The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

"Heh heh, from what I’ve heard, the Black Market Killers who besieged the Wang Family last night were no simple matter," a mustached Martial Artist said. "Not only were there dozens of assassins at the Earth Element Realm, but even Blade Demon, Sword Evil, Drip Water Spear, and even that super-assassin, Ghost Face, were mobilized."

Everyone gasped upon hearing this, their faces aghast. They only knew that a brutal battle had occurred last night, but the specifics were unknown. Now, hearing the mustached Martial Artist’s account, they were all thoroughly spooked.

Although this mustached Martial Artist’s own power wasn’t anything special, he was a smooth operator and had an extraordinary knack for gathering intelligence. He knew many things other Martial Artists didn’t, so the crowd was inclined to believe him.

"Good heavens, Blade Demon and Sword Evil? Those are Celestial Essence Realm assassins, famous in the Black Market for ages! And that’s not even mentioning the super-assassin, Ghost Face—he’s one of the handful of Extraordinary masters in the entire Black Market!"

"That’s terrifying. You could say the Black Market Killers mobilized their entire force. Who could possibly have the power to rally so many assassins?"

The mustached Martial Artist chuckled and continued, "According to my sources, the bounty was first posted from a Black Market Killer hideout called the Crimson Wine Tavern, then it spread through the entire Black Market. As for the person who posted it... heh heh, you’ll never guess."

"Who was it?!"

The crowd asked, their curiosity piqued.

In the face of everyone’s questions, the mustached Martial Artist simply picked up his teacup and began to drink slowly. After he finished, he even smacked his lips noisily.

"Spit it out! Stop beating around the bush."

"Damn it, kid, stop leaving us hanging! Just say it already!"

"You do this every time! Can’t you just tell us properly for once?"

Facing the crowd’s ire, the mustached Martial Artist had no choice but to set down his cup. He said unhurriedly, "Heh, the person who posted this bounty is incredibly bold. He didn’t hide his identity at all; in fact, it was the easiest part of the story to uncover."

Glancing around at everyone, the mustached Martial Artist spoke a single name.

"Qin Ya!!"

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent, becoming somewhat eerie.

This was followed by a wave of exclamations, one after another, that nearly blew the roof off.

"Qin Ya?! It was him!"

"How could it possibly be him? How could it be?"

"Damn it, he’s a Young National Hero, and he went to the Black Market to post a bounty? And on the Wang Family, one of the Imperial Capital’s most prominent families, no less! That’s completely insane!"

"How did he manage it? I refuse to believe the entire Black Market mobilized their assassins just because of his status as a Young National Hero. That’s completely impossible."

"Why would he do that? Wasn’t killing Wang Yan enough for him? Does he want to hunt down and exterminate the entire Wang Family? That’s way too ruthless."

.........

"How did he do it?"

It was shocking. Truly, utterly shocking.

If some Martial Arts Family or a supreme powerhouse had posted the bounty, they could have accepted it. But Qin Ya is just a Martial Artist who hasn’t even reached the Celestial Essence Realm—how could he possibly have such means?

The entire force of Black Market Killers was mobilized... just how did he do it?

Fine, even if he is the Young National Hero and a Seventh-Grade Alchemist...

Wait a minute... a Seventh-Grade Alchemist?

Everyone seemed to realize something, looks of astonishment dawning on their faces. Just then, the mustached Martial Artist continued, "I imagine you’ve all guessed it by now. That Qin Ya used Elixirs as the payment. Kill a Wang Family member at the Profound Origin Realm, get a bottle of Third-Grade Elixirs. Kill someone at the Spiritual Element Realm, get Fourth-Grade Elixirs..."

"And there’s no limit. You can even choose the type of Elixir. A temptation like that is enough to make the entire Black Market flock to the cause. In their eyes, the heads of the Wang Family members are just bottles of precious Elixirs. Heh heh, our Young National Hero is a vicious one, isn’t he?"

A chill ran through the hearts of the Martial Artists. "Vicious" didn’t even begin to cover it; this was utterly deranged. Because of his one bounty, a prominent Imperial Capital family was thrown into utter chaos, its foundations grievously wounded, and its members were suffering innumerable casualties.

Such casualties would be a devastating blow to any family.

"Why did Qin Ya post a bounty, though? Is it because of his past grudge with Wang Yan? He already killed Wang Yan, isn’t his hatred sated?"

"This is just pure malice. How can a person like that become a National Hero? Your Majesty truly made a mistake this time. What if he decides he dislikes someone and just posts a bounty on them in the Black Market? Wouldn’t the entire Empire be thrown into chaos?"

"Heh, the Wang Family really picked a fight with a ruthless one."

"Hmph. A person like him is completely unworthy of the title of National Hero."

There was no shortage of envious people among the Martial Artists present. Qin Ya had already drawn jealousy and resentment for achieving so much at such a young age. Now that he had done this, it naturally gave people a pretext to gang up on him.

In an instant, all sorts of vicious condemnations were hurled at Qin Ya.

Just then, a scrawny youth drinking nearby overheard them. A look of indignation appeared on his face as he slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Hmph! Utter nonsense!"

"You have no idea why Qin Ya posted the bounty, yet you stand here spouting such drivel. Besides, the Wang Family was arrogant and tyrannical; they deserved this calamity! In the end, this is all just your jealousy talking. You have no right to criticize Qin Ya."

Upon hearing this, the faces of the Martial Artists flushed red and pale with shame and anger. They were furious at being seen through. Seeing that the youth’s Cultivation was only at the Human Element Realm, one of them was emboldened by his rage. "You brat, shut your mouth!" he roared. "Everything we said is the truth! That Qin Ya is completely unworthy of being a National Hero!"

With that, he actually struck out with his palm toward the scrawny youth.

Although the man’s Cultivation wasn’t strong, he was a Profound Origin Realm Martial Artist at the very least. How could the scrawny youth possibly defend himself? Just as he was about to be struck, a sweet laugh rang out. A young girl had appeared, extending a delicate hand to catch the attacker’s wrist.

With a slight squeeze... CRACK!

"Aaaargh! My hand!" the man howled, his face contorted in fear. "Spare me, miss! Spare my life!"

The girl sneered. "What a spineless coward."

With that, she turned her beautiful eyes to the scrawny youth. "What’s your name, kid?"

"I’m Nanle." He looked at the girl in surprise, not expecting this young woman, who looked even more fragile than he was, to possess such strength.

"Interesting." A peculiar glint flashed in the girl’s eyes. She released the man’s hand and looked at Nanle. "To be so weak and still dare to stick up for someone else... you’re pretty foolish. Do you want to get stronger?"

"Huh?" Nanle was taken aback.

"What do you mean, ’huh’? Come with me. From now on, you’re a Disciple of my Cloud Sea Immortal Palace." Without waiting for his answer, the girl grabbed him by the collar. Her Body Technique flared and, like a fleeting shadow, she carried him out of the Restaurant.