Night Killer

Following the sound, Yi Xing and the others arrived at the next room, where they saw Master Lu Ban glaring at a few simple carpentry tools on the table. His huge toolbox was open, and the dazzling array of precision tools inside contrasted sharply with the crude tools on the table.

"Master," Yi Xing greeted.

Master Lu Ban turned around, saw them, and his expression softened slightly, but he still complained, "You've finally arrived! This godforsaken place, we can't even find a usable plane!" He glanced at the "Following the Machine Plate" on Yi Xing's lap and nodded, "Hmm, well preserved. Did you find anything along the way?"

Yi Xing shook his head: "The pointer has not changed at all."

“Normal.” Master Lu Ban picked up the “Following the Mechanism Disc” and flicked the surface with his finger. The pointer trembled slightly. “The aura of the source seed is contained. It is difficult to detect unless it is near a specific area or stimulated by special energy. We have to go into the mountains and go deep into the heart of the Longshan Mountains.”

He unfurled a map of the Longshan Mountains that he had drawn himself, far more detailed than the one provided by Di Renjie, marked with many strange symbols and energy flows. “Based on the mountain's shape, ancient legends, and the path that monstrous creature might have chosen, I deduce that the most likely hiding place for the source seed is here—” He pointed to a place in the center of the map marked “Misty Valley.”

"This place is shrouded in mist and miasma all year round. The terrain is complex and rumored to contain remnants of ancient formations, making it extremely easy to get lost and fraught with danger. But it is also the perfect place to hide treasures."

Just then, a commotion and the sound of weapons being drawn suddenly came from downstairs at the inn!

Everyone's expression tightened. Pei Qinhu immediately stepped in front of Yi Xing and Master Lu Ban, while Gongsun Li and Yang Yuhuan also instantly became alert.

A haughty voice came from downstairs: "Shopkeeper! I heard you've got a few fat sheep from Chang'an staying here? If you know what's good for you, hand over your valuables and that wooden plate that can point the way! If I'm in a good mood, I might spare your lives!"

They came for them! And they know about the "Circulating Disc"!

"It seems the news leaked faster than expected." Yi Xing's eyes turned slightly cold.

Pei Qinhu grinned maliciously: "Perfect! Let's use these blind bastards to stretch our muscles!" He was about to rush downstairs.

"Wait a minute." Master Lu Ban stopped him, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "A few petty thieves are not worth fighting. Watch me."

He took out several objects that looked like small wooden birds from his toolbox, placed them on the windowsill, and then took out a palm-sized mechanism with a crank, gently turning it. The eyes of the wooden birds suddenly lit up with a faint red light, and then they flapped their wings and silently flew out the window.

A few moments later, several short gasps and muffled thuds came from downstairs, followed by silence.

Master Lu Ban put away the crank handle and snorted: "A little gadget, 'Sleepy Bee,' anyone hit by it will be asleep for three hours. Now it's peaceful."

Everyone was amazed; Master Lu Ban's mechanical skills were indeed unpredictable and miraculous.

However, just as everyone relaxed their guard slightly, another unexpected event occurred!

A faint, almost imperceptible blade of light emerged from the shadows of the room without warning, its target the "Following the Mechanism Disc" in Yi Xing's hand! This strike was ruthless and cunning, incredibly fast, and completely bypassed the defenses of Pei Qinhu and the others!

They're professional assassins! And they've been lying in wait for a long time!

"Watch out!" Gongsun Li exclaimed, drawing her umbrella sword, but it was too late to parry!

Yang Yuhuan played the pipa strings, and the sound waves arrived first after being released, attempting to interfere with the sword light. However, the opponent was clearly prepared and twisted his body strangely, managing to avoid the sound wave impact!

Just as the blade was about to touch the "following mechanism plate", Master Lu Ban, who seemed to be focused on the map, suddenly turned around without looking back and swung the exquisite square behind him!

"clang!"

With a soft click, the square struck the side of the dim blade with perfect precision! A clever force was applied, and the blade veered off course, grazing the armrest of Yi Xing's wheelchair and shearing off a corner of it!

Only then did everyone see clearly that a small, thin figure, completely shrouded in tight black clothing and with even his hair covered, had appeared in the shadows. He held a short, curved blade no more than a foot long in his hand, and his eyes were as cold as a venomous snake.

Having missed his first attack, he didn't linger. He shrank back and prepared to disappear into the shadows once more.

"Stay here!" Pei Qinhu roared, throwing a punch that blocked most of his opponent's escape routes with its powerful energy.

The man in black, however, seemed to have no bones. His body twisted at an incredible angle, narrowly avoiding the force of the punch. At the same time, he flicked his wrist and shot out three poisoned flying needles, which were aimed at Yi Xing, Master Lu Ban, and Yang Yuhuan respectively, in an attempt to create chaos!

Gongsun Li spun her umbrella, deflecting the flying needle aimed at Yi Xing. Yang Yuhuan's music resumed, deflecting the needle aimed at her. The needle aimed at Master Lu Ban, however, was blocked by a small wooden shield that automatically popped out of his toolbox when it came within three feet of him.

In that brief delay, the man in black had already slid to the window like a ghost.

"Trying to leave?" A slightly mocking voice came from outside the window.

Yang Jian was perched on the windowsill, grinning as he watched the man in black. His third eye was fully open, emitting a faint golden light, locking onto his target. "Hey, your stealth technique is pretty good. You almost fooled my Heavenly Eye. But... now you're out of luck!"

The celestial hound on his shoulder growled and made a move to pounce.

Seeing that he was being attacked from both sides and his retreat was cut off, a fierce glint flashed in the eyes of the man in black. Without hesitation, he swung his knife back and stabbed it into his own heart!

However, a purple starlight arrived first, precisely wrapping around his wrist holding the knife—it was Yi Xing! He had been calmly observing, and at the crucial moment, he used a sliver of his barely recovered mental energy to cast the most basic "Star Orbit Imprisonment" technique he had learned from Ming Shiyin!

Although the power was weak and only restrained the opponent for a moment, it was enough!

Pei Qinhu's giant hand had already struck, grabbing the man in black's shoulder with such force that it almost crushed his shoulder blade! At the same time, Yang Jian leaped in from the window, blocking all of his escape routes together with Xiaotianquan.

The man in black was completely subdued.

Master Lu Ban stepped forward and carefully examined the black-clad man's attire and weapons, especially noticing a very subtle, teardrop-shaped mark on the inside of his collar. His expression darkened.

“Not just any petty thief…they’re ‘Faceless Ones’ from the ‘Shadow Pavilion,’” he said in a deep voice. “A secret organization that only cares about money, not people, and is skilled in assassination and intelligence. Even they’ve gotten involved…”

Yi Xing's heart sank. The situation was more complicated than he had anticipated. The appearance of the "Shadow Pavilion" meant that the search for the Source Seed would not only involve a confrontation with the "Ink of the Night," but also potentially face omnipresent attacks from the dark world.

This trip to Longshan was indeed fraught with danger at every turn.