The Righteous Dao Alliance

The strong liquor burned all the way down Chen Fan's throat, the scorching sensation spreading from his esophagus to his stomach.

Chen Fan set down his cup. The clamor in the inn seemed to fade into the distance.

Zhang Cheng was still at the table, drunkenly mumbling about who in the prince's residence had fallen on hard times and who had received a reward. His words were all jumbled, without a shred of logic.

Pitiful people.

Those were the only words in Chen Fan's mind.

Whether it was Zhang Cheng, slumped drunk at the table, or Li Rong'er, confined within the high walls of the palace, both were pitiful people.

He stood, tossed a few copper coins onto the table, adjusted the bamboo hat on his head, and walked out of the inn.

The cold wind blew away some of the effects of the wine, leaving his mind clearer still.

Was Li Zhong really being cautious by staying away so long?

Would the prince's residence really be at ease letting a princess consort leave with only a single Ninth Grade guard at her side?

Impossible.

The only explanation was that the people from the prince's residence had arrived long ago and hidden themselves in the shadows, watching with cold eyes.

They were waiting for the assassin to strike, waiting for the assassin to tear the carriage apart, waiting for the assassin to bring a dagger to the princess consort's throat.

They might even have been waiting for the assassin to kill the princess consort.

Killing with a borrowed knife.

What a masterful stroke, killing with a borrowed knife.

Zheng Xian, the lofty Prince of Xiushan, didn't care whether the princess consort lived or died. He would even have been glad to see her die at the hands of a White Lotus Sect assassin.

That way, he could not only get rid of a woman who had brought him shame, but also splash all the dirty water onto the White Lotus Sect and have every justification to mobilize troops and wipe out the rebels.

Two birds with one stone.

Lin Shou's death and Li Rong'er's confinement were nothing more than insignificant embellishments in this ruthless game of chess.

Chen Fan walked down a deserted alley, the corners of his mouth twitching in self-mockery.

He suddenly wondered whether he should tell Su Xin his guess.

It would undoubtedly be a bombshell powerful enough to shake the prince's residence to its core. There was so much the White Lotus Sect could make of the prince's desire to kill his consort.

But the thought passed in a flash.

He was Chen Fan, not Chen Jinzhong.

That woman Su Xin owed him two lives: one for Black Wind Baleful Intent and one for Lin Shou.

He had yet to settle that account.

A few more days passed.

Every day, Chen Fan went about his business at the inn and around the prince's residence, passing along inconsequential bits of intelligence through the White Lotus Sect's secret channels.

For example, how many men had been added to the patrols at the prince's residence and which shift had taken over guard duty at the gates.

These were all things he ought to do as "Chen Jinzhong"-no more, no less, just enough.

That night, he received the signal for another meeting.

It was the same abandoned dock in the south of the city, the same damp warehouse.

Only the atmosphere inside the warehouse was even more tense than last time.

Besides Su Xin and the surviving sect members, there was one more person in the shadows at the far end.

An old woman.

She wore gray cotton clothes washed pale with age. Her face was covered in wrinkles, her figure was hunched, and she leaned on a bare wooden staff. She looked no different from the most ordinary old woman in the countryside.

But the instant Chen Fan stepped into the warehouse, the hairs all over his body stood on end.

An indescribable pressure radiated from the old woman. She sat there perfectly still, yet somehow made it feel as though she were the only presence in that space.

A Fifth Grade powerhouse!

Chen Fan immediately lowered his head and, following the other sect members' example, stood respectfully to one side, not daring to take another look.

"Everyone is here."

Su Xin spoke. Her injuries seemed much improved, but she assumed a very humble posture before the old woman.

The old woman slowly raised her head. Her cloudy eyes swept over everyone before finally settling on Su Xin.

"This old woman will handle the one at the prince's residence."

Her voice was dry and hoarse, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together.

"However..." She changed tack. "Things are a little more troublesome than you think."

Everyone held their breath.

"People from the Righteous Dao Alliance have also arrived in Xiushan Province."

