Heaven Hadn't Forsaken Me

A light drizzle fell over the South Dragon River. Usually lively late into the night, it was far quieter than usual today; many flower boats and skiffs were moored along the banks.

A lonely, deserted stretch of shallows.

"Splash!" "Splash!" "Splash!" Three splashes sounded as Wu Yuan watched the bodies of three men, bound to boulders, slowly sink to the riverbed.

Not a single ripple remained.

After everything he'd been through since waking up, Wu Yuan had grown calm about killing.

Besides, these were assassins who had come to kill him.

"This spot is a full two li from the shallows where I usually practice martial arts. It's at the farthest downstream point within the city, and five li from the Wu Clan's streets." Wu Yuan thought to himself. "The water's swift. Even if the bodies eventually surface, it'll be many days from now, and they'll be farther downstream. The odds of anyone tracing them back to me? Virtually zero!"

Evidence? Wu Yuan had stripped the three bodies bare!

Tracks? On his way here, he'd crossed the grass without leaving a trace. There wasn't a mark to be found.

This Central Land World had no surveillance cameras, nor any of the other technological tools that could help.

"The Nine Dragon Mountain should be a dark organization. Three Third-class Experts, one of them nearly at the Second-class Expert level." Wu Yuan's gaze fell on the black clothes on the ground, as well as the poison-smeared dagger and the sleeve-arrow mechanism.

There was nothing else.

Recalling their fighting moves and the routes they'd taken, Wu Yuan was certain: these were assassins who had undergone rigorous training!

It wasn't that the three assassins were weak. Wu Yuan was simply too powerful—and he'd happened to be meditating on the roof, where he'd spotted them in advance.

Otherwise...

Even an ordinary Second-class Expert would most likely have been killed by the three of them in a surprise attack!

"Hiring ordinary Third-class Experts as guards costs a thousand taels of silver," Wu Yuan mused. "But assassins like these? Three of them?"

Ten thousand taels probably wouldn't have been enough!

"Xu Shouyi, was it you?" Wu Yuan's eyes turned icy. He could think of only one person.

In theory, some of Hengyun Sect's enemies might also have come after him.

But the news that the sect had specially recruited him had only been tentatively settled two days ago. It still hadn't been fully confirmed, and even within the Wu Clan, it hadn't been made public.

Which faction could have reacted so quickly? Received the news at once, then immediately decided to strike?

The odds were far too low!

After all, Li City was only a commandery city, not a prefectural city! Word took time to travel.

"I had my reservations before, but you've pushed me again and again. Don't blame me." Wu Yuan's gaze remained cold.

Many plans had already begun to take shape in his mind.

"The failed assassination tonight should keep them quiet for a while." Wu Yuan looked at the things on the ground. "First, I need to put all this away."

He gathered up the clothes, daggers, and everything else.

Then he carefully cleaned the stretch of shore, making sure not to leave anything behind. Carrying the bundle, Wu Yuan slipped away without a sound.

He didn't bury the clothes and daggers on the riverbank.

Once the bodies surfaced, any constable or investigating officer with a little experience would search along the river.

A fine drizzle shrouded Li City.

But more than a thousand li away, the moon hung high above Nanmeng City, its light blanketing the land.

As the heart of Nanmeng Prefecture, Nanmeng City had a population of a million. It was one of the central strongholds within Hengyun Sect's territory and, by any measure, a major city.

It stretched for dozens of li from north to south, a scene of bustling prosperity.

East of Nanmeng City stood a high mountain, crowded with pavilions and halls, as well as numerous training grounds. From its slopes, one could easily look down over all of Nanmeng Prefecture.

Even in the dead of night, one hall remained brightly lit.

"Gao Yu."

"Is what you've said true?" A white-haired, black-robed elder sat in a grand armchair and spoke softly. Though his hair was white, his face was youthful, and he looked full of vigor.

At first glance, he seemed no older than sixty.

But Gao Yu, standing in the middle of the hall, knew perfectly well that the elder was over a hundred. His martial arts had simply extended his lifespan.

