An Jiu’s group was designated as the Heaven team, while the other was the Earth team.
The Heaven team chose Sui Yunzhu as their leader because he was clever and willing to take on responsibility for others. Although Lou Mingyue had the highest martial arts skills, she remained aloof and didn’t care about the others.
An Jiu was also accustomed to minding her own business and had no objections to this arrangement for now.
The six members activated their lightness skills, moving swiftly and silently like rabbits and falcons. The unfortunate An Jiu could only follow at her own pace, step by step.
Fortunately, the mission had a four-month time limit. Otherwise, she would likely end up with another certain negative score.
As night fell, a thin mist enveloped the streets and alleys, shrouding the varied rooflines and intricate eaves of the buildings like a delicate veil.
The prosperity of the Song Dynasty was no less than that of the Tang. The entire capital was built with impressive grandeur, but the Song people preferred elegance over ostentation. Whether in residences or clothing, they pursued understated refinement. Luxury was woven into every brick and stitch, its subtleties lost on those who couldn’t appreciate such nuances.
This was An Jiu’s first time truly observing the ancient capital. Wide streets were paved with even stone slabs, and lined with shops on both sides. Some medical halls and inns still had lanterns lit outside their doors.
During the Tang Dynasty, residential areas and markets were separated. In the Song Dynasty, however, the boundaries between residential wards and commercial markets had blurred. Most shops were built along the streets, giving residential areas a more lived-in atmosphere.
In the quiet night, on her way to carry out an assassination, An Jiu unexpectedly felt a sense of belonging.
She truly had a second life, genuinely becoming a citizen of the Song Dynasty!
With these thoughts, An Jiu slowed her pace to fully appreciate Bianjing City under the moonlight. Pan Lou Street wasn’t far from the Crane-Controlling Institute, and she could see a tall building standing out among the sea of houses.
That was the government-run restaurant called Pan Lou.
In the Song Dynasty, restaurants were either government-run or privately owned. There were seventy-two government-run restaurants in Bianjing City. Pan Lou had been famous since the Five Dynasties period and was now one of the most renowned official restaurants. The street in front of it was named Pan Lou Street because of this establishment.
Even from a distance, An Jiu could hear the bustling noise. Looking up, she saw shadowy figures moving about in the brightly lit building, filled with laughter and waiters’ loud responses.
She avoided the main entrance, using her internal energy to conceal her presence as she dashed through the dark alleys.
After rebuilding her body, her running speed increased significantly. What pleased her most was that she no longer felt the limits of exhaustion so quickly.
Upon reaching the vicinity of the Fan mansion, she withdrew her spiritual energy.
Soon, Sui Yunzhu came out to meet her. “What took you so long?”
An Jiu didn’t explain, only asking, “How’s the situation?”
Sui Yunzhu led her into the shadows, his lowered voice sounding particularly grave, “According to Lou Er’s initial reconnaissance, the target’s security is tight. There are over forty martial artists of the fourth rank or higher, plus the target has eight elite personal guards.”
They all had code names, but unwilling to abandon their identities, they still used their original names in private.
Their assigned target was Fan Yunchao, known as Master Fan, one of Bianjing City’s wealthy merchants. He primarily dealt in silk, leather, and iron mines. Additionally, he owned three private brothels, two restaurants, and two gambling houses.
However, Fan Yunchao’s main source of income was iron mining. Since the government monopolized most iron mines, Fan Yunchao only had one mine within Song territory, but he owned no less than ten mines in countries like Western Xia.
“I felt something was off when I first saw the mission deadline. I didn’t expect it to be this difficult,” Sui Yunzhu clicked his tongue, but his eyes were already burning with fighting spirit. “The court wants us to do this without leaving a trace. If I’m not mistaken, they’ve already prepared someone to impersonate Fan Yunchao!”
After all, it would be a waste to abandon the Fan family’s iron mines.
“What do you plan to do?” An Jiu asked.
“I don’t have a concrete plan yet.” Sui Yunzhu’s gaze fell on the Subduing Dragon Bow on her back. The bow’s jet-black body reflected a layer of silvery moonlight, looking exceptionally bright. “Can you hit the target from 800 paces away?”
“This bow can’t be used,” An Jiu said.
Sui Yunzhu was surprised, thinking to himself: This is your only notable skill, yet you deliberately brought an unusable bow. Are you planning to just watch?
However, looking into An Jiu’s beautiful eyes, he thought of something and didn’t question her further. He smiled gently and said, “The information provided by the Institute is too limited. Let’s observe for a few more days before deciding.”
Assassination was like hunting.
To succeed, one must first thoroughly understand the prey’s environment and habits. Patience was crucial. When everything was under control, they only needed to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike a fatal blow.
“I’ll go take a look too,” An Jiu turned to leave.
Sui Yunzhu quickly reached out to stop her, but as soon as his hand made contact, An Jiu grabbed it, yanking him forward. She spun around, her knee almost touching his abdomen before abruptly stopping.
“Don’t approach from behind,” An Jiu warned.
Sui Yunzhu was stunned. Long after An Jiu’s figure had disappeared, he finally came to his senses. The terrifying killing intent that had burst forth at that moment left him feeling cold all over as if he had been a dead man in that instant! Even Gu Jingbei, known as the “God of Death” in the Crane-Controlling Army, didn’t possess such frightening killing intent!