Eternal Saber-Chapter 290 - 14: A Wu Dynasty Native?

Brother Yin saw this person not speaking, reached out to grab the person's throat, and was about to continue pressing for answers when he found the hermit's pupils gradually dilating and losing their light.

Soon after, a trickle of black blood emerged from the corner of the person's mouth—they had already been poisoned to death.

Feeling a lingering fear, Shen Yu patted her chest and said, "I heard that hermits have their own code of conduct; one of them is to keep secrets and never reveal their employer's identity. You won't be able to find out."

Knowing he couldn't escape, this hermit simply accepted his fate, perhaps having hidden the poison pill in his mouth and biting down to release it.

In fact, when Chen Tang saw this person, he realized there must be ships traveling between the Divine Land and Hermit Continent.

Otherwise, this hermit couldn't have appeared here.

Since this happened in the cabin and was extremely brief, it didn't cause much disturbance.

Brother Yin casually tossed the body's corpse outside the cargo ship without any intent to clean up.

According to what they said, on the Hermit Continent, the Hermit Organization has people specifically handling hermit corpses.

"Brother Chen, thanks a lot just now."

Shen Yu clasped her hands in gratitude.

Chen Tang asked, "Helping you catch this person, can it offset the favor owed just now?"

Xiao Pu blushed.

She had just ridiculed Chen Tang over food and clothing.

Unexpectedly, Chen Tang quickly discovered the assassin hidden on the cargo ship!

This favor is worth much more than food and clothing!

It could even be called a grace.

Shen Yu glanced at Xiao Pu and earnestly said, "Brother Chen, don't joke about it. This is a life-saving grace. Without Brother Chen's help, we wouldn't have noticed that person's flaw."

Chen Tang smiled and didn't intend to argue with a young girl.

Seeing Chen Tang preparing to disembark, Shen Yu hesitated slightly and said, "Brother Chen, actually, I wanted to keep you here because your fist technique feels somewhat familiar."

"Oh?"

Chen Tang asked while walking, "Do you recognize my fist technique?"

"Yeah, it's called Tiger Subduing Fist."

Shen Yu nodded, "I practice it too."

Chen Tang smiled and said, "This fist technique is practiced by almost everyone in the Divine Land, nothing special."

"But here in the Three Eastern Sea States, not many people know this fist technique."

Shen Yu quickened her steps, stopped Chen Tang, and said, "Brother Chen, please take a look at my Tiger Subduing Fist and see if there's anything wrong with it, and give me some guidance."

Saying this, Shen Yu took her stance and started demonstrating the moves of the Tiger Subduing Fist inside the cabin.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Hearing Shen Yu's vigorous execution of the fist technique behind him, Chen Tang glanced back and couldn't help but be moved.

He initially thought that Shen Yu's Tiger Subduing Fist was merely the popularized, diluted form found in the Divine Land's marketplaces.

Such Tiger Subduing Fist had long lost its essence; training it from a young age, the results were minimal—nothing more than showy moves. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Chen Tang didn't expect to see someone here in this Exotic Realm executing the Tiger Subduing Fist so correctly and proficiently.

She had already reached the 'Knowing its Form' realm and even touched the threshold of 'Mastering Change.'

Shen Yu's execution of the Tiger Subduing Fist clearly came from a true lineage!

So young, she has already reached the Entry Level.

Could it be that there are people from the Wu Dynasty in Shen Yu's family?

Chen Tang paused his steps, waited for Shen Yu to finish a set of forms, then asked, "Who taught you this fist technique?"

Having just finished her practice, Shen Yu smoothed her breathing and smiled, "It was taught by an elder in my family. If Brother Chen is willing to come back with me, I could introduce you."

Chen Tang chuckled inwardly.

This young girl was trying so hard, just to get him to stay.

Chen Tang had other matters to attend to and didn't want to get too involved, so he shook his head and said, "That won't be necessary."

Saying this, he leaped off the cargo ship and landed on the dock.

"Hey!"

Shen Yu hurriedly caught up, saying, "Brother Chen, you haven't pointed out any issues with my Tiger Subduing Fist yet."

Chen Tang replied, "You practiced very well, nothing that needs guidance."

He wasn't just being perfunctory; Shen Yu's Tiger Subduing Fist was genuinely authentic. Even if he were to teach her, it wouldn't be any different.

Brother Yin and Xiao Pu saw Shen Yu disembark and, fearing their young lady might be in danger, quickly followed.

"Miss, we should return to the cargo ship,"

Xiao Pu said worriedly, "The appearance of an assassin means someone definitely issued a bounty against you in the Shadow Tower. Even if this hermit failed, other hermits might make a move."

Shen Yu casually said, "With Brother Chen and Brother Yin here, there's nothing to worry about."

In truth, this was her first time in the Hermit Continent, and she was quite curious about the place.

Near the port, people were coming and going, seemingly no different from the port near her home.

Vendors and porters, cart drivers and sellers, people from all walks of life were present.

However, these people appeared expressionless, with numb eyes, exuding a cold aura from head to toe.

No one knew how many hermits there were on the Hermit Continent.

Some even said that anyone here could be a hermit at any time!

Leaving the port meant entering Qianzhu City.

The dock by the sea didn't have city walls, but there were swathes of bamboo groves on both sides.

The streets in Qianzhu City were rather narrow, not even as wide as those in the counties of Qian Country, with the alleys appearing even darker.

Both sides of the streets had the usual inns, guesthouses, apothecaries, teahouses... A myriad of businesses, seemingly no different from the towns of Qian Country.

However, just after the four of them entered the city, they attracted a lot of attention.

Not to mention Chen Tang, who was easily recognizable as someone not from the Three Eastern Sea States.

Shen Yu and the other two also clearly weren't local to the Hermit Continent.

Chen Tang saw that Shen Yu followed and didn't stop her; after entering the city, he asked, "The hermit just died, will more hermits come after you?"

"They will."

Shen Yu nodded, "Generally speaking, as long as a bounty isn't withdrawn, hermits will continue to come until the target is dead."

"And if the target never dies?"

Chen Tang asked.

Shen Yu replied, "If the target doesn't die, it means the assassinations have failed too many times, and the bounty level will increase. In the Shadow Tower, there are specific people who analyze the target's information and adjust accordingly, categorizing bounties into five levels: Ordinary, Difficult, Danger, Nightmare, and Purgatory."

"For the bounty against me, it should only be at the Ordinary Level. But if they keep failing, it will rise to the Difficult Level."

"Once it rises a level, if the employer doesn't increase the bounty, there will be fewer hermits willing to take the risk, as the difficulty increases but the reward doesn't."

"At the Danger Level, there's a high chance hermits will die; without enough bounty, they aren't willing to risk their lives either."

Chen Tang asked again, "What about the Nightmare and Purgatory levels?"

"Generally, tasks end at the Danger Level."

Shen Yu shook her head, "If the bounty amount is sufficient, there aren't many targets that can withstand being a Danger Level target, since once a hermit targets you, danger is everywhere, and there's only one outcome."

"Very few bounties reach the Nightmare Level, and as for Purgatory, it is said that Divine Land Martial Emperor had a task at this level, but he was eventually assassinated by the Hidden Sect."

"Oh, right. Recently, there is someone on the Hermit Continent who triggered a Purgatory level bounty, reportedly from the Divine Land. But I don't think they'll last long."