The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 129: Headhunting

Cherry blossoms weren’t winter flowers, of course, but inside the world conjured by Sweet Dream, Liu Qingying was God. She could shape it according to her wants and needs.

She was inside the hot spring as well, naked. With her hair tied up, she was submerged in the water from below her sensuous collarbones. She hooked a leg up to reveal her calf, a posture that was clearly meant to be seductive.

It wasn’t the first time Gao Yang was exposed to her trick, and he remained unfazed. “You call?”

“Yeah.” Liu Qingying gave him an enchanting smile. “How clever. I was wondering if you would guess that the flowers were from me.”

Gao Yang smiled in lieu of a response.

“As I thought, you knew me well,” Liu Qingying spoke like they were close with a gentle, soft voice.

Gao Yang cut in, “Let’s get to business.”

“It’s no longer a secret that the Twelve Zodiac Signs executed Ghost Horse.”

“Is that so?”

“And it’s known that the Hundred Rivers Union and you have found the Time-Space Rune Circuit.”

“Right.”

Gao Yang acted calm, but inwardly, he was feeling a little disappointed. He had planned to earn a few coins with those trivial news, but Liu Qingying was more well-informed than expected.

“There are three questions I’d like to ask.”

“Go on.”

“First, did Dragon take care of Ghost Horse himself? That’s a C-class intel.”

“Second, what is Dragon’s Talent? That’s S-class.”

“Third, what is the force behind Ghost Horse? A-class.”

Gao Yang was surprised. He had wanted to ask Liu Qinying about the faction supporting Ghost Horse since the man was working with Mad Red, and he was determined to find out who Mad Red worked for to avenge Wan Sisi.

“I want to know about the group behind Ghost Horse as well,” Gao Yang said calmly. “Do contact me if you learn of it.”

“Of course.” Liu Qingying smiled. “It won’t be cheap though.”

“No worries. I’ll pay the appropriate price,” Gao Yang said in a confidence tone. He would first make her investigate the issue before thinking about price.

A thought came to him then. “Ah, I’ll give you something for free. Mad Red, Talent: Detonation. He belonged to the same group as Ghost Horse when he was alive. You may start with that.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” After thinking about it for a moment, Gao Yang continued, “Of your two other questions, I’d answer only the first one. Ghost Horse was personally dealt with by Dragon. The rest I cannot tell you.”

Liu Qingying nodded like she had expected it.

“Deal. C-class intel is worth 3 jinwu. You may visit my restaurant any time to get your reward.”

Gao Yang was filled with complicated feelings. The Twelve Zodiac Signs paid him only 5 jinwu after all the life-risking he did for them, yet giving the woman a useless piece of information earned him 3 jinwu.

Still, he must be careful.

The fact that Dragon had personally dealt with Ghost Horse did reveal a few things. First, it meant that Dragon took the matter seriously. Second, it proved that Dragon was powerful enough to easily resolve the matter. Third, it signified that the Twelve Zodiac Signs were ready to face their enemy.

All those were things the Twelve Zodiac Signs wanted the outside world to know though.

Gao Yang had merely helped spread the message a little faster. He believed it didn’t constitute betrayal.

“Then let’s finish things here tonight.”

Gao Yang was about to close his eyes when Liu Qingying called out to him.

“Wait.” She smiled. “I caught a hint of emotion earlier. It seems that you are dissatisfied with some aspects of your organization. Let me guess. Is it about authority, resources, relationship, or pay?”

This woman!

Gao Yang admitted openly, “Yes, I am a little dissatisfied with the pay, but it makes sense for me to be paid less since I’m new.”

Liu Qingying nodded with a smile, her beautiful eyes glinting. “I visited you today for another matter. I wonder if you’re interested?”

“Tell me what it is first.”

“Would you like to work for someone else?”

Gao Yang hid his surprise. Seriously? Am I that well known already? I’ve only joined for what, a month? Yet I’m already getting headhunted?

“Thank you, but it’s not something I’d consider at the moment.”

“I’ve guessed as much, but I suggest you meet up with them to see what they have to offer at least. It’ll be a chance for you to find out how another organization treats their members, which wouldn’t hurt.”

“That doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll be meeting up in my dream without leaving a trace. You won’t be able to see each other’s faces, and your voices will be modulated.”

