In the small city's tavern, the crowd was still buzzing in low voices about the destruction of Falling God Peak.
The young swordsman kept his head down, drew a slow breath, and moved to leave the tavern as though nothing had happened.
But just as he began making his way downstairs, he suddenly found the Eighth Prince coming up.
The young swordsman's heart skipped half a beat.
By all rights he was a seasoned assassin, capable of remaining composed no matter how dire the situation. But this was different. He knew very clearly what kind of existence he was facing.
And worse still, he had been so ignorant and so audacious as to think about assassinating that very person.
Even though the young swordsman understood the other party likely had no idea who he was, the sheer closeness of this encounter still set off an uncontrollable surge of fear in his heart.
He visibly stalled in place for a moment. But in the end, reason suppressed fear, and he kept his head down and continued walking downstairs.
As he and Li Musheng's group of three brushed past each other, the young swordsman kept his eyes straight ahead, not so much as glancing at any of them.
"The Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion's news was too shocking. It had my nerves wound too tight. I truly was jumping at shadows."
The young swordsman reflected on this inwardly, and was about to continue down the stairs and leave.
But at that moment, a voice reached his ears out of nowhere, "No need to rush off. Come over here."
The voice was perfectly plain, the sort of tone someone might use in ordinary conversation.
And yet falling on the young swordsman's ears, it was as though a supreme demon lord were whispering to him.
The young swordsman froze completely, then stiffly turned his head, as though needing to confirm whether the person speaking was really who he thought it was.
At the same time, Li Musheng's group of three had just found a newly vacated table and sat down.
At that moment the young swordsman's gaze turned toward Li Musheng, who was gesturing toward the storytelling elder below, saying, "You old man, come up here as well."
At those words, the young swordsman's entire body gave a sharp jolt.
Yes, that was the voice. That had truly just been the Great Li Eighth Prince speaking to him.
Every part of the young swordsman wanted to bolt without hesitation.
But the last of his reason kept reminding him, if he ran, he was certainly dead.
And besides, running would only make him look guilty, and could easily make things worse.
What if, just possibly, this Eighth Prince had no idea who he was? What if there was some entirely different reason he had been called over?
The young swordsman pushed himself to think in the best possible terms, because otherwise he was not sure he could hold back the urge to flee.
After all, as an assassin, his stealth and movement were exceptional, and he was confident he could vanish from this tavern in an instant.
But, could he escape from the hands of an existence that could rival a Martial God?
The young swordsman's face was a troubled, rapidly shifting mess.
Something like that could only happen in his daydreams.
At that moment, the storytelling elder, upon receiving Li Musheng's gesture, looked the three of them over and let his gaze linger noticeably on the coachman Cao Gaoshan for a moment.
He could naturally sense the man's deep and solid martial cultivation, though from the man's clothing he appeared to be nothing more than a coachman.
While he could also tell that Li Musheng had no Martial True Qi, and that Shen Anran's ability was rather ordinary, the fact that someone like Cao Gaoshan would serve as a coachman for these people meant the group was certainly anything but ordinary.
Turning this over in his mind, the storytelling elder felt no particular concern. He simply narrowed his eyes slightly, and in a single fluid movement vaulted up to the second floor, arriving at the table where Li Musheng's group was sitting.
The storytelling elder gave Li Musheng a light bow and asked, "I wonder what this young gentleman wishes to tell me?"
At that, Li Musheng reached out and pointed at the one remaining empty spot at the table.
Seeing this, the storytelling elder assumed it had been left for him, murmured a thank-you, and was just about to step over and sit down.
But right at that moment, the big black cat suddenly leaped forward and beat him to it, jumping onto the chair and settling down in a crouch.
Then the big black cat turned back and fixed the storytelling elder with a wary green-eyed stare, looking somewhat put out that this old man had apparently been trying to steal its seat.
The storytelling elder now understood. Apparently the seat had not been set aside for him at all, but for the big black cat.
He stood there for a moment, the color on his aged face shifting between pale and flushed, clearly a little embarrassed.
At that point Li Musheng swept his gaze around the tavern.
He naturally caught every bit of the crowd's conversation about himself and Falling God Peak.
