Chapter 22: Princess Dongyang

The men in black said the Gatekeeper lived inside, and they used nightingale calls as a signal—seven long and four short. However, Qin Sang did not know how to mimic a nightingale, so he had no choice but to hide in the shadows and summon Yama.

"Go in..."

Qin Sang stared at the courtyard. Yama lacked intelligence and could not distinguish friend from foe. He hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Kill everyone inside!"

Yama phased through the wall, and Qin Sang followed, using momentum to vault over the wall into the courtyard. Just then, he saw Yama pull out the soul of a middle-aged man.

This man’s appearance was exactly as described by the men in black; he was the Gatekeeper!

Having found the man himself, Qin Sang felt a secret sense of relief and immediately began the interrogation.

What he cared about most, naturally, was how many people knew about Old Wu and the men in black appearing at Qingyang Temple.

If this Gatekeeper had reported it, they would pursue him relentlessly, even if it meant going after the Master of Jiangshan Pavilion!

Qin Sang saw it clearly now: even against martial arts experts, Yama remained invincible.

Old Wu, the men in black, and the Gatekeeper were all top-tier assassins of Jiangshan Pavilion—considered first-rate experts in the martial world—yet they had died silently without a single moment of resistance.

No matter how high one's martial arts, they could not stop Yama.

Moreover, he could obtain the most accurate intelligence.

Qin Sang quickly extracted the information he wanted, and his tense expression instantly relaxed.

It turned out that the organization of Jiangshan Pavilion was even more tightly knit than he had imagined. Every prefecture had its own branch. Although the Gatekeeper was a core figure of Jiangshan Pavilion, to prevent anyone from following the trail to dismantle the branches, the Gatekeeper did not know the locations of the branches and had no authority to contact them independently.

Even in an emergency, one had to release a signal and wait for the branch to make contact.

This Gatekeeper had not been undercover in Three Witch City for long. Since the mission was issued today, it was the first time the branch had contacted him. Therefore, although he kept records of his affairs, he had not reported them upward.

The men in black had gone to Qingyang Temple to investigate tonight and had informed the Gatekeeper, but the Gatekeeper had not made a public spectacle of it before the results were in.

Hearing this, Qin Sang felt relieved. As long as he burned the Gatekeeper's journals, all clues would end here.

However, to completely clear Qingyang Temple of suspicion, more measures were needed. Qin Sang immediately began questioning the Gatekeeper about the identities and hiding places of all the assassins undercover in Three Witch City. Due to the mission, the Gatekeeper had released a call for assassins, and they were all currently hiding in a residence outside the city.

By the time he had finished questioning everything, the Gatekeeper's soul was nearing its time to dissipate.

Qin Sang now had a better understanding of Jiangshan Pavilion's current mission. Not only were the six assassins under this Gatekeeper's charge being activated, but other Gatekeepers were also lurking in Zhenshui Prefecture, converging on Three Witch City. This operation was set to gather nearly thirty assassins.

Who was their target that warranted 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 the niece of the current Emperor!

To think a mere martial arts assassin organization would dare to oppose official power and attempt to assassinate a princess—it was beyond Qin Sang's imagination. Was the Master of Jiangshan Pavilion so audacious that he did not fear total annihilation?

Upon further questioning, he learned this was not the first time Jiangshan Pavilion had killed an official. Ten years ago, a Governor Ma had been assassinated in broad daylight, shocking the Great Sui; it had been the work of Jiangshan Pavilion.

When the incident occurred, the late Emperor was furious, yet Jiangshan Pavilion continued to thrive.

Furthermore, the name "Princess Dongyang" caused Qin Sang's expression to shift unsteadily. He couldn't help but think of the eldest young lady on the ship who had never revealed her face. Could she be Princess Dongyang?

He hurriedly asked for the details.

