Xu Mu asked curiously, "Who are you tracking?"
"Black Robe, a top assassin ranked sixth on the Death List. He appeared once at a restaurant in Yang City, but vanished afterward," Jiang Huihui explained, yawning tiredly.
"You look exhausted. You should go get some rest," Xu Mu said with concern.
"I can't sleep. I just found out something… ugh, it's driving me crazy!"
As she spoke, Jiang Huihui grabbed her long hair and rubbed it in frustration.
"What's wrong, Huihui?" Xu Mu patted her shoulder. "Tell me what's going on—I'll help you handle it."
Her lifeless eyes flicked toward him, and dark text appeared above her head.
[Favorability +10]
"Remember that time I took you and Meng Wanyue to register at the sanitation department? You should recall a man named Lu Pinlong?" she asked.
Xu Mu thought for a moment, then nodded. "Right, I remember. He was the sanitation team leader—ranked tenth on the list."
"That's him. He's also joining my Marriage Tournament," Jiang Huihui said flatly.
"So what if he joins? I'll just teach him a lesson for you," Xu Mu said with a grin.
"You don't get it! He used to be only at the Mid Mystic Art Realm, but yesterday—he broke through to Late Mystic Art Realm!"
Jiang Huihui clenched her fists. "Of all times, he just had to break through now, right before my Marriage Tournament! It's infuriating!"
Xu Mu finally understood her frustration. "It's alright. When the time comes, things will work out."
"That's easy for you to say! You're not the one getting married!" she snapped, glaring at him.
"I'll do my best in the tournament," Xu Mu said, giving her a reassuring look.
"It's already happening whether I like it or not… all I can do now is trust you."
She had already made up her mind. If Xu Mu lost, she would run away and hide somewhere. Worst case, she'd follow Chen Xuan's earlier suggestion—sleep with Xu Mu first and make it a done deal.
By the time she came back pregnant, she doubted someone like Lu Pinlong—a sect disciple—would still want to marry her.
"Go home and rest, don't overwork yourself," Xu Mu told her gently.
"No! Black Robe is a monster—I have to catch him!" Jiang Huihui rubbed her eyes; her dull gaze reignited with determination.
"Even if you're a sanitation team captain now, that won't change the Marriage Tournament," Xu Mu reminded her.
"This isn't about the captain position—it's about justice. A man that evil deserves judgment!" she declared, clenching her fists. "I'm going!"
Watching her leave, Xu Mu shook his head. He'd almost forgotten—Jiang Huihui had a ridiculously strong sense of justice.
Then, his phone suddenly buzzed.
He checked the message—Hundred Ghosts Parade had sent him a notification.
Opening it, he saw a message from Black Robe himself:
"The intel you gave was wrong. Fang Chu's strength is at least Mystic Art Realm. You need to add another 8 billion."
Xu Mu sent a voice reply, disguising his tone.
"8 billion? You're asking too much. How about this—just kill Fang Chu, skip Dai Dongyang."
Black Robe replied with his own voice message:
"No deal. 8 billion or I cancel the job. According to our contract, I'll refund you ten percent."
Xu Mu understood right away—Black Robe was just trying to extort him.
Maybe he had tried to kill Fang Chu and failed, and now didn't want to risk continuing.
Shaking his head, Xu Mu decided not to tell Jiang Huihui. He wanted to keep Black Robe alive long enough to let Fang Chu deal with him.
But since the man had lost his nerve, he was no longer useful.
So Xu Mu sent another voice message:
"I don't have that much cash right now. Where are you? Let's meet in person and sign a company transfer. I'll give you a company instead. You pick the place."
After that, there was no reply for a while. Xu Mu waited, then decided to head back to Jiang City—someone like that would always be cautious.
Just as he sat down in his car, a voice call came through the Hundred Ghosts Parade app—from Black Robe himself.
Xu Mu answered immediately.
"I'm in Yang City. First, tell me the name of your company," came the rough, middle-aged voice—around fifty years old.
"Ever heard of the Chai Group? I'm from the Chai family, in the entertainment business," Xu Mu said smoothly.
"Looks legit. I checked with Hundred Ghosts customer service—the transfer came from a Chai family account in Jiangbei," Black Robe replied after a pause. "We'll meet in a restaurant downtown. I'll send the address."
Xu Mu sighed inwardly. The man was smart—choosing a public location to avoid being ambushed by Cleaners.
In a crowded area, Cleaners wouldn't dare cause a scene.
Xu Mu decided to plant some paranoia. "The Cleaners probably don't know what you look like yet, right?"
He'd caught that from Jiang Huihui earlier—they did know. He was trying to make Black Robe nervous.
"What do you mean?"
"You know how the city's full of cameras," Xu Mu said in a worried tone. "A few days ago, a martial artist killed someone here. If they already know your face, you should pick a hidden spot. I don't want you getting caught—I still need you to kill Fang Chu. I've paid you too much for you to die."
Black Robe froze. The Cleaners might really know what he looked like.
If so, that ramen shop he'd visited might've exposed him already.
"Kid, thanks for the reminder. Let's meet outside the city instead. I'll send the address. Come alone, with the contract. If there's even one more person, I won't show up."
"Can I at least bring my female secretary?" Xu Mu asked with a laugh.
"I said alone."
And with that, Black Robe hung up.
Immediately, Xu Mu texted Jiang Huihui. Within minutes, she rode back on her electric scooter.
"Xu Mu, you know where Black Robe is?" she asked suspiciously.
"That's right." Xu Mu nodded. "He'll be sending the location soon."
"How do you know that?" she asked, frowning. "You're not working with him, are you?"
"What are you talking about? I might not be a saint, but I'm not a bad guy either," Xu Mu said, handing her his phone. "See for yourself."
Jiang Huihui took it—and her face turned cold.
"Xu Mu! To hire a Death List assassin through Hundred Ghosts Parade, you need at least fifty successful contracts. That means you've used it to kill at least fifty people!
I'm arresting you!"