Chapter 463: You Put Me in a Difficult Position

Sang Hong seemed to have expected this, his expression calm. "Who wants to kill us?"

The scruffy man, Ding Run, shook his head. "Just moments ago, I praised you, Master Sang, for being so astute. Why ask such a naive question now? You know the rules of our trade; how could I possibly reveal my client's information?"

Sang Hong said indifferently, "I'll pay more."

Ding Run was speechless.

Zu An nearly burst out laughing. He hadn't expected Sang Hong, usually so upright and serious, to have such a dry sense of humor.

"You're really putting me in a difficult spot," Ding Run said, pacing in circles and scratching his head and ears incessantly. Clearly, he was engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

After a moment, he asked, "How much more will you pay?"

Zheng Dan, standing nearby, couldn't help but smile. This guy truly lived up to his nickname, "Money-Addict Layman."

Sang Hong replied, "Ten thousand taels, just for a name."

Ding Run was speechless.

He snorted, "You had me agonizing for half a day for nothing! What's ten thousand taels? Master Sang, you truly are an incorruptible official. You've become a high-ranking regional governor, yet in a life-or-death situation, you can only come up with ten thousand taels."

Sang Hong fell silent. He was indeed incorruptible, so ten thousand taels was his absolute limit.

Sang Qian, standing by, quickly interjected, "I have money here. How about a hundred thousand taels?"

"A hundred thousand taels..." Ding Run nodded. "Though it's a bit less than ideal, for just a name, it's barely acceptable. You two, father and son, are quite interesting. One is upright and incorruptible, while the other has amassed quite a fortune through corruption. Are you putting on a double act, wanting both reputation and profit?"

Sang Hong's face turned ashen, but he couldn't retort.

Sang Qian quickly said, "Please, sir, tell us who is behind this plot to kill us?"

"Where's the money?" Ding Run cradled his sword, eyeing him askance.

Sang Qian hastily pulled a stack of silver notes from his robe. "Here, it's all here."

It had to be said that the Embroidered Uniform Guards handled things differently from ordinary constables. If it had been other officials arresting them, they would have surely been thoroughly searched, leaving not a single copper coin behind.

In contrast, the Embroidered Uniform Guards had only checked them for weapons and other dangerous items, not touching their personal belongings or money at all.

Seeing the silver notes, Ding Run's eyes lit up. He made a gesture, and the stack of notes seemed to be pulled by an invisible hand, floating towards him.

Bringing the notes to his nose, Ding Run sniffed, a look of rapture on his face. "The scent of silver notes is always so fragrant and delightful."

Zu An was speechless.

This guy's greed had reached an extraordinary level.

After sniffing for a while, Ding Run tucked the silver notes into his robe. "Alright, it's time to send you on your way."

Sang Qian immediately panicked. "You took the money, but you haven't told us who wants to kill us!"

Ding Run grinned. "I'll tell you his name at the very last moment before you breathe your last. That way, I won't break my promise, and no accidents will occur that would violate the rules of my trade."

Sang Qian and Sang Hong, father and son, were speechless.

Zu An thought to himself that despite the man's rugged appearance, his mind was surprisingly meticulous. Escaping from his grasp would likely be difficult.

The man's gleaming white teeth, in Sang Qian's eyes, seemed like a death warrant, causing him to shrink back instinctively.

Sang Hong said in a deep voice, "Do you know the consequences of killing us? We are high-ranking court officials and imperial fugitives. And Zu An here is someone the Emperor absolutely must have. If you kill us and it's discovered later, you might earn the money, but you won't live to spend it."

Ding Run nodded. "What you said is indeed a problem. However, if I kill everyone who knows, then no one will be able to trace it back to me, right?"

As he spoke, a cold glint flashed from the blade in his hand. Huang Huihong, standing nearby, clutched his bleeding neck, his face filled with disbelief. He turned to glance at the carriage, reaching out as if to grasp something, but ultimately, his life ebbed away, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.

"What a fast blade!"

