Invite You into the Urn

The battle in the alley was drawing to a close.

As the last Shadow Kill assassin coughed up blood and fell beneath Shen Lian and Chu Yunhe's combined assault, silence returned to the alley.

Black-clad figures lay strewn across the ground, some crumpled horizontally, others vertically. Most were unconscious, while a few still groaned in agony.

Beneath Mr. Mo's powerful domain energy, these deathsworn men could not even kill themselves. They could only close their eyes in despair.

"We won?" Wu Yu braced himself on his blade, gasping for breath. A shallow bloody cut marked his face, yet his eyes brimmed with excitement.

"We won! We took them all down!"

Jin Duoduo excitedly waved the rope in his hand. His plump face was smeared black with grime, but it could not conceal his triumphant expression.

Yu Ling'er wiped the sweat from her brow and looked worriedly at Li Yuan. He nodded at her, signaling that he was unharmed.

Only then did she let out a breath of relief, a radiant smile blooming across her little face.

Liu Hongyan smiled faintly. "Clean up the battlefield. Check the injuries."

"Yes."

The students immediately got to work. Some checked the captives again, some gathered the scattered weapons, while others tended each other's wounds. Shadow kept watch around the perimeter.

"Instructor Liu, what exactly is going on?" Chen Shuo stepped forward, his brow tightly furrowed. "Dark Pavilion actually sent so many people to infiltrate Chang'an and assassinate the Academy's new students?"

Liu Hongyan replied coolly, "When a tree rises above the forest, the wind will surely destroy it."

She did not spell it out, but Chen Shuo understood at once. He cast a complicated glance at Li Yuan, who was examining the captives.

A ninth-grade talent truly warranted such a massive operation from Dark Pavilion.

"Hey, Brother Li, how did you discover it?"

As Zhou Mo bandaged his arm, Wu Yu looked curiously at Li Yuan.

Li Yuan smiled. "It wasn't just me. Shen Lian and Shadow noticed something as well. While we were at Red Sleeve House, the few of us quietly exchanged opinions."

"But we weren't certain of the enemy's strength then, so we didn't dare raise the alarm recklessly. We feared startling the snake in the grass and implicating innocent people, so we sent Shadow to notify Instructor Liu."

"So that was it."

Only then did everyone understand. It had all been planned in advance.

"Good lad!" Chen Shuo could not help praising him, and his gaze toward Li Yuan and the others gained a touch more appreciation.

Keeping calm in the face of danger, turning the enemy's scheme against them, joining hands to lay a trap—such composure and courage were even more worthy of notice than a ninth-grade talent.

"Cough, cough..."

Mr. Mo took a sip of wine and spoke unhurriedly. "In this battle, the Pivot Star Class students discovered the enemy and reported it in time. You also rendered meritorious service by assisting the Academy instructors in wiping out the enemy."

"Each of you will receive two hundred credits."

Another two hundred credits!

Including the assessment reward, every one of them had earned four hundred credits in a single night.

Everyone froze for a moment, then burst into restrained cheers. The exhaustion from their successive fierce battles seemed to vanish in an instant.

"Enough. We should not linger here." Liu Hongyan waved a hand. "Captain Chen, leave these assassins to the Demon Suppression Bureau."

"It is my duty." Chen Shuo nodded and waved for the Demon Suppression Bureau soldiers to step forward.

"You," Liu Hongyan said, looking at the Pivot Star Class students, "return home immediately. Do not linger outside. The Demon Suppression Bureau will escort you separately."

"During the New Year holiday, avoid going out alone unless necessary."

"Yes," everyone answered in unison.

"Li Yuan." Liu Hongyan looked at him, her tone softening slightly. "You performed the best tonight, but Dark Pavilion's failure this time does not mean there will not be a next time."

"From today until the end of the New Year holiday, stay with Mr. Mo."

Stay with Mr. Mo?

Li Yuan was startled and looked toward the rooftop. Mr. Mo raised his wine gourd to him in greeting.

