Chapter 52: The Lurker, The Preparer

At the time the top-tier assassins launched their operation.

The Wuji Assassin Corps was not the only one targeting Hou Gong and the Heavenly Palace Sect. In the room below where Hou Gong stayed on the fourth floor, there were people who were waiting for an opportunity.

None other than the Yinshan Five Assassins.

Seven days ago.

When they had conflicts with the Heavenly Palace Sect, they made a vow.

‘We’ll see about that.’

So,

Since that day, they have been tracking and observing.

People live with their own beliefs. Without a belief, one cannot maintain a foothold in a harsh world. They would be swept away, swaying back and forth. In this sense, the Yinshan Five Assassins were observing under a firm belief. They were people who considered their promises to themselves to be the most important.

However, they couldn't just keep observing forever.

The Yinshan Five Assassins were counting down the days for the operation and had finally decided to put Hou Gong to eternal sleep this night.

Originally, they planned to attack yesterday.

But they held back after seeing the martial arts displayed by the Heavenly Palace Sect when they caught the tracking hawk from a distance.

‘Let’s wait a bit longer.’

Their patience seemed to be growing day by day.

Thus, it was postponed until today.

They also decided that a surprise attack would be better than a full-scale battle.

Finally, this night.

They successfully secured a room below the Heavenly Palace Sect's Grand Master Tianhua Xiegu. They had reached a point where they no longer needed to exercise patience.

- Prepare yourselves.

The leader of the Yinshan Five Assassins sent a mental message.

He was sixty-three this year.

The Golden Red Robe had made him constantly recall his age, which he usually forgot.

Immediately, the four younger members nodded and their eyes gleamed.

The plan was simple.

Break through the ceiling and subdue the Grand Master of the Heavenly Palace Sect in the room above.

Her name was Songhua, a pretty maid who was only there to prepare tea.

The Grand Master of the Heavenly Palace Sect was the key figure in this group.

They had been able to grasp the entire situation while following them.

The roles of the Wuji Assassin Corps and the Heavenly Palace Sect, the circumstances, and the identities of the members.

They didn’t pay much attention, but the Heavenly Palace Sect was so noisy that it was hard not to know, and they almost naturally figured it out.

Just as the Yinshan Five Assassins were about to explosively release the energy they had been hiding,

“This brat!”

The shout of the Golden Red Robe echoed loudly.

Caught off guard by the unexpected shout, the Yinshan Five Assassins were startled and shrank back.

“Ugh...”

They were about to release their energy, but the qi and blood reversed, causing a few of them to clutch their chests and cover their mouths.

The angry shouts of the Golden Red Robe continued.

“The young brat’s mischief has no end!”

With a loud noise, the upper floor became chaotic as the Heavenly Palace Sect, led by the Golden Red Robe, rushed into the room.

The leader of the Yinshan Five Assassins frowned.

With everyone gathered, the meaning of a surprise attack was lost.

- Let’s wait a bit longer.

- Yes.

It was a natural decision. The commotion would calm down soon anyway.

The Heavenly Palace Sect was always like this, wasn’t it?

They had been patient so far, so a little more wouldn’t matter.

- The Golden Red Robe is definitely the one, but how could he have become so messed up?

- He must have been drugged.

- I don’t understand what the leader of the Heavenly Palace Sect is trying to do.

- The old Jianghu wasn’t like this. How did it become so chaotic and unreasonable?

While the Yinshan Five Assassins sighed and decided to wait longer, the atmosphere on the upper floor of the Heavenly Palace Sect was extremely tense.

The Golden Red Robe and the Wushan Twin Heroes arrived with a fierce aura, causing the Three Heroes of the Demon Suppression and Miao Bingbing to rush into the room.

“What impertinence!”

Songhua, who had just put down the teacup, spread her arms to block her master. The enraged Golden Red Robe didn’t care about Songhua.

“Move out of the way!”

The Golden Red Robe’s shout was filled with internal energy, causing Songhua to stagger.

Hou Gong stroked his chin.

Songhua’s concern was commendable, but the Golden Red Robe was not someone she could handle.

“Songhua, step back.”

“But, Master...”

Hou Gong smiled and nodded, indicating it was fine. Then he looked at the Golden Red Robe.

“What is the matter, sir?”

He had already heard the conversation on the roof.

At the same time, he was also paying attention to the reactions downstairs.

He knew that the five who had caused trouble at the inn were waiting for an opportunity, so he had been prepared. With the Heavenly Palace Sect rushing in, the situation downstairs was no longer a concern.

“Do you not know?”

“Please tell me.”

“What right do you have to appoint the leader of the Heavenly Palace Sect? Why are you doing things that aren’t asked of you?”

Miao Bingbing’s eyes widened.

She was the only one who didn’t know what was going on.

“The leader of the Heavenly Palace Sect? Fan Gongzi, I never thought you were such a scoundrel. How can someone secretly appoint someone else as the leader?”

Everyone hesitated and looked at Miao Bingbing.

Xiao Tiankai frowned and muttered, “Where did the ‘sir’ go?”

Even the Golden Red Robe, who had been angry, stared at Miao Bingbing with a blank face for a moment.

But Miao Bingbing wasn’t the type to care about such things.

“It’s ridiculous. How can you appoint the leader of the Heavenly Palace Sect without even catching a bird? Who did Fan Gongzi appoint as the leader? Could it be me? Even if it is, you should have given me a heads-up.”

