Chapter 58

Frightening Visitor

All the intelligence agencies of the righteous and evil factions were frantically searching through the province of Hunan, where the great Lake Dongting was located, to pinpoint Moxiang's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Moxiang was leisurely walking along the mountain paths of Hubei. Although hiding his tracks on these mountain paths had made him a bit annoyed by bandits, the additional income from them was quite substantial, and Moxiang secretly found it somewhat amusing.

The place Moxiang was heading to was the Shalam (Assassin's Curtain). The main reason for the recent commotion was that Xue Wuzhi, who could be considered Moxiang's brain, had made a decision without fully grasping the strength of the organization Moxiang led.

Xue Wuzhi advised Moxiang to secure an intelligence agency. However, Xue Wuzhi, who still did not fully understand the strength of Moxiang's forces, could not take Moxiang's claim that his power was about 40% of the Demon Sect's at face value. Therefore, he suggested the absorption of Shalam, a small assassination organization. Originally, assassination organizations possess a certain level of excellent intelligence-gathering ability, as they need to easily and surely eliminate their targets.

While Shalam used to be a significant organization, it had declined due to the rise of the new force, the Black Moon Society. Xue Wuzhi thought that even if Moxiang's strength was at its minimum, he could still absorb them. On the other hand, Wuying Gate and the Demon Sect were well aware of the terrifying power of Moxiang's forces, so when they considered the largest intelligence agency that could be absorbed by their strength, they pointed to Haomen, the best information network of the evil faction. This is where their plans diverged.

Moxiang arrived at Shalam without much difficulty. As Xue Wuzhi had said, he went to the large manor located in Dahuang Mountain. The sign on the manor read "Baoyun Manor" in large characters, indicating that it was a manor with a long tradition, as it appeared somewhat old. Moxiang spoke to a man who was unusually tall and imposing for a gatekeeper of a rural manor.

"I have something to say to the manor owner. Please tell him to spare some time."

"What did you say?"

Despite his shabby appearance, Moxiang's abrupt request to see the manor owner made the guard respond rudely, as if he had seen all sorts of crazy people. In response, there was no reason for Moxiang to speak politely.

"Is this guy deaf? I have something to say to the manor owner. Please tell him to spare some time."

"Who do you think you are...? The manor owner has no business with someone like you. Get lost while you still can."

"You should call the manor owner while you still can."

"This guy..."

At the same time, the giant, despite his size, swiftly threw a punch. Although he noticed that Moxiang was carrying a sword, he did not use much internal energy, thinking Moxiang looked like a scholar. However, he believed that even without much effort, the impact would be enough to knock Moxiang out. But that was only if he hit him...

Moxiang easily dodged by twisting his body and swiftly grabbed the giant's wrist with his left hand. At first, the giant thought, "What kind of guy is this?" but soon he had to change his mind. The terrifying pressure made it hard to breathe, and his strength drained from his body. He found himself hanging in the air, held by the neck by someone who seemed as weak as a chicken.

'He's an incredible expert.'

At this moment, a mocking voice came from the other side.

"Do you want to die now?"

Anyone who has been grabbed by a rough hand knows the feeling: the hair on their body stands up, their breath is cut off, and a primal fear rises...

The giant shook his head vigorously. At the same time, the other man released his grip on his neck, and the giant's body, drained of strength, fell to the ground, landing on his buttocks.

"Tell the manor owner that I have come."

Realizing that the other man was a highly skilled martial artist, the giant slowly stood up and asked in a somewhat servile manner.

"Who... who is the high person who has come?"

"Kid, you finally understand. Tell him that the Deputy Leader of the Demon Sect, Moxiang, has come."

The title of Deputy Leader of the Demon Sect carried immense power. The Demon Sect was the leader of the evil faction, and its martial arts were so vicious and powerful that they had made the entire martial world tremble many times. The Deputy Leader... The giant, with his bulky frame, flew like a feather and disappeared into the manor like the wind.

Soon, several strong men came out and politely escorted Moxiang inside. The room Moxiang was led to was quite large, with a large table in the center and chairs densely arranged, indicating it was a meeting room. Moxiang sat in one of the chairs, and a servant woman politely served tea and left. However, the owner did not appear for a long time, so Moxiang slowly sipped the tea and waited.

'This is bitter...'

Moxiang thought the tea was unusually bitter.

'Is it the owner's taste or mine...?'

After nearly half an hour, the owner finally appeared, sitting in a wheeled chair and being pushed by a man. Moxiang watched the woman enter with an even more bitter expression. She had unusually fair skin, a clear forehead, bright and large eyes, a small mouth with a reddish hue, and a slender figure, making her an outstanding beauty. However, her disability was a problem.

"Are you the owner of the manor?"

In response to Moxiang's question, she answered coldly.

"Yes."

"If so, you must be the leader of Shalam. Is that correct?"

The woman replied with an even colder expression.

"If so, what then?"

"I don't like beating around the bush. To the point, do you have any intention of joining under me?"

"..."

"You must have an intelligence organization, so I'll skip the introduction."

After a brief pause, the woman slowly spoke.

"How should I respond to such a sudden proposal?"

"Hehehe, you wouldn't dare refuse my proposal, would you?"