"Hall Master, every word I've said is true." Gao Yu spoke solemnly. "Wu Yuan's talent is unprecedented. Even Xu Hui can't compare to him."

"Xu Hui?" The white-haired elder murmured.

He was the most talented person Hengyun Sect had recruited in more than a decade.

"Gao Yu."

"Under normal circumstances, I ought to go there myself. But I'm inspecting three prefectures this time. If I make a special trip to Li City, it will draw the attention of anyone watching." The white-haired elder said, "That would make an accident more likely."

"Besides, the four-family meeting is imminent. I have to return to the sect at once."

"You will take my order to Li City and recruit Wu Yuan into Hengyun Sect." The white-haired elder continued, "As for what you promised Wu Yuan, I'll make the arrangements once I'm back at the sect."

"Yes." Gao Yu felt his worries ease.

His greatest concern had been that the Hall Master wouldn't believe him and would reject some of his proposals.

"Since he's being specially recruited, what welcome gift have you prepared?" the white-haired elder asked suddenly.

"Twenty top-grade Body Tempering Pills, ten thousand taels of silver, and the Cloud Martial Extreme Strength Nineteen Forms," Gao Yu replied.

"That's not enough." The white-haired elder shook his head.

"Not enough?" Gao Yu was taken aback.

He'd thought it was more than generous. After all, this was only a welcome gift. Once Wu Yuan joined the sect, he'd receive plenty of cultivation resources.

"Please enlighten me, Hall Master." Gao Yu could tell the Hall Master had already made up his mind.

"There's no need to offer gold or silver." The white-haired elder said, "Gu Ji, bring it over."

Creak—the side door opened.

A plain-looking, middle-aged man in hemp clothing entered. Head bowed and eyes lowered, he held out a white jade vial in both hands.

"What's this?" Gao Yu asked curiously.

"Open it and take a sniff. You'll know," the white-haired elder said with a smile.

Gao Yu accepted the vial from the middle-aged man and carefully removed the stopper. The moment he brought it to his nose, his spirits lifted!

"This!"

Gao Yu's heart lurched. He understood what it was. Quickly replacing the stopper, he looked up at the white-haired elder in shock. "Hall Master, this is something the two Ancestors went to great lengths to obtain for you!"

"I'm too old. I have no hope of breaking through. I used most of it, and this little bit is all that remains." The white-haired elder smiled. "Didn't you say Wu Yuan may have awakened his Upper Dantian Palace?"

"This might be just what he needs!"

"Hall Master..." Gao Yu couldn't help but protest.

"Are you going to disobey me?" The white-haired elder frowned. "Remember, don't lose this. It's all I have left, and the Grand Elders may not have any more."

"I understand." Gao Yu answered solemnly.

He carefully placed the jade vial in a small box and put it away.

"Gao Yu, once Wu Yuan's identity becomes public, he'll attract covetous eyes from every side. Someone must escort and protect him." The white-haired elder said, "You're not suited to that."

"Gu Ji!"

The white-haired elder said, "Go with Protector Gao this time. Once you've safely escorted Wu Yuan to the sect, come back and see me."

"Yes." The middle-aged man in hemp clothing nodded, still keeping his head down.

He stepped over to Gao Yu's side.

"I accept the order." Gao Yu cupped his hands as well.

He understood that Gu Ji, whom he'd never met before, was going to Li City to protect Wu Yuan.

At the same time, he was also there to keep an eye on him.

"Hall Master, time is short. I won't delay any longer. I'll head back to Li City tonight." Gao Yu said.

"Go." The white-haired elder waved him away.

Wu Yuan, far away in Li City, knew nothing about what was happening in Nanmeng City. After cleaning everything up, he went home and rested as usual.

It was as if nothing had happened!

The next day, the rain cleared. Wu Yuan went to the ancestral home as usual, then wandered around the Wu Clan's streets.

..."Wu Yuan's still alive?"

"And he's completely unharmed!" Xu Shouyi, who had waited all night in the study at Xu Manor, could hardly believe his subordinate's report.

It didn't make sense!

But he kept his expression neutral and waved a hand. "Go. Have Commander Liu tell the Prefectural Commandant to assign more City Guard Army patrols to the area around Wu Yuan's home. Make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Yes." The guard had no idea what lay beneath those words.

