Scheming

The long, winding mountain peaks were shrouded in mist and clouds, and a chilling silence permeated the group of five atop the mountain.

Taishi Ran's words were beyond anyone's expectations.

Apart from the woman surnamed Luo, everyone—from the middle-aged fat man to the hunched old man, and even the dignified middle-aged beauty—had a hint of astonishment flash in their eyes.

Throughout their relatively long lives, they had experienced assassinations, either actively or passively.

The emphasis in the word "assassination" is not on the act of killing, but on the act of doing so secretly.

They silently erased their target from the world and concealed all information about themselves, turning their death into an unsolved mystery.

The assassination of Xu Yinhe's three sons was no child's play. From the moment they agreed to participate in the matter, all five of them were prepared for the worst.

Therefore, they had considered that they might have to go through a fierce battle, and even thought that they might be buried here, but they never expected that such a large-scale assassination would turn into a farce.

If an assassination attempt is discovered, it means the attempt has failed.

For them, it was over before it even began.

Thinking of this, the middle-aged, chubby man surnamed Zhou next to him almost laughed, but he held it in.

After all, Taishi Ran's face was already so gloomy it could drip water, so laughing out loud at this moment would be somewhat disrespectful.

However, he was indeed unwilling to get involved in such a dangerous matter.

As one of the sources of revenue for the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion, the Black Iron Sect produces Spirit Artifact and blades that control nearly one-tenth of the world's supply. As the Great Elder of the Black Iron Sect, he can embezzle a nearly inexhaustible amount of resources every year.

What's the point of fighting and killing?

Are the female disciples in the sect not beautiful enough, or are the finest wines not sweet enough?

Harmony brings wealth; that's the right way.

Of course, these words were kept hidden deep in Fatty Zhou's heart.

Everything he has now was given to him by the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion; if he disobeys, the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion can take it all back.

soon,

The silence among the five was broken by the stunningly beautiful woman surnamed Luo.

As her fairy-like dress fluttered, the woman surnamed Luo raised her hand and removed the Weeping Iron Mask from her face, revealing a face of unparalleled beauty. Her voice was remarkably calm:

"Taishi Ran, are you implying that Xu Changtian's cultivation has reached the Mortal Shedding?"

Taishi Ran's eyes showed confusion, but he still replied:

"According to the sect's records, only this method can break through the detection of the Spirit Heaven Instrument."

Upon hearing this, the woman surnamed Luo showed little change in expression. She raised her eyes, as clear as autumn water, and glanced at the northern horizon, then simply stated:

"If it truly is Mortal Shedding, then we can prepare to abandon this trip; there's no need to waste any more time here."

"."

The words were spoken, then silence.

To kill a Mortal Shedding expert, unless they can lure them into a trap, the chances of them escaping are slim.

Everyone present knew this perfectly well, but no one spoke up for the woman surnamed Luo.

The Luo Clan has broken free from the control of the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion Heavenly Oversight Pavilion is no longer subordinate to it, so the woman surnamed Luo naturally has no qualms about saying what she wants.

However, Zhou Pangzi and his group only got to this point because of the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion, and the autonomy they held was not enough to support them in opposing Taishi Ran, who held the Heaven Pavilion Token.

They had to wait for Taishi Ran to make a decision.

However, Taishi Ran, who was the one making the decision, did not answer immediately; his brows were furrowed as if he was thinking about something.

The clouds and mist on the mountaintop drifted and then gathered again.

The woman surnamed Luo looked at Taishi Ran with a calm gaze and continued:

"Taishi Ran, with so many troubles raging in the world, Xu Changtian's vital energy has already been stored in the Spirit Heaven Instrument, so the assassination can be carried out without immediate action."

As soon as she finished speaking, the astute people present all realized that this Fairy Luo was preparing to leave.

A glint of darkness flashed in Fatty Zhou's small, narrow eyes.

Of all those present, this woman possessed the highest cultivation level. If they wished to continue assassinating Xu Changtian, her strength would be indispensable.

after all,

The Black Scale Guard's commander-in-chief might be staying around there for about Xu Changtian.

If it weren't for the Luo Clan members holding Lou Ji back, the few of them would probably have been wiped out.

In other words, once the woman surnamed Luo left, they wouldn't need to assassinate her anymore.

Thinking this, Fatty Zhou glanced at Taishi Ran almost imperceptibly. Before Taishi Ran could speak, the elegant middle-aged woman beside him spoke first:

"Fairy Luo, please calm down. I, Fu, have seen Xu Yinhe and his two sons in Di'an City."

"."

Upon hearing this, Fatty Zhou immediately cursed under his breath.

Taishi Ran didn't even say anything, so why are you, old woman, trying to persuade him to stay?

