(Catching Bugs)
A rare battle between top-tier experts instantly became the hottest topic of conversation among the citizens of Bianjing City during their leisure time.
Laymen watch for the spectacle, while experts discern the intricacies.
This battle sent shockwaves through the martial world! The slain Ninth-Order Martial Master was known in the martial arts community as "Old Ancestor Ghost Claw," infamous for his sinister and ruthless martial techniques. Even when he was still an Eighth-Order Martial Master, he had single-handedly killed two peers of the same rank, earning him a notorious reputation in the martial world.
Now, Old Ancestor Ghost Claw, who was on the verge of stepping into the Transformation Realm, had actually been killed! Moreover, no traces of a second person's Inner Force were found at the scene, meaning the killer was most likely an External Cultivation expert.
However, some argued that since many discarded weapons were found at the scene, it was possible that several people had ambushed him simultaneously.
For a time, the usually quiet back alleys were bustling with martial artists, all coming to inspect the traces of the battle to deduce what had happened.
Among them was a person skilled in reconstructing battle scenarios. After examining the traces, he recreated the scene through drawings and firmly insisted that there had been only one assassin.
This person’s reconstructions had never been wrong before, and this time was no exception. His conclusion was widely accepted by many experts, though the scenario itself was baffling—because the assassin’s control over their body had reached an almost inhuman level.
Crane Control Institute.
Everyone had heard the news, and almost everyone believed it was Lou Mingyue’s doing.
Even though many details remained unexplained, few would even consider An Jiu as the culprit—after all, she couldn’t even keep up with the marching pace without others waiting for her!
Before dawn, officials from the Judicial Office quietly arrived at the Crane Control Institute.
After they left, the members of Sky Group were summoned to the training hall by the four Instructors.
Instructor Tian spoke sternly, "Not only did you fail in your mission, but you also left broken weapons at the scene! Were you trying to announce to the world that the Crane Control Army is targeting the Fan family?! I don’t care who among you did this—I’m only relaying the decision from the Council of Academicians: Sky Group’s collective score is docked by two points! The mission will continue!"
Could they really identify the culprit just by a few broken weapons? An Jiu had strong objections to the higher-ups of the Crane Control Institute. If this was the case, why had they crafted such distinctive weapons in the first place? Who had the time to clean up broken blades in the heat of the moment? She had never heard of snipers retrieving bullets from their targets’ corpses after a successful shot.
"Instructor, this isn’t fair!" Li Qingzhi only had two points left. Though he could earn more by completing other missions, those two points represented his blood-soaked efforts from previous days. How could they be so casually deducted?
"You are all working on the same mission. When such a major incident occurs, everyone shares responsibility!" Instructor Tian cut him off and turned to Lou Mingyue and An Jiu. "The two of you, stay. The rest are dismissed."
No matter how unwilling he was, Li Qingzhi had no choice but to leave with the others. In the Crane Control Institute, orders had to be obeyed. His earlier rebuttal was already pushing the limits—if he pressed further, he might end up losing even more points, which wouldn’t be worth it.
The training hall fell into silence.
After a long pause, Instructor Tian finally spoke. "Who was it?"
There was no hiding it. A simple check of the armory records would reveal the owners of those weapons.
An Jiu stepped forward. "It was me."
For a moment, the four Instructors were stunned. This was unexpected—yet it made sense. It was just hard to believe An Jiu possessed such capability.The thoughts in their minds varied, but in the end, they all attributed the credit to the Reforging of the body.
"You've been exposed. You must withdraw from this mission." The Profound Instructor, wanting to protect An Jiu, spoke bluntly, "We won't trouble you before the trial period ends. Go to Sheng Zhangku and choose a new mission."
"Mei Shisi captured Wei Yuzhi!" Lou Mingyue argued. "Isn't that enough to atone for the failure? Is the second master of Misty Villa not worth more than this mission?"
"The higher-ups haven't decided how to handle it yet. We have no authority in this matter. If you're dissatisfied, you can take it up with them. That's all—now go!" the Profound Instructor said firmly.
An Jiu turned and left without hesitation. A failed mission was just that—failed. No other earth-shattering accomplishment could change that fact. Having spent so long in the assassin world, she was well accustomed to such rules.
Lou Mingyue caught up to her. "I'll go find the Academicians."
"Wait." An Jiu stopped her. "It was my own choice. You don’t need to take responsibility for me."
Lou Mingyue turned to stare at her, seeing not a trace of reluctance on her face. A flicker of admiration rose in her heart. "Fine."
An Jiu nodded and turned toward the Scroll Room in the study.
Green leaves cast shade outside the window, where a cluster of peonies bloomed in rich, vibrant colors—a rare touch of warmth in this cold, unfeeling place.
A man in a dark green official robe stood sideways to her, carefully sprinkling water onto the flowers with a pot. It was rare to see Sheng Zhangku in such a leisurely moment. Though not particularly handsome, his demeanor gave him an air of solitary grace.
"Sheng Zhangku," An Jiu called.
He turned, and the deep dark circles under his eyes instantly shattered the idyllic scene. He blinked hard and gave her a weary smile. "Xuan Ren's heroic deeds are well known to me. Here to choose a new mission?"
"Yes," An Jiu replied.
Sheng Zhangku retrieved two bamboo tubes as thick as an arm from among the flowers. Opening the lids, he revealed a dozen smaller bamboo tubes inside, each the width of a pinky finger and sealed with wax. "These are the most suitable missions for you at the moment. Pick one at random."
An Jiu reached in and plucked one out.
Sheng Zhangku took it, glanced at the contents, and tossed it back to her. "Read it yourself."
Unfolding the slip, An Jiu scanned the words and frowned slightly. "Assassinating an official? This kind of thing..."
If an official committed a crime, shouldn't they be dealt with justly? Why resort to a covert assassination? Wasn't this an era where "the ruler's word was law"?
"He's Prince Jing's man." Sheng Zhangku finished watering the flowers, set down the pot, and turned to head inside. "I don’t allow mission rejections here. Best hurry—you only have five days."
"Understood." An Jiu followed him into the Scroll Room, collected the target's information, and then disguised herself before leaving Crane Control Institute.
While Bianjing City buzzed with heated discussions about the alleyway killings, the perpetrator herself slipped unnoticed into Sweetwater Lane.
The target this time was Li Ting, the Vice Minister of Revenue. Forty-four years old, he had passed the imperial examinations at twenty-five and placed second in the palace exams at twenty-eight. Starting from the Hanlin Academy, he had navigated the treacherous waters of officialdom for over a decade before securing his current position. His career had been remarkably smooth—largely thanks to his allegiance to Prince Jing.
As for his personal life, Li Ting had one wife and one concubine. With his first wife, he had a son and a daughter. The eldest son was already married, while the daughter was only ten, suggesting a harmonious marital relationship. The beautiful concubine, however, had been a gift from Prince Jing.An Jiu lurked around the Li residence for half a day and had already gathered most of the information about the estate. There were ten guards in total, mostly below the fourth rank, with only two barely reaching that level.
It wasn't that An Jiu was underestimating her opponents—with such defenses, she was ninety percent certain of completing her mission successfully.
Though she thought so, given her recent string of setbacks, she decided to play it safe and spent another full day carefully scouting the area. (To be continued...)
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