Chapter 79

The Heavenly Pool Twelve Assassins are a hitman organization that takes on jobs for money, never asking for reasons. With the twelve members' formidable martial arts skills, they quickly established a foothold in the hitman industry.

The Five Gates and Seven Sects each control their own territories, appearing calm on the surface, but in reality, there are undercurrents of tension. They frequently attack each other, but they try to keep their conflicts under control. The Five Gates and Seven Sects, like twelve feudal lords, control the Central Plains, and the larger the territory they control, the more benefits they gain. Every month, the various shops under their control send tributes, and the Five Gates and Seven Sects are large factions with thousands of disciples. How can they manage their clothing, food, housing, and transportation without money? Preparing for battles is also a costly affair, and during conflicts, casualties are inevitable, which requires a significant amount of compensation.

This creates a vicious cycle. If the territory is not large enough, there is not enough income, and without enough income, they cannot support so many disciples. Moreover, many people come to join them out of admiration. These people, who bring their own skills, are not without a reputation in the江湖 (jianghu, the world of martial arts). Therefore, the Five Gates and Seven Sects constantly suppress and merge smaller factions, desperately expanding their territories. Establishments like the taverns, money shops, and brothels run by Li She are the main sources of income for these factions, acting as cash cows and providing various conveniences.

The money shops and draft houses transport large amounts of silver every month. Although the Five Gates and Seven Sects are powerful, they are not all-powerful. Naturally, during the transportation of silver, they pass through some remote areas, where some bandits only take a fee to let the vehicles pass. After all, this is not a one-time deal. However, the Heavenly Pool Twelve Assassins are different; they rob and kill with ruthless efficiency.

Moreover, the Twelve Assassins are highly skilled in martial arts, not inferior to the leaders of ordinary factions. Together, the twelve of them can even make the Five Gates and Seven Sects temporarily retreat.

The Heavenly Pool Twelve Assassins consist of: Tong Huang, Tiezhou Xian, Shiwei Xian, Zitanhua, Dog King, Ghost Shadow, Xibao, Fuchang, Fusi, Shouwu, Zudao, and Matchmaker, thirteen people in total. Tong Huang is a pair of twin sisters who share a telepathic connection. They can induce hallucinations with the "Childheart Sutra," and their innocent appearance has led to the deaths of many famous martial artists.

Tiezhou Xian is always accompanied by an iron broom, taking pride in sweeping. However, his personality is fierce, with a heart that can kill gods.

Shiwei Xian is aggressive and prioritizes food. He possesses the "Battle Heaven Transformation Qi" technique, which can transform food into boundless fighting spirit, making his strength surging and powerful.

Zitanhua has a unique appearance, with a flatter body than the average person. However, his internal cultivation is profound, allowing him to control paper to kill enemies. His most powerful move is the "Heavenly Sword Paper," which integrates internal energy into paper to control it and kill enemies.

Dog King loves dogs and can communicate with them. His body is covered in excess flesh, and he practices the "Roaring God Manual," which has unimaginable power. The "Roaring God Manual" uses the roar of a mad dog to attack the enemy's hearing, with unimaginable power.

Ghost Shadow is the oldest among the Twelve Assassins. He has mastered the highest level of Japanese ninjutsu, the "Ghost Shadow Technique," which allows him to kill in the dark, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.

Xibao never shows his true face, expressing his emotions through masks. He has created the "Four Illusions of Emotion," making it impossible for enemies to guard against them. The "Four Illusions of Emotion" attack enemies through masks, making it impossible for enemies to guard against them.

Fuchang is the husband of Fusi, and they have been loving each other for many years. In terms of martial arts, he is skilled in using a long life cane, which is unpredictable.

Fusi shares a telepathic connection with her husband, and they practice the same martial arts, assisting Fuchang in battle, making their efforts more effective.

Shouwu is the older brother of Zudao, the youngest of the Twelve Assassins. Despite his youth, he has practiced the external evil skill "Bone-Tearing Claw" for decades. The "Bone-Tearing Claw" is an external evil skill that can tear bones and sever tendons.

Zudao's special skill is the "Cripple Leg," which is cruel and violent. When used in conjunction with Shouwu's "Bone-Tearing Claw," it becomes even more vicious.

Matchmaker is sweet-talking and treacherous, using a large fan to summon snakes for battle. She is also skilled in using poison, known as "Dark Three."

Each of the thirteen members is extraordinary, capable of standing on their own. This is why Li She has the intention to recruit them.

He can manipulate the fate of the world by understanding the plot of stories. If the plot is disrupted, he doesn't know what fate the world's will would assign to the favored ones.

The Heavenly Pool Twelve Assassins have no fixed base, and no one knows where their headquarters is. These people are like terrorists, striking and then moving to a new location.

To lure out the Heavenly Pool Twelve Assassins, all one needs to do is spread the news that the Mandala Manor's money shop will be transporting a large amount of silver. The Twelve Assassins, who value money, will surely take action.

