Shh... Listen

Liu Qingni nodded slightly, then suddenly glanced back, a cold gleam flashing through her eyes. "Young master, why not let them scout the way first?"

Hearing this, Su Qingyang instantly understood what she meant.

So this girl looked cold and aloof, but she was actually quite black-bellied!

"Since that is the case, we'll have to trouble those three to serve as lab rats and test the road."

Naturally, Su Qingyang did not refuse. With a soft laugh, he slipped into a blind spot amid the woods ahead and vanished from sight.

At the same time, the three people behind them remained utterly unaware.

"Lord Song, could you tell where those two came from?"

When the valiant-looking woman could no longer see Su Qingyang and Liu Qingni, she suddenly sent a voice transmission.

Song Long glanced at the scholar beside him and shook his head.

"That woman is knowledgeable and well-traveled. There is an eighty to ninety percent chance that she is a court agent from either the Secret Bureau or the Six Doors. As for that young man..."

As he spoke, he paused, a trace of puzzlement appearing in his eyes. "He never revealed any inner force, so I could not see through him. It is only that..."

Just now, when he had mobilized his blood and qi to exert pressure, the instant his gaze fell upon that young man, he had vaguely felt as though he were facing a deity—a towering, suffocating presence.

Yet that illusion had vanished in an instant. When he looked again, the youth still appeared to be an ordinary person.

"Only what?" the valiant-looking woman hurriedly pressed.

"Nothing. That young man is probably no simple person either." Song Long came back to himself and spoke gravely.

"In any case, neither of them will be easy to deal with. That woman alone is already a Houtian martial artist."

"Although Houtian experts are nothing remarkable in the Imperial Capital, encountering one here, I do not have absolute confidence that I can kill her."

"Otherwise..." A cold glint flashed through Song Long's eyes, his tone carrying concealed killing intent.

The valiant-looking woman nodded, then suddenly said in an icy voice:

"We bear the Duke's secret order. Everything we do must remain confidential; not the slightest mistake can be allowed."

"If an opportunity presents itself along the way, I think we should eliminate them. Otherwise, if word gets out, it may very well affect Duke Yuan's plans."

Song Long pondered for a moment, somewhat uneasy. But when he thought of Duke Yuan's delicate situation, he ultimately gritted his teeth and nodded.

"Then we shall do as you say. I recall that Black Cloud Sect's territory lies ahead. Black Cloud Sect had dealings with the Duke in its early years, so acting there would be more convenient."

"If we decide to act, we must ensure that nothing can go wrong."

He recalled that Liu Qingni had already identified his origins. If he allowed them to return to the Imperial Capital, Duke Yuan's plans would likely no longer remain hidden.

It was highly possible that they would once again invite His Majesty's suspicion, leaving endless future troubles.

With that thought, Song Long turned toward the thin scholar beside him and spoke respectfully.

"Your Highness, the journey to the Imperial Capital is long. To prevent traitors from attempting harm, please endure for a few more days. Once we reach the Imperial Capital, you may sleep with your head on a high pillow."

Hearing this, the scholar hurriedly cupped his hands in salute, looking meek and modest.

"Thank you, my lords, for protecting this humble student all the way. Once I meet Father Emperor, I will surely reward you both with high office and generous wealth."

Song Long and the valiant-looking woman exchanged a glance. Meaningful smiles curled simultaneously across their lips.

The three led their horses onward.

Yet after traveling for some time, they discovered that Su Qingyang and Liu Qingni were nowhere to be seen on the mountain road ahead.

"That should not be possible. Could they have picked up their pace?"

Puzzlement showed on Song Long's face.

The valiant-looking woman, meanwhile, placed her hand back upon her sword hilt and said vigilantly:

"It is also possible that we revealed killing intent earlier and alerted them. They may be lying in ambush ahead, intending to attack us."

Song Long swept his gaze across the deep, shadowy forest ahead. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes. "That is not impossible. Be more careful from here on."

The three began to slow their pace and continued cautiously along the mountain path.

After the time it took to burn an incense stick, the wooden stockade defenses erected by Black Cloud Sect came into view, yet Su Qingyang and Liu Qingni still had not appeared.

Just then, a loud shout rang out.

"Stop where you are!"

A young man strode out from the stockade ahead with the gait of a dragon and tiger. He stopped three zhang away from Song Long's group and blocked their path.

Song Long frowned slightly. From the bottom of his heart, he looked down on these martial sects of the jianghu and even found them somewhat repulsive.

But thinking of Duke Yuan's grand plan, he forcibly suppressed his disgust, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice, "Good sir, we are men under Duke Yuan. We hope you will make things convenient and allow us to pass through."

The young man froze for a moment, then frowned. "Those sent by Duke Yuan—do you have proof?"

Song Long's face immediately darkened.

He had announced the name of Duke Yuan's Estate, yet this mere martial man from some insignificant local sect actually dared to ask for proof.

