Despite Li Ban being much younger, Hai Dakui called him "Milord" with practiced ease.
Although Li Ban already had plenty of elements, he didn't mind spending money to buy more if he came across suitable ones. He wasn't short on funds, and it was unlikely Hai Dakui carried any that were overly expensive.
"All right, let's head to the tea house we went to last time so we can talk at leisure."
They ordered a pot of fine tea, and the shopkeeper threw in two side dishes on the house. The two chatted as they ate.
Hai Dakui solemnly produced two small boxes.
He pushed one toward Li Ban and gently opened the lid.
Inside lay two items that resembled pieces of fleshy skin.
"Milord, these are Tiger Snapper Gills. With them, you can breathe underwater. At the 1st Tier with full spiritual rhinoceros, you could last underwater for eight or nine shichen. Once you reach the 2nd Tier and your spiritual rhinoceros capacity expands, they'll last even longer."
If Li Ban had seen this element a few days ago, he would have been tempted; it would have made diving in to steal the Cyan Silk Algae much easier.
Still, an element like this could prove incredibly useful at a critical moment. Li Ban decided to buy it anyway.
In any case, the price for this kind of auxiliary element—one offering neither attack nor defense—wouldn't be outrageous.
Twenty taels of silver should easily cover it.
"All right, I'll take this one. What else do you have?"
Just like that, the first mortal-tier element was sold without a hitch.
Hai Dakui pressed his lips together, secretly thrilled.
For people like him who bought and sold elements in private, their biggest fear was having stock pile up.
After all, private trades always ran the risk of being exposed and investigated.
His attitude toward Li Ban grew even more respectful.
"The second element is a manufactured item." Hai Dakui opened the second small box.
Inside sat two chunks of iron that vaguely resembled shoes, though the craftsmanship was extremely rough.
"These are the Windwalker Boots. Once assimilated, they enhance leg flexibility and increase kick power. If Milord knows any kicking techniques, they'll drastically boost the damage you deal."
Li Ban asked for specific details about the extent of the enhancement.
After a moment of consideration, however, he decided not to buy the second element.
"I have enough elements on hand right now. Since I can't assimilate too many at once anyway, I'll pass on this one."
"Of course, of course," Hai Dakui agreed immediately, not showing the slightest hint of disappointment.
After all, a person could only assimilate one element per Tier. Buying extras just meant letting them collect dust until they were finally needed.
Furthermore, as one's identity and Tier increased, they would naturally encounter more and better elements. Unless an element was particularly unique, there was absolutely no need to purchase it in advance.
The fact that Li Ban had bought the Tiger Snapper Gills when he already had the Iron Fish Scale was enough of a pleasant surprise.
With their business concluded, the two chatted idly, warming up to each other.
Over drinks, Li Ban suddenly noticed a group of people enter the tea house and head straight for the shopkeeper.
They gathered around, whispering in low voices. Brows tightly knit, they looked to be discussing something extremely important.
Noticing Li Ban's gaze, Hai Dakui shot a glance over and immediately knew what was going on.
He leaned in and whispered, "Those merchants and shopkeepers are talking about pooling money to hunt down the ring-tailed black panthers."
Li Ban was surprised. "Ring-tailed black panthers have appeared near the county town again?"
The black panther Li Ban encountered last time had been incredibly formidable. If it hadn't been for Tree-Person A, none of the slaves would have survived.
Of course, if Li Ban ran into a ring-tailed black panther now, dealing with it would be even easier than it had been for Tree-Person A back then.
Absorbing spiritual rhinoceros didn't just enhance the abilities of elements; it also nourished a Spirit Practitioner's body.
Li Ban simply hadn't had many chances to fight and still needed to keep a low profile. Otherwise, Liu Mu—who was also at the 2nd Tier—would have long ceased to be his match.
"Yes. Recently, a few more black panthers have appeared in the woods outside town, injuring quite a few passing caravans and travelers. Freight transport on the official road has taken a hit. The shops are the most anxious, so they're organizing donations to petition the County Office to send out an extermination team."
"The people you see are going around raising funds right now."
"Vicious beasts have appeared on the official road, yet the merchants still need to pool money to get the County Office's runners to step in?"