"No wonder martial world people care so much about reputation. Listening to this is genuinely rather pleasant. The only pity is that no one seems to be discussing my looks."
Li Musheng thought this privately, and a faintly regretful expression crossed his face.
Then his gaze shifted and settled on the storytelling elder standing awkwardly before him. He thought for a moment, then asked, "I heard just now that you are from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion?"
At those words, the storytelling elder gradually composed the emotions welling up inside him and returned to his earlier unruffled manner.
He looked at Li Musheng and said evenly, "The young gentleman is correct. This old one is indeed from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion."
The Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion held a distinguished position in the martial world, and a thread of pride naturally ran through the elder's words.
At the same time, he privately felt somewhat aggrieved with Li Musheng for his lack of courtesy.
Having responded to the man's summons and given him every consideration, the result was that he was not even offered a seat, left standing while a cat sat down in his place.
With that in mind, the storytelling elder had little desire to linger.
Now that he had exposed his identity in this small city, he would need to move on and find a new location, resuming his role as a storyteller so he could continue gathering and disseminating information for the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.
"If the young gentleman has nothing further, this old one will take his leave."
The storytelling elder gave a small bow and moved to leave.
But right at that moment, the young swordsman standing by the stairway finally made up his mind, and moved on stiff legs toward Li Musheng.
As he did, the young swordsman naturally took in the storytelling elder's behavior in full.
He had only one thought in his mind at that moment, which was that this old man was genuinely audacious.
Standing face to face with the very person he had been speaking of, the one who had personally destroyed Falling God Peak, and actually daring to show attitude to his face.
Just who had given this old man such nerve? Was it sheer ignorance?
For a moment, the young swordsman's look toward the storytelling elder was deeply unusual.
The storytelling elder also noticed the young swordsman's gaze, and his brow furrowed slightly. Something about the way the other man was looking at him felt decidedly off.
At that point Li Musheng, seeing the storytelling elder preparing to leave, raised an eyebrow and said, "You old man are rather impatient. I have not finished speaking."
And then he continued, "An adopted younger sister of mine is on close terms with an important person in your Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. As it happens I have run into your organization today, and I have a matter I would like the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion to help with."
The storytelling elder's expression shifted slightly. Turning away from the young swordsman, he looked at Li Musheng with a puzzled expression and asked, "Which person in the Pavilion might this young gentleman's adopted sister know? Perhaps this old one has heard the name?"
At those words, Li Musheng furrowed his brow and said, "How would I know? If I knew her name, what would be the point of coming to you?"
At those words, the storytelling elder clearly paused, momentarily unable to follow Li Musheng's logic.
At that moment, the young swordsman, watching the storytelling elder continue to hover at the edge of danger, was afraid the old man might actually end up provoking the Eighth Prince and dragging him into the fallout as well.
And so he drew a deep breath, forced himself to look calm, and clasped his hands toward Li Musheng, "I wonder what brings the young gentleman to speak with me?"
At those words, Li Musheng's gaze turned toward the young swordsman.
A thought followed. The age gap really did cause communication problems. He had already run into a wall trying to talk to the old Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion man.
Never mind. He would deal with the young man in front of him first. Surely there would not be a generational divide there.
With that thought, Li Musheng studied the young swordsman and asked, "I just heard you are from the Hidden Kill Pavilion. Do you happen to recognize this?"
As he spoke, Li Musheng drew a tarnished bronze token from within his robe and tossed it casually onto the table.
Even before seeing it, the young swordsman's heart had lurched the moment he heard Li Musheng's question.
He had inwardly cursed his luck, knowing that the thing he had least wanted to happen had happened anyway.
And when the young swordsman's eyes fell on the Hidden Kill Order, the color drained entirely from his face.
If Li Musheng had only known he was a Hidden Kill Pavilion assassin, there might still have been room to talk his way around it.
But the moment the Hidden Kill Order appeared, his last slim hope was gone.
A Hidden Kill Pavilion assassin claiming not to recognize a Hidden Kill Order was something no one would believe.
And given that he did recognize it, as a Hidden Kill Pavilion assassin, he was necessarily on the opposing side of whoever held the token.
Unless Li Musheng survived three assassination attempts from the Hidden Kill Pavilion, he remained the Pavilion's undisputed primary target throughout.
