The famous Luoxia Pavilion, perched atop Qingcheng Cliff, stood approximately 15 meters tall, facing south. A two-story wooden structure, it was surrounded by a bright corridor offering spectacular sunset views. However, that is all in the past. Half of it collapsed after those two visited. Now, all the interior furnishings have been removed, awaiting the gathering of craftsmen for reconstruction. Mo Xi walked around the ruins twice, then squatted down, picking up dust from the ground, lost in thought.
Three days later, at the Fengtan meeting hall.
Mo Xi remained disguised as a man, quietly observing her companions. These people had excellent eyesight; in their presence, a woman disguised as a man was mostly a futile attempt to conceal her true identity. It was simply because men's clothing offered greater convenience. Only six people could discern that she was in disguise, her face completely altered. In reality, wearing a human skin mask during a mission would only expose her flaws, making her appear too fake. However, this didn't matter; concealing her true face was sufficient. She simply used makeup to make her already unremarkable features appear even more ordinary and indistinct. But to remember someone's characteristics, facial features were only one factor. For an assassin, bone structure, breathing rate, stride length, footprints, voice, and so on were all identifying elements, not to mention habitual small movements. When Mo Xi's martial arts skills were mediocre, she would instinctively reach for her weapon before making a move due to nervousness, a habit that took her a full six months to overcome.
Everyone displayed high professionalism, remaining calm and quiet until someone took charge. Mo Xi noticed none of the bizarre and outlandish costumes typical of martial arts novels. Only one person sitting in the corner, whose back appeared to be about ten years old, stood there. The rest were mostly between twenty and forty years old; she was considered young, at sixteen. Everyone was very discreet; including her, there were exactly 35 people. Because there was no need for communication, even small talk was unnecessary (for one thing, names were kept secret, so what was the point of small talk? Exchanging pseudonyms? No need). For a moment, it was so quiet you could tell a pin from a needle.
After waiting for the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, the butler-like man who had received her yesterday respectfully ushered in a man with a beautiful face and refined manners. However, upon closer inspection, his eyes were slightly red, and his complexion was paler than it had been a few days ago. Mo Xi's thin lips curved into a smile; it was indeed him.
The young master's official position is a steward of the capital branch, responsible for file management. In fact, each branch also keeps records of every employee's case, but the files are kept for one year. After one year, all files are transported to headquarters for copying and archiving, and the original files from each branch are destroyed.
He was chosen because he has a photographic memory. In other words, those two starving lovers managed to destroy the deadly file, but they were one step behind in failing to eliminate this lively troublemaker in front of them. Even Mo Xi felt sorry for them.
Next, a teaching material will be circulated. The common perception that martial artists are crude is a misconception; at least everyone here is literate. It seems the top masters in the field possess very high overall qualities.
Mo Xi was the last to receive it. This must have been written from memory by the young master; the handwriting was as elegant and refined as the man himself. She skimmed down the lines, growing increasingly alarmed with each line. The first-ranked person was named Lin Sen, and the second-ranked person was named Wu Hao—both likely aliases (I'm thinking of Lin Sen, too). These two had been renowned in the capital's legal circles for decades, never failing. Every case they handled involved a major figure in the capital, including even prime ministers and generals.
Both were skilled longsword users. Lin Sen once held his breath in the moat for three days before emerging to kill Su Hou Chu Feng and ten top-tier masters of the Yi Jian Sect near the capital. Wu Hao had infiltrated the Xishan garrison, the closest to the capital, for over three months, and amidst an army of 100,000, he took the head of the Fuyuan General and escaped unscathed. This time, the two joined forces, resulting in the loss of 316 skilled fighters from the main headquarters, unleashing a bloodbath.
When she finished reading it, her heart sank completely. What kind of people are these?
I had to bite the bullet and go for it.
