The man in black said the gatekeeper lived inside and that they used the sound of a nightingale as a signal—seven long chirps and four short ones. But Qin Sang didn't know how to mimic a nightingale, so he hid in the shadows and summoned the Yama.
"Go in..."
Qin Sang stared at the residence. The Yama possessed no intelligence and could not distinguish one person from another. After a moment of hesitation, Qin Sang said in a low voice, "Kill everyone inside!"
The Yama passed through the wall, and Qin Sang followed, vaulting over the wall using his momentum. He arrived just in time to see the Yama pulling the soul out of a middle-aged man.
The man’s appearance was exactly as the man in black had described; he was the gatekeeper!
Having found his target, Qin Sang felt a secret sense of relief and immediately began his interrogation.
His primary concern was, naturally, how many people knew that Old Wu and the man in black had been lurking at Qingyang Temple.
If this gatekeeper had reported it up the chain, he would be hunted relentlessly. Even if it meant tracking the trail all the way to the Master of the Jiangshan Tower, he would not hesitate!
Qin Sang had come to understand that even when facing martial arts masters, the Yama remained invincible.
Old Wu, the man in black, and the gatekeeper were all top-tier assassins of the Jiangshan Tower, and could be considered first-rate experts in the martial arts world, yet they had died silently, without a shred of resistance.
No matter how high one's martial arts, they could not stop the Yama.
Furthermore, he could obtain the most accurate intelligence.
Qin Sang quickly clarified what he wanted to know, and the tension on his face eased instantly.
It turned out that the organization of the Jiangshan Tower was even more rigorous than he had imagined. There were branch altars in every prefecture. Although the gatekeeper was a core member of the Jiangshan Tower, to prevent anyone from following the trail and wiping out the branches, the gatekeeper did not know where the branches were located, nor did he have the authority to contact them independently.
Even in an emergency, he had to send out a signal and wait for the branch to make contact.
This gatekeeper had not been lurking in Sanwu City for long. The task had been issued today, and the branch had only just contacted him for the first time. Therefore, although all the affairs in his hands were recorded, they had not yet been reported.
The man in black had informed the gatekeeper that he was going to investigate Qingyang Temple tonight, but the gatekeeper had not spread the word widely until the results were in.
Hearing this, Qin Sang felt reassured. As long as he burned the gatekeeper’s journals, all leads would end here.
However, to completely clear Qingyang Temple of suspicion, he still needed to take further measures. Qin Sang immediately began questioning the gatekeeper about the identities and hideouts of all the assassins lurking in Sanwu City. Because of the mission, the gatekeeper had sent out word to gather the assassins, and they were currently hiding in a house outside the city.
Once he had asked everything, the gatekeeper’s soul was nearing the time of its dissipation.
By now, Qin Sang had gained some understanding of the Jiangshan Tower’s mission. Not only were the six assassins under this gatekeeper’s charge all activated, but other gatekeepers were lurking in Zhenshui Prefecture, all converging on Sanwu City. This operation was set to gather nearly thirty assassins.
Who was their target, that it was worth such a massive mobilization?
Out of curiosity, Qin Sang asked, only to hear an answer that shocked him.
"Princess Dongyang!"
Their target was actually Princess Dongyang, the daughter of Prince Dongyang and niece of the current Emperor!
A mere martial arts assassin organization dared to defy the power of the state and assassinate a princess—this was unimaginable to Qin Sang. Was the Master of the Jiangshan Tower so audacious that he didn't fear total annihilation?
Upon asking, he learned that this was not the first time the Jiangshan Tower had killed an official. Ten years ago, a Governor Ma was assassinated in the street, shocking the Great Sui; that, too, had been the work of the Jiangshan Tower.
When that incident occurred, the late Emperor was furious, yet the Jiangshan Tower had continued to thrive.
Furthermore, the name "Princess Dongyang" caused Qin Sang’s expression to flicker. He couldn't help but think of the young lady on the boat who had never shown her face. Could it be Princess Dongyang?