Were those guards at the town gates only good for watching the doors?
Not daring to speak out of turn, Hai Dakui only smiled awkwardly and said, "Ah, well, troops and provisions all require money, don't they?"
Li Ban remembered the last time he and Huo Jiang went to deliver documents to Assistant Magistrate Zhou. The official had tried to ask the Death Prison for help hunting down the beasts, but Huo Jiang had flatly refused.
Could the issue really have dragged on for months without being resolved?
At this thought, Li Ban's heart skipped a beat. He quickly asked, "If a panther extermination campaign is launched, who usually steps up from the County Office?"
Suspecting nothing, Hai Dakui answered in a low voice, "This matter is usually handled by the Assistant Magistrate. Last autumn, he personally led the hunt against the ring-tailed black panthers. Unfortunately, the scene was chaotic, and most of them escaped. No one expected that after just one winter, the panthers would actually return."
Hai Dakui shook his head. "I really don't know what's so great about Qingcheng County that makes these beasts so reluctant to leave."
A look of realization appeared on Li Ban's face, but internally, he was stunned.
The target of his new assassination mission... was none other than Assistant Magistrate Zhou.
Lord Zhou Jinhai of Qingcheng County.
An official with a 3rd Tier identity.
That wasn't even the main thing. What was truly startling was the mission's clear stipulation: Assistant Magistrate Zhou Jinhai would be entering the suburban woods to drive away the panthers, and the assassin was to take that opportunity to kill him.
An assassination mission couldn't have been written on a whim.
In other words, long before today, whoever issued the mission at the Assassin Hall had been absolutely certain the Qingcheng County Yamen would agree to the merchants' request. They were equally certain that Assistant Magistrate Zhou Jinhai would be dispatched to lead the hunt.
Who, then, could have commissioned the assassins to kill Zhou Jinhai?
Li Ban had a guess, but he didn't press the matter further.
A short while later, the group surrounding the shopkeeper dispersed.
Two of them were still discussing the issue as they walked past Li Ban and Hai Dakui.
Li Ban kept his eyes on his food, but pricked up his ears to listen.
"Sigh, if this extermination fails again, my family's food supply will be cut off."
"Your family is only losing food. I don't even know how many slaves my household has lost. We've even had two shop assistants die!"
"This won't do. We'll just have to hire an escort agency for this grain transport."
"Do you know how much that costs? Are you crazy?"
"We can't just cut off the supply. If we do, who knows how many regulars we'll lose!"
Hearing this, Hai Dakui—who had also been half-distracted—immediately couldn't sit still.
"Lord Li, please forgive me. I have some pressing matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."
It seemed Hai Dakui, an escort agency guard himself, couldn't wait to drum up some business for his own employers.
Naturally, Li Ban wouldn't block the man's path to wealth. He waved his hand and bid Hai Dakui farewell.
After finishing his meal, Li Ban lost the mood to stroll around and returned straight to the Death Prison.
Once back at the Death Prison, Li Ban immediately informed Huo Jiang of his accepted mission.
Huo Jiang told Li Ban not to act rashly and immediately went to seek instructions from Zhai Liu.
Sure enough, Li Ban soon received a message back from Huo Jiang.
He was to prioritize his own safety while trying his best to complete the mission. If he failed, they would figure out a way to deliver the finishing blow.
However, Huo Jiang also hinted that it would be best if Li Ban completed the mission himself.
The more Huo Jiang intervened, the more suspicious traces he would leave behind. If those traces piled up, they might expose Li Ban.
The next day, Li Ban went out to gather information on the County Office's situation, only to run headlong into Zhang Baishan.
"Li Ban, go get Liu Mu and head to Jingyan Hall to see Lord Du."
Li Ban quickly went to the third level to get Liu Mu, and the two headed to Jingyan Hall together.
Zhang Baishan was already waiting outside. Seeing the two arrive, he pushed open the door and led them inside.
"The Qingcheng County Yamen is launching a hunt against the ring-tailed black panthers in the suburbs." The chief prison warden, Du An, was currently standing by the window with his hands clasped behind his back. "They want to borrow two prison guards to help out, so the two of you will go when the time comes."