She smiled faintly and added, “He doesn’t know about our exchange of information. And you’re free to deny that you’ve accepted the meeting afterward.”

“We’ll meet in the dream?” Gao Yang asked in surprise. “You can do that?”

“I humbly present to you what Level 5 Sweet Dream is capable of.”

It was amazing for a Talent to reach level 5. Gao Yang knew that there was a bottleneck to overcome for a Talent to reach level 4, which would require the matching Rune Circuit. And past level 4, leveling up was no longer a matter concerning Rune Circuits. It was entirely up to the individual.

At the moment, the highest a Talent had reached was level 7. It was said that there was still room for the Talent to develop, but it was terribly difficult. That was why the current consensus was that the max level for a Talent was level 8.

Gao Yang sorted through his thoughts. “I can’t trust you fully yet. Who knows if you’ll betray me?”

“That hurts.” Liu Qingying didn’t look hurt at all. She glided a delicate finger through the surface of the water, causing ripples along the way.

“Well, since I’ve agreed to help, how about I tell you their offer on their behalf?”

“That I don’t mind.”

“Here’s the basics. The monthly pay is 30 jinwu. You’re allowed priority to any Rune Circuit other than the Miracle Rune Circuit. You have access to all new weapons and equipment owned by the organization. Office romance is allowed. You may deal with any monster as you see fit. And you may negotiate for other conditions in person.”

What the hell! It was so obviously a counter to what the Twelve Zodiac Signs offered. In comparison, the Twelve Zodiac Signs might as well be a group of monks starving themselves on purpose.

Gao Yang nodded slightly. “Got it.”

“I’m sure you’ve guessed what organization it is.” Liu Qingying smiled. “Let me know if you’re interested.”

“I have a question,” said Gao Yang. “Why would an organization like them be interested in a newbie like me?”

“I had the same question.” Liu Qingying smiled. “Don’t take this the wrong way. I don’t doubt your abilities, but you keep quite the low profile from what I know. You haven’t attracted too much attention.”

“That’s what I think.”

“I have an explanation for that, and I can tell you for free.”

Gao Yang looked up at her.

“It’s said that someone made a recommendation.”

Gao Yang frowned.

“Let’s end things here.” Gao Yang closed his eyes.

[Access granted.]

There were three formal organizations in Li City: the Twelve Zodiac Signs, the Qilin Guild, and the Hundred Rivers Union.

It wouldn’t be the Union. They couldn’t afford to make such outlandish offers.

That left the Qilin Guild.

The pay alone was ten times the pay offered by the Twelve Zodiac Signs! And that would amount to 360 jinwu per year, which meant he would earn 720 jinwu in two years, more than the cost of Wu Dahai’s 600-jinwu prosthetic arm!

Moreover, Wu Dahai’s arm was most likely one of the Qilin Guild’s equipment for frontliners she had mentioned, which would be accessible to Gao Yang as long as he joined. Wouldn’t that be several times more impressive than the tactical glove he bought at the flea market?

In the unawakened world, it was essentially an offer of tens of millions of annual income with a bonus of a villa, an expensive car, and employee stock options. And he would’ve taken it in a heartbeat were it a simple job offer.

However, the world he found himself in was one of awakeners. There were hidden threats, unknown schemes, and unpredictable dangers all around. He couldn’t be more careful.

At the moment, what concerned Gao Yang most was the one who recommended him.

Who could it be? Someone from the Twelve Zodiac Signs? That wouldn’t make any sense.

But he didn’t know any other awakeners outside of the few members of the Hundred Rivers Union he had crossed paths with, and not only did they not know him properly, they were in no place to make a recommendation to the Qilin Guild.

It couldn’t be the Spectre, Fresh Snow, could it?

The Spectres were said to be living nightmares for all awakeners, and the two sides were mortal enemies.

Wait, could it be that while the Qilin Guild acted like the righteous head of the wulin, they had been secretly colluding with the evil sect that was the Spectres?

Hm, that would fit in a wuxia story.

Dammit, my curiosity is killing me!

[Access ends.]

Gao Yang opened his eyes and turned to Liu Qingying. “Ahem, I’ve changed my mind. I’d like to talk to their representative.”