“Don’t tell me this badge has nothing to do with Baoqing Yutang.” William Carter tapped the silver metal badge with his finger, smiling as he asked, “So, I want to know, why is Baoqing Yutang looking for a level-three assassin from Wuyou City? What does this mean?”

William Carter spoke lightly, his question calm and without any hint of emotion, yet it was precisely this tranquility that gave Fat Shopkeeper a tremendous shock.

An assassin’s badge from Wuyou City always means the assassin is alive; if it’s separated from its owner, it can only mean one thing—the assassin is already dead. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to lose their badge. Seven assassin badges meant that William Carter had at least taken out seven assassins from Wuyou City, including one level-three assassin.

“Please forgive me, honored guest!” Since William Carter had already produced a level-three assassin badge, if Fat Shopkeeper continued to deny it, he’d just be playing dumb. Such a powerful expert was not someone a small branch of Baoqing Yutang could handle. If the other party wanted to kill him, it would be as easy as lifting a finger.

“Among the items you sold to our shop last time, several had the Dai family’s secret marks on them.” Fat Shopkeeper was a smart man. If he didn’t quickly explain his side, he might be misunderstood, so he hurriedly explained, “We’re businessmen and want to avoid trouble, so we hired an expert from Wuyou City to help investigate what was going on. We absolutely had no ill intentions toward you, honored guest!”

“You hired a level-three assassin to investigate?” William Carter’s face showed a faint smile, but his tone was full of distrust. You send a level-three assassin to investigate something? Who are you trying to fool?

“All those from Wuyou City are assassins.” Fat Shopkeeper originally thought this wasn’t an issue, but suddenly remembered that William Carter was an outsider who knew nothing about Wuyou City, so he quickly added, “They also take on other jobs, not just killing. We really had no ill intentions.”

William Carter understood now. Everyone from Wuyou City was an assassin, but not all their jobs involved killing; sometimes they might take on investigations or even act as bodyguards. Wuyou City was indeed an interesting place.

However, given the current situation, this wasn’t a good time to inquire about Wuyou City. William Carter’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the tea table, as if considering what to do next.

Fat Shopkeeper was sweating profusely, forcing a smile, not daring to rush William Carter, and even less daring to offer any suggestions. This was someone who had killed seven assassins from Wuyou City—how could a proper shopkeeper like him dare show even a hint of disrespect face-to-face?

“Twenty Essence Cultivation Pills, and this matter ends here!” William Carter suddenly spoke, startling Fat Shopkeeper.

“What?” Fat Shopkeeper almost thought he’d misheard and quickly asked again.

“Twenty Essence Cultivation Pills, and I won’t pursue your attempt to target me.” William Carter wasn’t angry, and directly stated his terms again: “But I don’t want there to be a next time!”

“We’ll do exactly as you say, honored guest!” How could Fat Shopkeeper possibly refuse? Just twenty Essence Cultivation Pills—nothing to Baoqing Yutang. Using such a small price to gain the forgiveness of an expert like William Carter was absolutely worth it! Fat Shopkeeper finally relaxed, feeling as if he’d escaped death.

Two bottles of Essence Cultivation Pills were quickly brought before William Carter. He opened them to check, found nothing amiss, and stood up to leave.

“Please take these assassin badges with you, honored guest,” Fat Shopkeeper quickly reminded William Carter, “If you ever need to use people from Wuyou City, these badges can be used as credit.”

He had killed their people and taken their assassin badges, yet if he ever needed to hire assassins from Wuyou City, these badges could be used as credit? Wuyou City was truly a bizarre place. William Carter didn’t quite understand the rules, but decided to take the items for now.

As soon as William Carter left Baoqing Yutang, Fat Shopkeeper respectfully stood before the veiled woman and quickly reported everything that had just happened.

“Seven assassins from Wuyou City, including a level-three assassin, all dead?” The veiled woman’s expression was unreadable, but her tone was full of surprise. “It seems Grace Dawson and his group definitely died at his hands, otherwise those Dai family items wouldn’t have ended up with him.”

“Should we spread the news, miss?” Fat Shopkeeper consulted the veiled woman.

“Why should we?” The veiled woman sneered, “The Dai and Song families are scheming against each other—what does that have to do with us? We’re just doing business, not getting involved in their disputes.”

“This time we hired someone to investigate, which was already inappropriate. We’re businessmen, not participants in their affairs.” The veiled woman quickly set the tone: “As always, we only do business. Whose gold coins aren’t gold coins? As for the rest, we know nothing.”

“Yes, miss!” Fat Shopkeeper quickly agreed.

Chapter 11: A Proper Discussion

Twenty Essence Cultivation Pills—based on William Carter’s previous experience with the medicine, that was enough to fully restore his damaged soul.