Chapter 144: Chapter 143, Young Woman_1
At the same time, in a certain mansion in Stone City, bright lights illuminated the premises.
A figure in black, wearing a ghost mask, entered the residence. Led by a maid, he arrived outside a pavilion.
The man in black removed the ghost mask from his face, revealing an elderly visage. This was the same black-clothed elder who had appeared on the mountain path before.
In the center of the pavilion sat a young woman in a pink dress. Her skin was like snow, and her dark hair cascaded like a waterfall. She was veiled, allowing only a pair of charming eyes that seemed filled with autumn water to be seen. An ancient zither rested before her, her jade-like fingers plucking at the strings, playing a soft and beautiful melody.
The black-clothed elder waited quietly outside the pavilion, not daring to disturb the woman’s refined enjoyment.
When the melody ended, its notes lingered in the air.
"Lord Xia."
The black-clothed elder hurriedly stepped forward, his attitude respectful.
The veiled woman gently wiped her delicate fingers with a white silk cloth, idly asking, "How did the mission go?"
Her voice was as melodious as a beautiful songbird.
"We’ve taken Shaochuan Pass, but Yue Chaoqun... was rescued by someone, and Kong Yuan was also killed," the black-clothed elder reported.
"Who could be capable enough to rescue someone from your hands? The Righteous Path experts of Stone City supposedly couldn’t have made it in time for the rescue, could they?"
The young woman was slightly surprised but showed no anger. Instead, a curious smile seemed to touch her lips.
The black-clothed elder hurriedly explained, "No, it wasn’t the experts from Stone City. It was a few young individuals from the Righteous Path. Their leader claimed to be Yun Tianhe, a True Disciple of the Divine Intent Sect. But upon our investigation, this person is not Yun Tianhe. His real identity is Ling Chen, Ling Tianyu’s son."
"What? Ling Chen?"
The veiled woman showed no reaction to her subordinate’s failure. However, upon hearing the name Ling Chen, a smile touched her lips as she chuckled, "Haha! What an unexpectedly impressive young man! In just a few short months, he’s become capable enough to kill Kong Yuan."
The black-robed elder’s expression was somewhat peculiar. He couldn’t help but notice her reaction; there wasn’t a trace of sorrow for Kong Yuan’s death. Instead, she seemed delighted to hear of Ling Chen’s success?
"According to news from the Divine Intent Sect, this Ling Chen, despite his youth, has reached the tenth level of mental strength," he continued. "Furthermore, he has comprehended Sword Intent, causing his Cultivation to soar rapidly. I fear that if this continues, he will become a major threat to us. Shouldn’t we make arrangements to eliminate him soon?" The black-clothed elder made a throat-slashing gesture.
"Eliminate him? Why should we do that? Ling Chen is the Saintess’s son and holds the title of the foremost genius in the Martial World. Sooner or later, he will join our Saint Witch Religion. Why eliminate him?" The young woman waved her hand, dismissing the black-clothed elder’s suggestion.
"Lord Xia, I’m worried that this Ling Chen won’t submit to our religion as easily as you all anticipate," the black-clothed elder said, unable to argue further and only voicing his concern.
"You need not worry about that. Your current task is to find a way to quickly eliminate Yue Chaoqun. With him defending Stone City, it will be difficult for our army to conquer this fortress," the young woman stated coldly.
"But Yue Chaoqun has already entered Stone City and is heavily guarded. Killing him now would be as difficult as ascending to heaven."
The black-clothed elder looked troubled.
"I don’t care what method you use—assassination, poison, subversion—it’s all acceptable. I want results. Our spies in Stone City can be mobilized if necessary." With that, the young woman picked up her zither and walked towards the inner courtyard.
"The operations I oversee have never failed. When I annihilated the Fire Blade Sect overnight, many believed I couldn’t do it, yet I succeeded. None of you had better set a precedent for failure under my command.
"I’m only giving you ten days. From now on, if anyone dares to make a mistake, I will hand them over to the Gu Daoist."
Though the young woman had walked some distance, her voice carried back clearly.
"This subordinate understands."
Upon hearing the words "Gu Daoist," the black-clothed elder shivered. The Gu Daoist was an unparalleled expert in the Saint Witch Religion, specializing in the art of Gu insects. Anyone who fell into his hands alive was thrown to his Gu insects, their bodies devoured until nothing whole remained.
To assassinate Yue Chaoqun this time, he feared he would have to activate the deep cover agents planted among Stone City’s elite.
「Seven days passed.」
In Stone City, inside a courtyard.
Ling Chen was practicing the Landscape Swordsmanship. He had nearly mastered the first three moves. Starting from the fourth move, Thousands of Mountains and Rivers, to the fifth move, Winding Mountain Path, belonged to the Second Level of the swordsmanship, and its power would significantly increase.
If the First Layer of Landscape Swordsmanship focused on borrowing and refining the grand momentum of the natural landscape, the Second Level emphasized artistic conception, highlighting the imagery of mountains and rivers within the sword techniques.
A single thrust would seem to gather Thousands of Mountains and Rivers within it.
The second thrust brought an abrupt change in artistic conception. Winding Mountain Path could catch an opponent completely off guard.
Once he fully integrated these two sword forms, Ling Chen was confident his swordsmanship would reach a new echelon.
Just as Ling Chen was fully focused on his sword practice, four figures approached from not far away.
It was Mu Feng, Mo Yu, Yan Ling, and Bai Qianxing.
Ling Chen caught sight of the four from the corner of his eye but remained composed and continued his practice. He had already guessed the purpose of their visit.
"The mission only gives us ten days, Boss. Seven days have already passed, and we still don’t have a single clue. If this goes on, the mission will definitely fail."
Mo Yu, the least patient among them, couldn’t help but speak out when he saw Ling Chen had no intention of acknowledging him.
"Yeah, Boss, if you have a plan, please share it with us. Don’t just leave us worrying like this."
Bai Qianxing was also anxious. Even if the mission was difficult, they couldn’t just sit by and wait for failure; that would leave them with no hope at all.
"What good plan could I have?" Ling Chen sheathed his Heavenly Mansion Sword and then looked towards Mu Feng. "I asked you to monitor General Yue Chaoqun’s movements. Any news?"
"Not yet," Mu Feng replied, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Don’t tell me they still intend to target General Yue? Should we inform Elder Tianxing in the city and have him strengthen the General’s protection?"
Elder Tianxing was the most powerful expert in Stone City, his strength having reached the Great Master Seventh Realm.
"No. If our defenses are too tight, the enemy might abandon their plan because it’s too difficult. We need to feign carelessness. Only then will their spies make a move."
"The enemy’s assault on the city is imminent. I estimate they will make their move within the next two days."
"Listen carefully. I’m assigning tasks to each of you now. You must complete them by the end of today."
Ling Chen’s expression turned serious. If his guess was correct, the enemy would definitely act within the next two days.
Whether their mission succeeded or failed would depend on this.