He hurriedly asked for the reason.
According to the Jiangshan Tower’s intelligence, Princess Dongyang had gone to Chunyang Villa to escape the summer heat with great fanfare many days ago, but she had quietly slipped away and disappeared.
The Jiangshan Tower had pursued the trail, only recently discovering clues that Princess Dongyang and some of her attendants had disguised themselves as merchants and secretly infiltrated Zhenshui Prefecture. If nothing went wrong, they would arrive in Sanwu City by noon today.
The Sanwu City branch planned to set an ambush at Luoma Mountain outside the East Gate.
Qin Sang was familiar with the people from the Wuwei Escort Agency and had seen their maps, so he had a careful understanding of the terrain around Sanwu City. He knew that Luoma Mountain was sparsely populated and the terrain was treacherous. The road on the mountain was carved along the cliffside, with a vast abyss below and a surging river; it was a perfect place for an ambush.
Qin Sang wanted to ask for more details, but the gatekeeper’s soul reached its time and dissolved into a mist of soul energy.
Qin Sang needed to think carefully; there were two paths before him.
The first path was to pretend he knew nothing, finish his own business, and fly far away.
The second path was to take a gamble and save the Princess.
Not to mention that his savior, Bai Jianglan, might also be there; he had to make the trip to repay the debt of gratitude.
The Yama Banner and the Yama’s eerie abilities made Qin Sang basically certain that the *Nether Scripture* was definitely not an ordinary martial arts manual; it was almost certainly a cultivation technique.
To ordinary people, he could now be considered an Immortal Master.
Or perhaps, an evil cultivator or a demon would be more appropriate.
He knew nothing about cultivation. Both the *Nether Scripture* and the Yama Banner were obtained from the black-clad demon, and using ghosts to kill was extremely evil. If he rashly went to seek immortality and encountered someone as intolerant of evil as the sword-wielding youth, he would be left with no tears to cry.
Moreover, the world was vast, and searching for a path to immortality was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Using the nobility to make contact with other Immortal Masters and slowly probing the world of cultivation might be the more prudent approach.
While he pondered, Qin Sang’s movements did not stop. The east was turning white, and dawn was approaching; he didn't have much time left.
He entered the room and pried up the floor tiles under the gatekeeper’s bed, uncovering a stack of books. These were the gatekeeper’s journals, but they were fakes.
Every time he made a record, the man would write one true and one false version. The fakes were kept here, while the real journals were with a head courtesan surnamed Li in Red Dust Alley nearby.
This Head Courtesan Li was also an assassin of the Jiangshan Tower. She had a somewhat eccentric temperament and liked to hide in the pleasure quarters, entertaining men with her beauty. The gatekeeper trusted her deeply; the two were even lovers.
To ensure the ruse was complete, Qin Sang took the fake journals with him as well.
To avoid alerting the enemy, he left the gatekeeper’s house untouched and immediately headed to Red Dust Alley.
At this hour, there were still many people moving about in Red Dust Alley. It took Qin Sang some effort to disguise himself before he managed to slip into Head Courtesan Li’s room.
She was currently frolicking with a patron in her room. Qin Sang could only offer his silent apologies. He found the real journals, took them out, and burned them all. Then, he left the city to find the other three assassins, leaving none alive, and finally set fire to the house to muddy the waters completely.
After a flurry of activity, the sky was already bright. Qin Sang mounted his horse and headed straight east. He decided to seize this opportunity, hoping to infiltrate Princess Dongyang’s side and slowly learn about the world of cultivators!
Fearing eyes from the Jiangshan Tower, Qin Sang did not dare take the main road through Luoma Mountain and instead cut through the side paths.
It was late in the hour of the Dragon when he finally bypassed Luoma Mountain. Qin Sang paused his horse and looked back in the direction of Sanwu City. He wondered, after the chaos he had caused, would the Jiangshan Tower still proceed with their plan?