Chapter 97
“I’m not interested in the Xiyu Tower.”
“Quite the opposite.”
Li Mo took out a waist token from his palm and smiled, “I’m a disciple of the Qingyuan Sect.”
“So am I.”
Xiao Qin also produced a waist token, indicating that he was a partner of justice.
At that moment—
“Hmm? What’s going on here?”
Shang Wu stepped over the threshold of the inn, surveying the chaotic scene without a flicker of emotion in her eyes. She merely furrowed her brow slightly, scrutinizing the only stranger present.
Gulps—
Zuo Qiu Yang swallowed hard, feeling as if he were facing a formidable enemy. His knife trembled again, but this time it wasn’t from the surge of murderous intent. It was fear.
During his training in the Wusheng Knife Technique under his deceased master, he discovered that he was naturally sensitive to killing intent and malevolence.
Previously, the most terrifying person he had encountered was his master.
Now, that title had shifted.
The atmosphere in the inn was oddly tense.
A fledgling assassin who had yet to officially join the Xiyu Tower stood there, alongside four righteous partners from the Qingyuan Sect.
To be fair, he couldn’t take on any of them, not even Xiao Qin, who was not just an old man who could only talk but a formidable martial artist in his own right.
“Don’t be so nervous,” Li Mo said. “We’ve come down the mountain mainly to maintain order in the capital and prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos and harming the innocent. As for the Wujian Trial, our only hope is that it ends quickly.”
Li Mo gestured for him to relax.
“I understand now,” Zuo Qiu Yang said, his body loosening up.
He was indeed a lone wolf, picking up the unfinished bowl of noodles and squatting down to slurp it up.
Li Mo walked over to the three men from the Huai Mountain Trio and used his Chixiao Sword to pry open their pockets.
After a brief search, aside from some miscellaneous items, a letter in the scarred man’s arms caught Li Mo’s attention.
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**Chapter 94: The Plan to Infiltrate the Xiyu Tower**
“This letter is from the Xiyu Tower.”
Zuo Qiu Yang saw the swallow emblem in the lower left corner of the letter and jumped to his feet, his malevolence surging again.
“Hmm?” Shang Wu squinted her eyes and glanced over.
Zuo Qiu Yang, looking fierce, crouched down and covered his head.
“Master, he seems to know something about the Xiyu Tower.”
“Understanding the intentions and movements of the Xiyu Tower will be beneficial for us,” Li Mo reasoned with his master, appealing to both logic and emotion.
He waved Zuo Qiu Yang over to take a look, as he couldn’t decipher it himself.
The writing on the letter was likely a secret script of the Xiyu Tower, resembling pictographs that were incomprehensible without specialized training.
Zuo Qiu Yang took the letter and began to read:
“You three, have you kept up with your training?”
“With the current upheaval in the world, you brothers are holed up in Huai Mountain Town, engaging in petty thievery. When will you ever make a name for yourselves? With the Wujian Trial opening, why not seize this opportunity to come out and join the Xiyu Tower? That way, you’ll have a backing.”
“Your foolish brother, lacking talent, has now advanced further in the Guanshen Realm and secured a position as a butcher in the Xiyu Tower.”
As he read this, Zuo Qiu Yang’s voice trembled, his emotions surging violently.
He was certain that the one who sent this letter was the enemy who had killed his master.
It felt as if his nemesis was right before him, igniting his fury.
“I know you’re anxious, but hold on for a moment,” Li Mo urged him to finish reading the letter.
Zuo Qiu Yang took a few deep breaths before continuing:
“Recently, I received news that the traitor we killed a few years ago had a disciple who also learned the techniques of the Xiyu Tower.”
“Anyone daring to learn our martial arts should be dealt with. Kill him, and come find me at the old place.”
“The main tower is preparing to establish a branch in Ziyang Prefecture. If you succeed in this task, I will speak well of you in front of the branch master and secure you a good position.”
“—Xiao Mituo.”
---
The letter revealed a wealth of information.
Li Mo and the others fell into deep thought.
“The Xiyu Tower is opening a branch in Ziyang Prefecture?”
No wonder they chose this place for the Wujian Trial.
They were expanding their recruitment right here.
