Konoha Aogen

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"My name is Hanging. What are you going to do that's shameful?"

"You are...I thought I could only see you on the 'fifth floor'." The man stood up quickly and looked at the woman in front of him with some fear.

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"I hope that in this world, those who have more money will be slaves, and those who have less will be slaves of others." There are two columns of concise words engraved on a tall blue and black stone tablet. There is no gilding or red paint, and only the gouges on the stele's body are slightly grayish-yellow due to years of wind and sand blowing.

A man wearing a lavender silk shirt hurried past the stone monument, without even looking at it, and walked straight towards the large "tung cedar door" in front. As he approached, the hustle and bustle in the hall stopped the man in his tracks.

Four tall, handsome men and women stood at the entrance of the hall. Seeing that the visitor was in a panic, the maid on the left walked slowly to his side and whispered: "The main entrance leads to the first-floor hall. The two doors on the left lead to the second and third floors, and the two doors on the right lead to the fourth and fifth floors. Mr. Which floor do you want to go to?" He said while using restrained and gentle gestures.

"Fourth floor." The man responded softly. As he spoke, he looked at the corridor on the right, as if he was eager to leave this crowded place.

The maid smiled sweetly. When she heard the word "Fourth Floor", she immediately turned around and solemnly said, "Sir, follow me." After saying that, she bowed almost invisible and led the man towards the side door leading to the "Fourth Floor". go. In terms of hospitality, it was not considered polite, but the man was quite grateful. The maid obviously knows what people going to the "fourth floor" care about.

"The fourth floor accepts commissions of 'one to one hundred thousand taels', and you need to pay 'five hundred taels' to enter. Do you know, sir?" the maid asked as she walked, her tone of voice was respectful.

"Yeah." The man responded, his voice trembling slightly. While talking, the two came to a low dark red wooden door. Only then did the man realize that there was no need to go through the noisy area at the main entrance. He could just go around to the "right side of the tower" first.

"Mowen Mercenary Group" is located in the inner city of "Kurong City". The main body is a five-story brick tower. Each floor has an independent entrance and is not connected to each other. The main hall on the first floor does not do shady business. From the second floor onwards, secret commissions such as "assassination, theft, destruction, and spying" began to be involved. The higher the floor, the higher the grade of the mercenary.

The second floor is for commissions of "one hundred to one thousand taels";

The third floor is for commissions of "one thousand to ten thousand taels";

The fourth floor is for commissions of "10,000 to 100,000 taels";

The fifth floor is for commissions of "more than one hundred thousand taels".

The man took out five "hundred taels" of silver notes and handed them to the guard guarding the small wooden door. He was then led by another guard inside the door and went up to the "fourth floor" along the winding and dark stone steps and entered a room. A stone room without windows. The door is made of fine iron and scrapes against the ground when it is opened and closed, making a rather harsh sound. After the guard invited the man into the stone room, he closed the iron door from the outside.

More than a dozen giant candles illuminate the stone chamber. The interior furnishings are minimalist: a wooden table with pen and ink; a celadon teapot and two teacups; and two wicker chairs. None of them are luxury items.

The man sat on the wicker chair for about half a cup of tea when a "narrow stone door" without a handle opposite was pushed open, and a smiling woman in light blue clothes walked out.

"My name is Chan Ying. What are you going to do, sir?" He was naughty and frivolous, almost teasing.

"You are...I thought I could only see you on the 'fifth floor'." The man stood up quickly and looked at the woman in front of him with some fear.

Seeing that she was slender, with slightly sunken cheeks, and looked like she didn't have much to eat, I felt a little distressed. Under the sick look, his smart eyes showed no trace of pity, and were full of innocence and curiosity, just like a child who had never seen the world and was not afraid of anything. A light blue blouse made of excellent material has been washed countless times and has turned grayish white. Two "short knives" that seemed to be even slimmer than her were inserted on the left side of her waist. The belt and the double leather scabbards were integrated and must have been specially made.

"When business is bad, you can see me on the third floor." After the shadow spoke, he picked up the porcelain pot and filled two teacups. No color, just clear water. "Sir, take a seat."

After the man sat down, the afterimage was still standing. He hid half of his body in the wicker chair and folded his hands lightly on the back of the chair. He didn't look like "he wanted to discuss big business" at all.

"We will hide the identity of the employer and do not require additional information. But a complete and detailed story is extremely helpful to the completion of the task." The afterimage guided the man to skip the greetings.

