Sha Zizai saw that Huang Silang wasn’t too firm in his refusal and imdiately replied:
“We only want to kill Ji Qinglin. We have no hostility toward anyone else.”
“Heart-Piercing Hand” Chen Sun asked,
“Boss, are you seriously considering working with him?”
Sha Zizai nodded,
“You all saw it too—this is a rare chance to strike Ji Qinglin while he’s injured. Besides, the employer’s offering a generous reward. Huang Silang is worth bringing in.”
“Throat-Slashing Blade” Yang Qu said worriedly,
“But we don’t know anything about Huang Silang’s background.”
Sha Zizai analyzed,
“To be able to seriously injure Ji Qinglin this fast, either this Huang Silang is incredibly strong, or he knows Ji Qinglin very well. Judging from what he just said, it’s more likely the latter. He’s not worried about whether Ji Qinglin dies, but about having his identity exposed. That ans he’s probably also part of the Xindong Street Comrce Guild. Since he knows Ji Qinglin’s situation, this could be the perfect chance to work together—an ambush plus an assassination, we can definitely take Ji Qinglin down in one go.”
Yang Qu and Chen Sun thought about it and realized it made sense. That was probably the only explanation for how Huang could injure Ji so quickly.
Soon, Huang Silang replied again:
“How do you want to cooperate?”
“We know you’ve got intelligence on Ji Qinglin, maybe even so ties to him. So all we need is for you to lure him to a spot that’s good for action. Once he’s there, we’ll move in and finish the job together!”
Huang Silang replied:
“Two days from now, I can lure him to a secluded place under the pretense of an internal deal. I can even assign disciples to guard the key entry points. But I need to confirm you really have the ability to kill him.”
Yang Qu quickly responded, curious:
“So you’re an elder of the Xindong Street Comrce Guild?”
“If you want to cooperate, don’t ask unnecessary questions.”
Sha Zizai warned:
“We’ve basically confird who he is, but whatever you do, don’t try to verify it. No one would ever admit to doing sothing like betraying their own sect.”
Huang Silang followed up:
“I won’t ask who you are, but I need to know what techniques each of you use. I have to make sure Ji Qinglin doesn’t escape because of poor coordination.”
Sha Zizai kept his guard up and shot back,
“And how can we be sure you won’t turn on us after Ji Qinglin’s dead?”
“Relax. I care more about my reputation than your little lives. If you’re still worried, you can record everything that day. If I betray you, I’ll be utterly disgraced.”
The three exchanged glances—it made sense. Since they hadn’t acted yet, they had nothing to lose. Sha Zizai went ahead and revealed a few of their techniques to Huang Silang:
“Piercing Heart Force, Flying Knife Immortal-Slaying Style, Twin-Blade Phantom Shadows... So, Mr. Huang, maybe share so of your techniques too?”
“Frost Mirror, Ice Shard Snowfall, Frost Qi Force...”
Just hearing those three nas, Sha Zizai was already calculating. He muttered quietly,
“This guy is probably Elder Bai Qiucheng of the Xindong Street Comrce Guild.”
Yang Qu frowned,
“Boss, you an the one with the nickna ‘Snowfall Red’?”
“Exactly. I don’t know much about the Xindong Street Comrce Guild, but Bai Qiucheng is a legit Grandmaster. If he wanted to kill Ji Qinglin, he’d have no problem. But since he’s also a guild elder, doing sothing like this would be a huge stain on his reputation.”
Chen Sun asked, confused,
“But why would he want to kill Ji Qinglin?”
“I’ve been digging into local affairs lately, and here’s what I found. The Xindong Street Comrce Guild may have hit so tough tis, but even a dying cal is bigger than a horse. Elders from each division used to be kept in check by the President, but now? Every one of them wants to climb the ladder.
