Kill

Qin Sang's face lit up with joy. "Isn't that perfect? Brother Liu might not know, but I just received a pigeon from General Wang Liu outside the city. Because the mountain roads are difficult, he needs two more days to arrive. So, we'll do as you say. Send someone to notify General Mu, and we'll proceed with the plan the day after tomorrow, opening the city gates at dawn the following day."

Seeing Liu Ji and his subordinates looking uncertain because of his words, Qin Sang inwardly sneered.

The Blood-Clad Tower was not monolithic. Its master, True Man Black Crane, had four subordinate protectors: Elder Yue, Grass Head Immortal, the Scholar in White, and Hong Xiuniang. None of them commanded the others, and they all had their own grievances.

He and Elder Yue only took orders from Princess Dongyang.

Hong Xiuniang was a confidante of the Heir Apparent. Qin Sang had met Hong Xiuniang once and suspected that this utterly shameless woman was likely the Heir Apparent's mistress.

Grass Head Immortal was a direct subordinate of the Third Young Master of the Prince's mansion. He was also the weakest faction within the Blood-Clad Tower, and in Qin Sang's opinion, it was more of a placating position.

The Scholar in White was a trusted confidant of True Man Black Crane, and this Liu Ji was one of the Scholar in White's men.

A single sentence had revealed Liu Ji's treachery. Wang Liu and Liu Ji were in cahoots, which meant True Man Black Crane had likely sided with the Heir Apparent. This was bad news for the Princess Dongyang faction.

In the Prince Dongyang's mansion, there were four princes with the right to succession. The Heir Apparent was a given. Among the other three, the Third Young Master was the strongest, but he couldn't threaten the Heir Apparent's position.

However, there was an anomaly in Prince Dongyang's mansion: Princess Dongyang.

Princess Dongyang's given name was Princess Anning. She was the eldest legitimate daughter of Prince Dongyang. After the former Consort Feng passed away from illness, the Prince, saddened, doted on Princess Dongyang even more.

As Princess Dongyang grew older, she displayed intelligence far beyond that of ordinary people. She gained even more favor with the Prince, who indulged her in everything, even bestowing upon her the title of Princess Dongyang.

The Princess had the support of the former Consort Feng's family. Her strength was not at all inferior to the Heir Apparent's. However, she was, after all, a woman. The Heir Apparent held the moral high ground, so True Man Black Crane's defection to the Heir Apparent's side was understandable.

With the overall situation still undecided, various parties had already begun to harbor their own little schemes.

Liu Ji, suspecting nothing, seized the opportunity. "Hall Master Qin is wise. Jiang Prefecture is mountainous and densely forested, so a delay of a day or two is normal... Please have General Mu march slowly. This way, the timing will be perfect. Heaven truly favors us!"

"There's no rush for this matter," Qin Sang waved his hand. "General Mu is already close. Sending someone out of the city tomorrow to deliver the message will be timely. Tonight, let's review the plan. Tomorrow, you can take me to familiarize myself with the county town, so we don't panic when the time comes."

Hening County had strict curfews, and they were strangers, so it was not convenient to go out at night.

"Yes!"

The next day, until dusk, Qin Sang and Liu Ji and the others finally returned to the inn. They had swaggered around Hening County several times, primarily observing the city defenses and the residences of the county magistrate, Zhu Dazhuang, and others. Qin Sang also meticulously inquired about their daily routines.

"You two stay outside and keep watch."

After Qin Sang instructed Water Monkey, he pointed at Liu Ji. "Mr. Liu, please bring one person over to get my token and deliver a message to General Mu outside the city."

Liu Ji hurried away and then hurried back, leading someone in. He knocked on Qin Sang's door.

"Come in, close the door."

The two gently pushed open the door and turned to close it. Suddenly, their vision went black, and they lost consciousness.

Qin Sang's figure flickered behind Liu Ji, and he caught the two bodies. He quietly moved them into the inner room, waiting for Yanwang to extract their souls and begin the interrogation.

