For now, the only thing to do was have Monkey leave the city and lie low for a while.

Hearing this, Monkey took the letter and left the city once more...

He had already arranged with Qin Fang that after entering the city and contacting Master Zhou, he would go to the same spot as last night to wait for him...

Time trickled by. Monkey waited at last night’s location, but Qin Fang never appeared.

Not until night was about to fall did a travel-worn Qin Fang finally show up.

"Master Qin." Monkey hurried forward to greet him.

Qin Fang nodded. "A reply from Master-brother?"

"Yes, it’s here."

Qin Fang took the letter and began to read. There wasn’t much new—just that his master-brother was now aware of his situation and, at the same time, informed him that he hadn’t been able to uncover anything in the county town.

Qin Fang merely glanced at it before putting the letter away. He then said to Monkey, "You might have to tough it out for one more day. By tomorrow, things should be fine... But that’s not certain. We’ll see how it goes."

Seeing Qin Fang’s expression, a thought crossed Monkey’s mind. ’Is he about to do something big?’

But Monkey didn’t ask, simply nodding.

Qin Fang told Monkey to find a place to stay nearby; he would come find him after he was finished with his business.

Monkey agreed.

And so, Qin Fang left.

A short while later, he arrived at the cliff face opposite the abandoned temple. The sun had not yet set, and the temple was completely deserted.

Qin Fang let out a soft breath and pulled something from his robes...

It was the pouch for the Poisonous Thorn!

Earlier today, Qin Fang had returned to Wanshui and brought back several Poison Needles that were hidden under a stone brick in his house.

That’s right.

He intended to kill someone today.

And the person he was going to kill was that pale-faced constable!

’...This man is most likely the nemesis my master-brother mentioned.’

’He latched onto a minor weakness of Master-brother’s and is pursuing it relentlessly, clearly wanting him dead. The thought of killing him had already crossed my mind last night!’

’After discovering that the man was also likely a member of that mysterious organization... that killing intent intensified.’

’But I didn’t act rashly yesterday because there were too many people from the mysterious organization gathered at the temple. I was afraid that if I made too much of a commotion, I’d attract more trouble.’

’Besides, I didn’t have any Poison Needles with me then... Who could I blame for coming up empty at Old Ox Back yesterday?’

’If he is indeed the nemesis Master-brother mentioned, then he must also be an Anjin Martial Artist.’

’...What if he has a monster inside his body, too?’

’Only the Poisonous Thorn can kill him and the monster at the same time!’

That was why Qin Fang had gone to all the trouble of making a special trip back to Wanshui to retrieve the Poisonous Thorn...

The reason he was now watching the temple... was that he wasn’t sure if these gatherings were a daily or occasional event.

If it was only occasional... then killing his target would be rather troublesome.

That’s why he had to come here and watch first.

The man had official duties, which was why he arrived late yesterday. If there was a gathering today, he would probably be late again.

With that, Qin Fang settled in on the cliff face and began to wait patiently.

Finally, the daylight vanished, and night fell.

Then, Qin Fang’s eyes narrowed slightly... because people had appeared on the old path leading to the temple.

Although they all wore black robes, Qin Fang could roughly distinguish by their figures... that the ones approaching now were likely a man and a woman.

The man coughed intermittently as he walked, his figure hunched over like an old man long afflicted by illness.

Beside him was a slender woman... Her black robe couldn’t completely conceal her figure. Her steps were graceful, her aura extraordinary.

A group of about ten other black-robed figures followed them, but they didn’t come from the direction of True Martial. They ascended the mountain path and entered the temple.

Qin Fang watched them carry out that bizarre statue from inside the temple, then kneel and begin to murmur in low voices.

The sky grew darker, and more black-robed figures arrived sporadically... Although this abandoned old temple was just outside the city, it was hidden in the wilderness, and ordinary people rarely came this way.

Seeing this, Qin Fang knew they must hold these gatherings frequently.

A glint flashed in his eyes. Without further hesitation, he rose and left, heading straight for the South Gate.

...The temple was closest to the South Gate.

Staring at the closed city gate, Qin Fang narrowed his eyes and began to wait patiently.

The wait felt both fast and slow. In the wilderness, the BUZZ of insects was enough to unsettle one’s mind.

But Qin Fang was calm. He decided to use the waiting time to practice the Pile right there...

’...I’ve been rushing around all day and haven’t had a chance to train yet.’

And so, he trained for about four hours, by which time the Hour of the Pig had arrived.

Just then, a sudden CREAK broke the silence. Qin Fang’s gaze immediately sharpened as he looked ahead...

The city gate had been opened, and a pale-faced, middle-aged man in Black Clothes walked out.

With his current Eye Power, Qin Fang could practically see in the dark as if it were day, to say nothing of the torches that burned year-round at the gate.

He recognized him at a single glance: it was the same man from yesterday.

Qin Fang’s pupils contracted. Without a shred of hesitation, the three Poisonous Thorns in his hand flew toward the middle-aged man fifty meters away!

’An Anjin Martial Artist might be able to sense an attack coming, what then?’

"Take care, Chief An."

A few constables at the city gate respectfully saw the pale-faced, middle-aged man off.

Nearby, however, Sun Peng was complaining internally... ’He talks about how "gate security is lax and inspections are neglected," how we need "to reform the administration and stamp out corruption," but then he, the City Gate Guard himself, sneaks out of the city every night... Damn it, he’s a total hypocrite. It’s disgusting!’

’Of course, I have no idea what he’s going out to do... If he just claims it’s official business, what can you do about it?’