That old bastard Jing Tingxi is already dead, why are you in such a hurry to avenge him for a fleeting affair?

What he was thinking, Zhou Pangzi interrupted with a forced smile, saying:

"Elder Fu is implying that Xu Changtian is not at the Mortal Shedding? But Brother Ran just said that this is recorded in the Imperial Archives of the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion, so it shouldn't be wrong."

The middle-aged woman glanced sideways at the fat man:

"Elder Zhou, please don't interrupt me. After I finish speaking, Brother Taishi and Fairy Luo will make their own decision."

Fatty Zhou still wore that same smiling expression, but his words were sharp and confrontational:

"Elder Fu, that kid Xu Changtian has been causing trouble in Di'an City for years. I think anyone who has been to the Imperial Capital has seen him to some extent."

"Two years ago, Xu Changtian was still just a mortal. Elder Fu, is that what you meant?"

The middle-aged woman narrowed her eyes and remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Fatty Zhou casually strolled a few steps on the mountaintop, then suddenly turned around and smiled:

"The problem is that Xu Changge was only a Grandmaster in the eyes of the world before, but his actual cultivation level is probably about to break through to the Mortal Shedding."

"Given your elder brother's character, Elder Fu, how can you be certain that what Xu Changtian revealed in Di'an City was genuine?"

Regardless of whether Xu Changtian was hiding his true abilities, he had to completely crush the opponent's Mortal Shedding level.

Only in this way can this operation be brought to a halt.

If you can make money, why work so hard?

The middle-aged woman understood the implication in the fat man's words. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she asked directly:

Elder Zhou, are you afraid?

"Afraid?"

Fatty Zhou spread his hands, his fat face jiggling, and said with a smile, "I'm just telling the truth. Our operation has already been exposed, and it would be too risky to continue."

Speaking of this,

Fatty Zhou paused for a moment, then clasped his hands together and bowed to the sky.

"It might even affect the Pavilion Master's grand plan for the world!"

"You!"

The middle-aged woman's beautiful eyes widened. This fat man was a coward himself, yet he dared to use righteousness to pressure her. Just as she was about to lash out, Taishi Ran, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up:

That's enough.

Having calmed the Qi imbalance caused by the backlash, Taishi Ran's gaze slowly swept over the four people.

His voice was very soft:

"Xu Changtian was indeed a mortal two years ago. With less than two years of cultivation time, his cultivation level wouldn't have been very high. The reason he was able to sense the Spirit Xu Changtian Spirit Heaven Instrument's search might be because of his special status as the initiator of the Great Calamity."

The topic was thus put to rest.

Fatty Zhou sighed inwardly, gave a soft "Yes," and then fell silent.

The hunched old man, who had remained silent until now, stroked his cane, his dry voice tinged with amusement:

"Venerable Taishi, are we preparing to continue the assassination attempt?"

Taishi Ran glanced at him, but didn't speak to him. Instead, he looked at the woman surnamed Luo who had already removed the Weeping Iron Mask.

"Fairy Luo, what do you think?"

The woman surnamed Luo glanced at the clearly divided members of the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion and spoke in a cold voice:

"You intend to kill Xu Changtian by force?"

"Once he returns to Di'an City, everything will be over. We don't know when he will go out again. This is probably our last chance."

"."

After a brief moment of eye contact, the woman surnamed Luo shifted her cool gaze to the setting sun on the horizon.

"The risks outweigh the rewards in this matter."

Taishi Ran was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"Fairy Luo, we are still in the shadows. Xu Changtian has only sensed that someone is investigating him, and he probably can't figure out where we came from."

"Furthermore, without the Communication Crystal, they cannot gather more powerful reinforcements in a short period of time. We only need to kill Xu Changtian before the Prime Minister's Mansion's reinforcements arrive."

The woman surnamed Luo glanced at him, completely unmoved.

"They're all the same."

She didn't want to get involved in this mess again.

The high-ranking officials of the Prime Minister's Prime Minister's Mansion were not idiots, especially Lou Ji, who controlled a vast intelligence agency.

In the past, she had dealt with women with hearts of snakes and venom.

Therefore, she knew very well that even someone who was prepared could still have a chance, but now that the woman was both prepared and had her own agenda, she knew that she would definitely make some arrangements in advance.

Hearing the other party's resolute words, Taishi Ran silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"Fairy Luo, have you ever heard of Jing Xuelan?"

"."

The words had barely left his mouth when

The woman surnamed Luo's usually calm expression suddenly froze.

As she slowly turned her head to look at him, the woman surnamed Luo seemed to have a hint of emotion in her voice:

"Jing Xuelan?"

"Jing Tingxi's daughter."