The young swordsman found himself unable to speak, standing motionless and staring at the token on the table, his legs quietly beginning to go soft beneath him.
At the same time, the storytelling elder was in much the same state.
Only moments ago he had been privately criticizing Li Musheng for his lack of manners and his senseless logic.
But when Li Musheng produced that token, that Hidden Kill Order capable of drenching the entire martial world in blood, the elder was as though struck by a bolt from a clear sky.
He went rigid where he stood, his eyes fixed on the tarnished copper token on the table, his aged body swaying almost imperceptibly.
He knew very well what a Hidden Kill Order meant in the martial world. But what held his attention at that moment was not the token itself, but the person in possession of it.
The storytelling elder had told the young swordsman earlier, on the basis of Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion intelligence, that the Hidden Kill Order which had come out of the Hidden Kill Pavilion was currently in the hands of the Great Li Eighth Prince.
And just who was the Great Li Eighth Prince?
Was there anyone present who understood that better than he did?
In the next instant, the storytelling elder stiffly turned his head, tearing his gaze from the token, and looked at the young man sitting at the table before him.
His eyes fixed on this absurdly handsome young gentleman, and his whole world seemed to surge and churn.
At that moment, the big black cat perched nearby seemed to be drawn by the tarnished copper token as well.
It propped both forepaws on the edge of the table, leaning in with its large cat head, peering at the token without stopping, and even reached out a paw to bat at it curiously.
Li Musheng, seeing that the storytelling elder and the young swordsman had both been visibly stunned by the Hidden Kill Order, shook his head slightly, then looked at the young swordsman and said, "I was wondering why the Hidden Kill Pavilion had been so quiet for so long. Looking at you now, they seem to have sent you to assassinate me."
He then reached out and pushed the big black cat away from the token, and said, "The reason I called you over is not to stop you from making an attempt on my life. I simply want you to carry a message back to the Hidden Kill Pavilion."
"Dragging out three assassination attempts is taking too long, and I do not have much time to spare on your organization. My suggestion is that the Hidden Kill Pavilion send its best assassins all at once."
Li Musheng considered briefly and then added, "For the next half month or so I plan to be in Shangyang City without leaving. As for whether you can actually kill me, that is entirely up to your ability."
With those words, Li Musheng waved a hand, indicating the young swordsman was free to go.
The young swordsman stood in stunned silence, taking in every word Li Musheng had said. Seeing that the other party genuinely appeared to have no further interest in him, he suddenly drew a sharp breath, and the heart that fear had wound tight as a drum began thundering in his chest.
He gasped several times before realizing that his back had already been soaked through with cold sweat.
Li Musheng had released not the slightest trace of true qi or martial pressure, had offered no physical intimidation whatsoever.
But the invisible kind of menace was the most terrifying of all.
Anyone who knew what Li Musheng had done at Falling God Peak, any enemy who faced him, simply could not stand before him without fear.
Very quickly, the young swordsman composed himself, hurriedly clasped his hands in a bow toward Li Musheng, and said, "Thank you... Your Highness, for sparing this man's life. Your Highness's message will be delivered without fail."
With that, the young swordsman cast Li Musheng one glance, not daring to linger even a second longer. He stepped back three paces, then spun around.
His figure blurred into a retreating shadow that vanished down the stairs in the blink of an eye, as though afraid Li Musheng might change his mind.
After the young swordsman left, Li Musheng made no move whatsoever, paying no particular concern to a small organization like the Hidden Kill Pavilion.
At the same time, Shen Anran and Cao Gaoshan had watched it all in silence, neither of them stirred by the appearance of figures from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion or the Hidden Kill Pavilion.
Only the big black cat seemed to have taken an interest in the Hidden Kill Order, and even after being pushed away it crept back to peer at the token without stopping.
"If you like it that much, I could just give it to you."
Li Musheng glanced at the big black cat, and the moment it heard those words, its ears shot straight up.
But then it immediately began waving its paws in frantic refusal, shaking its head back and forth.
It had heard everything just now. Li Musheng had told the Hidden Kill Pavilion to send its best assassins to the imperial capital to kill him.
If it took the token, how could one cat possibly hold off that many assassins? That would be the end of its cat life.