The Righteous Dao Alliance?

Those words sent the temperature in the warehouse plummeting.

The White Lotus Sect members' faces showed even greater fear than when they faced the prince's residence.

Chen Fan's heart stirred as well, and he immediately searched Chen Jinzhong's memories.

He soon found the relevant information.

The Righteous Dao Alliance was a Martial Dao alliance formed by dozens of major and minor reputable orthodox sects within the Great Shang Imperial Dynasty. Recognized by the imperial court, it had taken it upon itself to uphold justice and eradicate evil.

And the White Lotus Sect was on the Righteous Dao Alliance's list of targets.

What was worse...

The Dragon Traversing Sect, to which Chen Jinzhong belonged, was also a member of the Righteous Dao Alliance!

What was this?

His own people fighting his own people?

Oh, no, that wasn't right. He was a traitor now.

Chen Fan felt only a sense of absurdity.

His current identity was that of a killer working for the White Lotus Sect, while his original sect was one of the main forces sent to wipe it out.

If the people from the Dragon Traversing Sect ran into him, he wouldn't be able to explain himself even if his whole body were covered in mouths.

Chen Fan didn't dare think any further. His head felt twice its size.

Why did Death-Substitution Rebirth turn into a worse pitfall every time?

"The Righteous Dao Alliance..." Su Xin repeated the name. Some color had returned to her face, but now it turned pale again. "How did they get here so quickly?"

"Hmph." The old woman snorted. "You've caused such a commotion in Xiushan Province. Did you really think those hypocrites from the Righteous Dao Alliance were blind and deaf?"

"The man they sent this time is 'Startling Thunder Sword' Song Yuanxing, another Fifth Grade martial artist. He brought thirty elite disciples of the Righteous Dao Alliance, and they're searching the entire city for traces of us."

"Startling Thunder Sword" Song Yuanqiao!

At that name, several White Lotus Sect members' legs went weak, and they nearly lost their footing.

He was a renowned orthodox expert who had made his name long ago. His Startling Thunder Sword Technique was as fast as lightning, and if a hundred Evil Dao practitioners hadn't died under his sword, at least eighty had.

This was bad.

Thoroughly, utterly bad.

A Fifth Grade Attendant from the prince's residence lay ahead, and behind them was a Fifth Grade expert from the Righteous Dao Alliance leading a force to wipe them out.

With so few of them, they had practically been driven into a hopeless situation.

The warehouse fell deathly silent, with only the sound of everyone's heavy breathing remaining.

Su Xin forced herself to calm down. She looked at the old woman and bowed. "Please instruct us, Senior."

Leaning on her wooden staff, the old woman slowly rose to her feet.

At that moment, her hunched body seemed to contain the strength of a mountain.

"What are you afraid of? When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it. Besides, the enemy is in the open while we are in the shadows. The advantage is ours!"

The old woman's cloudy eyes swept over everyone before finally stopping on Chen Fan in the corner.

"How is the plan to infiltrate the prince's residence progressing?"

Su Xin answered at once, "Chen Jinzhong has already learned that, since Li Zhong's death, security at the prince's residence has been tight, but the people inside are in a panic. This is the perfect opportunity for us to slip in through the gaps."

Her words drew everyone's attention to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan cursed inwardly. That woman had shoved him over the fire to roast again.

He could only steel himself and step forward. Bowing, he said, "This subordinate has found some leads, but I still need time."

"Time?" the old woman said hoarsely. "Time is the very thing we lack most."

She took a step forward, and the invisible pressure nearly drove Chen Fan to his knees.

"The Holy Maiden says your movement method is outstanding and that you are a useful talent."

The old woman walked slowly around him once, her cloudy eyes seeming to look through him from the inside out.

Chen Fan's heart leaped into his throat.

"The Dragon Traversing Sect..."

The old woman suddenly stopped and slowly uttered the name.

"As far as I know, the Dragon Traversing Sect is also a member of the Righteous Dao Alliance, isn't it?"