Chapter Fourteen: The Wanted Notice

Wanted Notice

Inside the room of Chief Steward Zhao in the Huang residence, Zhao paced anxiously back and forth in his private courtyard. Suddenly, a figure dressed in black vaulted over the tall courtyard wall. Rather than being startled, Zhao was elated.

“Well? Did you take care of that brat?” Zhao asked the black-clad man, his face flushed with excitement.

“Take care of him? Our assassins suffered heavy losses—only I made it back. The information you provided was seriously inaccurate!” the black-clad man replied coldly. He was one of the assassins, the one who had hidden in the woods throwing hidden weapons at Wu Hong, and who, under the cover of darkness, escaped after witnessing his leader killed by Wu Hong.

“What? How does your Skyshade Organization accept missions? You boasted there wouldn’t be any problems!” Zhao’s face turned pale with urgency as he realized Wu Hong had survived.

“Chief Steward Zhao, mind your words. Otherwise, I might consider you to be challenging the authority of Skyshade,” the assassin said, never removing the black cloth from his face, his voice tinged with murderous intent.

Zhao shivered internally. Despite being the chief steward of the Huang residence, he dared not offend the giant that was the Skyshade Assassin Organization.

Skyshade was the largest assassin organization in the Great Qian Dynasty, with branches in every province and county. Zhao had only managed to contact the branch responsible for Huangyun Town through some special connections.

“Still, although the task failed in part because your information was inaccurate—he’s clearly a master of the Blood Refining Realm, while you described him as just a butcher—the mission was unsuccessful. We’ll report this to our superiors, who will dispatch even more formidable experts to deal with Wu Hong. In this small Huangyun Town, I doubt anyone could threaten that young man’s life,” the assassin said.

Cold sweat streamed down Zhao’s face. He had never expected Wu Hong to be so difficult to deal with.

After discussing Wu Hong’s information with Zhao, the assassin slipped back over the wall and disappeared.

Yet Zhao could not calm himself. He dreaded that Huang Hu might find out—Huang Hu valued Wu Hong highly! If he learned Zhao had hired assassins to kill Wu Hong, it would spell disaster.

Wu Hong waited in the forest for several hours, and when no more assassins appeared, he quietly left at dawn when the main road was bustling with travelers.

Approaching the gates of Huangyun Town, Wu Hong saw a crowd gathered before a notice board. He squeezed through and saw it was a wanted poster—a massive wooden board listing the names of many wanted men. Each name, according to the degree of threat, carried a different reward.

The crowd watched partly out of curiosity and partly in hopes of spotting a stranger and earning a reward from the authorities.

Wu Hong, too, became interested and began reading from the top.

He was stunned—these were no ordinary names!

There were leaders of the Skyshade Assassins, the Beggar Sect chief, the Invincible East—all with rewards of ten thousand catties of gold, promised titles and lands. The bounty was tempting, but the crowd was sober: such figures moved like shadows, impossible even to spot, let alone capture.

Even if someone did spot them, few would dare report to the authorities. The names at the top were all legendary figures, far beyond the reach of ordinary folk.

When Wu Hong saw the twentieth or so name, his eyes widened: “Wu Hong—eldest son of the King of Martial Might’s mansion, patricide and fugitive, arrogant and abusive, raped a woman, on the run for a year and a half. Any clues, reward of ten thousand catties of gold.”

The notice was simple and direct, accompanied by a portrait: a young man clad in fine silk, holding a jade-bone fan, wearing a sable-fur hat, his face thin and chiseled, regal yet undernourished.

The image was lifelike, nearly a true likeness! The reward—ten thousand taels of gold—made the townsfolk take notice.

The reason was clear: though Wu Hong held a high status, the description claimed he knew no martial arts, and the reward applied whether he was found alive or dead. The vast sum, coupled with the supposed ease of the task, made him everyone’s focus.

Seeing himself listed, Wu Hong was aghast. “Damn! I can’t stay in Huangyun Town any longer!”

Though the portrait only bore a fifty percent resemblance to his current appearance, Wu Hong’s presence at the Huang residence would surely not go unnoticed.