Liu Ji was indeed colluding with Wang Liu, and the orders came from the Scholar in White. Qin Sang sneered, but he felt no fear.

He didn't seek to be an official for his entire life. He didn't care who became emperor. But the Princess had promised him the qualification to be enfeoffed at Pilgrimage Mountain, so his eyes were only on the Princess.

Over the past year, he had killed no small number of his colleagues in the Blood-Clad Tower who stood in his way.

Today, let alone Liu Ji, even if the Scholar in White himself came, he would kill him if necessary.

Continuing the interrogation, Liu Ji was quite honest. The entire plan did not deviate significantly from what he had said earlier, but Liu Ji had not told the truth about the whereabouts of his subordinates.

Qin Sang noted down the locations of these people one by one. When it was late at night, he changed into a set of night-traveling clothes and went out.

Qin Sang killed Liu Ji's close attendant with a palm strike, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to Water Monkey, his voice chilling. "Liu Ji has betrayed us, secretly defected to the false emperor, and attempted to sell us out. He has been killed by my palm. His subordinates are not to be trusted. These are their hiding places. Leave none alive. Dispose of the bodies cleanly, and after you're done, meet me at the city gate."

Zheng Kun and Water Monkey accepted the order without a word and immediately left.

Qin Sang activated the Shadowless Steps and silently approached the county yamen alone.

The county magistrate, Li Ji, lived within the county yamen. The Reckless Monk's Zhu residence was not far from the county yamen. Qin Sang's primary target was the Reckless Monk.

The security around the county yamen was clearly much tighter than elsewhere. However, these militiamen and yamen runners could only defend against ordinary people and could not detect Qin Sang's movements.

The large mansion was only inhabited by the Reckless Monk and a few servants. Qin Sang easily found the Reckless Monk's residence. The Reckless Monk's martial arts were not weak, and Qin Sang did not want to take risks, so he stopped outside the room.

Just as he was about to send Yanwang in, he heard a sudden long roar from inside the room.

"What impudent wretch is this!"

This roar was like a thunderclap on a clear day. Qin Sang's head buzzed, and he felt a wave of dizziness. He quickly bit his tongue. The sharp pain brought him back to his senses, and a great sense of danger surged within him. He immediately retreated.

The next moment, Qin Sang felt an incredibly violent aura appear out of nowhere within the room and surge towards him.

Boom!

A fiery red fist shadow ferociously blasted a large hole in the wall. Wrapped in a scorching, violent aura, it charged menacingly towards Qin Sang's hiding place. The bluestone-paved ground was directly blasted into a deep pit by the fist shadow.

Crushed stones flew everywhere, and dead leaves swirled.

True Qi projection!

Qin Sang's expression changed slightly. Had the Reckless Monk already broken through to the Xiantian realm?

No, there were two people in the room!

An old monk emerged from the broken wall. Behind him followed a tall, sturdy, fat monk. This was the Reckless Monk, Zhu Dazhuang.

Qin Sang did not recognize the old monk. He looked like an ordinary elderly man in his eighties, with a wrinkled face and a withered appearance. However, when Qin Sang faced him, he felt an imminent sense of crisis, his hair standing on end.

Within this withered, emaciated body, astonishing energy was contained.

Qin Sang had never met anyone who could give him this feeling; Elder Yue and Bai Jianglan were both inferior to this old monk.

The Reckless Monk glared at Qin Sang with tiger-like eyes and said coldly, "Master, this person might be a minion of the rebels!"

The Reckless Monk's master was Venerable Yuanjue, the head of the Arhat Hall at Xuanji Temple!

A flash of lightning struck Qin Sang's mind as he realized he had kicked an iron plate. Venerable Yuanjue was the foremost expert in Xuanji Temple openly, and some speculated he had already reached the Xiantian realm; now it seemed that was indeed the case.