But Ziyang Prefecture was located on the edge of the Eastern Wilderness, not exactly a thriving place, far from the so-called upheaval of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.
Why would the profit-driven Xiyu Tower set up a base here?
“Not only are they holding the Wujian Trial, but they also dare to extend their influence into Ziyang Prefecture?” Shang Wu’s brows furrowed. “If I find that branch master, I’ll make him regret it.”
No sect would tolerate an assassin organization establishing a foothold in their territory.
Yet the Xiyu Tower was elusive, with spies everywhere, like a slippery stick stirring up trouble. Even the Great Yu Dynasty, in collaboration with several major sects, had failed to uproot it completely.
Destroying one base wouldn’t eliminate all its members; new bases would soon sprout up.
“Finding the Xiyu Tower’s branch won’t be easy,” Xiao Qin mused.
He picked up three iron tokens from the ground.
Zuo Qiu Yang looked at the tokens with a hint of confusion.
These tokens were forged through special means.
Once the Wujian Trial began, they would absorb a trace of the owner’s inner breath.
If the owner died, the tokens would shatter.
Yet these were intact?
Could it be that the Huai Mountain Trio had all perished due to their own inner breath?
“Can we... pretend to be the Huai Mountain Trio and infiltrate the Xiyu Tower?”
“We have just the right number of people, especially if Zuo Qiu joins us,” Xiao Qin said, feeling a sense of responsibility. Since they had taken on a sect mission, he would do his utmost.
Zuo Qiu Yang shook his head.
“I practice the Wusheng Knife; I can’t hide my identity in front of the Xiyu Tower members.”
Hearing this, Li Mo glanced at the girl beside him, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Had she ever considered becoming a heartless assassin?
Ying Bing: “?”
At this moment, Zuo Qiu Yang added, “That might not be wise. Those three are clearly in close contact with Xiao Mituo. If you meet him, you’ll be exposed.”
“Unless... we kill Xiao Mituo! Then no one will know we’re impostors.”
Zuo Qiu Yang’s eyes sparkled, as if he had found a chance for revenge.
The opponent was in the Guanshen Realm, and only by teaming up with these Qingyuan Sect disciples could they have a chance.
“Pleasure to cooperate,” Li Mo smiled.
Helping him take revenge could be seen as an investment, and it would also fulfill their sect mission.
He had no reason to refuse.
The next question was how to find the elusive ‘Xiao Mituo.’
“I’ll search the city, but I can’t guarantee results in a short time,” Zuo Qiu Yang said. “This person is extremely cautious.”
During his journey to Ziyang Prefecture, he had been trying to gather information about the man, but he still knew very little.
“Instead of searching for him, why not let him come to us?” Li Mo suggested thoughtfully.
“If we pose as the Huai Mountain Trio and perform well in the Wujian Trial, we might draw him out.”
Zuo Qiu Yang’s eyes lit up with realization.
This Li Mo from the Qingyuan Sect was indeed sharp-minded.
How had he not thought of this approach?
“Now is the time to restore the reputation of Qunyu Peak.”
“If we run into a fight we can’t handle, just call me,” Shang Wu said, feeling that her disciple’s intelligence was on par with hers, so she didn’t bother to think too hard.
She would strategize, and he would lend a hand when necessary.
Perfect.
“Wait, how do we identify those participating in the Wujian Trial?” Xiao Qin pointed out a blind spot.
“We’ll reopen this inn, and I’ll have my ways,” Li Mo replied, consulting the map.
This was the closest inn to the Ziyang Prefecture city.
In other words, most people wanting to enter the city would pass through here.
At that point, he just needed to use his Tianming Divine Eye to take a look...
Zuo Qiu Yang and Xiao Qin were both curious.
But since Li Mo said so, he must have his own methods.
So they didn’t doubt him and began to clean up the scene.
Li Mo snapped his fingers, releasing his inner breath.
Instantly, the bodies on the ground turned to ash.
Ying Bing frowned slightly, seemingly disliking the ashes flying everywhere. She waved her hand, summoning clouds to gather the ashes and directing them to the flowerbed in the back hall, contributing to nature.
“The inner breath of these two...”
Zuo Qiu Yang’s pupils trembled.
He thought he was exceptional among his peers, with few in the same realm able to match him.
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