Li Ban put away the Silver Kingfisher and carefully examined the silver ring in his palm.
It was a Plain Ring with no outer engravings, its surface already oxidized black.
Only the inner band bore a faint row of tiny characters, though they were impossible to make out right now.
"Looks like I'll have to restore this ring to see what's written inside."
Li Ban weighed the ring in his hand. It wasn't heavy. Even if he sold it, it wouldn't fetch much money.
"I'll go back and ask Uncle Qin for some lye blocks, see if I can scrub it clean."
Li Ban wiped the grimy silver ring and tucked it back into his pocket.
The operation to steal the Cyan Silk Algae had been a fruitless endeavor for Lu Qinghe, but for Li Ban, it had yielded a rich harvest.
He returned from the sinkhole to the Death Prison, completely satisfied.
His duties consisted of nothing more than simple chores.
Now that everyone assumed he had caught Chief Du's eye, no one assigned him any extra work.
Li Ban occasionally saw Shen Kong.
Even though the other man was just a handyman, he constantly seemed to appear in front of Li Ban.
Li Ban simply pretended not to see him.
He made his disgust perfectly clear, but he no longer went out of his way to make things difficult for Shen Kong.
Soon, the day arrived for him to visit the pawnshop in Qingcheng County to check on his mission.
Li Ban originally wanted to bring Shen Kong along to create an opportunity for Cat Girl.
However, given their relationship, it wasn't convenient to have Shen Kong follow him to the pawnshop, nor did he have a good excuse to bring the man along on his own initiative.
It just so happened that Liu Mu had arranged other tasks for Shen Kong, so Li Ban went to the county town alone.
He wasn't in a rush to kill Shen Kong.
Cat Girl had told him she would stay in Qingcheng County until he completed his Iron Token promotion mission.
Someone was providing her with food and drink anyway.
Cat Girl had also assured Li Ban that she would dispose of Shen Kong cleanly, leaving Li Ban completely free of suspicion.
He naturally trusted Cat Girl's methods, so for the time being, he focused solely on his own affairs.
Approaching noon, Li Ban arrived at Qingcheng County's Yongan Pawnshop as scheduled. As soon as he walked in, a clerk from the counter rushed over to greet him.
"Ah, Lord Li, please come in! Are you looking to exchange for some spending money, or perhaps pick out a fine item?"
Before Li Ban could answer, a manager lifted the curtain from the back room, stepping out and glaring at the clerk.
"Is it your place to receive him? Step down and wait."
The manager then took over, his face covered in a bright smile as he invited Li Ban into the back hall.
"Please come into the back room, milord, and do me the honor of having a drink."
Li Ban followed the manager into the back hall, but they passed right through the main room, walked down a corridor, and entered a small study at the very rear.
"Milord, the good stuff is all inside. Take your time browsing. Just call out for me when you're done."
The manager bowed and waited outside, allowing Li Ban to enter alone.
Li Ban pushed the door open and closed it behind him.
The room was a small study.
The surrounding windows were shut tight, but the light filtering through the white paper window panes kept the space quite bright.
The room was fully stocked with the Four Treasures of the Study, which looked frequently used. The display shelves were also lined with various elegant antiques and cultural relics.
Two paintings hung on the wall: one depicting a battlefield, the other a washerwoman.
In front of the paintings, a tied-up scroll rested on a long yellow pearwood desk.
Li Ban walked over, untied the string, and unrolled the scroll.
As he unrolled it, he heard the faint clinking of metal from within.
Only when the scroll was completely spread out did Li Ban realize the central rod was hollow. Inside were several strangely shaped iron components.
The rice paper mounted inside the scroll was originally blank.
Li Ban pressed his wooden token against the designated signature area, and only then did text and illustrations slowly bleed onto the page.
The text detailed the mission Li Ban was to carry out, while the illustrations formed an assembly diagram for the pile of iron parts.
Li Ban read through the mission details first. His heart suddenly sank, and a bitter smile crept onto his face.
"These people really think highly of me to assign me a task like this."
He had actually met the target of this assassination before.
But even with his current identity, he couldn't see the person very often.
Li Ban didn't have total confidence that he could pull off this assassination.