You’ve seen Ji Qinglin’s strength. He’s a headquarters elder, a thorn in the side of branch elders like Bai Qiucheng. Normally they wouldn’t touch him because they’re fellow mbers. But our assassination gives him the perfect cover.”
Chen Sun and Yang Qu mulled it over—it did make sense.
Sha Zizai and the others quickly finalized so details with Huang Silang. Both parties agreed to act two nights later.
———
Two evenings later, dressed ticulously by his disciple, Ji Qinglin wore a long black trench coat, giving off a sharp, mysterious aura. Alongside him, Yu Ye in her blue-and-white Cultivation Robe, they hailed a cab and headed toward the abandoned factory on the outskirts.
Already geared up and ready, “Two-Faced Blade Ghost” Sha Zizai, “Heart-Piercing Hand” Chen Sun, and “Throat-Slashing Blade” Yang Qu followed right after.
Still so distance from the factory, their car was stopped. Ji Qinglin and Yu Ye gave the password, and a Xindong Street disciple on lookout let them through.
Seeing Ji Qinglin and his disciple enter, Sha Zizai and his crew strolled forward.
The lookout disciple questioned warily,
“Who are you?”
“We were invited to the eting.”
“Password?”
“Harmony Brings Wealth, may the President recover soon!”
Looking at their unfamiliar faces, the disciple was still unsure. Yang Qu gave a forced smile and explained:
“Elder Bai Qiucheng invited us.”
“Oh, I see. Go on in then.”
The three crossed the patrol line, but didn’t rush into the huge warehouse. Instead, they quickly jumped up near the factory skylight to scout out a retreat path first.
“Who told you to drop Bai Qiucheng’s na just now?”
“It’s fine, boss. He doesn’t know anyway. Once we finish the job and get out, whatever ss he gets into has nothing to do with us.”
“Alright then. Wait for the signal!”
The three of them crouched on the roof. Through the skylight, they could see the whole interior. Both sides were lined with closed-off rooms. The middle of the warehouse was open, with a makeshift circular platform. A few small lights above didn’t even co close to lighting the entire place.
Everything matched Huang Silang’s intel. All they had to do now was wait for the signal.
After a while, Ji Qinglin walked out from a side room and stood in the center, raising a small launcher.
Whoosh—Pop—
A firework exploded in the factory, and shredded confetti floated down like snow.
This was it!
The intel was legit. That was the signal Huang Silang—no, Bai Qiucheng—told Ji Qinglin to use, an old Comrce Guild tradition for celebrating cooperation!
The trio exchanged glances and simultaneously shattered the glass below, leaping into the center of the venue.
Down below, Ji Qinglin appeared “shocked” and shouted,
“Who’s there?!”
Everything was going perfectly. Pleased with how the plan was unfolding, Sha Zizai’s group didn’t respond. They were ready to strike the mont they landed.
But as soon as they touched down and before they could move, all the surrounding room doors flew open. Elders and mbers of the Xindong Street Comrce Guild poured out, looking confused.
“What’s going on? Did another guild attack?”
“Doesn’t look like it—seems like assassins.”
“F***, just three guys dare crash our party? You really think we’re nobodies?”
A few quick-responding elders shifted positions, cutting off the trio’s retreat. Patrol disciples also rushed to surround the warehouse.
Facing over a hundred angry guild elders and mbers, Chen Sun’s voice trembled:
“Boss... was this a trap?”
Yang Qu gulped:
“Did they really need this many for a trap?”
Compared to the other two, Sha Zizai was a bit calr. He looked up at Ji Qinglin and not far from him, Bai Qiucheng in white robes. Drawing two long blades from his cloak, he leaped toward Ji and shouted:
“Bai Qiucheng! Aren’t you going to make your move?!”
Originally planning to attend the elders’ eting and maintain his dignified image while gathering votes for more power, Bai Qiucheng now found himself suddenly and wrongly accused. His face darkened, and throwing aside any pretense of grace or decorum, he snapped,
“Who the f**k are you people?!”
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