Chapter 39: Condition

"Just this?"

Li Musheng frowned, glanced down at the woman in red whose head was buried in the rubble, then shifted his gaze to the masked man.

The masked man did not know what Li Musheng meant; he was now completely shaken to his core by the other's previous strike.

Even facing the woman in red, he would have to be extremely cautious and wary, yet the other had nearly killed her with a casual slap—this power was truly too terrifying and horrifying!

Seeing the masked man stand stunned and silent, Li Musheng shook his head.

To avoid further trouble, he immediately lifted the man and the half-dead woman in red from the ground, leaped onto a nearby roof, and vanished in an instant.

Soon, Li Musheng returned silently to Cang Yin Yue's small courtyard and tossed the two people he was carrying onto the ground.

Hearing the noise, Cang Yin Yue, who was examining the unconscious old man on the ground with a look of shock and doubt, suddenly turned around.

She glanced at Li Musheng, who had appeared like a ghost, then her gaze immediately fell on the two people the other had brought back.

"Eh? Is this the Red Robed Fiendish Woman?"

Cang Yin Yue stared at the woman in red on the ground and exclaimed in surprise.

Although the other's face had long since become a mass of rotting flesh, making her true features unrecognizable, she recognized the black curved dagger dipped in poison held in the other's hand.

Hearing this, Li Musheng asked with a distinct lack of interest,

"What is her background?"

"A demonic woman on the Jianghu who practices her arts by seducing men; countless men have died at her hands. She especially likes to seduce virtuous husbands, sleep with them, and then kill them for amusement."

Cang Yin Yue explained briefly, then reached out and tore off the mask from the masked man's face.

"Lame Grass-Runner!"

Cang Yin Yue obviously recognized the other as well; then, her gaze swept over the unconscious old man on the ground and she said:

"If I am not mistaken, this should be the Dead-Faced Old Man!"

Speaking thus, Cang Yin Yue turned back to look at Li Musheng and said with no small amount of surprise:

"These three are all notorious villains on the Jianghu, bearing numerous murder cases on their backs, all listed on the Six Fan Gate's wanted posters. In such a short time, where did you catch them from?"

Just then, Cang Yin Yue had been interrogating the armored soldier in the secret chamber within her room; hearing a heavy thud in the courtyard, she had hurried out to check the situation.

The result was that she saw no trace of Li Musheng, but did see the unconscious old man in the courtyard; before she could figure out the cause of the matter, Li Musheng immediately brought back two more people, and both were wanted criminals of the imperial court.

"Right nearby; they delivered themselves to my door, seemingly fighting over something."

Li Musheng shrugged, then tossed the bronze-rusted token in his hand to Cang Yin Yue and said:

"They were likely after this thing; take a look and see if you recognize it?"

Seeing this, Cang Yin Yue took the token and examined it carefully under the moonlight for a while.

Soon, she took a sharp deep breath and could not help but exclaim in shock:

"This is actually the Hidden Kill Token!"

Li Musheng glanced at the other, raised an eyebrow, and said:

"Could it really be a treasure? But it doesn't look like one."

Cang Yin Yue flipped the token in her hand over and over, examining it for a while, then shook her head:

"I am not certain if this thing is real or fake; if it is real, then the Great Li Jianghu will likely see a storm of blood and wind again."

Then, without waiting for Li Musheng to ask, she proactively explained:

"This Hidden Kill Token comes from a very mysterious assassin organization on the Jianghu called the 'Hidden Kill Pavilion'; it is the seal worn by the Pavilion Master. It is said that obtaining the Hidden Kill Token allows one to command all the assassins of the Hidden Kill Pavilion."

Hearing this, Li Musheng could not help but chuckle and said:

"Is this rumor too childish? Commanding an entire assassin organization with a single token? It sounds unreliable no matter how you listen to it; surely no one actually believes it?"

Cang Yin Yue sighed lightly and said:

"You know only one aspect, not the other; the power of the Hidden Kill Pavilion spans the five kingdoms, from kings and ministers down to peddlers and porters; there is no one they dare not kill."

"And to command the entire Hidden Kill Pavilion, obtaining the Hidden Kill Token is only the first step; if one can also satisfy another condition, then it is indeed highly possible to control the entire Hidden Kill Pavilion."

"What condition?" Li Musheng was now stirred by a bit of curiosity.

Cang Yin Yue glanced at him and said slowly:

"The Hidden Kill Token reappears on the Jianghu every few decades, usually when the previous Pavilion Master is about to pass away, to select a new Pavilion Master."

"And this other condition is also the Hidden Kill Pavilion's test for the new Pavilion Master; anyone possessing the Hidden Kill Token who can survive three assassinations by assassins from the Hidden Kill Pavilion will succeed to the position of Pavilion Master and command all the assassins of the Hidden Kill Pavilion."

Hearing this, Li Musheng glanced at that bronze token and nodded slightly:

"That sounds somewhat reasonable after all?"

Just then, he saw Cang Yin Yue suddenly stuff the Hidden Kill Token back into his hand in a hurry.

"What are you doing?" Li Musheng showed a look of suspicion.

Cang Yin Yue frowned tightly and said:

"This thing is a hot potato; I dare not take it, or I might die without even knowing how; I advise you to throw it back where you got it from."

Li Musheng picked up the rust-spotted token and looked at it for a while, showing a thoughtful expression.

Seeing this, Cang Yin Yue was clearly startled and said:

"You wouldn't be thinking of keeping this thing in your hand, would you?"

Li Musheng rubbed his chin and said:

"What is wrong with that?"

Speaking thus, he stuffed the Hidden Kill Token back into his own chest and gently patted it with his hand.

Cang Yin Yue widened her eyes, which were like autumn water, and the whole person froze for a moment; immediately, she felt a desire to avoid Li Musheng like a snake or a scorpion, wishing to drive him out of her small courtyard.

"Miss Cang, stop staring; hurry up and help me interrogate the whereabouts of the Tianqi Secret Treasury Key."

Li Musheng spoke carelessly, then his gaze swept over the three people in the courtyard and he said:

"Since they are all evil wanted criminals, leave them to Miss Cang for disposal; consider it my payment for your work tonight; perhaps soon you will get a promotion and raise at the Six Fan Gate."

Hearing this, Cang Yin Yue gradually calmed her emotions and looked deeply at Li Musheng.

The Six Gates naturally have their own promotion system; capturing important fugitives and establishing merit is indeed one of the important paths within it.

The three before her were utterly villainous, and their martial arts cultivation was profound; according to the Six Gates' assessment of their strength, they should all possess power close to that of a Half-Step Grandmaster.

Normally, when she saw these three, she could only take a detour and hide; how would she dare to capture them? Now that the three had fallen into her hands, it was indeed a huge merit.

Cang Yin Yue's eyes flickered as she pondered for a moment, then said:

"They have seen your face; handing them over to the Six Gates will surely expose your identity."

As she spoke, a sharp gleam flashed in her eyes; in the next instant, a blade's light suddenly appeared from her hand.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Three blade lights swept across the necks of the three on the ground; in a single instant, all three were killed by a single fatal strike.

Only then did Cang Yin Yue's cold voice sound:

"Only the dead leak nothing."

(End of this chapter)