The Actors' Tower

Bai Yunxiu was the last disciple taken by Bai Shizhong, the Five Poisons Cult's former guardian. Bai Shizhong was also a sworn brother of Song Chengxi, the cult leader two generations back. Calling him "Uncle" was indeed correct in terms of seniority, but the age gap was far too great!

Bai Shizhong had held the position of guardian for sixty years, supporting three successive cult leaders.

After Song Chengxi's "sudden death," he had stabilized the cult and installed two more leaders, keeping the Five Poisons Cult from falling apart.

Bai Shizhong had taken office at thirty. Now ninety years old, he had long since retired into the Miao territories and was rumored to have died.

Song Chengxi was twelve years older than him!

The current disciples of the Five Poisons Cult could all be considered his disciples' descendants. He was old enough to be Bai Yunxiu's great-grandfather!

What was going on?

Had someone who had been dead for over forty years come back to life? And in perfectly good health, too? Judging by the half-gray, half-white hair Cao Jinxing had seen last time, there was no way to associate him with someone over a hundred years old.

Cao Jinxing frowned deeply.

And then...

What had Bai Yunxiu meant by her last words? He would come looking for Cao Jinxing? And she would await him in the Ten-Thousand Great Mountains?

He had a vague feeling that he had been drawn into some vortex. Only the tip of the iceberg had emerged, while the rest lay in unfathomable depths...

"Forget it. No use overthinking. Judging by her attitude, they need something from me. This Spirit Snake Envoy isn't nearly so accommodating in the Miao territories..."

Her nickname, "Snake Spirit," was not merely because she had a snake.

Still...

Things would work themselves out when the time came. Since they were the ones who needed him, what was there to fear?

Cao Jinxing shook his head and set those matters aside for now. He put away the [Holy Origin Pill] and [Poison-Averting Pearl], then focused on the task at hand.

He still had the Fire Tortoise on him. He needed to bring it back as soon as possible.

"Lord Cao!"

Pei Yangchun and Xia Zheng rushed up. Pei Yangchun said anxiously, "A woman in yellow came up just now. She removed Zheng's gu and took the snakeskin from Yang Wanli's body. You..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw [Snow Soul] in Cao Jinxing's hand and the frost marks left on the ground by [Draw Water, Carve Ice]...

Such power could only be unleashed by someone who had grasped the true meaning of the founding master's sword marks. He could not help feeling both relieved and regretful.

"It's fine."

Cao Jinxing said, "She's already gone. The White Dragon Gu won't trouble you again, either."

"Thank you, my lord."

Pei Yangchun bowed deeply. "I have another presumptuous request. I hope you will grant it."

"Go ahead."

Pei Yangchun immediately explained the origins of the sword marks and the missing portions of their sword manual. He implored Cao Jinxing to offer some guidance, at least enough to fill in the gaps in their inherited teachings.

"No problem."

Cao Jinxing nodded. He had no intention of returning [Snow Soul], so fulfilling this small request would serve as payment for the sword.

Overjoyed, Pei Yangchun instructed Xia Zheng and the other disciples to watch carefully and learn. Then he solemnly demonstrated the Dark Yin Sword from beginning to end.

"Four moves are missing, three are wrong, and there are a few other minor problems. I'll just demonstrate the whole thing for you."

In his eyes, the sword marks on the Sword Comprehension Stone were clearly individual swords. Following the sword momentum and intent contained in each one, he could perform them in sequence, and the sword technique would take shape on its own!

The version currently passed down at the Taiyi Gate had far too many gaps. He did not know the specific names of the moves, either, so correcting them one by one would be too much trouble. He might as well give them a complete model to follow.

Pei Yangchun was beside himself with joy.

The disciples were even more delighted. The complete Dark Yin Sword was a sixth-grade sword technique. The Taiyi Gate's resurgence was within sight!

Meanwhile.

At the entrance to Coiled Snake Cave on the western peak.

Yang Qiancheng, master of the Ten-Thousand Snakes Cave, sat limply in his wheelchair. He slowly lowered the spyglass in his hand, his eyes bloodshot.

His son had wanted him to witness the glorious moment when he seized Black Tortoise Cave and conquered the Taiyi Gate, ending a century of conflict between the two sects. Instead, he had watched his disciples being slaughtered and his son die a horrific death...

An old ailment had flared up five years ago, leaving him unable to walk. His hand-to-hand skills were no longer what they had been, but his internal cultivation had advanced even further. Using sound to command snakes, he could control them over a greater range, and his senses had grown sharper.

Sitting before Spirit Snake Cave, he had heard every detail of the fighting hundreds of yards away.

"Embroidered Uniform Guard..."

Yang Qiancheng's knuckles turned white. Tears filled his eyes as he snarled through clenched teeth, "I'll make you pay with your life!"

The Ten-Thousand Snakes Cave was certainly finished. Once the Taiyi Gate recovered, a reckoning was inevitable. Even the best outcome would be expulsion from the mountain.

That bastard Pei Yangchun had attached himself to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and gained the protection of imperial authority. Unless Yang Qiancheng abandoned his home and livelihood to become an outlaw, he could not touch him!

Still, he was not entirely without options.

A vicious gleam flashed through his eyes.

"Yang Er!"

He roared.

A disciple approached, trembling. "Sect Master."

