Chapter 22

The man in black said that the gatekeeper lived inside, and they used the nightingale's call as a signal, seven long and four short, but Qin Sang couldn't imitate the nightingale's call, so he had to hide in the dark and summon Yama.

"Go in..."

Qin Sang stared at the courtyard, hesitated for a moment, and then said in a deep voice, "Kill everyone inside!"

Yama went through the wall, and then Qin Sang also climbed over the wall, entering the courtyard. He just happened to see Yama pulling out the soul of a middle-aged man.

This man looked exactly like the one described by the man in black; he was the gatekeeper!

Finding the right person, Qin Sang secretly rejoiced and immediately began the interrogation.

What he was most concerned about was how many people knew about Old Wu and the man in black's activities at Qingyang Temple.

If this gatekeeper reported it, he would pursue relentlessly, even if it meant going after the head of Jiangshan Tower!

Qin Sang saw that even in the face of martial arts experts, Yama remained invincible.

Old Wu, the man in black, and the gatekeeper were all top killers of Jiangshan Tower and considered first-class experts in the martial world, yet they died silently without any resistance.

No matter how high one's martial arts skills were, they couldn't withstand Yama.

Moreover, he could obtain the most accurate information.

Qin Sang quickly got the information he wanted and his tense expression relaxed.

It turned out that the organization of Jiangshan Tower was even more tightly structured than he had imagined. There were branches in every county, and although the gatekeeper was a core figure of Jiangshan Tower, to prevent being traced, he did not know the locations of the branches and did not have the authority to contact them individually.

Even in emergencies, he had to send out signals and wait for the branch to contact him.

This gatekeeper had not been in Sanwu City for long. Today was the first time the branch contacted him to issue a mission, so although he had records of the tasks, he had not reported them.

The man in black had gone to Qingyang Temple to investigate and informed the gatekeeper, but before the results were out, the gatekeeper had not publicized it.

Hearing this, Qin Sang was relieved. As long as he burned the gatekeeper's notes, all the clues would end here.

However, to completely remove Qingyang Temple, he needed some more tricks. Qin Sang immediately began questioning the gatekeeper about the identities and hiding places of all the killers who were lying low in Sanwu City. Due to the mission, the gatekeeper had released a message to gather the killers, who were now hiding in a house outside the city.

After getting all the information, the gatekeeper's soul was about to disappear.

Qin Sang now had a better understanding of Jiangshan Tower's mission. Not only were the six killers under the gatekeeper's responsibility activated, but there were other gatekeepers lying low in Zhen Shui County, all moving towards Sanwu City. This operation would gather nearly thirty killers.

Who was their target, to warrant such a large-scale operation?

Out of curiosity, Qin Sang asked, and he heard a shocking answer.

"Princess Dongyang!"

Their target was Princess Dongyang, the daughter of Duke Dongyang and the current emperor's niece!

A mere assassin organization dared to challenge the government's power and assassinate a princess, which was hard for Qin Sang to imagine. Was the head of Jiangshan Tower so reckless that he wasn't afraid of being destroyed?

Upon asking, he learned that this wasn't the first time Jiangshan Tower had killed an official. Even ten years ago, a governor was assassinated in broad daylight, shocking the entire Great Sui, and it was done by Jiangshan Tower.

When this happened, the previous emperor was furious, but Jiangshan Tower continued to thrive.

Moreover, the name "Princess Dongyang" made Qin Sang's expression change. He couldn't help but think of the young lady who had never shown her face on the boat. Could she be Princess Dongyang?

He hurriedly asked for more details.

According to Jiangshan Tower's intelligence, Princess Dongyang had publicly gone to Chunyang Manor to escape the heat days ago, but she had secretly left and disappeared.

Jiangshan Tower had been tracking her and only recently found some clues. Princess Dongyang and some of her attendants had disguised themselves as merchants and secretly entered Zhen Shui County. If everything went as planned, they would reach Sanwu City by noon today.

The Sanwu City branch planned to set an ambush at Luoma Mountain outside the eastern city.

Qin Sang was familiar with the people of Wuwei Escort Agency and had seen the map of the escort agency, so he knew the terrain around Sanwu City well. Luoma Mountain was sparsely populated, with steep cliffs and a road carved along the cliff face, with a deep river below. The terrain was very suitable for an ambush.

Qin Sang wanted to ask more details, but the gatekeeper's soul had run out of time and turned into a cloud of soul mist.

Qin Sang had to think carefully. He had two paths in front of him.

One path was to pretend he knew nothing, take care of his own affairs, and flee far away.

The second path was to take a risk and save the princess.

Not to mention that his savior, Bai Jianglan, might also be there.

The Yama Banner and Yama's strange abilities made Qin Sang almost certain that the "Yinming Scripture" was not just an ordinary martial arts technique but was very likely a cultivation method.

To ordinary people, he could now be considered a master of immortality.

Perhaps a demon or a devil would be more appropriate.

He knew nothing about cultivation. The "Yinming Scripture" and the Yama Banner were obtained from the man in black, and they were very evil, involving ghost control and killing. If he rashly sought immortality and encountered a righteous young swordsman who hated evil, it would be a bitter irony.

Moreover, the world was vast, and finding a connection to immortality was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Using the power of the nobility to meet other immortality masters and gradually explore the world of cultivation might be a more prudent approach.

While thinking, Qin Sang did not stop. Dawn was approaching, and time was running out.

He went into the house and found a stack of books under the gatekeeper's bed. These were the gatekeeper's notes, but they were all fake.

Each time he recorded, he wrote one true and one false entry, leaving the false ones here and the true ones with a woman named Li, who was a madam in Hongchen Lane.

This Li madam was also a Jiangshan Tower killer, with a somewhat eccentric personality. She liked to hide in the pleasure quarters, entertaining people with her beauty. The gatekeeper trusted her very much, and they were also lovers.

To avoid alarming anyone, Qin Sang took all the fake notes.

He did not touch the gatekeeper's house and immediately went to Hongchen Lane.

At this hour, Hongchen Lane was still bustling with people. Qin Sang had to disguise himself to enter Li madam's room.

Li madam was entertaining a guest in her room. Qin Sang had no choice but to apologize and kill both of them, find the real notes, take them out, and burn them all. He then went out of the city to find the other three killers, leaving none alive, and finally set fire to the house to thoroughly muddy the waters.

After a busy morning, the sky was already bright. Qin Sang mounted his horse and headed east, deciding to seize this opportunity and try to infiltrate Princess Dongyang's entourage to slowly understand the world of cultivators!

Afraid of Jiangshan Tower's spies, he did not take the main road to Luoma Mountain but took a small path.

By the end of the third watch, he had circled around Luoma Mountain. He stopped his horse, looked back at the direction of Sanwu City, and wondered if Jiangshan Tower would still act after his disturbance.