The man stood up again, bowed and said with some flinching: "Master, Captain, I have a rude request for advice. I don't mean it in the slightest. If I have offended you, I sincerely apologize for it." Looking at the thin, thin face in front of him, A playful woman, a man can't feel the slightest hint of danger. Until now, he still refused to believe that this was the leader of the "Mowen Mercenary Group" - Xue Zhangguan - Afterimage.

"Sir, you are worrying too much. If you can't answer, I won't answer. You are the employer, so don't say 'leader', just call me by my name." Afterimage smiled lightly, trying to relax the other person's tense body. , and didn’t force him to sit down.

"Yes, Mr. Afterimage. That's why I'm so bold. I've never been here before and I don't understand the rules. I dare to ask you about what we're talking about here. How many people will eventually know about it?" the man asked timidly. This era is no longer an era that only belongs to men, but the custom of male superiority and female inferiority still exists in the "Imperial Era". Calling a woman sir is considered a high degree of respect.

A chuckle of approval: "Smart question. If so many people know about this 'secret', it's easy to keep it secret."

Seeing that the afterimage didn't care about his prying eyes, the man felt a little relieved and smiled shyly.

"In the end, two people will know the whole story about the fourth and fifth floors. One is me and the other is the boss of 'Mowen Tower'. The 'mercenary' will not know about the 'employer', and the 'employer' will not know either. Who are the 'mercenaries'? This is called 'double-blind protection'.

My duty is to judge who is the most suitable mercenary based on the stories you tell. All the agreements between us are verbal promises. They will not leave any traces on the paper, nor will we ask you to sign them. "After the afterimage said this, she made another gesture and asked the man to sit back in the chair. She told a little lie. In the end, it was usually two people, but it could also be three people who knew the full story of the mission.

"Thank you, sir. This will make me feel more at ease. What I want to do... it would be difficult to explain clearly if I hide too many details." The man no longer said "I'm here" one by one.

Hearing the man say this, Afterimage's already clear eyes became even brighter. Her favorite things are "messy people" and "weird things."

"Yeah. You speak and I listen."

"My name is 'Chen Qi'. The four families of Mo, Pei, Liang, and Chen in Tairan City are not considered to be big figures in the eyes of my husband. Regardless of whether you have heard of it or not, in short, I am the only son of the 'Chen family'."

"Your father's name only has the character 'Feng' in it, right?" Afterimage asked softly.

Although the "Konoha Clan" of Kurei City is the undisputed largest bandit "west of the Northland", they do not dare to be arrogant enough to ignore the Sakon forces. Of course, the afterimage is clear. The city lord of "Tairan City", "Zou Yu", is a pure warrior and extremely lazy. To "Tairan City", he is more like a "mascot" and "patron saint". The four families of "Mo, Pei, Liang, and Chen" are actually in charge of city affairs.

"That's right. Sir, since he knows my father, he may have heard about my reputation. I am indeed a playboy. My father is old. I originally thought of taking over the family business in the future, so I took over the family's jewelry store, tea shop, and pharmacy. Sell ​​all the land and land, and become a wealthy and idle man.

But half a month ago, I learned from a maid who was close to me that "Fourth Yiniang" was pregnant, and she was almost four months old. She also heard from Fourth Yin Niang's personal maid that her father caressed Fourth Yin Niang's belly all day long and said, 'My son, my son...' But I knew that my father's biggest regret was that he did not have a daughter.

My father never told me about such a big thing. Moreover, in recent days, he kicked me out of the tea house, stopped forcing me to read the accounts at home, and stopped asking me to talk to people... I guess he really had such an idea. "Chen Qi slowly narrated. His words were full of worry, but there was no malice in them.

"Well, you're worried that your 'own things' will fall into the hands of others." Afterimage secretly teased her employer.

"That's right. I'm the only son in the family, and I'm a direct descendant. I never thought that someone else would get involved in the Chen family's things. Alas, it's also my fault that I've been acting too ridiculously over the years. My father is very disappointed in me."

Afterimage did not answer, but nodded to signal Chen Qi to continue.

"Sir, please don't misunderstand me. Although I am unfilial, I would never dare to do something that is 'impermissible'." Chen Qi hurriedly explained.

Afterimage continued to nod, with only curiosity and inquiry in his eyes, without any emotion of approval or contempt. Whether Chen Qi kills his father or not, she is just the one who listens to the story.

"I came up with an unreasonable idea. Maybe...it sounds ridiculous, but I really have no other way." When he was about to get to the important point, Chen Qi's face turned red.

"Tell me and listen." Afterimage's childlike innocence was greatly moved.

"If I break one of my father's teeth loose while he is sleeping and make him think that he has reached the 'aging stage', maybe... maybe he will be anxious to put the family property into my hands because he thinks that his days are numbered.