Shocking Murder Scheme
( ) In the past, when encircling and suppressing, the gang and the nearby branches would issue arrest warrants. Although it was called an encirclement and suppression, each expert would act independently and come up with their own ingenious plans. There was never a large-scale joint operation.
This recall of 35 people to the main camp will be their first group operation. The commander-in-chief is naturally the young master.
As expected.
They were divided into seven groups of five, each heading to Miyun, Shantou, Yunjian, Xixi, Ninghe, Huaiyang, and Muning. These were all small towns, connected along the Moxi Mountains, about a day's journey apart.
The groups were formed entirely according to ranking, meaning those with similar abilities were grouped together. The first group headed directly to Miyun, the closest location to where the two informants had last been spotted, aiming for a swift and decisive strike. The remaining groups followed the same procedure. The ambush routes of each group would be adjusted constantly based on messages sent by carrier pigeon; when at rest, they would lie in wait, waiting for their prey to tire themselves out; when moving, they would be flexible and mobile, gradually closing in the encirclement to form a complete encirclement.
This is far more cunning than a swarm attack. Firstly, while numbers are certainly advantageous, they easily alert the enemy; secondly, if a swarm attacks, and the two manage to fight their way out, it will be too late to catch them, or given their past illustrious record, the entire force might be wiped out. The advantage of splitting up is that it keeps the two constantly on edge, constantly on the run. Furthermore, the dispersed groups facilitate location tracking and information sharing. What a brilliant, deadly plan!
After assigning tasks, they received their equipment: five signal flares, a water bottle, a tinderbox, a packet of mixed poison, and some silver. Mo Xi returned to his room, took out a map, and examined it closely. The Moxi Mountains stretched from north to south, with the vast desert to the west, a place where those who ventured there faced almost certain death. From the south, the Qinling Mountains rose, adjacent to the Mobei Grand Canyon.
We set off, traveling through the night.
During their journey, all five remained silent. The two at the front chased each other, seemingly competing in their agility. Mo Xi only used sixty percent of her strength to maintain formation with the others. She was determined not to speak unless it concerned her, and if asked, she would shake her head and feign ignorance, playing the innocent older sister.
The following morning, we arrived in Munin.
The person who looked like a child from behind was actually a dwarf, though he was just smaller in stature; his proportions were perfectly normal. It was just that his face, which looked like he was in his thirties, seemed a bit disproportionate to his childlike body.
He suggested that, in order to address each other, everyone should introduce themselves, with the leader saying that his name was Laut.
The sallow-faced young man in his early twenties was named Gu Yi, the dark-skinned and chubby one was named Ni Gan, and the handsome guy who looked like Tony Leung from Infernal Affairs with his melancholic air was named Shui Daosi. Mo Xi became famous again, borrowing the name of Jia Yucun's wife, Jiao Xing. Sleeping to Death: You dare to deliberately wake me up? Mo Xi almost slammed his fist on the table in approval. Great! Just hearing the names makes them seem perfectly compatible.
The five men remained in place to rest and prepare for the next mission.
Laozi began to devise a battle plan. He would disguise himself as a child, while Mo Xi would play his abusive, shrewish mother. The two would chase and flee to their target. One would act as the waiter, adding ingredients to their food, while the other two would pose as diners. Mo Xi remained noncommittal about this setup, which resembled a classic scene from a martial arts novel. The melancholic, handsome man, fast asleep, lowered his eyes slightly, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, but remained silent. The other two did not object. Thus, it was unanimously approved. There was only one small inn in the entire town, so there was no need to rack one's brains to guess.
After breakfast, everyone put on costumes according to their roles.
Mo Xi sensed that these people were all roughly equal in skill, and their future prospects were worrying.
Before they could even get into their cosplay outfits, they received a message by carrier pigeon. The two were truly remarkable, moving incredibly fast and never stopping at any inn, instead hiding in the dense forests of the mountains.
So far, seven out of the fifteen people in groups one, two, and three who have encountered them have been killed, nearly half of them.
