Chapter 114: Elite Gathering

Chapter 114: A Gathering of Heroes

Zhao Changhe knew that toying with the Maitreya Sect like this was like walking a tightrope. The Celestial Maiden was right—they were no fools. They had simply been intent on recruiting him, never once suspecting that he harbored malice toward them. They were on different frequencies, which had created this amusing situation.

That Fa Yuan, whether his claimed Human Roll strength was exaggerated or not, even if not, he was likely on par with Yue Hongling. And with Yangzhou teeming with their followers, it was probably true. The moment they realized they had been duped, he wouldn't even know how he died.

But that was what being a "spy" meant... If not for the fear that joining the sect would lead to being controlled by some secret art, Zhao Changhe would have genuinely considered becoming a member for the thrill. After all, everyone knew he was born rebellious—he could just defect later. Unfortunately, the fear of control forced him to keep walking this tightrope.

Still, it was quite thrilling...

And there were results, weren't there? At least now he knew that most of the Canal Guild were Maitreya followers, and the prefect had a Celestial Maiden by his side. Given the situation, the prefect himself might already be a Maitreya believer, or at least under their control.

Zhao Changhe couldn't help but feel a pang of worry. Based on what he had seen and heard, the Maitreya Sect could at any moment unleash a rebellion that would shake half the realm like a tidal wave. This was not something the Demon Suppression Bureau within the city could stop. He just didn't know what they were waiting for. It was said that the empire was in its twilight but not yet fully collapsed into chaos, yet now it seemed they could start at any time.

He told himself he didn't want to be a prince, that the affairs of the world were none of his concern... but the Maitreya Sect was not a good choice. Their heretical doctrines would only push people further into the abyss, serving nothing but the selfish desires of the sect's upper echelons.

If they delayed their rebellion long enough, Zhao Changhe figured he would probably just ignore it. After all, the world, by right of succession, was hers anyway...

Lost in thought, he suddenly felt a faint tremor from the Dragon Sparrow at his back.

Zhao Changhe jolted in alarm.

The Dragon Sparrow was warning him!

Ever since he had taken the detour to reach Sword Lake, he had encountered no real danger. This was the first time in nearly a month that the Dragon Sparrow had given a warning!

Where was the killing intent?

His rear vision swept quickly, and soon he spotted a glint of cold light on a distant rooftop.

"Twang!" The sound of a bowstring.

Zhao Changhe twisted his body just in time to dodge, adjusting his direction as he did so. With a stomp of his foot, he shot like a cannonball toward the attacker's position.

The attacker was clearly startled, never expecting Zhao Changhe to foresee the fatal arrow and evade it. Seeing Zhao Changhe charging, he swiftly maneuvered, darting in a few flashes to a place that looked like a Western market, then vanished into the crowd.

Zhao Changhe, having chased from a distance, arrived at the spot only to find the trail completely lost. There was no way to track him.

Standing outside the market, he watched a throng of foreign merchants and tourists, his brows tightly knit.

In that fleeting glimpse, he had seen the attacker wearing a mask. The movement was too fast—all he knew was that the mask was blue; he hadn't caught anything else. This showed the attacker's caution: even for a lethal ambush, he wore a mask to prevent anyone from accidentally recognizing him.

This wasn't the style of the Snow Listening Tower. Their assassins weren't afraid of being identified; in fact, they wanted to advertise their brand. They had never worn masks before. Disguising themselves as these foreign merchants and launching a surprise attack was more their style.

Since it didn't seem like the Snow Listening Tower, who could be his enemy recently? It was strange.

A market where foreign merchants gathered... Could it be a foreigner? When had he ever offended any foreigners? He had no dealings with them at all.

Could it be Tang Buqi, whom he had just offended? That would be too low-class. Zhao Changhe mentally ran through his list of enemies, utterly baffled.

Seeing that it was getting dark, he decided to ask a passerby for directions and headed toward the Bright Moon Tower.

Maybe the Canal Guild's influence could help find some clues... Wait, could it be Wan Dongliu? But he was playing host at the moment, receiving guests. How could he come out to assassinate him? And if he sent someone, what would be his motive?

...

"Three thousand guests in the vernal gardens of paradise; the first tower in bright-mooned Yangzhou."

Whether it was just a facade or not, the Bright Moon Tower was still the premier establishment in Yangzhou. Its bright lights made the dusk seem like daylight, filled with laughter and chatter, servants and maids bustling about.

