Chapter 39: Conditions

“Is that it?”

Li Musheng frowned, glancing down at the woman in red whose head was wedged into the rubble, before shifting his gaze to the masked man.

The masked man did not understand what Li Musheng meant; he was currently trembling with terror from the display of power he had just witnessed.

Even when facing the woman in red, he had to be extremely cautious and wary, yet the other man had nearly killed her with a casual strike. Such strength was truly terrifying!

Seeing the masked man standing there dazed and speechless, Li Musheng shook his head.

To avoid further trouble, he immediately picked up the man and the half-dead woman in red, leaped onto a nearby roof, and vanished in an instant.

Soon, Li Musheng returned silently to Cang Yinyue's small courtyard and tossed the two people he was carrying onto the ground.

Hearing the noise, Cang Yinyue, who was currently examining the unconscious old man with suspicion, turned around abruptly.

She glanced at Li Musheng, who had appeared like a ghost, and then her gaze fell upon the two people he had brought back.

“Eh? Is this the Red Luo Fiendess?”

Cang Yinyue gasped in surprise as she stared at the woman in red on the ground.

Although the woman's face had long since turned into a mass of mangled flesh, making her true appearance impossible to discern, Cang Yinyue recognized the poisoned black scimitar in her hand.

Hearing this, Li Musheng asked with a hint of indifference, “What is her background?”

“A demonic cult enchantress from the martial world who practices her arts by seducing men. Countless men have died at her hands; she especially enjoys seducing married men, engaging in trysts with them, and then killing them for pleasure,” Cang Yinyue explained, before reaching out to rip the mask off the man's face.

“Limping Grass-Leaper!”

Cang Yinyue clearly recognized him as well. Then, her gaze swept over the unconscious old man on the ground, and she said

“If I am not mistaken, this should be the Death-Faced Elder!”

As she spoke, Cang Yinyue turned back to Li Musheng, her voice filled with astonishment.

“These three are all notorious criminals in the martial world, burdened with numerous murders. They are all on the Six Doors' wanted list. How did you catch them in such a short amount of time?”

Just now, Cang Yinyue had been interrogating the armored soldier in her secret room when she heard a heavy thud from the courtyard and rushed out to investigate.

She hadn't seen Li Musheng, but instead found the unconscious old man. Before she could figure out what was happening, Li Musheng had brought back two more people, and all of them were wanted fugitives of the imperial court.

“Just nearby. They delivered themselves to my doorstep; it seems they were fighting over something.”

Li Musheng shrugged, then tossed a heavily rusted token to Cang Yinyue.

“They were likely after this. See if you recognize it.”

Seeing this, Cang Yinyue took the token and examined it closely under the moonlight.

Suddenly, she took a sharp breath and couldn't help but cry out in shock

“This is actually the Hidden Kill Command!”

Li Musheng glanced at her and raised an eyebrow.

“Is it really a treasure? It doesn't look like one.”

Cang Yinyue turned the token over and over in her hands for a long while before shaking her head.

“I am not certain if this is real or a fake. But if it is real, I fear the Great Li martial world is about to face a new storm of blood and carnage.”

Without waiting for Li Musheng to ask, she proactively explained

“The Hidden Kill Command comes from an extremely mysterious assassin organization known as the 'Hidden Kill Pavilion.' It is the insignia worn by the Pavilion Master. It is said that whoever possesses the Hidden Kill Command can command all the assassins within the Pavilion.”

Hearing this, Li Musheng couldn't help but chuckle.

“Isn't that rumor a bit far-fetched? Commanding an entire assassin organization with just a single token? It sounds unreliable. Surely no one actually believes that?”

Cang Yinyue sighed softly.

“You know only one part of the truth and not the other. The influence of the Hidden Kill Pavilion spans the five nations; from kings and generals to street vendors, there is no one they do not dare to kill.”

“And to command the entire Hidden Kill Pavilion, obtaining the command is only the first step. If one can satisfy another condition, it is indeed highly likely that they could control the entire organization.”

“What condition?” Li Musheng was now somewhat curious.

Cang Yinyue glanced at him and said slowly

“The Hidden Kill Command reappears in the martial world every few decades, usually when the previous Pavilion Master is nearing death, as a means to select a successor.”

“And this other condition is also the Hidden Kill Pavilion's test for the new master. As long as the person holding the command can survive three assassination attempts from the Pavilion's own assassins, they can succeed as the Pavilion Master and command all the assassins.”

Hearing this, Li Musheng looked at the brass token and nodded slightly.

“That actually sounds somewhat plausible.”

Just then, he saw Cang Yinyue suddenly shove the Hidden Kill Command back into his hands.

“What are you doing?” Li Musheng asked suspiciously.

Cang Yinyue's brows furrowed tightly.

“This thing is a hot potato. I don't dare touch it, otherwise, I won't even know how I died. I advise you to throw it back wherever you found it.”

Li Musheng picked up the rusted token and looked at it pensively.

Seeing this, Cang Yinyue was visibly startled.

“You aren't thinking of keeping it, are you?”

Li Musheng rubbed his chin.

“And why shouldn't I?”

As he spoke, he tucked the Hidden Kill Command back into his robe and patted it lightly.

Cang Yinyue's eyes, clear as autumn water, widened. She froze for a moment, feeling a sudden urge to avoid Li Musheng as if he were a venomous snake, wishing she could just kick him out of her courtyard.

“Miss Cang, don't just stand there. Hurry up and help me interrogate them regarding the whereabouts of the Apocalypse Treasury Key.”

Li Musheng spoke nonchalantly. Then, his gaze swept over the three people in the courtyard.

“Since they are all notorious criminals, I'll leave them to your disposal. Consider it my payment for your work tonight. Perhaps you'll even get a promotion and a raise in the Six Doors soon.”

Hearing this, Cang Yinyue gradually calmed her emotions and gave Li Musheng a deep look.

The Six Doors naturally had its own promotion system; capturing important wanted criminals was indeed a significant way to earn merit.

The three before her were heinous criminals with profound martial cultivation. According to the Six Doors' assessment of their strength, they were likely close to the level of Half-Step Grandmasters.

Normally, she would have taken a detour to avoid them; how could she dare to arrest them? Having them fall into her hands now was indeed a massive achievement.

Cang Yinyue's eyes flickered as she pondered for a moment.

“They have seen your face. If I hand them over to the Six Doors, your identity will certainly be exposed.”

As she spoke, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes. In the next instant, a flash of blade light erupted.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

Three streaks of blade light sliced through the necks of the three people on the ground. In a single instant, all three were killed by a single fatal blow.

Only then did Cang Yinyue's cold voice ring out

“Only the dead can keep secrets.”