Jiangnan has always been a wealthy region, known as the land of fish and rice. The Mandala Manor's money shop is the largest in the area, with monthly transactions amounting to hundreds of thousands of silver taels.

With Li She, the owner of the Mandala Manor, present, the shopkeeper is naturally extra cautious. After reporting a series of situations, Li She asked, "How much silver is left in the money shop?"

"Master, there are currently 600,000 taels of silver in inventory," the shopkeeper replied.

Li She thought, "600,000 taels of silver should be enough to lure out the Heavenly Pool Twelve Assassins." He then ordered the shopkeeper to load all the silver onto carts, preparing to transport it to the Mandala Manor.

600,000 taels of silver filled thirty large carts. Red banners were placed on each cart, and a famous local escort agency was hired to escort the convoy. The preparation took four days, giving the Heavenly Pool Twelve Assassins ample time to prepare.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Pool Twelve Assassins had already gathered.

"Boss, the Mandala Money Shop is transporting 600,000 taels of silver again. Let's hit them one more time," Matchmaker said, fanning herself.

Tong Huang's twin sisters spoke in unison, "Do we even need to say it? Such a large sum of silver, how can we miss it? Dog King, Ghost Shadow, you two are responsible for tracking and investigating their route. The rest of us will set up an ambush."

Dog King, playing with a puppy in his arms, smiled and said, "Boss, nothing can escape my Dog King's nose."

"No one can hide from my tracking," Ghost Shadow said proudly.

"Good, the rest of you stay here and wait," the twin sisters said in unison.

The efficiency of the Heavenly Pool Twelve Assassins is extraordinary. Dog King observed the money shop from a distance. At night, he sent a small yellow dog into the courtyard through a door crack. Although the money shop had hired many guards, the small dog naturally did not attract attention.

The small dog slowly walked to the cart filled with silver, lifted its leg, and urinated on the wheel. After finishing, it wandered away. A small dog urinating in the courtyard was not a big deal and did not attract attention.

Dog King, holding the puppy, smiled contentedly, "My son is so good. Tonight, I'll cook you a roasted chicken."

The puppy in his arms seemed to understand Dog King's words, barked twice, and rubbed against him. With the smell of the puppy's urine, Dog King could track the convoy within a five-mile radius.

Ghost Shadow had already infiltrated the silver vault, using Japanese ninjutsu to hide in the darkness.

Sitting in the room, Li She naturally sensed the movements of Ghost Shadow and Dog King.

"A Japanese ninjutsu assassin and a tracking expert by smell? Interesting," Li She muttered to himself.

Since the Heavenly Pool Twelve Assassins have taken action, the convoy can set out tomorrow. Thirty carts filled with silver, escorted by over a hundred guards, left the city with great fanfare. Li She, disguised as a helper, drove a cart, hiding in the crowd.

Li She paid attention to Ghost Shadow and Dog King, who were following behind, to see what they would do.

Ghost Shadow's stealth technique was indeed excellent, embodying the essence of Japanese ninjutsu, making him stealthy and elusive. His presence was completely hidden, but no matter how well he concealed himself, he could not hide his life force. Li She, with his eyes closed, could sense his vitality, which appeared as a dense green light in his mind. The deep green life force indicated that this person was full of vitality, a sign of advanced internal cultivation.

As they traveled, the unremarkable stray dogs by the roadside barked at each other, seemingly insignificant but actually passing signals. Li She was certain these dogs belonged to Dog King, and their barks were conveying information.

Sure enough, as they left Jiangnan and entered the mountainous area, the road became increasingly difficult. Li She, sensing the eleven dense green life forces through the yin energy, knew they were coming.

"They're here," Li She thought, pretending to be asleep.

Sure enough, when the convoy reached the most rugged part of the mountain road, Shiwei Xian, hiding on the mountain top, roared and pushed a huge boulder down. The deafening sound of the boulder rolling down immediately blocked the narrow road.

The guards of the escort agency were on high alert. "Be on guard, everyone be on guard!" the head guard shouted.

Seeing the road blocked, the head guard, with years of experience, knew that the situation was not good. However, he still hoped that they could pass through with a payment, relying on the reputation of the escort agency.

Holding a ghost-headed saber, he shouted, "Which friend from the jianghu is this? I, from the Zhenwei Escort Agency, am borrowing a path and am willing to offer 500 taels of silver for a drink!"

A clear child's voice drifted from a distance, "Hmph, Zhenwei Escort Agency? Never heard of it. Today, the Mandala Money Shop is transporting 600,000 taels of silver. You think 500 taels will satisfy us, the Heavenly Pool Twelve Assassins? Too cheap. Attack!"

With Tong Huang's order, Ghost Shadow, who had been hiding behind the convoy, was the first to act. His two-foot-long short blade, gleaming with a dark black luster, easily slit the throats of the guards beside him with two swift cuts.