Men in black moved through the buildings, stepping lightly on tiles as if they were swallows, quietly approaching the Tongji Pharmacy under the cover of night.
Crossing the front hall of the pharmacy, several figures landed in the backyard.
The leader of the men in black made a gesture to the others. The men in black quickly dispersed and rushed towards the many rooms in the backyard.
Fingers pierced the window paper, pupils close to the round holes, the men in black spied into the rooms, as if searching for something.
Suddenly, one of the men in black raised his hand and signaled to the others. The men in black instantly regrouped, with two falling to the outermost side, their backs to the crowd, keeping a close watch on their surroundings.
The leader of the men in black took out a soporific powder from his懷, and blew it into the room through the hole pierced by his finger.
A few seconds later, they entered the room with light, slow steps.
He reached out to grab Gouzi, who was sleeping soundly on the bed. Suddenly, the candlelight in the room flared, and a figure appeared in the room where there had only been one person on the bed before. The figure leaned against the wall in the corner, and the sword in his hand emitted a cold silver light under the candlelight.
The sword strike was as fast as lightning.
In the instant the sword fell, the man in black was forced back.
The figure flashed and stood between the man in black and Gouzi.
Xuan Wu's icy face was devoid of emotion, and the killing intent emanating from his body was so sharp it seemed to freeze the air.
The candlelight in the room acted like a signal, and the backyard, enveloped by the darkness, suddenly lit up. People emerged from every room, surrounding the men in black.
"Capture them alive!"
Before the words had even fallen, a figure had already charged forward.
A fierce battle erupted outside. The man in black inside the room glanced at the person on the bed, turned, and retreated. But how could Xuan Wu let him go? His sword was sharp as lightning, and the sound of it piercing the air exploded.
The long sword attacking from behind forced the man in black to turn and resist. The moment they clashed, he felt a chill enter his heart. The face hidden beneath the black fabric immediately darkened.
The man in black resisted while retreating, but his retreating figure was blocked by another person.
The fight did not last long. The clamor and the sound of clashing weapons only carried over the front hall with the wind and into the street. Before they reached the end of the street, they had completely subsided.
All five men in black were captured.
Three of them suddenly bit into poison and committed suicide. Xuan Wu's movements were quick; he grabbed the chin of the person under his sword and, before he could bite into the poison, forced his mouth open. He reached in and removed the poison hidden in his back teeth, then swung the hilt of his sword, knocking out the man's jaw!
The others reacted a second too late, watching as another person bit into poison and committed suicide.
Of the five captives, four died instantly.
One remained!
Jia Huan squatted on the ground, looking at the captive brought back by Xuan Wu. Without any unnecessary methods, he directly took out silver needles. For these elite assassins, conventional interrogation was useless.
The silver needle, wrapped in poison, pierced the point between the eyebrows. A heart-wrenching scream echoed in the prison once more.
After a few rounds, the other party confessed.
Chang Sheng Dao!
It was people from Chang Sheng Dao again!
But not the group from Jian'an Temple!
After previously interrogating the Jian'an Temple from Bai Xinxin, the Prince had sent people to monitor the entire Jian'an Temple. It could be said that the Prince had completely gained control of the Chang Sheng Dao people hiding in Jian'an Temple. They had not acted yet, simply because the time was not right. Who would have thought that people from Chang Sheng Dao would appear in the capital in batches?
"Master, the person has confessed."
Jia Huan gleaned the nascent form of Chang Sheng Dao from the captive.
"Chang Sheng Dao, originating from the Chang Sheng Dao Sect of the Great Yuan..."
The first Emperor of the Great Yuan, with the support of the Chang Sheng Dao Sect, overthrew the rule of Sui Yang and established the Great Yuan Kingdom. Since then, the Chang Sheng Dao Sect had become a power superior to the royal family of the Great Yuan.
At its peak, the Chang Sheng Dao Sect even had the power to depose the Emperor.
And every Grand Tutor of the Great Yuan Kingdom was the successor of the next Sect Master of the Chang Sheng Dao Sect.
The decline of the Chang Sheng Dao Sect began with the appearance of the Empress of the Great Yuan and the death of the last successor. After the Great Yuan Kingdom was overthrown and replaced, the Chang Sheng Dao Sect completely disappeared from the annals of history. This current Chang Sheng Dao was the descendants and successors of those who had survived and lived in hiding from the Chang Sheng Dao Sect back then!
"Great Yuan!"
Ji Jinmo stroked his prayer beads, the corners of his mouth curling upwards. He uttered two words in a low voice, but it made Jia Huan shiver, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
He lowered his head, not daring to look at Ji Jinmo's expression, and could not understand why his Master would focus on the Great Yuan Kingdom when he relayed information about the Chang Sheng Dao Sect.
Thinking this, he continued, "The current Sect Master of Chang Sheng Dao is already at the end of his life. To save himself, he found remnants from Miao Jiang and refined medicinal people."
"Gouzi was one of those medicinal people, and the one closest to being a finished product."
"Master Du saved Gouzi back then, which is why he went into hiding. As for who supported Chang Sheng Dao from Yaowang Valley, that person is unknown!"
"He was merely an elite assassin under the third elder of Chang Sheng Dao."
"Below the Sect Master, Chang Sheng Dao has five elders, twelve protectors, and numerous other subordinates. He does not know the exact numbers, nor how many people from Chang Sheng Dao are hidden in the capital."
Ji Jinmo let out a scoff.
If it weren't for Master Du saving Gouzi, which led to Chang Sheng Dao showing themselves, he wouldn't have known that Lin Yuan harbored such a sect organization.
Truly like rats in a gutter.
"Where is the location of Chang Sheng Dao?"
Jia Huan replied, "Chang Sheng Dao has no strongholds, and he himself has never met the Sect Master. Chang Sheng Dao has always operated on a single-line basis. They even received information for this mission from the black market."
"Black market?"
"Through what?"
"A shop selling herbs in the underground black market!"
Ji Jinmo gave a hum. After dismissing Jia Huan, he summoned Xuan Thirteen. "Notify everyone to have the informants hidden in the underground black market keep a close eye on that herb shop for this King!"
"Yes!"
Thirteen received the order!
After he turned and left, silence descended upon the study.
Ji Jinmo slightly narrowed his eyes, his long eyelashes casting shadows beneath them.
...
The next day.
Under the moonlight, Nan Shiying appeared in Zou Chengyi's room.
She squatted by the bed, looking at him.
Zou Chengyi, half-asleep, felt a gaze fall upon his face, sharp as a knife in the darkness.
He suddenly awoke, saw the figure by his bed, and before he could utter a cry, it was stopped: "Don't shout, it's me!"
Zou Chengyi's eyes widened, his chest heaving. He regretted not having a habit of keeping a dagger under his pillow, otherwise, he would have drawn it and killed her.
Zou Chengyi suddenly sat up and glared at Nan Shiying. In the darkness, Nan Shiying could even see the blazing fire erupting from Zou Chengyi's pupils. "What exactly do you want?"
Zou Chengyi asked in a suppressed voice, almost grinding his teeth.