This was the collective reaction of everyone present. They hadn't even seen him draw his blade; they only felt a cold flash. Yet, when they looked closely, his blade was still in its sheath, as if it had never been drawn.

Seeing Huang Huihong's unseeing eyes, Zu An fell silent. Although the man had arrested him, honestly speaking, he was quite admirable. He was dedicated to his duty, and there was nothing blameworthy about his character; even in his last moments, he was still thinking of completing his mission.

It was unexpected for him to die so silently in the wilderness.

Zheng Dan, beside him, quietly took his hand. Having witnessed all this, it was clear that their opponent was ruthless and would certainly not leave any survivors.

She was still a young girl after all. Although she had experienced many things as the former leader of the Giant Whale Gang, she couldn't help but feel scared when truly facing death.

Her only comfort was that Zu An was beside her; the journey to the underworld wouldn't be lonely.

However, Zu An, standing nearby, refused to resign himself to fate. He looked at the approaching Ding Run and said, "Whatever they paid you, I'll pay double for our lives."

Compared to Sang Hong's "poverty," Zu An was now quite wealthy, with several million taels of silver on him.

Ding Run chuckled. "Oh, I didn't expect someone your age to have so much money."

Zu An smiled faintly. "Compared to Master Sang, I'm not so noble; I have many more ways of acquiring money."

"They say the Chu clan is as rich as a nation, and now I finally believe it. How long have you been with the Chu clan, and you've already managed to get so much money? If I get the chance, I should also go take advantage of the Chu clan," Ding Run remarked with emotion. But then his tone quickly shifted. "To be honest, I'm very tempted, but I can't take this money."

"Why not? Aren't you called the 'Money-Addict Layman'? I've offered double, and you still refuse? Isn't that ruining your own reputation?" Zu An asked curiously.

Ding Run replied, "This is for the long term. While earning double your money seems profitable for this one job, if I accept someone else's mission and don't complete it, who would dare hire me in the future? The loss of money would be far greater. So, naturally, I can't earn your money."

Zu An sighed. "In today's society, principled assassins like you are truly rare."

"Thank you for the compliment. I find you quite agreeable, young man. I'll make it quick for you later," Ding Run replied.

Zu An's eyes narrowed. "Just now you said you'd question me about the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' afterward. It seems someone wants to kill me too?"

"That was just talk. I don't believe there's any method of immortality in this world. Silver is more real; living a splendid life within your limited time is the true way," Ding Run chuckled. "Since we're getting along so well, I'll give you a piece of information as a bonus: Yes, someone truly wants you dead, and they also don't want me to show any outward signs. I don't know why they have so many concerns."

Hearing that someone had actually hired him to kill Zu An, Sang Hong, Sang Qian, and Zheng Dan's expressions all subtly changed.

In contrast, only Zu An remained calm. "Since you are an assassin, can I entrust you with a task?"

"Entrust me with a task?" Ding Run paused, surprised. "Everyone I'm about to kill either begs for mercy in fear or cries hysterically. Someone like you, thinking of giving me business, is truly rare. You're right, since I'm an assassin, as long as you can afford it, you can naturally entrust me with a task."

"Good then," Zu An said. "How much do you usually charge to kill someone?"

Ding Run laughed. "There's no fixed price for that. The target's cultivation level, status, and position all make for vast differences in price. Of course, even the cheapest won't be truly cheap, as anyone worth my intervention isn't easy to kill."

Zu An asked, "Then I'd like to hire you to kill the client who hired you to kill me."

Ding Run's pupils contracted. "So that's your game, kid. That won't do..."

"I'll pay more," Zu An said unhurriedly. "Whatever that person paid to have me killed, I'll pay double."

"You're making this very difficult for me..." Ding Run hesitated.

"Triple!" Zu An continued to raise the offer, his face expressionless.

Ding Run's eyes lit up. "Alright, deal!"

Sang Qian, standing nearby, was utterly dumbfounded. *This is actually possible?*

*This guy's mind really works fast. In the future, it's best to avoid making an enemy of him.*

*Sigh, I might not even survive today, so what's the point of talking about the future?*