The seventh group was ordered to remain stationary, while the other groups were forcing them towards Mu Ning, hoping to encircle and surround them. Mo Xi knew that no tricks would work this time; tracking, counter-tracking, poisoning, and various traps were all futile against the two of them. Only direct combat would prove effective.
Night ambush
( ) The next day, morning.
A message sent by carrier pigeon: Wu Hao is seriously injured, and the two have entered Mu Ning.
This news cheered everyone up; now, Wu Hao's survival only served to hinder Lin Sen. If the combined fighting power of the two was 200%, it was now reduced to 50%. Therefore, the five decided to mobilize all their forces to search the forests within Mu Ning's territory.
They had come up empty-handed after a whole day, and all five of them were starving. Laozi suggested that they hunt some wild game to fill their stomachs first.
Mo Xi had just caught a rabbit and was at a loss. Seeing the melancholy movie star catch a wild duck by the stream, pluck its feathers, clean it, and start a fire with practiced ease, she couldn't help but admire him. She simply had no idea how to cook meat. In the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the aroma of roast duck filled the air, the duck meat sizzling and releasing its oil. Mo Xi watched, her mouth watering, hesitating to ask what to say, when the melancholy movie star tore off a duck leg and tossed it to her. He then grabbed the rabbit from the ground, quickly prepared it, and put both of them over the fire to roast. Mo Xi was both amazed and deeply grateful.
The night was cool and still.
The dense forest made travel difficult, and the darkness further hampered visibility, causing the group to gradually spread out. Gu Yi and Ni Gan, who had tested their lightness skills the day before, habitually took the lead, unknowingly falling five zhang (approximately 10 meters) behind the other three.
Mo Xi suddenly heard two thuds. She knew something was wrong. The other two also immediately became alert and quickly gathered together.
Immediately afterward, a figure flashed past. Shuidaosi's hundred-foot rope flew out rapidly, but was still a beat too slow. This weapon was truly formidable, deeply embedded more than three inches into the tree trunk. Seeing that his attack had missed, he quickly shook the rope and deftly retracted it.
Mo Xi felt a powerful pressure approaching, a chill ran down her neck, and she immediately felt a jolt of fear. This was the chilling sword energy of a top-tier master. In a flash, she spun and crouched at an incredible angle, simultaneously striking out with both hands. Two more thuds followed. Laozi and Sleepyhead both fell to the ground.
The newcomer seemed equally shocked and bewildered by her ambush of her companion, but without hesitation, she wielded her sword into a dense net, tightening it ever more. Just as Shuidaosi had attacked, Mo Xi had already drawn her soft sword from her waist. With a flick of her wrist, she channeled her inner strength into the blade, and in an instant, the soft sword trembled, emitting a metallic roar, as if it were made of steel. Mo Xi remained calm, parrying each move, and suddenly, with all her might, she thrust forward, seizing the moment when her opponent was protecting his heart, and let out a low shout.
Upon hearing this, the man's sword thrust slowed. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Mo Xi quickly retreated two steps, uttered a cold remark, and then sheathed his sword at his waist, adopting a posture of surrender.
The man hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did as she said, striking six major acupoints on Mo Xi's body, grabbing Shui Daosi's hundred-foot rope, wrapping it around her slender waist, and leaping into the depths of the dense forest.
――――――――
The next morning, Mo Xi and Shui Daosi, the only two survivors of the seventh group, appeared covered in blood and joined the main force.
Twenty-five men relentlessly pursued Lin Sen for eleven days and nights, forcing him to the Mobei Grand Canyon, where they witnessed him leap into a hundred-foot-deep abyss shrouded in mist, leaving no trace of his body.
Wu Hao died from his injuries during his escape. The crowd, feeling a deep sense of loss and sympathy, buried him on the spot. Two of the more sentimental among them even shed crocodile tears.
The first joint encirclement and suppression operation thus came to a successful conclusion.