Luoyang, Green Bamboo Lane.
This was the residence of Ren Yingying, the Holy Maiden of the Sun Moon Holy Cult.
At that moment, a middle-aged man hurried over and burst into the bamboo grove.
"Uncle Xiang, what brings you here?" Ren Yingying asked, her face full of delighted surprise.
From the way Ren Yingying addressed him, it was clear that this middle-aged man was Xiang Wentian, the Sun Moon Holy Cult's former Left Emissary of Light, known as the Heavenly King.
Xiang Wentian looked at Ren Yingying with excitement written all over his face.
"Yingying, I've found out where the Cult Master is being held. Dongfang Bubai, that bastard, has imprisoned him in West Lake Plum Manor."
"Now, we only need to find a few skilled experts to accompany us to Plum Manor, and we'll surely be able to rescue the Cult Master."
"As long as we can rescue the Cult Master, we can regroup and reclaim the Holy Cult..."
Upon hearing this, joy immediately appeared on Ren Yingying's face, only to be replaced by worry moments later.
"Dongfang Bubai must have set up layer upon layer of defenses at Plum Manor. If we don't bring enough people, I'm afraid it will be difficult to rescue Father successfully..."
"But all the forces under my command are being watched by Dongfang Bubai. Any movement will surely alert her..."
Xiang Wentian said, "You needn't worry about that. I've already selected a suitable helper."
"Two days ago, a Nameless Swordsman appeared at Liu Zhengfeng's Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony on Mount Heng."
"This man's martial arts were formidable. Alone and armed with only his blade, he killed Ding Mian, Lu Bai, and Fei Bin, the Three Great Protectors of the Mount Song Sect."
"With his help, we'll surely be able to wipe out Plum Manor's guards and rescue the Cult Master."
Yet Ren Yingying's brows remained tightly furrowed.
"But we have no connection to this man. Why would he be willing to help us?"
Xiang Wentian chuckled lightly. "You needn't worry about that either. I heard that the swordsman only helped Liu Zhengfeng kill those three Mount Song men after receiving two hundred thousand taels of silver."
"If Liu Zhengfeng could hire him with silver, then so can we."
Hearing this, Ren Yingying fell into deep thought.
Though she still had many doubts about the matter.
For instance, why would someone skilled enough to kill the Mount Song Protectors be bought off with silver?
But compared to the urgency of rescuing her father, those questions could be ignored for now.
Having made up her mind, Ren Yingying said no more and immediately rose to her feet.
"Uncle Xiang, there's no time to lose. Let's leave for Hengyang at once and find that swordsman."
Meanwhile, atop Mount Song.
Deputy Sect Leader Tang Ying'e received another secret letter sent back by Lao Denuo.
"Another letter from Lao Denuo." Tang Ying'e's face bore an impatient expression as he opened it.
That absurd letter from last time had already left him deeply dissatisfied with Lao Denuo. Now that another had arrived, he instinctively felt a surge of displeasure.
However, the moment he opened the letter and saw its contents, his expression changed dramatically.
"Th-This is impossible. Senior Brother Ding and the others were killed..." Tang Ying'e's face was filled with horror.
Suppressing the terror in his heart, he continued reading.
When he saw that the black-clothed swordsman had killed Ding Mian and the other two, intense fear and shock instantly engulfed him.
"It's the black-clothed swordsman Lao Denuo mentioned last time..."
"Fake. This must be fake..."
Tang Ying'e was utterly alarmed and unwilling to believe that the contents of the letter were true.
Because if this matter was true, then he was in serious trouble.
Before Liu Zhengfeng's Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony, Lao Denuo had already sent back a secret letter.
It mentioned that a black-clothed swordsman had accepted ten thousand taels of silver from Lin Zhennan and killed Yu Canghai.
Lao Denuo had warned in the letter that they should pay closer attention to that black-clothed swordsman.
But the whole matter sounded far too absurd to be real.
Therefore, Tang Ying'e had not believed it at the time and had not even reported it to Zuo Lengchan.
Now, that black-clothed swordsman had been hired by Liu Zhengfeng and had struck again, killing Ding Mian and the other two.
This filled Tang Ying'e with extreme fear.
He could imagine that once Zuo Lengchan learned the full details of the matter, he would surely punish him severely. In a fit of rage, he might even kill him.
Over his years as Mount Song's deputy sect leader, Tang Ying'e had long understood one principle.
As an employee, frequent reporting was one of the essential skills he needed to master.
Whenever something happened, he had to report it to his superior immediately.
As for whether his superior believed it, took it seriously, or could solve it, that was no longer his concern.
In truth, Tang Ying'e understood that even if he had handed that secret letter to Zuo Lengchan back then,
Zuo Lengchan might not necessarily have believed it, and the outcome might not necessarily have changed.
But he had failed to report it.
Now that such a disaster had occurred, all the responsibility would fall upon his shoulders.
By then, Tang Ying'e was already drenched in sweat.
He forced a laugh and muttered, "There's still a chance, there's still a chance. Perhaps this matter is fake too..."
But just as he reached the middle of his sentence, a Mount Song disciple rushed in frantically.
"Deputy Sect Leader, terrible news! Terrible news..."
Hearing the words "terrible news," Tang Ying'e's heart skipped a beat.
He grabbed the Mount Song disciple by the collar and demanded, "What terrible news? Speak quickly..."
"Martial Uncle Ding and the others were killed. It was a black-clothed swordsman..."
"Boom!"
In an instant, Tang Ying'e felt as though a bolt of thunder had exploded inside his mind.
"It's true. It's all true... I'm finished. Senior Brother Sect Leader will never spare me..."
He let go of the Mount Song disciple in a daze. His body swayed, and he staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground.
Seeing this, the Mount Song disciple who had delivered the news was also shaken and muttered to himself.
"I'd long heard that the martial uncles shared a deep bond. Now that I've seen it for myself, it truly is so."
"Look at the deputy sect leader's grief-stricken expression. He must be heartbroken over Martial Uncle Ding and the others..."
At this point, Tang Ying'e finally came to his senses.
"The matter has already happened. No matter how much I think about it now, it's useless. I'd better report it to Senior Brother Sect Leader quickly."
With that thought, Tang Ying'e could no longer spare attention for anything else and hurried off to find Zuo Lengchan.
"Senior Brother, terrible news! Terrible news..." Tang Ying'e raced along while shouting at the top of his lungs.
Inside the room, Zuo Lengchan was cultivating his Internal Energy.
Hearing Tang Ying'e's loud cries, he could not help but frown.
He rose and pushed open the door, then began reprimanding Tang Ying'e.
"Junior brother, you are the deputy sect leader of Mount Song. Even if Mount Tai collapsed before you, you should remain composed. How can you be so flustered and lose all sense of propriety..."
But Tang Ying'e had no mind to listen to Zuo Lengchan's lecture.
"Senior Brother, something terrible has happened. Senior Brother Ding and the others were killed..."
The moment those words left his mouth, Zuo Lengchan, who had been about to continue lecturing him, froze in place.
The next second, his expression changed drastically, and he rushed before Tang Ying'e in a single step.
They stood less than two inches apart. Zuo Lengchan's face was icy as he asked in a low voice, "What did you say? Junior Brother Ding and the others are all dead?"