According to Jiangshan Pavilion's intelligence, Princess Dongyang had made a grand show of going to Chunyang Villa to escape the summer heat several days ago, but she had secretly slipped away and gone missing.

Jiangshan Pavilion had been tracking her, and only recently had they found some clues: Princess Dongyang and some of her personal attendants had disguised themselves as traveling merchants and secretly entered Zhenshui Prefecture. If all went according to plan, they would arrive at Three Witch City by noon today.

The Three Witch City branch planned to set an ambush at Luoma Mountain, outside the east of the city.

Qin Sang was familiar with the people of the Wuwei Escort Agency and had studied their maps; he had a detailed understanding of the terrain around Three Witch City. He knew that Luoma Mountain was sparsely populated and rugged, with paths carved along the cliffside. Below the ten-thousand-foot precipice flowed a surging river, making the terrain extremely treacherous and perfect for an ambush.

Qin Sang wanted to ask for more details, but the Gatekeeper's soul had reached its limit and dissolved into a cloud of soul-mist.

Qin Sang needed to think carefully; two paths lay before him.

The first path was to pretend he knew nothing, handle his own affairs, and fly far away.

The second path was to take a gamble and save the Princess.

Setting aside the fact that his savior, Bai Jianglan, might also be there, he had to make this trip to repay his debt of gratitude.

The Yama Banner and Yama's eerie abilities made Qin Sang almost certain that the *Netherworld Scripture* was definitely not an ordinary martial arts manual; it was almost certainly a cultivation technique for immortality.

To ordinary people, he could now be considered an Immortal Master.

Or perhaps "demon" or "devil" would be more appropriate.

He knew nothing about cultivation. Both the *Netherworld Scripture* and the Yama Banner were obtained from a black-clad demon; they were used to control ghosts to kill, which was profoundly evil. If he recklessly sought immortality and encountered someone like that youth who wielded a sword and hated evil—someone intent on slaying demons—he would be left in tears of despair.

Besides, the world was vast, and searching for a chance at immortality was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Using the powerful to get in touch with other Immortal Masters and slowly probing the world of cultivation might be a more prudent approach.

While his mind wandered, Qin Sang's movements did not stop. The eastern sky was turning white; dawn was approaching, and he did not have much time.

Entering the house, he dug under the floor tiles beneath the Gatekeeper's bed and found a stack of books. They were the Gatekeeper's journals, but they were all fakes.

For every entry, this man would write one truth and one lie. The fakes were left here, while the real journals were with a head clerk named Li in Hongchen Alley.

This Head Clerk Li was also an assassin for Jiangshan Pavilion, possessing a somewhat eccentric personality; she liked to hide in the pleasure quarters and entertain people with her beauty. The Gatekeeper trusted her deeply, and the two were lovers.

To play the part perfectly, even though the journals were fake, Qin Sang took them all.

To avoid alerting the enemy, he did not touch the Gatekeeper's house and went straight to Hongchen Alley.

At this hour, many people were still moving about in Hongchen Alley. After some effort to disguise himself, Qin Sang managed to slip into Head Clerk Li's room.

Li was currently playing with a client in her room. Qin Sang could only say he was sorry; he found the real journals, took them out, and burned them all. He then left the city to find the other three assassins, leaving none alive, and finally set fire to the house to thoroughly muddy the waters.

By the time he finished his frantic work, the sky was already bright. Qin Sang mounted his horse and rode straight toward the east. He decided to seize this opportunity; ideally, he could go undercover near Princess Dongyang and slowly learn about the world of cultivators!

Fearing that Jiangshan Pavilion might have eyes and cause attention, Qin Sang did not dare take the main road to Luoma Mountain, instead weaving through small paths.

It was not until the end of the Chen hour (7–9 AM) that he bypassed Luoma Mountain. Qin Sang reined in his horse for a moment and looked back toward Three Witch City. He wondered if Jiangshan Pavilion would still proceed with their move after the chaos he had caused.

(End of Chapter)