Sikong Yan would have been in a fairly good mood if not for Xu Yiren’s words at the city gate.
After entering the gate, he saw that the mountain path still extended upward. From where they stood, glimpses of upward-curving eaves and rooftops occasionally came into sight.
As they walked along the stone steps, Sikong Yan mused aloud. "Who was that child earlier?"
Fu Yiran thought for a moment and replied, "They didn’t seem very old. Likely one of the little ghosts raised by the Hundred Ghost Tower."
Sikong Yan nodded. "I thought so too."
TheGhostbane Association primarily divided its assassins into two categories. The first consisted of talented individuals selected from the jianghu, including those who voluntarily sought fame by joining. These martial artists were called "Wild Wolves" by those within the Ghostbane Association and were the most numerous group.
The second group was more unique. The Ghostbane Association collected babies from various places and trained them into deadly assassins. As soon as these children could walk, they began learning every skill related to killing, combined with lifelong indoctrination. By the time they grew up, they were the most loyal members of the organization. Within the Ghostbane Association, this group was referred to as "Native Tigers."
The "Wild Wolves" generally disliked restrictions and roamed the jianghu year-round. Many even had their own families and places to settle down. The "Native Tigers," on the other hand, considered the Ghostbane Association their home. They rarely left their base unless they received an assignment. As a result, they often took on defensive duties within the Ghostbane Association.
The child who recently filled the vacancy of Riverside, was a typical "Native Tiger".
Thinking of this, Sikong Yan furrowed his brow and asked, "Who is currently in charge of the Hundred Ghost Tower?"
Fu Yiran chuckled. "Don’t worry, young master. It’s still the elders. Besides the Hundred Ghost Tower, the Secretariat Pavilion, Wingless Chamber, and the Execution Hall are all still controlled by the same elders. Do you think they wouldn’t recognize you? Heh heh... As long as you hold the token, would they dare refuse to acknowledge it?"
Sikong Yan made no comment, murmuring to himself or perhaps asking Fu Yiran, "If my guess is correct, the Ghostbane Association is now under the control of eunuch Yue. Qi Zongbi's influence in the capital has inevitably waned after he insisted on heading north.
"He has lost control of the Imperial Guardians, and there’s no way the Ghostbane Association would remain under his control either... Chen Kaiming has left me a stumbling block from beyond the grave."
"Young master, have keen insight," Fu Yiran said with a slight bow. "The Sectmaster of the stronghold that Qi Zongbi installed, Zhu Yin, was assassinated while traveling earlier this year. The new Sectmaster is Hua Dongsheng.
"He had some renown in the martial world and comes from a fairly wealthy merchant family. Heh, it’s said his family business has ties with the Eastern Depot. Outsiders may not know about the relationship between the Ghostbane Association and the court, but for those in the know, the truth of things could not be more obvious. If Hua Dongsheng isn’t connected to Eunuch Yue’s faction, I wouldn’t believe it."
Sikong Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. "Yue Dou isn’t easy to deal with. There’s no way he would trust Hua Dongsheng to handle things alone. Merchants are driven by profit. If Hua Dongsheng gets too comfortable in his role as the sectmaster, he might just decide to part ways with Yue Dou."
"Exactly," Fu Yiran sneered. "That’s why the two vice sectmasters of the stronghold are both high-ranking officers from the Eastern Depot. They’re obviously there to monitor Hua Dongsheng.
"Hua Dongsheng is smart enough to realize that his title as Sectmaster is just for show. The real power lies with those two officers from the Eastern Depot, so he spends his days indulging in pleasures and doesn’t bother with any real affairs."
"Only two Depot officers?" Sikong Yan sneered. "Does the court really think the Ghostbane Association belongs to the Chen imperial family?"
Fu Yiran glanced around and lowered his voice. "The Old Master was indeed far-sighted, to lay out this plan years ago..."
Sikong Yan’s voice grew even colder. "The court can only blame itself. Teacher left this piece as a safeguard against the court, but who would have thought the Chen family would truly think of sacrificing Teacher... If they had acted with integrity, things wouldn’t have come to this."
"The Ghostbane Association never belonged to the Chens..." Sikong Yan looked up and at a solitary grand hall standing atop a towering cliff in the distance. "It belongs to my Teacher."
"Up ahead is the Secretariat Pavilion," Fu Yiran said softly beside Sikong Yan. "I flashed the token at the gate. They should know it’s me and that the young master has returned."
When the two approached the entrance of the Secretariat Pavilion, a steward was already waiting. The steward discreetly glanced at them before bowing respectfully. "The elders are waiting in the rear hall. Please follow me." With that, he bent forward and led the way.
Following the steward, they arrived at the rear hall of the Secretariat Pavilion. Upon entering, they saw four people standing respectfully in the center of the hall, the youngest appearing to be around fifty years old.
When the two entered, the four paid no attention to Fu Yiran. Instead, they focused their gaze only on Sikong Yan and made no other moves.
Sikong Yan sneered, turned around, and walked out, leaving behind only one sentence.
"Follow me to the Hall of Killing Intent."
Fu Yiran glared at the four angrily. "Have you forgotten the rules?"
The eldest of the four lowered his gaze and said calmly, "Old Fu, there’s no need for so many words. Without seeing the token, who dares to acknowledge anything? Master’s rule from back then was to recognize only the token, not the person."
Fu Yiran was speechless with frustration and turned to follow Sikong Yan. The four exchanged glances before also stepping forward to follow.
The four were, respectively, the Head Curator of the Secretariat Pavilion, the Adjudicator of Hundred Ghost Tower, the Scarlet Cloak Leader of the Wingless Chamber, and the Seal Keeper of the Execution Hall. In terms of status, only the Sectmaster and Vice Sectmasters ranked above them. It was impossible for the four of them to set off together without not attract attention.
Before they reached the Hall of Killing Intent at the clifftop, they saw a group of people approaching from above in the distance.
Sikong Yan stopped walking, waiting for the group to approach. Fu Yiran stepped forward and said, "The two people in the lead are the Eastern Depot’s officers, the Vice Sectmasters."
As the group came closer, the man at the forefront, who was dressed in a black-and-red Vice Sectmaster's robe, pointed at the Adjudicator of the Hundred Ghost Tower and asked, "Han Linsheng, what are you four old ghosts trying to do?" Although he addressed Han Linsheng, the officer’s eyes were fixed intently on Sikong Yan, who stood at the front.
The four elders remained silent, all fixing their gaze on Sikong Yan, watching to see how he would respond.
Sikong Yan’s lips curled into a cold smile. He tilted his head slightly and softly uttered a single word.