Hou Gong didn’t have a chance to answer.

“No way!”

The Golden Red Robe shouted.

The shout was so loud that not only Miao Bingbing but everyone else was startled, then frowned and looked at him. Even the Yinshan Five Assassins in the room below were startled and slightly alarmed.

The Golden Red Robe glared at Hou Gong.

“Your tricks are not good. This is a warning. Next time, it won’t end with words.”

“Indeed, that’s quite something.”

Hou Gong smiled and sipped his tea.

“Of course, it’s quite something.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m just surprised that I was so important. It makes me feel a bit arrogant.”

“What?”

“So, what you’re saying is, if I admit it, anyone can be the leader of the Heavenly Palace Sect?”

The Golden Red Robe shook his head.

“No way. It’s impossible.”

“Then why are you so angry?”

“...”

“If I claim it, no one will accept it anyway. Is that something to be angry about?”

“...”

The Golden Red Robe was speechless.

His eyes darted around as if he was trying to find something to say, but he only bit his lip.

The awkwardness was broken by the Wushan Twin Heroes.

“You made the master angry because you’re impolite! We’ve been working day and night to protect you, and have you ever said ‘thank you’ or ‘you’ve worked hard’?”

Hou Gong looked at the Wushan Twin Heroes.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“...Huh?”

“I’m also grateful.”

“...”

The Wushan Twin Heroes, who had only seen Hou Gong as arrogant, were stunned and didn’t know how to respond, becoming speechless like the Golden Red Robe.

The Three Heroes of the Demon Suppression smiled, and Yin Yangkai and Xiao Tiankai chuckled quietly.

Hou Gong spoke.

“For whatever reason, it’s a good thing. I have no role in the leadership of the Heavenly Palace Sect, so let’s move on to another topic. I wanted to talk to the members of the Heavenly Palace Sect tonight. Since everyone is here, let’s discuss the Wuji Assassin Corps.”

“The Wuji Assassin Corps? Are you still worried about them?”

The Three Heroes of the Demon Suppression laughed.

The others felt the same.

“Ha ha, you look tough, but you’re a coward and a scaredy-cat.”

“I thought you were calm and collected, but you’re actually trembling inside. That’s amusing.”

“The assassins won’t come. They might come if possessed by a moth flying into a flame. Even if they do, who can touch you with us right here?”

“Fan Gongzi! Don’t be such a scaredy-cat!”

Miao Bingbing also shouted sharply.

“Hmm...”

Hou Gong sighed and bit his lower lip.

‘I didn’t want to do this...’

For the first time since meeting Miao Bingbing, Hou Gong felt the urge to do something to Bai Huazhuang. He was genuinely curious about how she had been raised, as the Bai Huazhuang he had seen before seemed fine.

After calming himself, Hou Gong nodded.

“Miss Miao, I’m very scared and worried. The tracking hawk is still following us. If the Extermination Sect is on the rise, the Wuji Assassin Corps would need every hand they can get. They wouldn’t just follow to observe.”

“...”

“Tonight is the seventh day since the first ambush. It’s a good time to let your guard down. The Wuji Assassin Corps doesn’t have much time left. About four days, including today. They will take action in some way within that time.”

“What’s with the sudden four days?”

The Three Heroes of the Demon Suppression asked.

Everyone had the same question, so all eyes were on Hou Gong.

“We will arrive at the Medicine King Sect in five days. And around the third day, we will enter the influence of the Nangong Clan.”

“...”

“As I mentioned earlier, the Wuji Assassin Corps is under pressure from the Extermination Sect. It would be a problem for them to cause trouble in the Nangong Clan’s territory, as it would only escalate the situation. Therefore, the Wuji Assassin Corps has only four days left.”

“...”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

It made sense.

Or rather, the situation was vividly clear in their minds.

So,

‘What is this guy?’

He was said to have lived buried in books and in seclusion during a bleak era, yet his situation analysis was more seasoned than that of experienced Jianghu figures.

Even though he was a bookworm, he had a sense of distance and an understanding of the influence of martial arts families. Everyone’s eyes narrowed in surprise.

Only Yin Yangkai and Xiao Tiankai, who had already tasted the flavor of the Grand Master of the Heavenly Palace Sect, nodded as if it was natural.

“A reasonable analysis, but whether it’s three days or ten days, it doesn’t matter.”

“The Wuji Assassin Corps will die if they come. They will die the moment they show up.”

The Wushan Twin Heroes said indifferently.

Hou Gong shook his head.

“Of course, if they just try to ambush us, the assassins will die. But if they use another method, we might be the ones to die.”

“There’s no other way.”

“If the Wuji Assassin Corps uses poison, it will be difficult to deal with. Especially if it’s spread in the air, it will be even more troublesome. I doubt the Heavenly Palace Sect can protect me in such a situation. Do you have any means to counter poison?”

Since the Wuji Assassin Corps’ method was likely to involve poison, Hou Gong needed to check the Heavenly Palace Sect’s capabilities.

He had taken the Hexagonal Net and the Lingyao Grass, so he could handle it, but could the Heavenly Palace Sect protect themselves? If something went wrong, he might lose a few of these reckless people.

They couldn’t handle poison by simply using it in food or drink. Poison has unique properties, and the methods of poisoning are sophisticated.

Therefore, he needed to accurately assess the Heavenly Palace Sect’s capabilities again.