In his eyes, this was nothing less than refusing to give Duke Yuan face.

Back when Duke Yuan had held overwhelming power over court and country and commanded heavy troops, a lowly jianghu sect like this could kneel and beg for an audience, and he would not have bothered to spare it a second glance.

Song Long endured the humiliation and took a waist token engraved with the exclusive crest of Duke Yuan's Estate from his robes, handing it over.

The young man gave it a glance. A cold glint passed through his gray eyes, only to vanish at once as his expression relaxed and his attitude turned cordial.

"So you are one of us! What a case of floodwaters washing into the Dragon King's temple—just a misunderstanding. Brother, please do not take offense!"

"Recently, conflicts have broken out everywhere in Cloud Prefecture, and every sect has tightened its inspections. We are merely following orders to stand guard; we absolutely did not intend to make things difficult for Duke Yuan's honored guests."

Song Long's expression improved somewhat. He had just been about to ask about activity on the road ahead when the young man turned and shouted toward the stockade.

"Brothers! Quickly prepare hot tea and treat our honored guests well!"

The dozen or so men standing watch in the stockade immediately bustled into action.

Seeing this, Song Long led the scholar and the valiant-looking woman into the wooden stockade, intending to rest briefly before continuing their journey.

But the instant she stepped inside, the valiant-looking woman's nose twitched. Her pupils contracted slightly, and every hair on her body stood on end.

There was a faint but lingering scent of blood in the air.

Ordinary people would have had no way to detect it.

Without drawing attention, she shifted closer to Song Long and lowered her voice to transmit, "Lord Song, the smell of blood here is too heavy. Something is wrong."

The young man's hearing was exceptionally sharp. Though he had not heard the voice transmission clearly, he caught the suspicion in her eyes and immediately smiled as he offered an explanation.

"Our honored guest must have smelled the blood scent?"

"Cloud Prefecture has been in turmoil recently. Spies from many hostile forces have attempted to sneak through the pass and scout our defenses."

"A few days ago, we killed a batch of smuggling spies. The blood scent has not yet dispersed completely, so please forgive the unsightly scene."

The explanation was reasonable and well-founded, and the valiant-looking woman's vigilance eased slightly.

As they spoke, two sect members had already brought over hot tea and set it on a wooden table.

Song Long glanced at the tea in the cups without paying it much mind. Still thinking about Su Qingyang and Liu Qingni, he casually probed for information.

"Earlier, as we traveled along the road behind us, we saw a man and a woman ahead. Did those two pass through here?"

The young man was slightly taken aback. After thinking for a moment, he ultimately shook his head slowly.

"I have not seen them. The entire mountain road has been quiet today. Other than you honored guests, no one else has passed through here."

Having said that, he raised a hand in invitation, his smile warm.

"Duke Yuan's Estate and our Black Cloud Sect have always been on good terms, joined by the same breath and connected branches, watching over and helping one another.

You have all traveled far and are weary. Please drink your tea and rest without worry. If there are any difficulties on the road ahead, we will certainly spare no effort in assisting you."

Song Long sneered inwardly, but nodded politely on the surface and raised his hand to pick up his teacup.

Yet the scholar, who had remained quiet the entire time, fixed his gaze on the tea, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Then, as though by accident, his body swayed slightly. The teacup slipped from his hand, and the scalding tea spilled all over the ground.

"Your Highness... What is wrong?" Song Long was startled. His motion to drink abruptly halted as he hurriedly turned toward the scholar.

Clang—!!

A short blade suddenly tore from its sheath. Its snowy gleam flashed as it cleaved straight toward the valiant-looking woman standing close at its wielder's side.

There was not a single unnecessary word.

The young man, who had worn such a warm smile moments ago, lost it entirely, his face turning cold and sinister.

His movements were swift as fire and water, fast as a startled thunderclap!

The valiant-looking woman hurriedly tried to draw her sword and block, but the timing of this strike was too vicious and its speed too great. She had no time to make even the slightest response.

Before Song Long's stunned, disbelieving eyes,

Blood sprayed through the air, warm blood gushing out in an instant.

The blade cleanly severed the valiant-looking woman's neck. A living head rolled to the ground, its eyes wide open, and in the blink of an eye, all life faded from it.

A single killing move—dead on the spot!

"You... You actually dare..." Every hair on Song Long's body stood erect. His blood and qi instantly roiled as shock and fury intertwined.

But the young man before him let out an eerie laugh. He looked at Song Long, a strange glint in his eyes.

"Shh... listen. Is something different?"

The once noisy wooden stockade had, at some point, suddenly fallen deathly silent!

Among the forest trees in every direction and within the shadows of the stockade walls stood densely packed, ghostlike figures.

Not a single person spoke. Hundreds of icy gazes stared fixedly at Song Long and the scholar beside him, while killing intent blanketed them like heaven and earth.