Bloodsniffer Serpent
Time continued to pass, and two days went by peacefully—at least for Ethan.
Inside the Sky Cloud Sect,
"Master, I have brought all the heads as you ordered."
Inside a dark room, a masked man quickly took out a dozen heads from his storage ring and placed them on the ground.
If Ethan were here, he would have instantly recognized the masked man—it was the very assassin who had taken his life.
'Huh?'
The assassin frowned when he sensed that one head was missing from his collection; however, he remained silent.
'Swiish'
In the next second, a shadow swept across the floor, pulling all the heads into the darkness.
'Kacha'
'Puchi'
'Gulp'
Soon, the air was filled with the sounds of eating, making the assassin's back break into a cold sweat.
"Where is the head of the disciple named Kai?"
After a few moments, a slightly displeased voice echoed in the dark room, making the assassin's heart skip a beat.
"Master, I have—"
"Are you telling me that I am lying about it?"
Before the assassin could finish his words, the eerie voice interrupted him.
"Sorry, Master. I will go right away and bring it for you."
The assassin didn't dare claim that he had already completed the task; instead, he apologized.
"I need his head… at any cost. Bring me his head to collect your reward."
The eerie voice commanded, and the assassin quietly left the dark room.
'Damn it… I clearly remember storing it in my storage ring. Did I drop it somewhere?'
The assassin was confused about Ethan's missing head and quickly summoned his Spirit Pet, a small black-coloured serpent.
It was called the Bloodsniffer Serpent, a creature capable of tracking its targets. That was how the assassin had been able to locate Kai and his other targets.
'Find the head.'
The assassin took out a beast skin with Ethan's drawing and a blood imprint before ordering his Spirit Pet to search for Ethan's head.
In his mind, he must have accidentally dropped Ethan's head somewhere and prayed he could find it again.
However, never in his wildest dreams would the assassin have guessed that Ethan was alive and currently lying low in Ironwood Town.
…..
Two days passed in a flash, and it had now been four days since Ethan entered Ironwood Town.
'Let's go out and explore the town a bit.'
Ethan was completely oblivious to the fact that the assassin was searching for his head as he decided to explore the town.
After staying in his room for four days, Ethan was bored. After much hesitation, he finally decided to step outside.
Since fighting was forbidden in Ironwood Town, Ethan wasn't too worried and left the inn.
"Looking for cultivators with a cultivation of Level 4 Qi Refining Realm and above to enter the Blackcloud Forest for herb collection!"
"The Stormcloud Family is recruiting guards. Anyone with a cultivation of Level 4 Qi Refining Realm and above is eligible!"
"Check out the Rank 1 pills refined by one of the Sky Cloud Sect's alchemists!"
"Pay just 10 Spirit Stones to buy this Spirit Beast Egg!"
. . .
The first place Ethan went to after leaving the inn was the marketplace, where cultivators were being recruited for various tasks, and loose cultivators were buying and selling all kinds of resources.
'Experiencing this personally feels completely different from my memories.'
For Ethan, everything seemed fascinating; however, aside from observing, he did nothing.
With his current wealth, he couldn't afford to buy anything, even if he wanted to.
"Attention, everyone! The Sky Cloud Sect is still recruiting cultivators to cut down Ironwood Trees. For every 100 Ironwood Trees, the cultivator will be paid 10 Spirit Stones."
"Interested loose cultivators can directly go to Ironwood Forest."
Suddenly, an announcement from a middle-aged man wearing a sect uniform caught Ethan's attention.
Ironwood had multiple uses in alchemy, weapon-making, formations, and spiritual arrays, making it highly sought after by the Sky Cloud Sect.
However, compared to other trees, cutting down Ironwood required significantly more strength.
'10 Spirit Stones for cutting 100 Ironwood Trees?'
With Ethan's current cultivation, he could cut 100 Ironwood Trees in a day if he put in the effort, allowing him to earn 10 Spirit Stones.
For Loose Cultivators at the Qi Refining stage, earning 10 Spirit Stones per day was a dream, and Ethan was tempted.
'No. Let's not be greedy for some Spirit Stones.'
Nevertheless, Ethan quickly shook off the idea.
If the job was within Ironwood Town, he might have considered it. However, leaving the town meant losing his protection.
'I just need to wait for three more days.'
He reminded himself that the cooldown of his ability would be over in three days.
Soon, Ethan resumed strolling through the town when he suddenly received a series of system notifications.
'Ding,
The system has detected that the host's killer is close by.
'Ding,
Initiating a choice-based quest for the host. Please select a mission you want to complete.
'Ding,
1) Mission Name: The Cycle Repeats.
Mission Details: You died once, and you fear not dying again at the hands of the same killer.
Reward: 10 Life Points.
'Ding,
2) Mission Name: Draw First Blood.
Mission Details: Make the killer spill blood and achieve a small victory.
Reward: 50 Life Points.
'Ding,
3) Mission Name: An Eye for an Eye.
Mission Details: Kill the killer and achieve a big victory.
Reward: A Special Talent.
'What? The assassin is nearby?'
Ethan was shocked for a moment before suppressing his emotions.
After that, he scanned his surroundings and spotted a familiar masked man in the distance.
'Did he recognize me?'