Jiang Hengchuan did not make excessive demands, lest the Snake King become desperate and fight to the bitter end, which would ruin their efforts.
After briefly weighing the pros and cons, the Snake King’s wrinkled face slightly relaxed. “Fine.”
Thus, he swore an oath on his Yuan Shen, as Jiang Hengchuan requested, vowing not to use secret transmissions tonight, not to attack the two men directly, and not to flee midway.
Once he completed the Yuan Shen oath through the formal procedure, Meng Qi secretly exhaled in relief—it was finally settled.
A Yuan Shen oath was bound tightly to one’s soul and carried strong constraints. Although after the merging of internal and external cultivation, Yuan Shens grew stronger and many secret techniques emerged, there were still powerful cultivators who could forcibly break free from oaths or withstand the backlash. However, the Snake King was merely a Half-Step Beyond Scenery cultivator, someone who broke through before even reaching the level of communion with heaven and earth. How could he possibly employ such advanced techniques?
Therefore, Meng Qi felt slightly reassured.
“Now let’s head to that courtyard,” Meng Qi urged the Snake King, fearing delays might allow him to contact his subordinates.
The Snake King did not object and took the lead, leaving from the side of the pavilion. Along the way, he leaped from rooftop to rooftop without attempting to seek out his men.
Shortly after the three departed, the swaying pavilion finally reached its limit and collapsed with a thunderous boom, sending up clouds of dust as the sound of breaking wood echoed over the pond.
Inside the pond, the corpses of assassins were reduced to bare bones.
After a while, the three crossed the northern street and arrived at the assassin courtyard. It appeared ordinary, but Meng Qi could sense hidden assassins in every suitable hiding spot—its defenses were extremely tight. Yet some of the assassins were too obvious in their concealment, clearly inexperienced.
Their exposure had drawn attention from outsiders, effectively masking the deeper-hidden assassins.
Dong dong dong! The Snake King, filled with suppressed anger, pounded the gate heavily.
The hidden assassins recognized their leader, but none moved—what if he was an imposter?
After a while, a small door creaked open, and a middle-aged man with completely concealed aura bowed respectfully.
“May I assist you?”
Li Xingkong had already spread the word of his vendetta. Everyone knew he wanted revenge against the Snake King, and although his strength was lacking, he could still hide and deal with the Snake King’s subordinates. Thus, the courtyard’s leader assumed the Snake King’s late-night visit was to plan a strike against Li Xingkong’s forces.
As for the commotion at the Snake King’s mansion, due to how quickly everything transpired and their swift arrival, this side had yet to receive any news.
“Go inside first,” the Snake King did not reveal his suppressed frustration, maintaining the demeanor of a leader.
The middle-aged man, with an unremarkable appearance, immediately fell silent and ignored the two behind the Snake King, leading them through areas where assassins were hidden.
Meng Qi and Jiang Hengchuan followed closely behind the Snake King, carefully observing their surroundings and closely watching his movements, fearing he might secretly signal his men through prearranged gestures or words.
The leader of the assassination courtyard was a top-tier killer, his presence completely concealed, appearing no different from an ordinary person and easily overlooked in a crowd. If not for Meng Qi’s ability to extend his perception, detecting the flow of Qi and muscle reactions, he might have failed to notice the man’s strength—a seventh-aperture cultivator, with his inner world just formed.
Even cultivators stronger than him could easily fall victim to his assassination.
Upon reaching the room where he usually handled affairs, the leader stood silently beside it, waiting for the Snake King’s orders.
“This young master has a lost nephew who was brought into the courtyard. Take him to identify the person. Do not hide anything and obey his every command,” the Snake King, after a moment’s silence, repeated verbatim Meng Qi’s secret transmission.
The leader, displaying the standard assassin demeanor, asked no questions and bowed. “Yes, Snake King.”
Jiang Hengchuan remained behind to watch the Snake King, while Meng Qi and the leader exited the room, heading toward where the assassins slept.
“Where are the people the Snake King met these two days hiding?” As soon as they left the courtyard, Meng Qi cut straight to the chase, hoping to trick the leader into an answer. If that failed, he would consider using his aura to overwhelm the man’s mind with the Heaven-Changing and Earth-Shaking Method.
Assassins, unless possessing exceptional martial arts or being completely deranged, often had significant mental vulnerabilities.
The leader hesitated, but due to the Snake King’s orders, he instinctively answered, “In the secret passage. The entrance is in the room we just left.”
He had never seen that person before—could he be the nephew of this white-robed swordsman?
Indeed, a mysterious person was hiding in the secret passage… Meng Qi felt he had truly grasped Wolf King’s trail and immediately turned back, rushing toward the room.
At that moment, the Snake King’s hoarse voice rang out, piercing through walls and shattering the air.
“Run!”
Before the words faded, the row of houses violently shook, tiles slid off and crashed into the courtyard.
A dark shadow burst through the window, rushing toward the other side before Meng Qi could act, vaulting over the courtyard wall and vanishing into the darkness—it was the Snake King!
Hearing the Snake King’s voice, the assassin leader behind Meng Qi froze for a moment, then turned and fled. Seizing Meng Qi’s attempt to intercept the Snake King, he sprinted across the courtyard and disappeared from sight.
Jiang Hengchuan followed through the window, only to find the Snake King gone, slightly regretful. “Didn’t expect the Snake King to suddenly erupt like that. Perhaps he sensed something was off.”