The fields and teahouses are easy to talk about, but the business of jewelry and medicinal materials, especially medicinal materials, involves the connection between the 'Eastern Region' and the 'Western Region'. Once the connections are cut off, the business will also be cut off. It's too late to wait for the child in my aunt's belly to grow up, so I can only try to pass on these relationships to me. "Chen Qi seemed to have mustered a lot of courage before speaking out this bizarre idea in front of Afterimage.

Not a simple assassination. Afterimage was quite satisfied with this new story, and asked with a squinted smile: "What medicinal materials involve the connections between the East and the West Regions? Did you use 'Snow Ginseng' and 'Dream Mushroom' instead?"

"Yes." Chen Qi made no secret. Since the collapse of the empire, these two items are no longer prohibited items.

"How old is your father?" Afterimage no longer uses the title "Your Father".

"Two hundred and sixty-three years old." Chen Qi replied.

"Isn't this... a little early? How can he not doubt that he is entering the 'aging period' at such an age?" Afterimage was worried about his employer.

"There is a precedent for short lifespan in the family. I heard from my father that the third master started to 'age' around the age of two hundred and seventy." Chen Qi added.

"Okay, even if you deceive him temporarily, what will you do if he discovers that he has not aged in a few years?"

"I will really start to take over the family business. This time I will study hard and not show off. By the time he finds out, if I can take charge of my own business, who will be willing to pass the family business to a bastard? The most I can do is get a slap in the face." Chen Qi's expression became serious.

"Sincerity is the best deception." Afterimage praised: "It's an irrelevant question. After taking over, will you still sell it?"

"I don't know, let's wait and see. Is my method... feasible?" Chen Qi was a little worried.

"It can be done, thirty thousand taels." Afterimage replied casually.

"Thirty thousand? To be honest, sir, I gritted my teeth to get to the fourth floor, and I only had 10,000 cash in hand. That's all, I got it bit by bit when I was in charge of the tea house a few years ago. Now my family's business I'm not allowed to touch it anymore because I really can't get more. Besides, I do have a lot of guards at home, but there are no great masters. The price is really..." Afterimage's asking price was obviously higher than Chen Qi expected. Too much higher.

"If you want to kill him, ten thousand taels will do. Do you know how much harder it would be to break a tooth without anyone noticing? If you want to trick him into thinking it's due to 'aging', the tooth must first be loosened and then fall out. Just fall off." It won't work, even if it becomes loose and strong again. The root of the tooth needs to be broken, the body of the tooth should be left in the flesh, and the pain should not be too painful when you wake up the next day. Have you thought about these?" When talking about money, Can Shadow became much more serious.

"I've thought about it in general, but I don't understand the details, and there's no one to ask." Chen Qi said awkwardly: "It's just, 30,000 taels, I really can't afford that much."

"Do you want to wait until you inherit the family business before paying?" Biying ignored Chen Qi's doubts about the asking price and jumped directly to the settlement step.

"This...if I can't inherit it, I won't be able to get out the thirty thousand taels no matter what. Will you kill me then?" Chen Qi began to shrink back. Of course he couldn't tolerate the loss of his ancestral property, but he wouldn't risk his life for it.

Afterimage sneered: "Mr. Chen, do you look down on me, or do you really know how to do business?"

Chen Qi was stunned and said hurriedly: "I made a mistake, sir, please give me some advice."

"You didn't hide it from me about the fact that you might not be able to pay the money, and you told me frankly about it under any circumstances. You can't get the family fortune, and I won't get the commission. In 'Mo Wen Pagoda' For us, this is a risk. Let’s put a price on this risk. Can’t it be done?” Afterimage downplayed it, as if he didn’t care about the specific gain or loss of the thirty thousand taels.

"What do you mean?" Chen Qi is a businessman after all, and he has vaguely guessed what the other party is thinking.

"When you become the head of the family, just give me 60,000 taels."

"Sixty thousand? Even if you sell all your family property, you may not be able to liquidate 200,000. You can eat 30% of it in one bite, but it's so..." Thinking of 60,000 taels of silver, Chen Qi became brave in front of the afterimage. Somewhat.

"If you are unfortunately kicked out, that's it. If you don't become the head of the family, but get some side jobs, I won't suck the blood of your down-and-out young master. I will only take the money if you take over the Chen family. This business Can you do it?" Again, he never mentioned the price.

"Forty thousand! It may be a girl, or it may not be possible at all." At this point in the conversation, Chen Qi was convinced that his life was not in danger, and he instantly changed his attitude as a businessman.

