“Not the Red and Orange rank assassins from the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion?” Shi Xiaoxiu exclaimed, her voice quivering with unmistakable fear.
She wasn’t the only one. Shi Xiaodang, Butler Zhou, and the other external-scenery elder had the same reaction. Ling Yue gripped the bamboo stick in his hand tightly across his chest, his tiger-like eyes scanning the surroundings. Though he showed no fear, his extreme vigilance revealed much.
It was said that the headquarters of the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion was located in Northern Zhou, where high-level assassins were far more active than in the Great Jin. Ling Yue, Shi Xiaoxiu, and the others understood the different assassin tiers very well. The deeper the understanding, the more they feared the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion, and they dared not provoke it lightly.
Assassinations had a success rate of over ninety percent; if a mission failed three times, they would abandon it and return the payment; normally, there would be no retaliation. The headquarters was elusive and untraceable… These bits of knowledge about the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion echoed in their minds, painting a picture of a cold, powerful, emotionless, and obsessively rational assassin sect.
Precisely for this reason, the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion had endured for thousands of years, watching coldly as one arrogant assassin organization after another rose and fell.
As for the classification of assassins into Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, and Purple tiers, they were also well aware. It wasn’t based on their own cultivation level, but rather on the level of the target they could kill. Red-tier assassins could kill those at the threshold of external-scenery cultivation; Orange and Yellow tiers could kill weaker and stronger first-class masters respectively; Green and Cyan tiers were similar, corresponding to the weaker and stronger among the supreme experts.
When it came to Grandmasters, who wasn’t an outstanding figure, who didn’t possess some unique deadly techniques? Except for a few extraordinary monsters beyond comprehension, none could be underestimated. Even though the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion was deeply rooted, assassins capable of killing Grandmasters were rare, making further tier divisions unnecessary. Thus, only the Blue tier existed.
Purple-tier assassins were at most two per generation, usually the leader of the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion, capable of killing those at the threshold of the Primordial Unity. Above that were the legendary Heavenly-tier assassins, of whom the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion had produced only three in thousands of years!
Hearing now that Cyan-tier assassins, capable of killing nearly all supreme experts, or even Blue-tier ones, capable of threatening Grandmasters, might be lurking nearby, how could Shi Xiaoxiu and the others remain calm? Their attention was entirely focused on this, almost causing them to overlook the second half of Meng Qi’s words.
“Still leaving traces of clues?”
“Mad Stick Divine Beggar” Ling Yue was the first to react.
“Given the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion’s style, once a strike succeeds, they immediately flee, leaving no time for any accidents. If they are still lurking nearby, it means although the target was killed, the mission is not yet complete, and the crucial clues haven’t been fully severed,” Meng Qi explained calmly, while his hand now held “Heaven’s Wound,” slanting downward, exuding calmness and majesty with a hint of a swordsman’s bravery.
Seeing that Meng Qi showed neither fear nor excessive reaction, Shi Xiaoxiu and the others were affected, and the tension in their hearts eased slightly. “Wild Blade” Su Meng was indeed not famous without reason. He could sense the presence of Cyan or even Blue-tier assassins, indicating a Grandmaster-level perception, and remained composed, treating these terrifying assassins as if they were nothing.
No wonder everyone predicted he would soon top the Earthly List!
Meng Qi’s Heaven’s Wound was already an exceptional weapon. His perception of lurking presences was slightly stronger than the Eight-Nine Mystical Art. Thus, part of his consciousness was attached to the blade, using it as his eyes and ears, while the other part reexamined the scene of Shi Tianqi’s death.
“The withered trees around here were caused by Master Shi?”
“Yes, it was my father’s ‘Inkbrush Death Chapter,'” Shi Xiaodang, still quite young, answered readily, as he was very familiar with his father’s martial arts.