Moxiang, with a wicked smile, deliberately emitted a strong aura of malice and evil to create a terrifying atmosphere and began to intimidate her. The people in the room all turned pale and used their internal energy to the utmost to ward off the evil aura. They had been active in the martial world for a long time, but this was the first time they had encountered such a vicious aura. Moxiang took it a step further, pulling out the Moxingbi (Ink Shadow Dagger) from his sleeve and touching the blade, creating an even more intense atmosphere of pressure and fear.

"You know my skills well... Do you dare refuse my request based on the strength of this insignificant rural sect? Do you want to see a coffin to come to your senses?"

"..."

"Hehehe, or do you have some solid confidence somewhere?"

Moxiang slowly stood up and approached the woman, who was pale with fear. As he moved, a terrifying aura and a red mist emanated from Moxiang's body, and his skin glowed red, becoming even more bizarre.

"You seem to be confident that I came alone. I can easily take care of these people here."

Moxiang suddenly grabbed the woman's chin and turned her head towards him, causing her to scream in shock.

"Black!"

"Hehehe, not bad. Hehehe..."

What would it feel like if a man, emitting terrifying killing intent and malice, with no trace of lust in his cold eyes, slightly tilted a sharp dagger and rubbed it against his cheek? The woman, who had never experienced such a bizarre situation, was on the verge of fainting due to the man in front of her, who looked like a demon.

"I made you wait for half an hour, so I've given you enough time. Make your decision quickly! Do you want to die now, or join under me?"

Bang!

The sound of Moxiang striking the table with his internal energy to add to the intimidation was good, but at that moment, a faint smell of urine wafted into Moxiang's nose. The woman must have been so frightened that she had an accident...

'Hmm, did I go too far?'

Moxiang pretended not to notice, put the dagger back in his sleeve, and returned to his seat, pushing through with the act he had started.

"Made your decision!"

As Moxiang moved away, the woman, who had regained some composure, answered in a mosquito-like voice.

"Even if the result is death, I cannot accept your... your threat."

"Hmm, not bad..."

Suddenly, all the malice and killing intent emanating from Moxiang's body disappeared. Moxiang leaned on one arm and relaxed in his chair, speaking calmly.

"Since you don't want to join, there's nothing I can do. I didn't plan to force you from the beginning, given the uncertain future. Even if you work hard under me, I can't guarantee that we will share glory. By the way, on my way here, I met some well-trained pursuers. I managed to shake them off, but they might follow my scent here. It would be wise to move to a different location. I have many enemies... They might not believe that you refused my request and decide to eliminate you first. By the way, do you know of any skilled intelligence agencies in the evil faction?"

The woman, who had regained some composure, immediately answered.

"Of course, it's Haomen."

She wanted to say, "Don't you know that?" but didn't have the courage to say it.

"Where is it located?"

"In Qianyinglou, Junshan."

"Good. I've finished my business... I'll be on my way."

Moxiang stood up to leave but turned back and said.

"By the way, it's good to set up hidden weapons, but you don't need to pretend to be disabled in that chair. I'll consider your words as the opinion of the people in this room. Tell the leader that if we meet again, I don't want a proxy. Then..."

At the same time, Moxiang's figure disappeared from the spot.

After Moxiang left, the woman, exhausted by the intense fear, sat there in a daze. The door to the adjacent room opened, and a man in his mid-30s with a sturdy build walked out. Behind him, about ten swordsmen were visible. The man slowly walked to the seat Moxiang had occupied and sat down.

"Bring tea."

"Yes!"

"Considering the chaos in the martial world, I thought it was a remarkable person, but he seems to have a rather eccentric personality."

The man turned to the back and shouted.

"Dongshuo!"

A man in yellow clothing, standing by the door, ran forward and bowed.

"Yes."

"Move the headquarters to Qinghe Manor. Implement it immediately. This place is too well-known."

"Yes, sir!"

As the subordinates left to prepare, the woman shivered, trying to shake off her fear, and spoke.

"Aah... It was really scary."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know he was such a strange person and put you in front."

"But we learned a few things thanks to him..."

"Shui, what do you think is the best course of action? Should we return to the blood-soaked martial world or remain as observers?"

"He seems to be heading to Haomen. Do you think he has the ability to take over Haomen?"

"I'm not sure. We don't have much information about him. However, given that the Martial World Alliance and the Demon Sect are vigilantly guarding against his growing power, he might have that ability."

"If he takes over Haomen, the need for our organization will disappear. From his actions so far, he has always chosen direct confrontation and never resorted to assassination. So, his visit here was probably to gather information. What do you think, brother? Should we join him or stay independent?"

"Joining such a remarkable person would not be a bad choice. From his words, he is not a bloodthirsty demon. The problem is that if we don't join him, we must either leave the martial world completely or contribute to his downfall to avoid future trouble. In my opinion, a blood storm might be caused by him."

"Do you think we can assassinate him, brother?"

The man thought for a moment and replied in a weak voice.

"If my senses were still sharp... By my senses, he felt like a very difficult opponent. We might succeed, but... I have no confidence."

"Then let's join him. If we join him before he takes over Haomen, he will likely favor us more. By the way, how did he know my legs were fine and that you were here?"

"I'm not sure, but... When a person with internal energy wants to know the condition of their opponent, they usually use their internal energy to investigate. But in his case, it's probably not just the Xianjing level, but rather the Talmah level. At that level, he can probably send his internal energy through the air to investigate the condition of his opponent without touching them. And he might have detected the aura you emitted. I pride myself on my ability to hide my aura as an assassin..."

Amnesia

Moxiang left Baoyun Manor and planned to travel 100 li