Parting

The man in black snorted coldly and snapped in anger, "Still acting tough? We'll see if you confess in a moment!" Before the words had completely faded, he abruptly vanished on the spot. Qin Sang was shocked. In that split second, the man in black had truly disappeared from his field of view. Qin Sang had never encountered an enemy like this. When sparring with Yang Zhen's disciples at the Wuwei Escort Agency, he had always been able to rely on his keen eyesight to anticipate his opponents' moves and counter with ease, but this time his eyes were of little help. For this man in black to vanish right before his eyes, he had to be an expert in the martial world, if not a mysterious immortal cultivator. *No!* Qin Sang's gaze suddenly focused. He still caught a trace of anomaly—the air before him was slightly distorted, a disturbance only his sharp eyes could detect. Though his mind churned in turmoil, only an instant had passed. In the blink of an eye, the distortion in the air rippled directly before Qin Sang. If Qin Sang struck back now, he would still have time to throw a punch, but the man's movement technique was far too eerie. Qin Sang dared not take any chances and activated the Yanluo Banner without hesitation. "Kill him!" With a low roar from Qin Sang, Yanwang leaped out from the Yanluo Banner and charged at the man in black with a savage grin. *Bang!* The man in black struck his head against the edge of the bed and slumped there motionless. A moment later, Yanwang floated out with the man's soul clamped in its mouth, looking at Qin Sang with a fawning expression. The man's soul, just like Old Wu's, stood blank-eyed and completely still. However, when Qin Sang stripped off the man's mask and found that his soul looked identical to his physical body, Qin Sang finally realized that Old Wu had most likely been wearing a disguise. Having encountered such a mortal crisis for the first time, Qin Sang was still shaken. Panting for a few breaths to steady his nerves, he immediately began questioning. If nothing unexpected happened, the man's soul would soon dissolve into soul mist as well. "What was Old Wu's purpose in hiding in the Daoist temple?" Qin Sang asked rapidly. The man in black replied expressionlessly, "To watch the ferry crossing and await orders." So it had nothing to do with the temple or himself. Qin Sang felt considerably relieved and asked, "How did you know Old Wu was dead?" "The Gatekeeper handed down a mission today. I sent Old Wu a message by carrier pigeon, but received no response." *So those pigeons belonged to Old Wu!* Qin Sang cursed inwardly and pressed on, "Who is the Gatekeeper? What mission? What kind of people are in Jiangshan Tower?" After a barrage of questioning, deep astonishment surfaced in Qin Sang's eyes. The so-called Jiangshan Tower was actually a top assassin organization in the martial world, enjoying a formidable reputation across Jianghu and boasting of never having failed a hit. The Gatekeeper was the messenger who linked the assassins to Jiangshan Tower. Jiangshan Tower also assigned missions to assassins through the Gatekeeper, while the assassins rarely had contact with one another. This man in black was also an assassin and had been Old Wu's partner for years, lying low in Sanwu City together. As for who the target of this mission was, they would only find out upon meeting the Gatekeeper tomorrow morning. Old Wu's martial arts were not top-tier, but his skill in the art of disguise was exceedingly high. He had disguised himself as a refugee fleeing disaster and hid at the ferry crossing as a towline hauler; one purpose was to monitor the crossing, and the other was to await assignments from Jiangshan Tower. Sometimes it was common for assassins to go without an assignment for a year or two, during which they would pose as ordinary folk. Thus, Old Wu had stayed in the Daoist temple for half a year, never expecting that a dignified grand assassin would die so bewilderingly at Qin Sang's hands. Jianghu had abruptly unveiled a tip of its iceberg to Qin Sang. "Besides you and Old Wu, how many assassins are there in Sanwu City?" Qin Sang narrowed his eyes and asked. "I do not know." Jiangshan Tower was tightly organized, preventing much interaction between assassins. The two of them only maintained a single line of contact with their Gatekeeper and knew nothing about other assassins' missions or whereabouts. *All the better!* Qin Sang nodded. He did not care who Jiangshan Tower's target was; he cared more about whether Qingyang Temple would be implicated. "If you don't return, will Jiangshan Tower send someone else to look for you?" "Yes! If an assassin disappears without cause, the Gatekeeper will report to Jiangshan Tower, and they will certainly send people to investigate until the truth is uncovered." Qin Sang frowned deeply. "Who else knows you came to the temple tonight?" "The Gatekeeper." "Who else knows that Old Wu was hiding at the ferry crossing and living in the temple?" "The Gatekeeper." "Will he report it?" "I do not know." "Where does he live?" "The southern part of Sanwu City, Fuliu Lane, Earth Number Thirteen..." "Do you have a secret code between you?" ... The man's soul dissolved into a wisp of soul mist and was swallowed by Yanwang. Qin Sang leaned against the wall, holding his head and sitting in a daze for a long time. Suddenly remembering something, he stepped softly toward the quarters of the old Daoist and Mingyue. Looking through the window, he saw them sleeping soundly. Standing there quietly for a while, Qin Sang murmured silently, *Daoist Priest, Mingyue, a man must answer for what he does alone. I will never let this drag you down.* He then returned to his room, packed the Yanluo Banner and his other belongings, and changed into a fresh set of clothes. Leaving everything else untouched, he took only a vial of golden wound salve compounded by the old Daoist. Finally, he laid the man's corpse onto the bed and patted it down. Tied to the man's arm was a sleeve arrow, and his belt concealed a soft sword, but there was nothing else. The man in black had never expected to be slain in an instant by Qin Sang; his sword had barely left its sheath. Qin Sang untied the sleeve arrow. Its mechanism was simple, and he quickly figured it out, fastening it to his own arm. Then he drew the soft sword, grabbed the ironwood staff resting in the corner, and took a thorough look around the room where he had lived for a year. Taking out several fire-strikers, he tossed them in all directions. Except for the stone framework, the building was constructed entirely of wood, grass, and bamboo, and a large pile of firewood lay in the outer room. Flames quickly surged up. "I wonder if this will be enough to keep Qingyang Temple out of it." Qin Sang sighed softly. Once the fire caught, he walked out of the Daoist temple without looking back. Only when he reached halfway down the mountain did he hear someone shouting to put out the fire. Passing Old Wu's burial plot, Qin Sang walked up to his grave. The flames from Qingyang Temple had already stained half the night sky crimson. He gave a bitter smile. "Old Wu, ah, Old Wu, why did you have to choose Qingyang Temple in the first place?" Ever since he finished refining the Yanluo Banner, Qin Sang had entertained thoughts of leaving the temple, but he had never expected to depart in such a manner. The man's horse was tied in the woods at the foot of the mountain. Qin Sang swung into the saddle and rode straight toward Sanwu City. Galloping at full speed, by the time Qin Sang reached Sanwu City, the sky was still dim and the city gates had not yet opened. However, due to the bustling trade and frequent traffic at the ferry crossing, a side gate at the south entrance of Sanwu City remained open all night to permit the passage of commercial goods. Qin Sang concealed the sword, staff, and horse outside the city, paid a bit of silver, and slipped into the city alongside a merchant, heading straight for Fuliu Lane. The hour was still early, and the entire lane was devoid of pedestrians. This lane was home to wealthy households, lined with high walls and vermilion doors. Qin Sang soon found Earth Number Thirteen. The residence was not particularly large, its outer walls built of grey bricks and standing as tall as four or five men, with the front gates tightly shut.