Meng Qi nodded slightly: “Judging from the wounds, the assassin was alone. The two corpses are very close, with no signs of movement. If your father was attacked first, the Khitan spy would certainly try to escape, at least creating some distance. Therefore, the situation at that time should have been that the Khitan spy was dealt with first. When your father discovered it, he tried to help, but the assassin circled behind him and stabbed into his Yuzhen acupoint with a sword.”
“This is normal. The lone wolf carried important intelligence, making him the main target of the assassin,” Butler Zhou said, slightly frowning.
“This doesn’t fit,” Ling Yue understood Meng Qi’s meaning. “Would an Cyan or Blue-tier assassin naturally assume that killing the lone wolf and Master Shi would erase all clues? Definitely not, unless he was already certain that the lone wolf had left no other clues and had no other accomplices hiding elsewhere. If he could be certain of this, it means he had a thorough understanding of the lone wolf’s movements. If so, why not silence him earlier instead of involving Master Shi?”
Meng Qi added, “Therefore, the situation at that time should have been that the assassin first attacked the lone wolf, attempting to suppress his Yuan Shen with sword intent and capture him alive, then proceeded to eliminate Master Shi. Unfortunately, when the lone wolf noticed the assassin, although he couldn’t defend in time, he managed to trigger his self-destruction mechanism, turning himself into ashes from within. This gave Master Shi an opportunity to act. Precisely because of the lone wolf’s self-destruction, the assassin could clearly judge that he had a contingency plan. Therefore, after succeeding in one strike, the assassin quietly retreated nearby to observe the newcomers.”
“But they were disappointed by us, as we knew nothing,” Shi Xiaoxiu gave a self-mocking smile.
No wonder the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion assassin didn’t kill them to eliminate witnesses!
Ling Yue remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings: “What kind of clue did the lone wolf leave, and how do we find it?”
“He knew this journey was dangerous yet insisted on heading south, showing how crucial the intelligence was. Why, after entering Zhou territory, didn’t he stay hidden but instead made a big show? Once the intelligence became widely known, his danger would significantly decrease. At most, he would face retaliation instead of being silenced,” Meng Qi raised a question first.
Ling Yue shook his head: “No, every year, numerous rumors come from the grasslands—Gurdo breaking through to Earth Immortal, advancing further to awaken the Heaven’s Wrath Axe, preparing to head south to conquer Zhou territory; Gurdo suffering a martial arts mishap and being killed by those around him, causing chaos in the grasslands, presenting a good opportunity for an attack; the Gao, Xiahou, Shangguan, and Cao clans secretly colluding with the Khitan, attempting to change the power structure in Zhou territory. Initially, people would be cautious and scrutinize these rumors, but now, unless the information comes from a trusted source, they are all treated as jokes.”
“And combined with the ‘lone wolf’ nickname in the intelligence, the speed of delivering the message to the Shi Clan Fortress would be slower than him fleeing here.”
Meng Qi turned to Butler Zhou: “Does the lone wolf have any family?”
“He has a wife and a son, but I don’t know if he brought them south,” Butler Zhou answered in detail.
“Perhaps the lone wolf left his wife and son elsewhere, and if they didn’t reunite within a few days, he would send out the message. Or maybe the lone wolf entrusted the intelligence to someone at random. There are too many possibilities, making it hard to find unless the other party reveals themselves,” Meng Qi mused. “How about we return to the Shi Clan Fortress first, so Master Shi’s body can rest in peace.”
Ling Yue sensed no other clues nearby and thus carried Butler Zhou, and the group returned to the Shi Clan Fortress.
As soon as they entered the fortress, Meng Qi suggested, “With a Cyan or Blue-tier assassin lurking nearby, how about we activate the forbidden techniques?”
Shi Xiaoxiu and the others were more than willing and immediately headed to the fortress’s central chamber.
Shortly after, the few of them reconvened in Shi Tianqi’s study.
Meng Qi stood by the window with his hands behind his back, gazing at the multicolored glow outside, seemingly admiring the scenery, leaving Shi Xiaoxiu, Butler Zhou, and the others puzzled, unsure of what he was thinking.
