Chapter 163
At the Xi Yang Yang Hot Pot Restaurant, in a corner booth, a group of Jianghu guests sat huddled together. They ordered five servings of lamb, dipping the tender meat into sesame sauce, beads of sweat forming on their brows as they devoured their meal, unable to put down their chopsticks.
They looked nothing like the fearsome assassins they were reputed to be.
Indeed.
They were all from the Xi Yu Lou, a notorious guild of killers.
“I wonder why the Yunzhou branch has suddenly issued the Mountain Rain Order?” one of them mused.
“I’ve put my blade away for too long; it’s time for a big score. With the winds of change stirring in Yunzhou City, it’s the perfect time to fish in troubled waters,” replied a bald man with a fierce countenance.
In Xi Yu Lou, there were no hierarchies among the assassins.
However, the Mountain Rain Order was issued directly from the main branch.
“I’ve heard that our Holy Maiden will also be coming to Yunzhou this time,” said another assassin, his body wrapped in dark bandages, his tone shrouded in mystery.
“The Lady of the Heavenly Demon is coming too?”
“Even she has been stirred; it seems there’s a grand scheme afoot in the guild.”
The assassins exchanged shocked glances.
The Heavenly Demon Holy Maiden of Xi Yu Lou was the most talented assassin of the new generation, having taken down three top-tier figures on the Qianlong List.
It was said that her appearance could change at will, making her nearly impossible to guard against, and her swordsmanship was exceptionally unpredictable.
“It seems we’ll have to collaborate this time,” the bald assassin said, his eyes darkening.
After a few glances exchanged among the assassins, they all nodded in agreement, as if they held a deep respect for the bald killer.
“Boss Bald, I’ll drink to you,” one of them said.
“This hot pot is top-notch. I wonder if there are any branches in Yunzhou?”
“Once we succeed, I’ll treat myself to a couple more plates of lamb,” they chatted animatedly.
Suddenly, a previously silent assassin’s gaze sharpened, becoming intensely focused.
“Do you see that?” he said.
“Huh?”
The group of assassins paused.
This assassin was quite famous, known as the Wailing Eye, the Deadly Blade.
When he looked at someone with such intensity, it meant he was ready to kill, and that person was as good as dead!
“Li Mo?”
Every assassin, upon arriving in a new place, would first go to the dark guild to exchange information, and naturally, they would see various bounties.
Li Mo’s portrait had appeared among the bounties.
And the price was not low.
A high bounty for a low-level target—perhaps it was due to his identity as a true disciple of the Qingyuan Sect that no one had managed to take him down yet?
“Is he also going to the Martial Arts Summit?”
“Perfect! We can make a score.”
“Let’s wait until we’re out of Ziyang Prefecture; it’s too close to the Qingyuan Sect here…”
The assassins quickly reached a consensus.
After devouring a few more plates of lamb, they used their tracking skills to follow the Qingyuan Sect’s convoy.
It was only today, confirming that no elders from their sect were following, that they decided to strike.
They intercepted the Qingyuan Sect’s carriage.
“This mountain is mine, this tree is mine!”
“What the hell are you shouting for? We’re assassins!”
“Ahem, it sounds more imposing this way…”
To be fair, the assassins were dressed oddly, wielding an array of bizarre weapons.
When they stood there, they did exude a certain murderous aura.
“Hand over Li Mo if you know what’s good for you.”
“I can let the rest of you go if you cooperate.”
The squinting assassin spoke in a low voice.
“Me?”
Li Mo, just stepping down from the carriage, was taken aback.
He thought they were just highway robbers.
He never expected to be singled out the moment he got off the carriage.
“Ha, you’d better be smart about this.”
The robber-turned-assassin sneered:
“Do you see these guys? They’re all from Xi Yu Lou, the most fearsome killers who can make even children stop crying at night.”
“This one here is known as the Blood-Handed Vulture; for every person he kills, he plucks a hair from his head. Once he ran out of hair, he started plucking his eyebrows. Just look at how bald he is—are you scared yet?”
“And the one to my left, the Wailing Eye, anyone he looks at with those squinty eyes won’t survive the night!”
“Of course, the one behind me is even more notorious; it’s said that the souls of those he kills are absorbed into his body, leaving a mark on him. Once he unwraps those bandages, it’s a night of a thousand ghosts!”
“And then there’s me, the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon…”
The assassin calling himself the Jade-Faced Flying Dragon rambled on.
The Qingyuan Sect members exchanged skeptical glances.
“What level are they?”
“Observation, the highest among them should be at the Two Apertures level.”
“What are they so proud of?”
“Stopping children from crying at night? Don’t they know who Li Mo’s master is?”
The disciples felt that these clowns were merely trying to draw attention.
But after a quick scan, they found no ambush nearby.
The senior brothers and sisters were momentarily confused and didn’t act immediately.
“Ha ha, I know it’s hard for you to just let us go without doing anything,” the self-proclaimed Jade-Faced Flying Dragon said, puffing out his chest.
“How about this? I’ll challenge one of you to a duel, and then you’ll see my true power.”
He scanned the crowd.
It was well-known that some people were born to be the center of attention.
For instance, Ying Bing.
He pointed:
“Yeah, that little girl! Come out and see what I can do!”
Ying Bing: “?”
Li Mo: “.....”
Jiang Chulong: “Li Ge, why are you covering my eyes?”
Li Mo sighed, “Little kids shouldn’t watch this.”
The scene was quite brutal.
Even the furious Ouyang swallowed hard, realizing that those goofy assassins weren’t as bad as they seemed.
The Qingyuan Sect disciples all looked up at the sky, instinctively keeping watch.
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Before long, the battered assassins were all subdued.
“Let’s tie them up first,” the eldest brother, Shen Yunfei, said.
“I’m an expert in this area,” Ouyang volunteered, stepping forward to bind them.
Moments later, the group of assassins was tied up like turtles in a shell, looking weak, pitiful, and helpless.
And embarrassed.
“Brother, you’re quite skilled at this,” Li Mo remarked.
Ouyang scratched his chin, grinning sheepishly, “Heh, art comes from life… practice makes perfect, right?”
Li Mo: “.....”
“What should we do with them?”
“These assassins claim to have killed countless people; I don’t think they’re good folks. Killing them would be a service to the people.”
“Yeah, getting rid of such evil is for the best.”
“I wonder why they were after me?”
The senior brothers and sisters began discussing how to deal with the situation.
The assassins looked at the bindings on their bodies and recalled their earlier encounter with that female… demon.
Who exactly is the real evil here?
Li Mo narrowed his eyes.
With a sweep of his Heavenly Mandate Eye, he scanned one of them.
【Name: Zhang Erdan】
【Age: 41】
【Root Bone: Toad Skin】
【Realm: Two Apertures of Observation】
【Evaluation: Ten years ago, during the Infernal Trial, he survived to the end by disguising himself as a corpse, thanks to his keen sense of smell. His skin is so ugly and pockmarked that he wrapped himself up completely.】
【Recent Encounter: Received the Mountain Rain Order from the main branch, heading to Yunzhou City.】
Toad skin? What kind of root bone is that…
But that wasn’t the point.
Li Mo raised an eyebrow.
The Mountain Rain Order?
So, Xi Yu Lou has designs on Yunzhou?
It’s not that he wanted to meddle in others’ affairs.
His group would also be staying in Yunzhou for a while, and if something big happened, they wouldn’t be able to stay uninvolved.
With that thought, Li Mo said, “How about we temporarily detain these guys and interrogate them?”
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