The Clear Breeze Pavilion was both a restaurant and theater, with faint singing reverberating and carrying into the room.

"Once ordained beneath the lotus dais, missed by fate..."

The man in the seat of honor lowered his gaze, appearing half-asleep and half-awake. He held an incense burner with one hand, suspended and steady, greedily inhaling the strands of fragrance through his nose.

No trace of the incense escaped into the air,

and yet his nose was large like a dragon's!

"The Moon Viewing Tower's façade was destroyed?" he seemed to awaken and asked.

Someone promptly knelt and responded, "Yes, Zhao Incense Master. According to the surviving brothers, the killer is that Min Ning, Min Household Commander."

"What an impressive technique."

The man at the top sighed and said:

"A true hero, no less.

But, as it happens, my favorite thing is to kill such heroes."

After speaking, he greedily took another deep breath of the incense.

The enormous nostrils, as grand as a flood dragon, flared wide. Such a unique trait should have already earned him a nickname in Jianghu.

But he had none.

This was because assassins abhor being remembered by name.

The assassin's duty is to kill—if they are known, they will be guarded against, hunted down, and eventually become a target for all.

The greatest assassin in the world is never the likes of Jing Ke or Yu Rang, but rather the nameless vermin who slip under the radar.

It is because they are vermin that they are underestimated; because they have no names, they are looked down upon.

Within Lifeng Pavilion, he had only a code name, along with the name he knew himself to have—Remnant Dragon Zhao Yan.

The kneeling person spoke: "That man is cunning and deceitful, with incredible vigilance. The moment Lifeng Pavilion issued a pursuit order, he began killing in Liu Feng County. It seems he seeks to uproot Lifeng Pavilion's entire network in Dongyu."

"Cunning and deceitful—are those words we ought to be saying?"

A soft yet haunting voice arose. It was a graceful woman, her beauty extraordinary. When she appeared, her fragrance filled the room, causing the assassins of Lifeng Pavilion to cast mesmerized glances at her. Her naturally perfected Charming Technique was evident.

She was Zhao Yan's adoptive daughter—The Bewitching Butterfly.

The group couldn't help but gulp and suppress the flutters in their hearts.

For a single lapse in judgment and a moment of destabilized resolve could lead to being drawn to her bed, where one would perish from her life-reaping techniques.

"Butterfly is right. Cunning and deceitful? Haha..." Zhao Yan said faintly, "In Jianghu, it's the law of the jungle."

"Incense Master is wise. Then, what's our next step?"

Zhao Yan replied, "Go invite County Magistrate Jiang to visit."

"No need to invite."

As the words fell, a refined figure appeared at the doorway. Jiang Shangli walked over slowly with hands clasped behind him.

Zhao Yan straightened up, a smile forming on his face as he said:

"County Magistrate, an honored guest indeed."

"The matter I entrusted Lifeng Pavilion with—has it been accomplished?" Jiang Shangli asked.

"Still investigating. The Lonely Smoke Sword moves with unpredictable tracks—it's unclear where it's hiding. Plus, our pavilion's foundation in the city remains shallow."

"Shallow foundation? You've been here for three years."

Zhao Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, deliberating before saying, "Were our foundation not shallow, the Moon Viewing Tower wouldn't have been destroyed today."

"You've lost a foothold?"

"Indeed—a Household Commander from the Capital City, carrying a sword and knife, by the name of Min."

"What if I said… I have a way to entice his head straight to you?"

Zhao Yan's eyes instantly lit up, blazing with sharp intent.

"I'm the County Magistrate. If I summon him in the name of state affairs, word has it he's loyal to the country and people. He likely won't refuse."

"Does the County Magistrate title hold such weight?"

"And if we include Xique Pavilion?"

Zhao Yan lowered the incense burner, demonstrating respect. Pressing both hands against his knees, he said:

"Agreed!"

"And the thing I want?"

Zhao Yan revealed slowly, "Lifeng Pavilion will no longer assist in hiding the whereabouts of the Lonely Smoke Sword."

"Agreed. Then, I'll extend an invitation for the banquet under the guise of hosting a hero. You attend under the pretense of admiring his valor."

Jiang Shangli casually tossed out a token, and Zhao Yan caught it, handing it to his adoptive daughter.

"This token—once the people of Xique Pavilion see it, they'll recognize that you're allies and won't take any actions against you."

The Bewitching Butterfly smiled sweetly, holding the sandalwood token in her hands and examining it, before casting him a flirtatious glance.

Jiang Shangli didn't even look, straightened his posture, and strode away.

The County Magistrate's broad back filled Zhao Yan's sight, and Zhao Yan's fingertips twitched instinctively, calculating three potential kill paths.

Yet seeing Jiang Shangli's single hand behind him made it clear all three kill paths were futile.

"What alertness." Zhao Yan commented.

Alertness is the highest praise for an assassin.

Having stepped over countless corpses with knives in their backs, Zhao Yan had already lost count. Yet, every visit from Jiang Shangli left him unable to sense any chance to deliver a fatal blow.

This County Magistrate hides too deeply.

"One must remain on guard."

...............

...............

On the way back to the inn.

In a narrow alley, Chen Yi turned his head to see Lu Ying's puffed-up cheeks and, feeling playful, poked one.

Lu Ying reacted as if struck by lightning, exclaiming, "Men and women shouldn't touch!"

Chen Yi laughed, "I'm her nephew, and you're her disciple. You're practically family. So what if I touch?"

"Family? Sure," Lu Ying said warily, "but moral principles aren't some excuse for lecherous men like you to get even more thrilled!"

"You've nailed it. I am a lecher."

Saying this, Chen Yi, overwhelmed by mischief, spread his fingers like claws and lunged at her!

"I—I—I'm a pig! You're not allowed to touch!"

Saying this, Lu Ying panicked and shook the mask on her face.

"You—do you fancy sows now?"

"I'd fancy a skeleton, let alone…" Chen Yi teased, pinching the nose beneath her mask, "a little sow."

Lu Ying shivered.

Blame herself for a moment of impulse. Originally, he hadn't cared for her—now he did, and not only cared, but concocted stories to entangle her.

Here they were—man and woman alone in the alley, with no one in sight...

Lu Ying trembled with fear for a while but quickly calmed down and said, "You wouldn't dare."

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