Liu Hongyan stepped closer and lowered her voice. "Ever since the day your ninth-grade talent was tested, Mr. Mo has been watching over you in secret on the headmaster's orders."

"Even if you had not noticed anything tonight, with Mr. Mo present, your life would have been safe."

Li Yuan's heart shook. He abruptly raised his head and looked toward the rooftop again, his eyes filled with mixed emotions. So this unfathomable expert had been protecting him in secret all along.

No wonder he had remained unharmed before entering the Academy. He had thought it was because he had been careful enough. Now it seemed he had simply been too naive.

Gratitude surged within him, along with a trace of... indescribable heaviness.

This protection was both proof of the Academy's regard and a weighty responsibility. What had he done to deserve it, and how could he ever repay it?

He had originally planned to return to Changning Alley during the New Year holiday to cultivate in seclusion, but now it seemed that only the Academy was truly safe.

"This student... thanks Mr. Mo for his protection, and thanks the headmaster and Instructor Liu for your care."

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Li Yuan bowed deeply to Mr. Mo and Instructor Liu.

Liu Hongyan nodded to Chen Shuo, gave Yu Ling'er and the others a few more instructions, then signaled for the Demon Suppression Bureau soldiers to escort the students away separately.

"Let's go as well." Mr. Mo drifted down from the rooftop and patted Li Yuan on the shoulder. "Kid, come with me."

Li Yuan no longer hesitated. He followed Mr. Mo through the streets and alleys, heading toward Divine Martial Academy.

At that moment, in the cellar of a secluded residence in Western Market.

The tiny oil lamp cast its light over a pretty, deathly pale face. It belonged to the Shadow Kill woman who had retreated early, code-named Shadow Thirteen.

She had already changed out of her night clothes into an ordinary coarse-cloth dress, but the lingering fear had yet to fade from her eyes.

"They were all wiped out?"

A hoarse voice sounded from the shadows. "Shadow Fiend's entire force was annihilated, and they did not even take a single hair from that brat?"

"Y-yes, sir."

The woman's voice trembled. "We were ambushed. It was a trap from beginning to end, and Liu Hongyan and Mo Wentian were both there."

"Mo Wentian!"

The voice in the shadows suddenly rose, filled with venomous hatred. "Divine Martial Academy actually sent that Baleful Intent to protect that brat?

"It seems they value him far more than we estimated."

"What do we do now, sir?" the woman asked fearfully.

The shadows remained silent for a long while before the hoarse voice sounded again. "Brute force will not work, so we will use our wits. That brat cannot stay cooped up in the Academy forever, hiding behind Mo Wentian, can he?"

"As long as he is human, he will have desires and weaknesses..."

At those words, an unusual gleam flashed through the woman's eyes. After hesitating briefly, she lowered her voice. "Sir, this subordinate... has an idea."

"Speak."

The woman leaned closer and quickly whispered her plan. The figure in the shadows listened quietly, occasionally letting out a cold snort whose meaning was unclear.

A moment later, the cellar fell into brief silence.

"Interesting..."

At last, the voice in the shadows sounded again, now carrying a trace of icy amusement. "Do as you suggested. Call upon whatever manpower and resources you need."

"Remember, this time, success is the only option. Failure is not permitted!"

"This subordinate understands. I will not fail your trust, sir." Shadow Thirteen's spirits rose. She bowed to accept the order, and when she lifted her head again, a cold, ghostly light had rekindled in her eyes.

Deep within Divine Martial Academy, beside a tranquil bamboo grove, stood a simple, tidy little courtyard. There were only three rooms inside, furnished with extreme simplicity. Only the wine jug and two clay bowls that were always kept on the stone table in the yard lent it a hint of everyday warmth.

"The east wing is yours. Tidy it yourself. Handle your own cultivation and meals; the Academy dining hall will continue providing food as usual."

"Do not leave this courtyard without reason, and you are absolutely not to leave the Academy." Mr. Mo brought Li Yuan into the courtyard, gave him a few simple instructions, then carried his wine gourd into the main room.