Wait a minute, where is my master?

"My master appeared to be a Taoist on the surface, but his side business was actually that of an assassin leader?!"

After listening to the goat-bearded man's story, this thought emerged in Jin Xu's mind.

He shook his head gently, casting the idea aside.

He continued to ask in an even tone.

"The story is touching, with a few more details it could become a short story.

However, who can prove what you're saying is true?

How did you learn of my identity from Xuanxu Temple?

What exactly is your purpose in welcoming me back to the building on the street?"

Hearing the young Taoist's doubts, the middle-aged man with the goat beard simply smiled unconcernedly and continued to explain.

"A hundred years ago, when the Tianxing Taoist gave me the name 'Nalan Yuandao,' he had said that although I had succeeded in my revenge, my tendency to kill was too strong. I needed to temper myself thoroughly; otherwise, not only would my cultivation not progress, but there would also be a risk of death and my path disappearing.

He appointed me as the temporary master of Jingyu Building for a hundred years and set the condition that I couldn't take any assignments nor harm anyone within that period.

After a hundred years, if I had successfully tempered my Daoist heart, he would take back the name.

Now that the hundred years have elapsed, I can't contact Tianxing Taoist, so naturally, I should return the position to his successor."

The man with the goat beard reached into his sleeve.

With a flash of light, a blood-red crystal stone feather appeared in his palm.

"This item is the proof of the master of Jingyu Building, and it also controls the Life Souls of all Golden Feather and lower-level assassins. Brother Jin, please take it."

The goat-bearded man exerted force to bring the item towards Jin Xu, but the young Taoist did not reach out to take it.

His eyes flickered with a faint silvery light as he was observing the Qi of the man in front of him.

Most of the man's Qi appeared normal and balanced, but within it was a red line as thin as a hair. This line was so fine that it should have been inconspicuous among the normal Qi.

Yet, this red line was strikingly conspicuous and radiated a bizarre luster.

"Are you sure that you have completed the tempering of your Daoist heart?

And as for my other two questions, you still haven't answered them."

The young Taoist glanced at the blood-red feather floating in front of him, noting that its color was similar to the red line in the man's Qi.

The man with the goat beard, seeing that Jin Xu did not accept the Jingyu Order, first paused in surprise, then his smile turned into a bitter one.

"Brother Jin is indeed cautious.

Why do I know your identity? Naturally, because I secretly joined Tingfeng Building and even became the vice-master there.

The Tianxing Taoist once took me to the Xuanxu Temple.

The traces you left by the little river outside Qingmu City and the marks on Little Platform Mountain outside Gusu City—I have personally investigated both.

Additionally, due to your emergence, the royal family of Great Xia suddenly started investigating the Tianxing Taoist's whereabouts in secret.

After considering it from various angles, I dared to confirm that you, Brother Jin, are the successor of Xuanxu Temple.

Moreover, today on the street, when I said you were a disciple of Xuanxu Temple, you did not deny it."

The goat-bearded man paused for a moment, then confidently said, "I remember there is a Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow in the temple that possesses spirit and has seen me. It should be able to prove the truth of my words."

After finishing, he also sighed deeply, "Ah~ How come I find it so hard to return what originally belonged to the owner."

"He spoke with such confidence on the street, but he was actually deceiving me!?"

At that second, Jin Xu, who had thought he was cautious enough, once again felt the treacherous nature of the Nine Provinces Immortal World.

"The senior Serenity Willow has been unconscious due to a Divine Soul injury. Therefore, it can't confirm your identity."

The young Taoist looked at the goat-bearded man and spoke without any expression.

"... Uh."

The man with the goat beard who had been sighing softly was startled.

Jin Xu continued, "Since this item was given to you by my master, you can return it to him when he comes back.

Before that, you can continue to hold the position of master of the Jingyu Building. As for the shouts in the streets, I will have Great Xia clarify them for me."

The role of leader of the assassins wasn't really of interest to the young Taoist.

Besides, he was not keen on taking advantage of such an opportunity that had come to him unexpectedly and without cause.

"By the way, I've taken note that someone accepted the assignment concerning me and turned them into wooden stakes. However, my intention was to use this chance to lure out the one lurking in the shadows against me.

If possible, you could continue sending assassins from the building to provide that person behind the scenes with my location."

"Farewell!"

It was unclear whether it was because he learned that the other party was also unable to contact the master, or because the other party had attempted to swindle him in the street.

In any case, after speaking, the young Taoist didn't hesitate. He turned around and walked towards the golden light barrier where the two women and the insect were.

The man with the goat beard stood still; he glanced at the Jingyu Order floating in the air, then at Jin Xu's retreating figure.

A sense of desolation emerged in his eyes.

Most of what he had said was true.

At least the parts about his background and the blood-red feather were genuine.

Only regarding the aspect of tempering his mind, the man with the goat beard had slightly concealed the truth.

After his revenge, his desire to kill remained strong, and there were even faint signs that he was straying from the right path.

The man with the goat beard was aware that this was not proper, but once the urge to kill arose, he found himself unable to control it well.

Seeing this, the elder Tianxing Taoist did not wish for the descendant of an old friend to go astray into the Demon Path, nor did he want the Cultivation World of the Nine Provinces to suffer from a demon who had committed countless murders due to his misplaced compassion.

So the elder Taoist directly linked the Life Soul of the Jingyu to the man with the goat beard and set up a prohibition.

A time limit of five hundred years was given; if he harmed anyone, he would die instantly and his path would vanish.

During these five hundred years, the Jingyu Order would continuously draw the killing intent out of the man with the goat beard's body, eventually eliminating his urge to kill entirely.

The Tianxing Taoist's intentions were good, but he underestimated the stubbornness of the man's desire to kill and overestimated the storage limit of the Jingyu.

However, this wasn't such a big problem.

— If only the Tianxing Taoist hadn't gone missing.

...

On Jin Xu's side, he had reached the golden light barrier. He was about to reach out and withdraw the protective barrier to take the two women out when suddenly,

a fierce killing intent erupted behind him.

The fallen leaves on the ground were blown about in all directions, and the mist floating within the Formation, with Nalan Yuandao at its center, got blown away by the killing intent, creating a vacuum.

The young Taoist quickly turned around to see that the man with the goat beard had eyes red with bloodlust, his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably. That killing intent had taken on a tangible form and enveloped him.

In this moment, when Jin Xu observed the man's Qi with his Spiritual Eyes, he saw a red line as thin as a strand of hair within the Qi, expanding in a violent and erratic manner.

The Qi around that was calm and even seemed to be struggling to suppress it, but it was gradually losing the battle.

"Brother Jin, is accepting the Jingyu Order really that difficult?"

The man with the goat beard gripped the red feather that emitted a sinister glow, his knuckles tightening slightly.

Then, as if he remembered something,

he hastily released his grip.