Chapter 11: Lin Family Fortress, Misty Rain Pavilion

Chapter 11: Lin Family Fortress, Misty Rain Pavilion

The next day, Su Chen, as usual, didn’t go to the Martial Arts Institute. After all, his goal had already been achieved—whether he attended or not no longer mattered.

He woke early, practiced his fist and palm techniques for an hour, had breakfast, and then left the city. His destination today was the Lin Family Fortress.

The Lin Family Fortress was a small castle located ten kilometers northwest of White Stone City, having existed for over a decade. It was said that the previous county magistrate was surnamed Lin, who had specifically requested its construction for certain reasons. Now, the fortress had grown into one of the Lin Clan’s territories, resembling a small town.

After leaving the city, Su Chen spent half a day to reach the fortress. Though called a fortress, it was simply surrounded by a two-meter-high wall, which was still inferior to White Stone City’s five-meter wall. However, being able to establish a castle in such a remote corner was enough to demonstrate the Lin Clan’s strength.

The structure of the Lin Family Fortress was modeled after White Stone City, divided into two areas equivalent to White Stone City’s inner city and outer city. The outer area allowed anyone to enter upon payment, but the inner area required permission from the Lin Clan. Though not as prosperous as White Stone City, it was still quite lively.

After paying the entry fee, Su Chen entered the fortress and immediately noticed the difference from White Stone City. As Li Mo had said, besides some merchant caravans, most people deliberately wore bamboo hats to conceal their identities. Moreover, most people walking the streets were martial cultivators. Su Chen had also disguised himself.

“Misty Rain Pavilion!”

Before long, Su Chen arrived at a grand tavern and, after a moment’s hesitation, entered the Misty Rain Pavilion.

According to Li Mo’s introduction and information he had gathered, the Misty Rain Pavilion was an institution established by the Lin Clan specifically to serve martial cultivators. Martial cultivators could conduct various transactions through the Misty Rain Pavilion, such as selling information, posting missions, or accepting tasks. It was somewhat similar in nature to the County Courthouse, except that the Misty Rain Pavilion’s scope was much broader and more chaotic, with most activities being illegal.

At the time Li Mo informed Su Chen, he was somewhat surprised why the other person knew. Li Mo replied that they had heard it from a friend. Su Chen didn’t dwell on it but instead asked for details before deciding to come.

Seeing Su Chen wandering around the grand hall for a long time without sitting down, a waiter approached politely to inquire, “Guest, may I ask what you need?”

“I want to accept a mission.”

The waiter nodded and said, “Please follow me, sir.”

Then, the waiter led Su Chen through a series of left and right turns to a side room where several people were standing or sitting. These people didn’t seem surprised by Su Chen’s arrival.

“Guest, you can accept missions here. Feel free to look around, and if you’ve made your choice, you can approach that person to claim it,” the waiter said, pointing to a short, stocky man behind the counter.

Su Chen nodded, took out a few coins, and handed them to the waiter, who thanked him and left.

He looked ahead where sheets of white paper were hanging—some with portraits, others with text, each different.

“Hmm? Liu Tong?”

Suddenly, Su Chen caught sight of a portrait; it was unmistakably Liu Tong, whom he had met before. However, the description below was more detailed than the County Courthouse’s records. It not only listed Liu Tong’s crime times and locations but also detailed the innocent people he had killed.

“One hundred taels!”

As Su Chen’s eyes settled on the end, his gaze sharpened slightly—the bounty was an astonishing one hundred taels.

“Old Lin, I want to cancel this assassination mission,” a man approached the short man and spoke. It was obvious from his voice that he had deliberately altered it.

Old Lin quoted a price, didn’t ask about the man’s identity, and after the man paid, he canceled the assassination mission and removed the poster.

“Assassinate Zhao Hai? Could he be Zhao Hai?” Su Chen glanced at the name on the poster, slightly startled, and guessed the man’s identity.

“Do you have to pay to cancel a mission?”

Since he was puzzled, Su Chen didn’t approach immediately to ask but instead observed from a chair at the back for a while. During this time, people came one after another—most were buying information, a few were posting missions, and one or two were completing them. Hardly anyone came to cancel missions like the previous man.

After observing for a while, Su Chen gradually noticed the pattern. The man who canceled the mission earlier probably wasn’t the original poster. It was highly likely, as he had suspected, that the man was the person on the poster.

Never thought that after posting an assassination mission, the target could pay to cancel it. If the poster reposts and the target cancels again, repeating this cycle, the Misty Rain Pavilion would make a fortune!

Thinking of this, Su Chen felt a faint envy—this was true free money! And without any risk!

After his moment of envy, Su Chen stood up. After watching for so long, it was time to accept his mission. He hadn’t forgotten that the purpose of his journey was to accept missions and earn money.

“Guest, what would you like?” Old Lin asked with a smile.

“I’d like to ask, are the details here accurate?”

Old Lin shook his head, “Not entirely. Most information is provided by the posters themselves. If the Misty Rain Pavilion knows something, they might make slight adjustments, but not often.”

Su Chen nodded upon hearing this and randomly pointed to a portrait, “I’ll take this one, this one, and this one. What do I need to do?”

“These are the mission vouchers. I need to register them. May I ask for your honorable surname?”

“No honor needed, my name is Tie Niú!”

Upon hearing this, Old Lin’s hand holding the brush paused slightly. This name… But he didn’t hesitate for long, quickly writing the name down and handing Su Chen three small tokens. After Su Chen accepted them, Old Lin removed the three missions.

“One more question—if I find the mission details are incorrect, what should I do?”

“You can cancel the mission without paying, just provide proof,” Old Lin replied.

Hearing this, Su Chen felt reassured and left with the three missions.

After leaving the Misty Rain Pavilion, Su Chen exited the Lin Family Fortress. Finding a quiet spot, he opened the three missions he had accepted and carefully examined them:

Eliminate Sun Fan, the leader of the Cloak Gang in Niu Family Village. This person is utterly wicked, trafficking women and using children to beg for profit. His cultivation stage is Body Tempering. Reward: Five Taels of Silver.

Eliminate Lu Tao, a disciple of the Ironclad Martial Hall. This person relies on the Ironclad Martial Hall to oppress the innocent. His cultivation stage is Body Tempering. Reward: Ten Taels of Silver.

Eliminate Qian Huan, the leader of the Medicine Gang in Liu Family Town. This person abuses their position to abduct women. His cultivation stage is Body Tempering. Reward: Fifteen Taels of Silver.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end