They had already arrived at the assassin’s courtyard, so it could no longer be considered midway.
“Maybe that line ‘Don’t hide anything, obey his every command’ made him suspicious. He deliberately gave his subordinates orders without showing his intentions, then fled the moment we separated, warning the person inside the secret passage,” Meng Qi calmed his frustration and casually analyzed the situation while pulling out the item Deputy Head Qing Shou gave him, launching a signal.
A streak of light shot into the sky, bursting into red fireworks that seemed like playful decorations but carried a hidden, agreed-upon shape.
Though it might be too late to locate and block the other end of the secret passage, they still had to try. Moreover, with the possibility of formidable experts like Wolf King hiding inside, Meng Qi had no intention of recklessly descending into the darkness for a life-or-death battle against habitual assassins. Not to mention there might be traps!
Avoid entering forests, and secret passages are no different.
After searching the room briefly, they moved a flowerpot placed within a wall grid.
With a creaking sound, the stone bricks behind the screen collapsed, revealing a descending staircase. Darkness and silence awaited inside.
After waiting a while, Deputy Head Silver Seal Yu Wangyuan arrived, his expression serious and solemn. While asking questions, he boldly entered the secret passage.
Jiang Hengchuan lit a torch, walking beside Meng Qi behind Yu Wangyuan, briefly recounting the events while remaining alert for traps and hidden mechanisms.
After descending the stairs, the passage widened, a damp, humid air greeting them.
“The exit is at the Jinshui River, and it’s already open,” Yu Wangyuan said, slightly disappointed.
They could only hope the fleeing person left behind some clues.
Passing two clearly dangerous trap zones, the three saw several stone chambers. Only one was half-closed; the others were open, containing nothing but stone beds and tables.
Yu Wangyuan flicked his sleeve, sending a gust of wind that flung open the half-closed wooden door, revealing the final chamber.
Ssssh! Meng Qi and the others inhaled sharply. Inside, rows of human skins were neatly hung!
Skin without flesh or bones!
They did not appear to be peeled off—there were no cuts or signs of tearing. It was as if the people inside had suddenly vanished.
This scene immediately made Meng Qi realize who was hiding here—not Wolf King, but Old Zhong, the practitioner of the “Devil King’s Art!”
It was him!
Considering he had been tailing Qiu Fei for a long time and used “Constable Cai” to investigate, it made sense he was so invested in the Dongyang Villa incident and was naturally present in Maoling.
“A formidable devil,” Yu Wangyuan, a respected Beyond Scenery cultivator, had to admit, based on the traces of the skins.
Among Half-Step Beyond Scenery cultivators, the gap between Old Zhong and the Snake King might be even greater than that between a Heaven-and-Man Unified cultivator and an ordinary Seventh-Aperture practitioner!
“These are Eight-Arm Heavenly Dragon and the Three Eagles of Yunling…” Jiang Hengchuan furrowed his brows.
“What?” Yu Wangyuan exclaimed. The Eight-Arm Heavenly Dragon was a renowned Half-Step Beyond Scenery cultivator, even stronger than Qiu Fei. To be killed by a devil meant his strength was nearly at the Beyond Scenery level!
So it was them… That explained the lack of blood at the scene… That explained why no trace of them was ever found again… Meng Qi was equally shocked. How much had Old Zhong’s strength improved?
The “Devil King’s Art” truly lived up to its reputation as a rapid-progressing demonic martial art. As long as enough high-level cultivators were absorbed, its power grew extremely fast at lower stages!
Jiang Hengchuan pointed at one of the skins. “Eight-Arm Heavenly Dragon. He has a mole on his forehead. I’ve fought him before—I won’t mistake him.”
“It seems that opportunity has fallen into the hands of this terrifying devil…” he simultaneously transmitted to Meng Qi.
Yu Wangyuan regained his composure and mused, “This matter is getting more complicated. I must request reinforcements from the prefectural city.”
After searching briefly and finding no further clues, the three exited the secret passage, leaving the follow-up work to arriving deputies and officers.
“Tonight’s commotion was huge. Han San Niangzi must have noticed. It’s best to lay low for now,” Yu Wangyuan said, exhaling into the night sky.
Meng Qi and Jiang Hengchuan had no objections and left the northern street together with Yu Wangyuan, each heading back to their lodgings.
Who would have thought that searching for Wolf King would lead to Old Zhong? What a coincidence… Meng Qi muttered to himself as he walked. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he immediately turned back, reentering the northern street.
Sword in hand, he crossed the long street and arrived at Han San Niangzi’s private residence.
It was an elegant mansion adorned with red lanterns, guarded by a pretty, youthful maid at the entrance.
“Master Su, please come in,” the maid greeted Meng Qi without any surprise, bowing and gesturing him inside as if she had been expecting him.
Meng Qi said nothing and showed no surprise, following the maid past the screen wall, through the courtyard, and into the flower pavilion.
Inside sat two people. One was fresh and refined, with a high, tempting nose—Han San Niangzi, the most influential figure in the northern street, whose appearance betrayed nothing of her true nature.
Opposite her sat a white-robed young man, gripping his fist against his lips, lightly coughing, his face pale as if recovering from a serious illness. His expression was half-smiling.
“You still came.”
It was none other than Young Master Wang!
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