"Girls can also seize family property. Besides, how many years did it take before you became the head of the family? You can still owe me my money, but I have to pay for the mercenaries first." After a pause, he saw Chen Qi was about to speak again, and immediately reached out his hand to stop the other person from talking: "Okay, it's 60,000."

Chen Qi was full of bitterness and wanted to vomit. He choked back due to the afterimage, with a look of unwillingness and anger on his face: "This...sir, this..."

"This is not a food market after all. Mr. Chen, please show some respect to me." Afterimage's tone became pitiful. Chen Qiwan didn't expect that after being so arrogant, this adult would suddenly act coquettishly.

"Uh...then, okay." A piece of the Chen family's territory was inexplicably bitten off.

"Every entrustment of 'Mo Wen Pagoda' by me is a promise, so I have to proofread it with Mr. Chen again: the task content is to make one of 'Chen Feng''s teeth loosen and fall out slowly. The conditions for receiving the commission, It is 'Chen Qi' who has officially become the head of the Chen family. The commission amount is 'silver, sixty thousand taels'. If there is no doubt, let's high-five and the matter is settled."

Afterimage said that he turned out from behind the table and stretched his right hand in front of Chen Qi. In fact, she doesn't have to high-five everyone every time. She only does this when she encounters an employer who is not determined enough.

Chen Qi hesitated for a moment, feeling that it was inappropriate for the other party to keep stretching out his hand to wait for him, so he stretched out his right hand and patted the other party's palm lightly, making his tentacles slightly cold. When he touched the residual image of skin, Chen Qi's heart trembled, and he had an evil thought: This is the most famous woman I have ever touched.

Suddenly, Chen Qi thought of something and secretly regretted that he should not have been bewitched by her. He clapped his hands so quickly: "Sir, there is one more thing that I haven't explained just now. This... after I become the head of the family, if there is an immediate deficit of 60,000 yuan in the account, Two taels of silver, I'm afraid...I'm afraid...and I don't necessarily have that much cash in cash, so I might have to sell some of my property to get it together. Do you think you can..."

Afterimage didn't wait for him to finish, and immediately responded: "That's easy to say. After you become the head of the family, go to the 'Qianjin Pavilion' to make some fake bets, write an IOU for 60,000 taels, and pay it back slowly in the future. You won't accept it." Interested. If the head of the family is busy with everything, I can send someone to find you in Tairan City with the IOU."

At the level of 'Fourth Floor', this is a mission with almost no danger. When I met Brother Chu who didn't understand the market, I felt that I had taken advantage of him and didn't care about the details.

"I'm so grateful, sir." Seeing that the afterimage was easy to talk to, Chen Qi felt a little relieved.

"Master Chen, don't be too nervous. As long as you keep your word on important occasions, we can discuss everything. Now I hope you can give me some information: such as the map of the house, the number and inspection routes of the guards, Mr. Chen Feng's daily actions... …The more detailed the better. Of course, you can not say it, or say it selectively. It’s just that these contents are all related to the success of the mission.” At this point, Afterimage was no longer willing to hide his excitement. She really loves this business.

"I understand. It's just that I don't have a courtyard map of my home, so I'll draw one for you. There may be deviations in the subtleties, but the important ones are correct. In addition, it's best to do this as soon as possible. While my father thinks I have nothing, If you take action when you know, I will be less suspicious."

"Yeah, I understand." For a whole afternoon, Afterimage asked very carefully. It wasn't until late in the evening that Chen Qi was so hungry that he fainted and then let him go.

"You don't know how to use martial arts, and you don't have any guards, right? If you want to travel at night, I will send someone to follow you from a distance." Chen Qi's safety has begun to become important.

Note: The "Exile Diary" at the end of each chapter is very important, don't skip it!

Exile Diary - Excerpt (1)

The "divine guards" are here. They demanded that their father hand over all the "Lorama" people, including the princess. There are only seven divine guards. Although they can enter the kingdom freely, they have no way to take me away by force. They warned my father that if I could not be taken away, the empire's "Iron Army" would come in person.

No one can withstand the empire's iron army, not even my father. Even within the kingdom, my father had to consider the attitude of his uncle and nobles. I am ready to commit suicide and will never be humiliated or tortured by the divine guards.

Although my father is a fool, he really loves me.

So at this moment, the guilt that should have been gnawing at my father’s heart is torturing me. My ship is drifting in the endless sea, and I will probably never see my father again in this life. How will he face the divine guardian? How will his uncle and those despicable nobles treat him? Never got a chance to know.