Ye Jun stuck around for a bit longer to see if he could get anything more, but nothing useful came to his attention. So, he left the inn and began wandering around again.
There was still a bit of time left before night fell, so he wondered if he could find something more interesting. Though, he also came to enjoy himself for once.
'How long has it been since I enjoyed days like this?'
His boss was a tyrant and gave him so many missions that he rarely had days where he could enjoy himself properly. Of course, even in those times, he remained vigilant since his boss always kept spies around him.
In a way, this was the first time in years he was enjoying his time without a care in the world. He even spent whatever money he had left to eat from stalls and street vendors.
As the evening sun changed the skies, Ye Jun ducked into an alleyway. The reason for it was someone walking some distance away from him.
'What is she doing here?'
He wondered as he looked at the group of youngsters making their way through the road. The crowd parted ways for them naturally, as many bowed in greeting toward them.
It was natural, as one of the youngsters was Xia Yan, a genius from the Xia Clan. The most talented of their younger generation and hailed as the best in the whole Bright Star City.
Apparently, she was the same age as Ye Jun, except she was at the Second-Stage Qi Condensation Realm.
Her appearance here came off as a surprise to Ye Jun, who knew that Xia Yan usually stayed in her mansion.
'Hmm, let's follow her. I might get something useful this time.'
Thinking of that, he dragged a random man from the street and, after robbing him of his consciousness, exchanged clothes with him.
Then, he quietly trailed Xia Yan and her friends. As a former assassin, he found it too easy, but he still remained vigilant. He had little knowledge about what Qi Condensation Realm cultivators could do, after all.
Midway, he chanced upon a shop and stole a wooden mask from there.
'I will carve out one myself later.'
He missed his old mask dearly. But for now, he'd have to deal with this poor bull mask.
Fortunately, he didn't have to follow Xia Yan for long, as they stopped before the tall structure of an auction house. Seeing them enter, Ye Jun paused.
'Is it time for an Auction Arc? But I don't have enough to even enter, let alone buy anything.'
He still decided to check it out, as he found it suspicious. There had been no promotions from the auction house, so he found it weird.
After circling around the building for a while, he found a small entrance and sneaked inside. Obviously, he couldn't enter from the official one.
He passed through a dark corridor and a few turns, the path leading to some underground facilities. Fortunately, he didn't stumble upon anyone.
Finally, he saw light ahead and a few people. He slowed down and went to stand beside them as he observed the scene before him.
'Woah! Fucking hell! There's actually a whole underground stadium?'
Before him was a battle arena the size of a football field, and surrounding it were dimly illuminated seats where hundreds of people cheered for the fighters.
On the top were balconies where special guests could enjoy the show in their private spaces. They were the true audience of this underground facility.
'Damn! Now this is fun.'
Ye Jun observed his surroundings as the first batch of fighters got onto the arena, and after a short announcement, the battle began. They were both in the Body Strengthening Realm, so it was mostly a physical brawl involving the use of a few martial arts.
Beside him stood four men watching the spectacle with stars in their eyes. Clearly, they also wished to fight like that, but they weren't powerful enough for it.
Ye Jun needed only seconds to understand their situation. 'They're the cleaners.'
He turned back toward the battle arena, and his eyes began to glisten, his lips forming a curve as he saw many bubbles dropping during the battle.
'Looks like I got my new farming zone.'
Ye Jun needed to collect all those Attribute Orbs, but it was impossible without drawing too much attention. After all, the arena was the center of attention, so if he went around collecting the orbs, people would consider him a madman.
The organizer would surely throw him out and make sure he never came again.
He couldn't wait for everyone to leave either, as orbs had a time limit before they disappeared for good. He needed to collect them right before everyone's eyes without coming off as strange.
Now, how would a normal guy approach this situation?
Perhaps, they would decide to join the battles like other fighters, collect the Attribute Orbs, rise through the ranks, and become famous. Of course, they would be using their mask, so it would create a mysterious persona they could go around using even in the future.
'That's probably how many protagonists would do it, right?'
Fortunately, Ye Jun didn't consider himself a protagonist. Neither did he have the attitude or ego of one, so he naturally thought of another method.
He turned toward his side, where the four cleaners stood, and smiled. He tapped one man's shoulder and said, "Fellow Brother, would you like some help?"
"Huh? Who are you?" the man asked, clearly confused. "And what help?"
"I am help. So please do not refuse help," Ye Jun smiled kindly at them, though they couldn't see it because of the mask. "I'm a Martial Artist."
"Prove it."
The moment the man said that, Ye Jun picked up a small rock from the side and crushed it into dust with ease. The display surprised the four of them, as their gazes grew respectful.
"Do not fear me," Ye Jun waved his hand and said. "Just let me help you."
They exchanged glances, wondering what he meant by that.
"You see, I'm a rogue Martial Artist, and due to some unfortunate accident, I lost my belongings, so I'm practically as poor as a beggar. I could fight like that and earn big amounts, but as you can guess from my mask, I wish to remain low-key for a while."
The janitors gulped as one of them asked, "How can we help you, Respected Sir?"
"As I said, you don't need to fear me. Be at ease," Ye Jun smiled and said. "As for what I want, it's to take half of your salary."
Their faces paled upon hearing his words.
"Worry not. I'm a righteous-path Martial Artist and won't steal your hard-earned money. Hence, I'll do the cleaning of the arena, while you four can just relax here. How does that sound?"