Master's Rules

Zhang San put away the envelope and walked out the door, his desolate back disappearing into the dark night.

Then he cursed under his breath, "Is this old guy an idiot?"

The name Black Eagle was very well known, so it gave people a very unstable feeling. But it was speculated on the killer leaderboard that he had been in business for at least twenty-five years and was at least forty years old this year.

I'm only twenty-eight. Why would I use someone else's infamous name?

Who would know that I am the Black Eagle?

Besides, what? Make my own infamous name?

As a hitman, always wanting to get famous, I'm not that idiot on the leaderboard.

...

...

Zhang San's master's sect was a righteous sect from more than twenty years ago, called the Decent Sect.

Does this name sound decent?

But the fact proved that when the dark grows and the white fades, even the number one righteous sect of that year had declined to the point of opening a restaurant to make a living. As for small righteous sects like the Decent Sect, with the premise that they couldn't even afford meals, they had no choice but to join the dark side as a whole sect.

Although at that time there were only Zhang San's master's master and his master left in the Decent Sect.

But it had to be said, with nothing to eat, even the most upright righteous sect could only become the dark side.

Zhang San's master once said, "Little San, don't look at your master's master bringing the whole sect into the dark side. That was all forced by life. Your master's master was still a very upright person."

The 18-year-old Zhang San at the time asked, "If he's so upright, why don't we do righteous work?"

The master said, "Even the Star Sea Sect has opened a restaurant to make a living. Our small sect can really not get by."

"Master, you love to eat so much, why don't we open a restaurant too?"

"Because we don't have money!"

"After so many years in the dark side, didn't your master's master save any money?"

At that time, the master touched his belly and lamented, "To tell the truth, your master's master... was actually eaten into poverty by me."

Zhang San: "..."

At that time, Zhang San's master coughed twice and said, "In short, even if our righteous sect has become the dark side, we must be a dark side with moral baseline! Women and children are things we absolutely cannot touch. This was your master's master's wish."

At that time, Zhang San asked a question, "Why, Master? Children aside, why can't we kill women? Isn't it said that men and women are equal?"

The master was obviously very interested in this concept of "gender equality". He asked, "Gender equality? Where did you hear that from?"

"I didn't hear it from anywhere, Master. It's just that recently a women's boxing assassin group has risen up in our county. I heard they are all pretty young ladies. Men and women equality is what they say."

"Ah? There's such a group? Do they accept men?"

"Um... I don't think so. Master, you haven't answered my question yet."

At that time, Zhang San's master seemed to have his head in the clouds. After a long time, he asked, "What question?"

Zhang San helplessly repeated, "The question of gender equality. If we don't kill women, doesn't it mean our sect only kills men? Isn't that very unequal?"

"What's unequal about it?"

"Doesn't Master feel men would be too pitiful this way?"

"What's there to pity?" After saying this, the master put his hand on Zhang San's shoulder, and earnestly convinced him, "Let me tell you, Little San, do you know why blacksmiths, bridge builders, hard laborers, cart drivers... and so on, if they can recruit men, they basically don't recruit women?"

The 18-year-old Zhang San scratched his head and asked, "Is it because... men are stronger?"

The master shook his head.

Curiously, Zhang San asked, "Then why is that?"

The master replied, "Because at best, even the most capable woman can only match an average man, but men are different. Men... can match beasts of burden."

Zhang San was moved to tears by his master...

While crying, Zhang San said, "Men are so pitiful, why do we only kill them?"

The master patted Zhang San on the shoulder and lamented, "Anyway, they are already so pitiful, so what's the difference if they are a bit more pitiful?"

Zhang San understood his master's meaning.

Then he cried even louder.

...

...

In the backyard of a rundown art shop in Xiaoyun County, in one of the many rooms resembling the shabby art shop, after Zhang San put the envelope on the table, he checked the position of the door bolt and the lime powder on the ground.

Because Zhang San's door bolt was custom made. Unless it was lifted lightly, it would get slightly stuck, probably less than half an inch.

By the way, for professional safety, Zhang San was also a carpenter.

As for the lime powder on the ground, it was also specially made. It seemed to be mixed in with the green bricks on the ground, with the same color as the bricks. But if illuminated by candlelight, one could detect whether there were other people's footprints in the room.

By the way, for professional safety, Zhang San was also a mason.

After checking these things, Zhang San finally lay down on the bed, thinking about tomorrow's mission.

For professional safety, Zhang San always chose to inherit his master's alias "Black Eagle," so that the people of Jianghu would think the killer ranked first on the leaderboard was at least a man in his forties.

This gave rise to two big problems.

One was that it was not good to violate his master's master's wish, which was also his master's wish.

Secondly, his master did indeed not kill those two types of people for many years. Taking the mission rashly might make the Black Eagle identity questionable.

Zhang San had always adhered to his master's teachings. Even doing dark side work, our Decent Sect must have moral baseline.

But Zhang San, who had been short of money since childhood and was obsessed with money, believed that as long as the client paid enough money, the moral baseline could occasionally be lowered a bit. If anything went wrong, just pull it back up in a few days, right?

However, because of these two problems, Zhang San had never crossed the line in his career. But except for women and children, there was indeed a rumor circulating in Jianghu that this top killer on the leaderboard also had a third type he would not kill.

It's just that no one could confirm the third type.

After all, it did seem a bit far-fetched.

With a long sigh, Zhang San got up from the bed and walked over to the table. He picked up the envelope, lit the stove, but before burning it, he took another look at the content.

Target: White Cloud County, Dayun County next door. Old Wang. Occupation: Fisherman.

Also attached was a picture that looked like a man in his 50s or 60s.

Looking at that ordinary, nondescript picture that looked just as ordinary as himself, Zhang San was reminded of that ordinary, nondescript immortal who beat a mob leader to death with a fishing rod.

This story was a bit far-fetched, so Zhang San had never told anyone about it. After all, legends of immortals had always existed, but no one had ever seen one. Anyone claiming to have seen an immortal would usually be taken for a fool or a scammer.

"Tsk!"

"Why a fisherman?"

"Couldn't it have been a farmer?"

"Alas... no matter how careful you are, it's still difficult to be a hitman."