He thought his general truly cared about Wu Yuan.

"How could this happen?"

Alone, Xu Shouyi paced back and forth through his study, frowning. "Fifty thousand taels of silver! Nine Dragon Mountain promised to send enough men to carry out the assassination within a day. Wu Yuan is only at the Martial Master level, and there aren't any other experts in the Wu Clan."

He couldn't make sense of it!

Nine Dragon Mountain might not measure up to Seven Stars Tower or Nine Kill Mansion, but it was still a first-rate dark organization. Its reputation was reliable enough!

It wasn't until nightfall...

Disguised, Xu Shouyi entered Nine Dragon Mountain's local branch. Only then did he receive the letter explaining the mission and a small package.

He opened them at once!

"The operation failed. The three bronze-token assassins disappeared after entering the Wu Clan's streets? There's a ninety-percent chance they're dead! They suspect a First-class Expert is protecting Wu Yuan, so they abandoned the mission?" Xu Shouyi stared at the letter, dumbfounded.

This was beyond anything he'd expected.

A First-class Expert?

He'd already confirmed Gao Yu had left the Martial Academy. First-class Experts weren't cabbages growing in the fields; how many could there be in the entire Nanmeng Commandery?

That was why Nine Dragon Mountain had abandoned the mission.

With a First-class Expert there, the assassination would be far too difficult. Fifty thousand taels of silver?

Even a hundred thousand wouldn't be enough!

"Useless!"

"Nine Dragon Mountain is nothing but a pack of useless fools!" Xu Shouyi's gaze flickered as he looked at the stack of banknotes inside the open package.

There were only twenty thousand taels.

The three bronze-token assassins were missing.

So even though the operation had failed and Nine Dragon Mountain had abandoned the mission, they'd still kept thirty thousand taels as expenses and returned only twenty thousand.

After mulling it over for a long while...

"The odds that Nine Dragon Mountain is lying to me are low." Xu Shouyi gave a slight shake of his head. "Is a First-class Expert really protecting Wu Yuan?"

"The sect is being far too cautious."

As far as he knew, unless a special recruitment had truly been confirmed, the sect wouldn't send an expert to protect someone.

At the very least, it shouldn't send a First-class Expert.

"How much would another assassination cost?" Xu Shouyi asked directly.

"We won't take it. We're only a branch in one commandery; we can't kill a First-class Expert." The black-robed man from Nine Dragon Mountain shook his head. "Besides, Hengyun Sect thinks highly of Wu Yuan. The risk is too great. If you really want us to petition headquarters to send an expert to kill him, it'll cost at least five hundred thousand taels!"

"Five hundred thousand?" Xu Shouyi's eyes widened.

What a rip-off!

Even worse than Nine Kill Mansion!

But Xu Shouyi knew that was because Nine Kill Mansion didn't know a First-class Expert was protecting Wu Yuan.

Otherwise, its price would have been even higher.

"This is trouble." Xu Shouyi rose and left Nine Dragon Mountain's branch.

The more the sect valued Wu Yuan, the more terrifying his revenge would be one day.

Keeping to the shadows, Xu Shouyi returned to his manor.

He'd barely changed his clothes when Steward Xu hurried in. "General, urgent news! Urgent news!"

"Urgent news? What is it?" Xu Shouyi suppressed his irritation.

"General."

Steward Xu said, "These past few days, I've been having people investigate the Fierce Tiger Gang affair. We've almost figured out why that mysterious spear-wielder attacked the Fierce Tiger Gang!"

"Why?" Xu Shouyi's curiosity was piqued.

"He was after a token." Steward Xu handed him two sheets of paper and continued, "Yang Long killed nearly everyone at the manor who knew about it. Only two people survived by hiding in a cesspit. We caught them and forced the story out of them. These drawings show the token's shape."

Xu Shouyi took the sheets.

He glanced over them.

"The Chu Jiang Token?" Xu Shouyi's eyes lit up, and even his breathing quickened.

"Heaven hadn't forsaken me!"