Raising Orphans, Not Assassins

Tang Feng is right in Yuhang County, hiding in the Yue Lai Inn in the southern part of the city, residing in Room No.1

At first glance, this information seemed impossible. However, intelligence from the Fengyu Tower had never been wrong. Out of trust in the Fengyu Tower, Qin Yi believed this piece of information.

Half a month ago, Tang Feng, a true disciple of the Tang Clan, fled to Shaoxing Prefecture and was tracked down by three true disciples of Jiangnan Thunder Hall. The two sides clashed on the banks of the Fengqiao River.

That night, continuous explosions could be heard within a radius of two miles from the Fengqiao River. The next day, the people from Liu Shan Men Sect found three bodies on the riverbank, with the ground covered in charred marks.

From the clothing, the deceased appeared to be from the Thunder Hall. All three corpses had faces turned blue, eyes bulging, and laying stiff on the ground. Their hidden weapons, silver coins, and other personal belongings were all taken.

After examining the bodies, the head of security of the Liu Shan Men Sect in Shaoxing Prefecture discovered several hair-thin curled needles in the acupoints of the bodies, each needle with a dark green sheen.

These were Tang Clan's Dragon Whisker Needles.

Tang Feng had already mastered the Dragon Whisker Needles and the related techniques!

This news caused a sensation in the martial world. Jiangnan Thunder Hall’s hall master was furious and issued a kill order. All disciples above the second grade were dispatched to hunt down Tang Feng.

Tang Feng's name surged to the top of the Fengyu Tower's Earth List of wanted targets.

Killing Tang Feng and obtaining the Dragon Whisker Needle manual would reward 1000 taels of gold, a first-grade internal martial arts manual, and two second-grade martial arts manuals.

This news caused a swarm of Fengyu Tower assassins to flock to Shaoxing Prefecture like bees to honey. But within half a month, the Fengyu Tower lost two gold-level assassins and seven silver-level assassins.

Since then, no one dared to accept the mission to assassinate Tang Feng, his whereabouts vanishing from public view.

Qin Yi had originally thought Tang Feng had fled north but was surprised to find he was still in the Jiangzhe area. However, this was also fortunate, as she didn't have to travel far to pursue him.

Qin Yi walked through the streets of Yuhang County, which were nearly deserted. The scorching sunlight beat down on the ground, making the earth radiate a burning heat. Wherever she passed, small patches of ice would form under her feet, quickly melting into water under the sun's rays and then rapidly evaporating.

Qin Yi glanced at the direction and headed south of the city, pondering Tang Feng's strength as she walked.

A month ago, when Tang Feng defected from the Tang Sect, he only had the strength of a second-grade beginner. The three disciples from Thunder Hall who pursued him were all at the mid-second-grade level — Yet, they died at Tang Feng's hands.

This indicated that Tang Feng's true strength might be close to the late second-grade.

Tang Feng was the top talent the Tang Sect had seen in the past twenty years, possessing a profound talent in the art of hidden weapons. He was highly regarded by the clan, but for some unknown reason, he stole the Dragon Whisker Needle manual, injured an elder, and fled the Tang Sect.

Qin Yi's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she felt there might be more to the story.

It was said that only the Tang Sect's patriarchs could master the Dragon Whisker Needles. They were extremely powerful, capable of piercing through internal energy defenses. Their lethality was multiplied with their minuscule size.

Combined with the possibility of being poisoned, they were nearly impossible to guard against and those hit by the needles, if their internal energy wasn't strong enough to expel them, would face certain death.

Given Tang Feng's talent, inheriting the clan leadership in the future was not out of the question. Considering this, why would Tang Feng injure an elder and defect from the sect just for the Dragon Whisker Needles?

After some thought, Qin Yi's eyes narrowed. Perhaps this matter wasn't as simple as it seemed.

While pondering, Qin Yi crossed Gongchen Street and arrived at Tang Feng's hiding place.

