“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”
That night, the small residence was quiet, except for Wei Changtian’s room, where it seemed like knives and swords were flashing in and out of the shadows.
The formation wasn’t too grand, but if someone could see the scene inside the house at that moment, they would likely be shocked enough to drop their jaw.
Twenty-nine knives and swords were suspended in mid-air, intersecting and flashing in the dim candlelight, their cold glint making one’s eyes dizzy.
They would sometimes form a straight line, sometimes a human shape, sometimes like blooming flowers, and sometimes take on an extremely ominous “hanging” shape…
“Ding~”
Two long swords lightly clashed, producing a crisp sound.
With a sigh, the twenty-nine knives and swords suddenly turned their heads, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared into a scabbard.
“Sigh…”
Wei Changtian shook his head, gazing at the red tassel on the Dragon’s Roar knife handle, taking a deep breath.
Twenty-nine was almost the limit.
It had been two days since he returned from the Ten Thousand Mountains, and he had spent most of that time at home practicing “Myriad Blades Invocation”.
At first, he could only control around ten, but after eating the Bodhi flower, the number doubled to twenty-nine.
However, simultaneously controlling twenty-nine flying blades was still a bit of a strain, and accidents like the one just now would often occur.
If he wanted to reach the level of “effortless mastery”, twenty blades would be the maximum.
“Myriad Blades Invocation” was like “Dream Path”, a special divine ability, not a martial technique, so further practice wouldn’t have much effect.
To continue improving, he would need to either raise his cultivation level or enhance his spiritual power.
Forget it, twenty blades would be enough for now.
Wei Changtian decided to stop training “Myriad Blades Invocation” for the time being and focus on perfecting “Heavenly Net Fist” and “Supporting Steps”.
He calmed his mind, took a sip of cool tea, and fixed his gaze on a notice on the table.
This was a public notice posted by the State Government that morning, with three main points.
One, Ning Yuqiao’s “corpse” had been found in the city moat, with her entire face disfigured; the authorities had identified her through her body shape, clothing, and accessories as the gentle Princess of Rong’an.
Two, Governor Shao Ying’an had mysteriously disappeared the day before, and the investigation was ongoing; in the meantime, the Secretary would take over the administration of Shu Province.
Three, the Imperial Guard had arrived in Shu Province and would escort the bodies of the Crown Prince, one princess, and two county ladies back to the capital for burial in five days; the citizens would be able to bid farewell along the way.
It had been over half a month since the Crown Prince’s assassination, and although the streets were still bustling, the entire case seemed to be entering its final stages.
The mastermind behind the “Xuantian Society Shu Province Branch” had been eliminated, and the other branches would likely suffer the same fate.
The gentle Princess of Rong’an, who had been missing since the incident, was also dead; regardless of whether she was innocent or had “committed suicide out of fear”, the discussions about her had indeed decreased.
And then there was the mysterious disappearance of Shao Ying’an.
Wei Changtian, of course, knew that this was Ning Yongnian gradually eliminating the traitors, but he didn’t bother to think about how the ordinary people would view him.
“Knock, knock, knock~”
A light knocking sound suddenly drifted into his ears.
“Come in.”
Wei Changtian responded casually, and then saw Zhang San flash into the room.
“Master, Chu Gongzi has arrived, accompanied by five people.”
……
A quarter of an hour later.
The secret room was brightly lit, with Wei Changtian, Chu Xianping, and five young men standing inside, each with a black elixir in front of them.
These five individuals were handpicked by Wei Changtian from the Shared Harmony Society.
They all had decent innate talents, were literate, and under the age of twenty-five.
“…… I’ve already said everything I need to say, and I’m sure you’re all aware of the benefits and risks involved.”
“I won’t force anything on you, and you don’t need to worry. If you’re willing to take the risk, then take it. If not, then don’t.”
“Now, I’ll give you a moment to decide.”
“……”
The candle flame flickered, and the room fell silent.
The five young men exchanged a glance, none of them showing any hesitation. They all took the puppet dan and swallowed it directly, their throats convulsing as they did so.
The next second, the pupils of all five men constricted slightly, returning to normal after a few breaths.
They looked at Wei Changtian with some confusion, as if they hadn’t felt any change within themselves.
But Wei Changtian knew that the puppet dan had already taken effect.
From this moment on, if anyone among these five harbored any intention of betraying him, they would face instant death.
“Bang!”
A wooden box was tossed onto the table, containing five roughly equal-sized demonic spirit dans.
“These demonic spirit dans contain twenty years of cultivation. Each of you will take one.”
“……”
Although the five men’s expressions were somewhat agitated, none of them refused. They immediately stepped forward and each took a dan.
Meanwhile, Wei Changtian continued to speak calmly:
“Starting tomorrow, you will no longer be your past selves.”
“Your names, backgrounds, ages – everything will be arranged by Chu Gongzi. You’ll have a month to adapt to your new identities.”
“During this month, I’ll send someone to teach you a knife technique and daily etiquette.”
“After a month, you’ll enter the various factions and gates of Shu State City and the capital city with your new identities.”
“By then, everything will depend on yourselves. I might help you in secret, or I might not.”
“And your goal is only one – to climb to the top by any means necessary.”
Wei Changtian’s gaze pierced through, his voice low and solemn as he asked:
“Do you understand?”
“We understand!”
The five men’s expressions were dead serious, almost growling as they replied.
“……”
Wei Changtian nodded in satisfaction, the scene reminiscent of the classic opening lines from “Infernal Affairs”.
He looked at the five men standing tall before him and suddenly burst into laughter:
“Well, then I’ll wish you all a smooth journey and a steady rise to the top!”
……
……
Another quarter of an hour passed.
The five young men had already left, leaving only Wei Changtian and Chu Xianping in the secret chamber.
“Master, I’ve already narrowed down the selection for the second batch. I’m currently investigating their backgrounds and will have a final list in about ten days…”
“I’ll list out each person’s future assignments for your approval, Master…”
“I’ve found a suitable training location for them. If you’re interested, Master, you can take a look when you have time…”
“……”
Chu Xianping reported on each task with utmost precision, while Wei Changtian listened intently, marveling at his exceptional abilities in his heart.
It was truly a wise decision to recruit Chu Xianping!
Just give him an idea, and he’ll bring it to life immediately!
From this perspective, Chu Xianping was similar to Li Yang.
The only difference was that one was a “martial” type, while the other was a “literary” type.
Good grief, was this a case of “dragon and phoenix among men”?
“Sir, I need your guidance on another matter,” Chu Xianping said.
On the other side, Chu Xianping was unaware of Wei Changtian’s thoughts, suddenly asking, “Should we give this organization a name?”
“A name?”
Wei Changtian was taken aback, and the first thing that came to mind was the intelligence agency “Po Xiao” from the original novel.
The name did sound impressive, but it seemed too grandiose, as if they were going to overthrow an evil dynasty and save the world.
Moreover, whenever Wei Changtian thought of these two characters, he couldn’t help but associate them with the ninja from the Fire Shadow.
So, why not just call it…
“Tong Zhou.”
“Tong Zhou?”
Chu Xianping pondered for a moment, then nodded: “Alright, I understand.”
Tong Zhou, united in the same boat.
Wei Changtian was simply trying to come up with a catchy phrase.
Although he had high expectations for this organization, he never imagined that the three characters “Tong Zhou Hui” would become a terrifying codename in the future.