"Dismiss everyone on the western peak! Bring a messenger pigeon, brush, and ink..."

A crazed light shone in Yang Qiancheng's eyes. "I'm sending a letter to the capital. I'll make this Embroidered Uniform Guard die with my son!"

Once the demonstration of the Dark Yin Sword Technique's twenty-four moves was finished, Pei Yangchun proved the quickest to grasp them.

Apart from the final move, [Draw Water, Carve Ice], whose sword intent he still could not integrate, he quickly corrected the others and clearly felt their power increase dramatically.

He practiced its complementary internal art, the Cold-Restraint Scripture. In terms of compatibility alone, it surpassed the Cold Toad Art, and as his internal energy circulated, he could feel its response to each move.

His eldest disciple, Xia Zheng, on the other hand, seemed to gain some understanding of the final move, grasping a fraction of its subtleties. Given time, he should be able to master it fully.

"Thank you, my lord!"

With his long-cherished wish fulfilled, Pei Yangchun thanked him repeatedly, overwhelmed with gratitude. He told a disciple, "Quickly, go to the ancestral hall and fetch the scabbard."

Before long, the disciple returned, holding the scabbard in both hands.

Cao Jinxing took one look and discovered that, like [Snow Soul], the scabbard was so white it was translucent, and bitterly cold!

"Our founding master commissioned a skilled craftsman to make this scabbard from North Sea Frost Dragon hide. It can nourish the sword. Since [Snow Soul] was never used, it has remained in storage all this time. Today, I offer it to you along with the sword. Please accept it."

"Then you have my thanks."

Cao Jinxing accepted without ceremony. He slid Snow Soul into its scabbard and cupped his fist. "I have official duties to attend to and cannot stay long. Take care, Sect Master Pei."

Pei Yangchun returned the salute. "Take care, my lord."

Cao Jinxing nodded, then vanished in a streak of lightning.

The disciples gazed after him.

"Master, this Lord Cao seems very different from the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the rumors..."

"Yes."

Pei Yangchun let out a long breath. The weight that had burdened his heart for years had finally lifted. Looking up at the sky, he murmured, "Our founding master's spirit watches over us. Heaven has blessed the Taiyi Gate..."

Cao Jinxing galloped onward.

The Heavenly Steed was incredibly fast. That same day, he rode beyond Luoyang's borders and reached Lu'an Prefecture, Western Jin.

After nightfall, a sudden downpour forced Cao Jinxing to abandon his plans to press on at speed. He entered the relay station to rest instead.

Bang, bang, bang!

Cao Jinxing dismounted and knocked on the gate.

"Coming!"

The Prefectural Relay Station stood in the western outskirts. It occupied a sizable area and was larger than an ordinary inn. Officials of every rank stopped there to feed or change horses and rest, and it was particularly crowded during the rainy season.

An oil lamp was lit, and a relay attendant in his fifties came out carrying it.

It was the middle of the night, and rain was pouring down. He hurried outside with a straw rain cape thrown over his shoulders, only to find a token held before his face.

The Northern Pacification Office's Embroidered Uniform Guard!

The attendant hastily moved to kneel.

"No need for ceremony."

Cao Jinxing looked him over and said, "Prepare a guest room and get some fodder for my horse."

"Yes. Please follow me, my lord."

Bowing respectfully, the attendant led him toward the main building.

Cao Jinxing glanced at his shoes and asked casually, "A relay station this large, and you're the only one on duty?"

"There should be three attendants, but after nightfall, hardly anyone travels through the rain like you do, my lord. It's cold and damp, too, so they've all gone home to cuddle their wives... Oh! My lord..."

After explaining, the old attendant suddenly slapped his forehead, as though he had forgotten something important, and began turning around to speak...

Rumble!

Lightning streaked through the clouds, bathing the vast sky and earth in a ghastly white glare!

Cao Jinxing struck instantly. Before the old attendant could turn, [Snow Soul] left its scabbard. A ribbon of sword light flashed across his neck!

His head flew off at once!

The headless body remained upright for a moment before crashing to the ground, still clutching the oil lamp!

The head struck the ground, splashing muddy water.

The old face was frozen in shock, its eyes still wide open in death.

"Do a better job acting in your next life."

Cao Jinxing sneered and shifted his gaze to the man's hand. A copper tube protruded from beneath the sleeve. It was unmistakably the [Storm Pear Blossom Needles]!

Fired at close range, the device would unleash twenty-seven steel needles at once. Even Cao Jinxing would be injured!

"You changed your clothes, but not your shoes."

Cao Jinxing lifted the corpse's shoe with his sword, his face full of disdain. "A relay attendant in his fifties wearing fine boots even better than my official ones! You deliberately acted old and concealed your internal energy, yet your breathing was deep and steady... Whose assassin are you? Why do you work just like that damned holy maiden?"

Sword light flashed.

The mask on the attendant's face peeled away, revealing the face of a middle-aged man.

Cao Jinxing studied him but did not recognize him at all.

With a few swishes of his sword, he cut the clothes to pieces.

He found a pitch-black token. The two large characters "Xuanba" were engraved on the front, while the back bore a theatrical mask that, at first glance, resembled a hideous demon's face.

"A demon mask... the Actors' Tower?"

Cao Jinxing's expression grew grave, his brows knitting tightly. "The world's foremost assassin organization... What brought these people down on me?"