As Zhao Changhe approached, someone immediately announced loudly: "Zhao Changhe, Young Hero Zhao, has arrived!"

Zhao Changhe momentarily set aside his thoughts about the assassin, finding it amusing. It seemed this was the first time he had been called "Young Hero."

Getting that title seemed quite difficult... Though it was just a polite formality now—others probably thought of him as a young bandit at best—it still felt interesting.

He clasped his hands in a salute and strode inside.

The banquet was said to be held at the Bright Moon Tower, a landmark building, but neither host nor guests had gone upstairs yet. They were all seated in the main hall below, chatting.

As Zhao Changhe entered, a group of eyes fell on him. Wan Dongliu laughed heartily in welcome: "Brother Zhao has arrived! Please, sit!"

Zhao Changhe glanced around but didn't see Yue Hongling. He didn't know if she hadn't come yet or if Wan Dongliu hadn't invited her. Instead, a middle-aged man was inexplicably seated in the seat of honor, perhaps Wan Dongliu's father.

Zhao Changhe made a general salute: "Zhao Changhe greets everyone. Brother Wan, won't you introduce me?"

Wan Dongliu led him to the middle-aged man and said with a smile: "Brother Zhao, let me inform you—this is our Prefect Qian. Hearing about the gathering of hidden dragons from the martial world, Prefect Qian graciously wished to meet all the young talents."

Zhao Changhe's interest immediately waned. Who wanted to socialize with some damned official? How's your Celestial Maiden doing?

Despite his thoughts, he made a perfunctory bow: "So it's the Prefect. An honor."

Prefect Qian looked Zhao Changhe up and down and snorted: "Indeed, a ruffian."

Zhao Changhe glanced at Wan Dongliu expressionlessly. Wan Dongliu quietly tugged at him, signaling him to step aside. "Brother Zhao, this is truly my fault. I don't know how the Prefect found out about my banquet for the hidden dragon heroes, but he insisted on joining. I couldn't refuse, and it's been a headache."

Zhao Changhe patted his shoulder: "I understand. Just ignore him. Introduce me to the others?"

Wan Dongliu led him to the guest seats: "Brother Tang, you already know... This is Daoist Xuanchong of the Taiyi Sect, ranked twelfth on the Hidden Dragon List."

Zhao Changhe sized up the young Daoist. He looked ordinary, nothing memorable, but his Hidden Dragon ranking of twelfth was solid. Even Chichi was only thirteenth, and Wan Dongliu was the same. These rankings were from a while ago; who knew what their current levels were?

Zhao Changhe didn't underestimate him. He clasped his hands politely: "An honor."

The young Daoist Xuanchong was also very courteous, and his words surprised Zhao Changhe: "The honor is mine. Brother Zhao, by betraying the Blood God Sect and slaying the demon cult leader, you have rid the martial world of a great menace. You are one of us."

Zhao Changhe blinked, thinking, no wonder... Since leaving Beimang, he had been hunted by the government, wanted by the demon cult, and ambushed by assassins, but no orthodox sect had ever come after him. They had been completely absent. So in their eyes, he was a demon-slayer, and they had no desire to make trouble for him.

Not bad, not bad. They deserved to be called the righteous path. But it seemed they didn't care much about the imperial warrant. Tang Wanzhuang's job at the Demon Suppression Bureau was harder than he had imagined.

Zhao Changhe's mood, dampened by the assassination and the encounter with the foolish official, improved somewhat. He continued: "And the others?"

"These are all local talents from Yangzhou. This is the Jade-Faced Divine Sword, Little White Dragon Su..."

Before he could finish, a loud laugh came from outside: "Introductions, introductions? What nonsense introductions! I say the hidden dragons of the Central Plains are undeserving of their fame, and the heroes of Jiangnan are nothing but dog shit!"

As the words fell, the door slammed open with a bang. Two doorkeepers were thrown inside, groaning in pain on the ground.

Wan Dongliu, who had been all hearty smiles and hospitality, suddenly turned grim: "What overbearing dragon dares to cause trouble on my Canal Guild's turf?"

A dozen or so men swarmed in from outside, all with foreign braids and barbarian robes, clearly not from the Central Plains.

Zhao Changhe's heart stirred.

Interesting. The assassin who had just tried to kill him had fled into the foreign market, and now, not long after, Wan Dongliu's venue was being challenged by foreigners.

He turned to look at Prefect Qian behind him. So why was he here today?