

Ye Xiaoyun had heard the patriarch mention that if Ye family had Ye Chen, the Ye Family would endure for centuries. Despite his young age, his displayed abilities were exceptional. The goods sold in the Wan family Chamber of Commerce were designs and production methods reaped from Ye Chen. Even Ye Xue, the apparent manager, didn’t know the intricacies of their collaboration.

People in the martial world spoke of an extraordinary woman from the Ye Family, yet even if they racked their brains, they couldn’t fathom that the peculiar and rare items sold within the Wan family Chamber of Commerce were all crafted by a kid of around ten.

“A storm is coming!” Ye Xiaoyun looked up at the sky, wearing an anxious expression.

…

That night, Divine Flame Sect.

Located within the Chixia Peak, this peak was a volcano with a central crater containing abundant lava. During the night, the glow emitted from the lava shone upon the clouds in the sky like the evening sun. Thus, people named this peak the Chixia Peak.

In the hall of the Divine Flame Sect, the Sect Master, Yan Jun, sat at the head, with a large red flame symbol painted on the wall behind him.

On either side of Yan Jun sat five people, the core figures of the Divine Flame Sect.

“Master, what urgent matter is it that you’ve summoned us here?” The person speaking was an elder with a head of white hair, named Yan Yang, the Grand Elder of the Divine Flame Sect.

Yan Yang was originally handling matters in another division but received a message from the Sect Master, Yan Jun, urging his swift return to headquarters.

Not only Yan Yang but all the other core figures were summoned similarly.

“Now that everyone is here, time is of the essence; I’ll get straight to the point.” Yan Jun swept his gaze across the assembly.

Everyone was curious; what kind of matter would call for their collective summons?

The last time the core figures of the Divine Flame Sect gathered was ten years ago. At that time, Great Xia faced internal and external turmoil, and they intervened covertly to eliminate internal threats. Now, their full assembly signified a significant issue.

“I presume you’ve already made some speculations. We’ve received a task from above, but this task is extremely challenging, a matter of life and death.” Saying this, a tinge of reluctance flashed across Yan Jun’s face.

“As a condition, if we complete this task, the Divine Flame Sect gains its freedom.”

“Is that true?” Yan Yang was somewhat incredulous.

Everyone present knew that although the Divine Flame Sect was a prominent force in Great Xia’s martial world, its true controllers were the Great Xia royal family. For them to willingly give up control brought both joy and worry.

They were joyous that once the task was completed, they’d be truly free. However, they worried because Yan Jun had mentioned it was a matter of life and death.

“Master, could you directly address the specifics of this task?” Yan Yang inquired.

“The task’s name is ‘Autumn Wind Clears the Leaves,'” Yan Jun said, looking at Yan Yang.

“‘Autumn Wind Clears the Leaves?'” Yan Yang felt puzzled but, after careful consideration, instantly seized a crucial keyword, exclaiming, “Leaves! The Ye Family?”

The group’s faces turned pale upon hearing this.

“Why the Ye Family? They’ve been loyal for generations. Why would such a task be given to us?”

“Yeah, I can’t comprehend. Attacking the Ye Family would be equivalent to self-harm, wouldn’t it?”

“Exactly …”

Seeing the discussions among the group, Yan Jun furrowed his brows tightly. He couldn’t fathom why such a task was assigned from above.

“Silence!” Yan Jun bellowed loudly, instantly quieting everyone down.

“Even I can’t understand this matter. Since it’s an assigned task, we’ll carry it out!”

“The Ye Family, a martial family that has endured for three hundred years, possesses formidable strength. On the surface, they control 500,000 troops and a 5,000-strong elite force, the Tiger Soul Army. This task is extremely challenging!”

At this moment, everyone wore troubled expressions. Confronting such a colossal force like the Ye Family head-on, even a hundred Divine Flame Sects wouldn’t be a match.

“Master, do you have any plans?” Yan Yang asked Yan Jun.

“No, not to mention the Ye Family in Luo City, even dealing with Ye Xiaoyun guarding Cangyun City or Ye Qingfeng in Youyun City, we have no means!” Yan Jun was utterly helpless.

“The entire Ye Family is watertight. Even Ye Xue handling the Wan family Chamber of Commerce has returned to the boundaries of Liangzhou.”

“As soon as our people appear in their territory, they’ll be discovered instantly.”

“Is this the military family that has coexisted with Great Xia for three hundred years? It’s terrifying!” At this moment, the group began to understand a bit about the Ye Family.

“We can’t do this, we can’t do that, but can’t we just sit back and do nothing?” Yan Yang exclaimed in frustration.

“Damn, I can’t understand why they’d assign us such a task from above. Isn’t this essentially sending us to our deaths?”

“To put it nicely, it’s granting us freedom, but in reality, it’s using us as expendables, sending us as scouts!”

As these words were spoken, the entire hall fell into a profound silence.

Even Yan Jun’s face looked extremely unsightly at this moment.

No one wanted to die, especially if their death served no purpose.