Seeing the other person's expression, Taishi Ran spoke slowly and deliberately.

The Pavilion Master had casually mentioned to him the past between Jing Tingxi, the Burial Village, and the Luo Clan before him.

Although it was only a few words, it now seems that the Pavilion Master indeed had a deeper meaning.

Moreover, judging from the expression on this Luo Clan woman's face, there must be a story hidden here.

even,

It's possible that Jing Xuelan is the daughter of the woman before me and Jing Tingxi.

Lost in thought, Taishi Ran continued quietly:

"Jing Tingxi entrusted his daughter to the care of a friend in the Northern Border, and that sect was recently wiped out by the Prime Minister's Mansion's Black Scale Army."

"."

After a long pause, the woman surnamed Luo let out a soft breath, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly:

"So she's still alive?"

"I am unaware of this matter."

Taishi Ran shook his head, but then changed the subject. "However, there's a high probability she's alive, and if she is, Jing Xuelan will definitely be taken by Lou Ji."

The woman surnamed Luo, her body surging with vital energy, took a deep breath, parted her red lips slightly, and uttered two words:

"Reason."

"For the Prime Minister's Mansion and Lou Ji, Jing Tingxi's daughter is more useful alive than dead. Although Jing Tingxi is dead, his network of connections still exists."

Is that so?

"So, Fairy Luo, you..." Taishi Ran's eyes flickered.

The woman surnamed Luo sighed softly, her eyes filled with complex emotions, but her answer was decisive:

"I will help with this, but only on the condition that I do everything in my power to ensure Jing Xuelan's safety during the fight."

"Nature."

Taishi Ran smiled slightly, glanced around at everyone present again, and said loudly:

"Gentlemen, I know you may be somewhat afraid of the Prime Minister's Mansion, but this is our last chance to avert the great calamity, so we must not give up."

The assassination was once again approved by Taishi Ran, and the only remaining question was how to carry it out.

The hunched old man tapped his cane, coughed lightly, and chuckled:

"What the Venerable Grand Historian said is absolutely right, but I wonder how we should put it into practice?"

Seeing that it was unavoidable, Fatty Zhou sighed softly, quickly changed his mindset, and whispered a word of advice:

"Brother Taishi, how many days' journey is it from Xu Changtian to us now?"

"Three days." Taishi Ran raised the Spirit Heaven Instrument in his hand, glanced at it, and replied in a low voice, "They are currently near Pingxi Mausoleum, heading towards the Imperial Capital."

A sinister glint appeared in Fatty Zhou's small, squinting eyes:

"Upon learning that someone was spying on them, Xu Changtian and his group would definitely try to find a city to settle down as soon as possible. One reason would be to use the Communication Crystal in the city to contact the Imperial Capital, and the other would be to use the city's formations to hold their ground and await reinforcements."

"Therefore, we'd better strike before they enter the city."

"It's too late."

A thoughtful look appeared in the hunched old man's cloudy eyes. "There are several small towns near Pingxi Mausoleum, but only Huizhou County has Communication Crystal. At Lou Ji's speed, she can probably arrive in a day."

"So, we have to make our move inside the city?"

The middle-aged woman's eyes flickered slightly, and she asked softly, "The city's protective formation is no problem for us, but it completely breaks the rules."

With the strength of their group of five, breaking through the City Protection Array of a county-level city wouldn't be too difficult, but the problem was that such an act would be considered a rebellion.

The current situation is merely turbulent, not a complete collapse of social order.

Such a violation of the rules will inevitably attract the attention of major forces across the land. If it is discovered, the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion will likely become the target of public criticism.

"Elder Fu, we don't necessarily have to break the formation."

Fatty Zhou chuckled and said, "Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. They can indeed use the formation as a protective talisman to enter the city, but there are many people and many eyes in the city. We can also sneak in quietly. After all, assassination doesn't necessarily have to be done by force, especially when the target's cultivation level is not high."

What should we do about Lou Ji?

The woman surnamed Luo interrupted their discussion, " With Lou Ji by your side, you have no chance to get close to Xu Changtian quietly."

As he spoke,

The woman surnamed Luo seemed to remember something, and slightly tightened her grip on the Weeping Iron Mask:

"For Xu Changtian's safety, she was even willing to evacuate the entire county."

After he finished speaking, the mountaintop fell silent for a moment.

"The Holy Maiden and Xu Changtian have separated. Prepare for the worst."

Taishi Ran stared at the Spirit Heaven Instrument shimmering with divine light in his hand for a long time, then said quietly:

"If it really comes to the point where we have no choice but to kill them outright, then don't hesitate, just break through the city."

"Death is necessary,"

"The common people of a city are far less important than eliminating the instigator of this great calamity!"