Watching Hei Huang’s retreating figure, Zhang Pingfan looked displeased. When had he become so powerful that he could take lives with a mere wave of his hand?
“I wonder if Little Hei can teach me a few moves?”
At that moment, Ri Tian walked to Zhang Pingfan’s feet and rubbed against them.
Zhang Pingfan kicked him away.
“Get lost, I hate you, you lecherous dog the most!”
The dog, Ri Tian, walked away with displeasure and lay down nearby.
*Hmph, to have a master like you, I must have had truly terrible luck for eight lifetimes.*
He had initially wanted to tell him that there were people outside monitoring them, but now he couldn’t be bothered.
Outside Zhang Pingfan’s small courtyard, there were indeed people watching, but they couldn’t glimpse anything inside the courtyard.
Not long after, Xiao Hei appeared before Zhang Pingfan, carrying the steward of the Pingjiang City Lord’s Mansion.
The steward was thrown at Zhang Pingfan’s feet like a dead dog.
Zhang Pingfan frowned and asked, “Is he dead?”
Hei Huang said, “No, if Master doesn’t want him to die, he’ll have to live even if he’s dead!”
After speaking, a black light shot out from Xiao Hei’s finger and landed on the steward.
The steward then slowly woke up, but the moment he did, he began to beg for mercy.
“Don’t kill me, don’t kill me, please don’t kill me, I’ll give you whatever you want!”
Hei Huang kicked him. This guy actually begged for mercy from him, wasn’t he trying to get him killed? His Master was right in front of him!
“Scram, if you want to beg for mercy, go explain yourself to my Master!”
The steward quickly got up and looked at Zhang Pingfan, who was lying on the chair.
His eyes contracted sharply, and his body trembled uncontrollably. Wasn’t this the bumpkin from before? How could he be here?
However, the steward was also a clever person; otherwise, he wouldn’t have reached the position of steward in the Pingjiang City Lord’s Mansion.
“Sir, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have talked back to you today. Please spare me. I have old parents and young children to support!”
Zhang Pingfan sneered, “Is that so? Those six men in black were sent by you, weren’t they?”
The steward shook his head frantically.
“Sir has keen eyes. I don’t know any men in black at all!”
“Screw you! If not for Xiao Hei protecting me, I would probably be seeing the King of Hell by now!”
Knowing that he only had one life and no way to revive, Zhang Pingfan cherished his life dearly.
Zhang Pingfan kicked the steward.
The steward, who had rolled several times on the ground, got up despite the pain and knelt without daring to resist.
“Sir, please spare me. I really don’t dare anymore. Please don’t kill me. I can be very useful to you. I am the steward of the Pingjiang City Lord’s Mansion, and I can help you with many things!”
“Oh? Tell me, what can you help me with?”
“Sir, as the steward of the City Lord’s Mansion, I handle almost all the affairs of Pingjiang City. Currently, the city lords of the three main cities pose a fatal threat to you. If I’m here, the threat to you from Pingjiang City can be reduced to a minimum!”
The steward wasn’t stupid. Being able to enter the Pingjiang City Lord’s Mansion silently and be brought out just as silently was not something ordinary people could do.
The City Lord’s Mansion was the territory of the Pingjiang City Lord. If someone trespassed, the City Lord would surely know.
But now that he had been captured and brought out, the City Lord had no information whatsoever. This meant that the person who captured him was at least at the same level as the City Lord.
It would be too easy for someone of this level to take his life.
As an old and cunning steward, he didn’t want to forfeit his life here.
Zhang Pingfan pondered. Having such a lackey here would indeed be beneficial in Pingjiang City.
“I won’t kill you, but you sent people to kill me today. This matter cannot be let go just like that!”
Upon hearing this, the steward grabbed a lifeline and quickly crawled to Zhang Pingfan’s feet.
“Sir, tell me what you want me to do, and I will do it!”
Zhang Pingfan chuckled.
“As the steward of Pingjiang City, you should have considerable wealth. Of course, if you have any treasures that catch my eye, that would be fine too. However, whether your life can be bought depends on your own self-awareness!”
The steward didn’t hesitate and nervously took out something from his embrace.
“Sir, please look. This is my trump card for survival, a hidden profession advancement scroll. Even the City Lord would spare no expense to obtain it!”
Zhang Pingfan was shocked. He hadn’t expected it to be a hidden profession advancement scroll.
However, on the surface, Zhang Pingfan showed no excitement.
Zhang Pingfan took the scroll in his hand.
“This thing can barely save your life, but how do I know you won’t betray me? When you go back and tell the City Lord, and then join forces with the three city lords to encircle and suppress Pingjiang City, wouldn’t I be at a disadvantage?”
The steward was close to tears. He hadn’t expected a mere village chief to force him to hand over his trump card, and he still wouldn’t let him go.
“What do I need to do for you to believe me and let me leave?”
At this moment, Hei Huang next to him spoke.
“Master, please rest assured. I have a secret technique here that can control the soul of others. If he has any abnormal movements or betrays Master, he will die on the spot!”
Zhang Pingfan smiled. If that were the case, then his skill to fill the void would be saved.
“Very good, Xiao Hei, the task is yours. Afterward, beat him up and throw him back to Pingjiang City!”
“Yes, Master!”
Amidst a scream, a faint mark appeared on the steward’s forehead.
Then, he was grabbed by the neck by Hei Huang and directly taken away from the small courtyard.
Zhang Pingfan looked at the advancement scroll in his hand.
It turned out to be a hidden auxiliary profession advancement scroll for an Alchemist.
Xuantian Medicine Venerable Hidden Auxiliary Profession Advancement Scroll.
Zhang Pingfan thought to himself. Since it wasn’t a combat-type advancement scroll, why not use it himself? He had so many things to fill. Wouldn’t it be great to refine elixirs and sell them himself?
He wasn’t short of money anyway, so he wouldn’t sell this hidden profession.
With this thought, Zhang Pingfan directly clicked to advance.
[Ding! System prompt: Do you confirm to advance to Xuantian Medicine Venerable?]
“Yes!”
[Ding! System prompt: Advancement failed!]
Zhang Pingfan was stunned.
What did that mean? Why did the advancement fail? Even if I’m an NPC, can’t I change professions?
“System Miss, come out for a moment, what’s going on?”
[Ding! It is forbidden to compete for professions with players. Be a good NPC and don’t think about weird things all the time!]
“Pfft!”
Zhang Pingfan almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. What did it mean by not competing for professions with players? Did it really think he was a native NPC?
“Hey, you’re interfering too much!”
[Ding! Please fulfill your NPC duties properly!]
Damn it, unreasonable!