Meanwhile, Chief Steward Zhao, after a sleepless night, still found no foolproof plan. If Huang Hu learned of his attempt on Wu Hong’s life, he would never forgive him. Even if he tried to hide it, once Wu Hong returned and reported what happened, Huang Hu would surely suspect Zhao.

“Chief Steward, look at this wanted notice!” At that moment, a steward responsible for external news rushed in.

He brought a smaller version of the wanted poster.

“What’s the matter, running in like this?” Zhao, already vexed, snapped.

“Chief Steward, look at this wanted notice! We’ve never had such a thing reach Huangyun Town before—so many shocking names are wanted!”

Normally, such notices rarely made it to a remote town like Huangyun, but today, for some unknown reason, they were widely distributed, covering all towns within a thousand li.

Clearly, the authorities suspected some major fugitive had fled to this area.

Zhao, hearing this, took the notice and looked through it name by name. He was stunned—some names were so formidable, even the wealthy and powerful feared them, let alone common folk. Though the rewards had always existed, few dared touch these figures.

He scanned the list. When he saw Wu Hong’s name, his eyes lit up. He studied it intently.

The more Zhao read, the more alarmed he became. When he saw Wu Hong’s portrait, his voice quivered: “Steward Li, send our men to Yunluo County at once and report to the magistrate—I have clues about Wu Hong!”

Indeed, Zhao was eighty percent certain that Hong Wu was Wu Hong. Though their appearances differed in build and bearing, their bone structure was identical.

The steward called Li, Zhao’s trusted aide, rushed off without hesitation.

Just then, a servant ran into Zhao’s courtyard. “Chief Steward, Master Huang requests your presence!”

“Coming!” Zhao muttered, “If I hadn’t seen this wanted poster this morning, things might have gotten very ugly. But now…”

Wu Hong slipped out of the crowd and returned to the Huang residence, intent on packing and leaving under the cover of darkness. But he had barely entered when a servant stopped him. “Master Huang requests your presence.”

Wu Hong pondered. Despite everything, the Huang family had shown him kindness, so he owed them a farewell.

He followed the servant through the garden to Huang Hu’s reception hall.

Huang Hu sat alone at the head of the hall. When Wu Hong entered, Huang Hu rose warmly. “Brother Hong, it’s been days since I’ve seen you. Let’s reminisce, and I have some important matters to discuss.”

The words “important matters” were spoken with gravity, making Wu Hong tense, though he kept his composure. “Master Huang, if there’s anything, just say so. No need for formalities.”

“Don’t be anxious, brother. Last night wasn’t easy for you, was it?” Huang Hu said suddenly.

“You—” Wu Hong had just settled into his seat when he heard Huang Hu’s pointed words and sprang up.

Huang Hu smiled. “Don’t be nervous, brother. We’re not assassins sent to kill you—I’m here to do you a favor.”

Wu Hong calmed, waiting for Huang Hu to continue.

Huang Hu sipped his tea. “Brother Hong, last night’s assassins belonged to a group called Skyshade—a hired killer organization. Through some connections, I learned someone contracted them to kill you. I even know who hired them.”

Wu Hong was taken aback. Clearly, Huang Hu was no ordinary wealthy man. He had heard of the Skyshade Organization—the top assassin group in the Great Qian Dynasty, strict in discipline and secrecy. How could they reveal who hired them?

“Who was it?” Wu Hong asked, deeply concerned whether the killer was sent by the Martial Might Mansion or Lady Zhao.

“Heh, don’t rush, brother! I heard you had some friction recently with Chief Steward Zhao’s men.”

Wu Hong understood immediately. He hadn’t expected Zhao to bear such a grudge, hiring killers to get rid of him.

“Chief Steward Zhao has arrived—” a servant announced from outside.

Wu Hong’s expression grew stern as he glanced at Huang Hu.

“Brother, don’t look at me like that. I’ll handle this matter impartially.” Huang Hu elegantly placed his teacup on the table and rose from his seat.

Soon Zhao entered with shuffling steps, bowing deeply to Huang Hu. “Master Huang, you summoned me?”

“Was it you who hired assassins to kill Brother Hong?” Huang Hu’s tone was chilling and menacing.

Zhao first trembled, then seemed to accept his fate, and replied calmly, “Yes, Master.”