Suddenly, Meng Qi turned around, walked toward Butler Zhou, and asked, “Who else knows about the lone wolf’s relationship with Master Shi, besides the three of you?”
“How could we let anyone else know?” Butler Zhou shook his head. “Even the tribal leader who sent the lone wolf to the Khitan doesn’t know. The information was passed through multiple intermediaries, with some trails already cut off, making it impossible to trace.”
“Master Shi was cautious and strict, never making mistakes in important matters.”
Shi Xiaoxiu and Ling Yue nodded slightly in agreement, which matched their usual perception of Shi Tianqi.
Meng Qi slowly nodded: “The lone wolf heading south, fully aware of the danger, must have kept his movements secret, avoiding detection by Cyan or Blue-tier assassins. Otherwise, he would have been silenced long ago, without even time to prepare a contingency plan, and the matter would have been erased quietly.”
“Exactly. If the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion assassins had discovered the lone wolf earlier, there would have been no need to involve Master Shi,” Ling Yue said with a surge of grief and anger. He was hot-tempered and straightforward, not adept at thinking, and couldn’t see the point in Meng Qi repeatedly going over processes that were obvious upon a little reflection.
Meng Qi sighed: “In other words, the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion assassins couldn’t actually find the lone wolf. Then why were they able to ambush him at the Soul-Draining Ravine?”
The same meaning, phrased differently, instantly shook Ling Yue, Shi Xiaodang, Shi Xiaoxiu, and the others, as if they were grasping something vague!
“It’s basically certain that the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion assassins were following Master Shi all along, finding the lone wolf only after he met with him,” Meng Qi slowly took a couple of steps, scanning the group. “The lone wolf was a spy who secretly headed south after obtaining intelligence. But who, without knowing the inside story, would think of monitoring Master Shi to track the lone wolf’s movements?”
His gaze suddenly fixed on Butler Zhou’s face: “Butler Zhou, you said no one else knows the inside story besides the three of you. How do you explain this doubt?”
Butler Zhou’s face paled drastically, his teeth chattering, his eyes frozen in a deathly stare. However, streaks of electric light emerged and shot into his body, sealing his Yuan Shen, abruptly stopping his attempt to swallow poison.
“Butler Zhou, it was you!” Shi Xiaoxiu and Shi Xiaodang were both shocked and furious, unable to believe that Butler Zhou, who had accompanied their father even longer than they had, would betray him.
At this moment, the other external-scenery elder suddenly understood, pointing at Butler Zhou: “No wonder you sent your son to study in Changle a few days ago!”
“And you specially had Auntie Zhou accompany him!” Shi Xiaoxiu also realized, her eyes blazing with anger, tears streaming down her face. “Butler Zhou, my father treated you with such kindness and trust. How could you betray him! How could you collude with the barbarians from the grasslands!”
Ling Yue couldn’t help but look at Meng Qi: “You suspected him all along?”
“I suspected it back at the Soul-Draining Ravine, but with a Blue-tier assassin nearby, if I had exposed him, we would have been silenced, endangering everyone. Now that we’ve activated the forbidden techniques, we have enough time to interrogate Butler Zhou,” Meng Qi replied calmly.
No wonder he suggested returning to the fortress! No wonder he suggested activating the forbidden techniques! Shi Xiaoxiu and Shi Xiaodang suddenly understood again, shocked, looking at Meng Qi, unable to believe they were of similar age, feeling as if they were facing a senior or a legendary martial artist!
Moreover, there was a terrifying Blue-tier assassin from the Benevolent Sage Emperor’s Mansion lurking outside?
Butler Zhou was deeply shaken, stammering, his eyes hesitant, as if wanting to confess something.
Just then, dark flames ignited inside him, and before Meng Qi could save him, he turned to ashes instantly!
It was very similar to the Six Paths technique… Meng Qi frowned.
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