He knew that Zhai Liu and Cat Girl would both help him.
However, if he relied on outsiders for help on his very first mission, would Zhai Liu and the others think he was useless?
Li Ban couldn't afford to be useless.
Having finished reading the mission details, Li Ban quickly assembled the iron pieces in his hands according to the diagram.
Once assembled, he found it to be an incredibly compact hidden Sleeve Arrow.
Even the five accompanying iron arrows were exquisitely crafted.
Li Ban tapped the arrowhead, recalling the sight of Lu Qinghe killing a man with a weapon as thin as a strand of hair.
Weapons that were too small left correspondingly small wounds. If he didn't hit a vital spot, his enemy might escape with their life.
A plan already forming in his mind, Li Ban loaded the thin arrows back into the mechanism.
He then strapped the Sleeve Arrow to his left arm and rolled down his sleeve.
From the outside, it was entirely unnoticeable that he was hiding something underneath.
The Assassin Hall providing equipment for newcomers was quite thoughtful.
However, he had never used a Sleeve Arrow before, so he planned to practice with it in private once he got back.
If he finally got a chance to assassinate his target but failed because of poor aim, then Li Ban might as well go die.
After confirming he had memorized every detail of the mission, he retracted his wooden token.
The moment the wooden token left the scroll, the entire sheet of rice paper seemed to be drained of moisture, instantly turning yellow, cracking, and crumbling to pieces.
The writing on it became completely illegible.
Li Ban picked up a small fragment of paper and rubbed it between his fingertips, reducing it to a fine powder.
Before walking out, Li Ban double-checked his clothing to ensure everything was in order and nothing looked out of the ordinary. Only then did he leave the small study.
The manager who had guided him earlier was still waiting outside the door, his back turned.
When Li Ban emerged, the man didn't ask a single question, simply leading him out with a smiling face.
After Li Ban departed, the pawnshop clerk leaned in and asked the manager, "Did Lord Li buy something or pawn something?"
The manager smacked the clerk on the head with the ledger in his hand. "You talk too much! If you weren't my nephew, I would have kicked you out a long time ago."
The clerk clutched his head and scurried away, stopping at the door to gaze enviously at Li Ban's receding back.
He figured his uncle must have bribed Lord Li.
Li Ban didn't immediately return to the Death Prison after leaving the pawnshop.
He had come to wander around Qingcheng County during his rest day, so naturally, he couldn't go back too early.
It was just that there wasn't much to see in the county town.
Qingcheng County was located in a remote area and lacked abundant resources. The streets were rather desolate; only occasionally could one see children playing in the alleys.
Furthermore, ordinary people were all somewhat afraid of spirit practitioners. When they saw Li Ban, they acted with extreme caution.
In the end, Li Ban took a turn into the Black Market White Market.
The moment he stepped onto the street, someone immediately called out to him, "Lord Li! Long time no see."
Li Ban turned his head and saw Hai Dakui, an escort agency outrider he hadn't seen in a long time.
He had bought his second element from Hai Dakui.
Ever since his Iron Fish Scale ascended, it had helped him out greatly on several occasions.
Naturally, Li Ban stopped in his tracks and waited for Hai Dakui to approach.
Hai Dakui was currently hunched over, his neck shrunk back, wearing a bright smile as he trotted over to Li Ban with quick little steps.
His expression showed three parts familiarity and seven parts deep respect.
The last time they met, they both held a 1st Tier identity. Now, Li Ban had already been promoted to the 2nd Tier.
As someone who frequented the Black Market White Market, Hai Dakui had already heard the news from the local shopkeepers he knew well.
He was both happy and anxious.
"Lord Li, the Iron Fish Scale I sold you last time... is it serving you well?"
Li Ban's attitude remained unchanged. "After my promotion, I received other elements as a reward from the lords at the Death Prison, so I haven't used it yet." Li Ban's official story was that although he had spent money on the element, he hadn't put it to use.
Hearing Li Ban say this, Hai Dakui couldn't tell whether the man was actually satisfied with their previous transaction or not.
"If milord feels it's not to your liking, I can swap it out for a better element for you. I currently have two mortal-grade elements on hand. Would milord like to take a look?"