Ahead, a three-zhang tall pole stood by the door, with four large red lanterns hanging from it, each with a large character, "Yue Lai Inn." The inn's main hall was empty, with only the shopkeeper sitting on a long bench, constantly wiping sweat from his face.

Seeing someone at the door, the shopkeeper hurriedly stood up and went over to greet them.

"Guest, are you here to eat or stay?"

Qin Yi entered the inn, took out a few pieces of silver from her purse, tossed them to the shopkeeper, and said flatly, "Stay."

"I want a room from your Earth suite."

The innkeeper weighed the silver in his hand, his face beaming with joy. He slung the rag over his shoulder and gestured towards the stairs, "This way, please."

Qin Yi followed the innkeeper upstairs. After walking a short distance, she saw the first room of the Earth suite. The door to Room 1 was tightly closed. Qin Yi listened carefully but heard no sounds from within.

Tang Feng was not in the room.

The innkeeper led Qin Yi to Room 3 of the Earth suite, opened the door, and said, "The first two Earth rooms are already occupied."

"No matter." Qin Yi's voice was indifferent.

After entering the room, the innkeeper inquired attentively, and seeing that Qin Yi had no further requests, he left the room. Qin Yi walked to the bed, sat cross-legged, and quietly waited for Tang Feng to return.

…

Ding~ Ding~

The sound of a hammer striking iron came from the blacksmith's shop, accompanied by waves of heat.

Xiao Lian only stood by the furnace for a moment before she felt drenched in sweat. She took a handkerchief from her bosom and wiped the sweat from her face.

Ding~ Ding~

After a few more strikes, the blacksmith put down his hammer, walked over, and picked up a bucket full of water.

The blacksmith was shirtless, his muscles tight and glistening with sweat. Under the reflection of the furnace, he appeared very strong. The blacksmith first drank heartily from the bucket and then poured the remaining water over himself. After doing this, he let out a satisfied sigh and looked at Xiao Lian.

Seeing that it was a pretty young girl, the blacksmith couldn't help but smile.

"Miss, what would you like to forge?"

Xiao Lian pursed her lips, took out a piece of paper from her bosom, and said crisply, "I want to forge something according to this drawing."

The blacksmith took the drawing from Xiao Lian. When he saw what was depicted on it, he frowned.

The drawing showed a needle one inch long, but the end of the needle was connected together, forming a cone shape. {ED: I have no idea what that means. I have genuinely tried to visualise this for hours but couldn’t. Anyone capable of visualising this, please help me out.}

This strange item was something the blacksmith had never seen before. He couldn't help but look up at Xiao Lian.

Xiao Lian's clear eyes met the blacksmith's gaze with an open and honest look. With a hint of anticipation in her voice she asked, "Can you make it?"

The blacksmith stared at the drawing for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I can."

A look of delight appeared on Xiao Lian's pretty face.

"How many do you need?" the blacksmith asked.

He didn't ask what Xiao Lian was going to use it for. He was just a blacksmith, and his master had told him long ago not to ask customers what they were going to use things for; it was enough just to make it.

Xiao Lian tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "How much for one?"

"Ten copper coins."

Hearing the price, Xiao Lian breathed a sigh of relief. It was cheaper than she had expected. After some thought, Xiao Lian said, "I'll take ten for now."

The "Jin Hua Zhi" manual recorded more than a dozen types of hidden weapons, and she needed to try each one. From these, she would select the one most suitable for her.

The one she was asking the blacksmith to make now was the Plum Blossom Needle, which would leave a small wound shaped like a plum blossom on the enemy when it hit. Xiao Lian had carefully chosen this from the various hidden weapon designs.

The Plum Blossom Needle's appearance was just a bit strange, unlike darts or willow leaf knives, which would immediately raise suspicions.

The blacksmith kept the drawing and picked up his hammer again, saying, "This is a small item. No need to pay a deposit. Come back tomorrow at this time."

The blacksmith swung his hammer again, sweat pouring off him as he worked. The hammer struck the iron heated to a fiery red, sending sparks flying.