Shadow Tower

Gong Peng looked at the gray-robed elder kneeling on the ground and said coldly, "Wei Dong, do you know your crime?"

Wei Dong's body trembled slightly. Bowing his head, he pleaded guilty. "This old servant failed to protect the young master and allowed him to suffer grievous injuries."

"This old servant submits to the patriarch's punishment."

"What use is punishing you?"

Gong Peng cut him off coldly.

His fingers lightly tapped against the table.

"This time, Yu'er nearly lost his life."

"If not for the Life-Creation Pill bestowed by His Majesty, the direct line of my Gong Clan would have been severed by the hands of a mere youth!"

"This matter absolutely cannot be let go!"

His tone shifted, becoming deep and grave.

"But we cannot make Yu'er break his promise."

"It would be inconvenient for the Blood Slaughter Sect to act."

Killing intent surfaced in his eyes.

"Xie Jinghan is only seventeen, yet he can fight above his realm, using the first level to slay one at the fourth. His talent is far too terrifying."

"We cannot allow him to continue growing."

"Otherwise, he will surely become a thorn in the flesh of my Gong Clan!"

He stared directly at the kneeling Wei Dong and said in a deep voice, "You have served the Gong Clan for many years. You should know how this ought to be handled."

Wei Dong understood at once and said quietly, "Patriarch, you mean to act in secret and erase this boy?"

"That's right."

The middle-aged man nodded faintly, raised a hand, and took out a pitch-black token carved all over with intricate patterns, tossing it through the air.

The token landed steadily before Wei Dong. He received it respectfully, its touch icy enough to pierce the bone.

"This is the Shadow-Killing Token. With it, you may hire an Earth-Class Assassin from Shadow Tower. Once they strike, the target will surely die."

"Handle this matter in secret. Do not draw attention."

"You will see to it personally. There must not be the slightest mistake."

"Xie Jinghan must not be allowed to live!"

"This old servant obeys!"

Wei Dong gripped the token tightly and knocked his head heavily against the ground.

Shadow Tower, the foremost clandestine assassination organization among the people.

Though the Great Yan Court had repeatedly tried to wipe it out, it remained elusive as gods and ghosts. Once it accepted a contract, it would certainly kill.

Several days later, Wei Dong, cloaked from head to toe in black, quietly arrived outside an ordinary farmhouse courtyard hidden deep within the mountains and forests.

At the courtyard gate, a middle-aged man dressed as a farmer spoke expressionlessly, his aura plain and unremarkable.

"Idle persons halt."

"Do you carry the secret order?"

Wei Dong did not dare to slight him. Raising a hand, he presented the Shadow-Killing Token together with a tightly sealed secret letter.

The man took them, his fingertips tracing the token's patterns as he carefully verified its authenticity.

Silent throughout, he moved with cautious severity. Only after confirming that nothing was amiss did he turn and enter, crossing the simple, unremarkable farmhouse courtyard and heading straight for a room at its deepest end.

He delivered the Shadow-Killing Token and the secret letter into the room.

Warm fragrance curled through the room, soft and languid.

The ravishing Li Niang reclined sideways on a soft couch, lifting her seductive eyes. She was Shadow Tower's manager, known as Chief Steward Li.

The aged crone attending at one side stepped forward, accepted the items, and bowed as she reported in a low voice:

"Chief Steward, a new assignment has arrived?!"

Li Niang glanced over the token, her red lips parting as a trace of amusement entered her voice.

"Oh? How unusual. It is an order from the Gong Clan."

"Rather than asking the Blood Slaughter Sect to act, they have come seeking our Shadow Tower?"

She opened the secret letter and read its contents, then gave a light laugh.

"Interesting."

"The target is Xie Jinghan?"

"That Central Province prodigy everyone has been talking about lately? The one who slew Wu Hen with one sword, defeated Chu Ning with one sword, and crushed Gong Feiyu head-on?"

"So that's how it is!"

"Tell the visitor to prepare one hundred thousand taels of silver within three days."

"Once Shadow Tower receives the silver, we will naturally make our move."

As she spoke, she caressed the icy Shadow-Killing Token and pondered, "For such a prodigy... whom should we send?"

The old crone at her side quietly suggested:

"This subordinate has someone in mind."

"Chief Steward, a new batch of assassins in the tower has recently completed their training."

"It is said that the king among these new assassins is quite an extraordinary figure."

"He has now been selected as an Earth-Class Assassin, ranked eleventh."

"Perhaps we can let him take this assignment and test the depth of his abilities."

Li Niang's eyes flickered slightly before she made her decision. "Very well. Let him go."

"Let us see, since both are outstanding talents, which of the two is the greater?!"