The plump young man’s face was full of malice, and he gave a slight nod.

The old man past fifty frowned and asked, “Assassinate whom, then?”

The plump young man fetched paper and brush, divided the paper into small slips of the same size, and took up the brush and wrote several surnames on them.

Then he rolled the slips into balls, cupped them in both hands and shook them, like a man throwing dice.

“We’ll leave the who of it to heaven’s will. Let us see whose life the old man above wants.”

With that he picked up one of the paper balls at random and tossed it to the old man past fifty. “Take a look for me. Who is this man heaven has chosen?”

The old man past fifty opened the paper ball, and his face changed on the instant. There on it, plain to see, was the surname Chen. (TL Note: A family name, and not the Chen of Ning Chen’s own name — in Chinese the two are different characters entirely. Several men at court carry this surname.)

The plump young man asked, “Who?”

“Chen.”

The plump young man’s pupils contracted. “This is heaven’s own will.”

The old man past fifty said in a low voice, “Do you truly mean to move against him?”

The plump young man was silent for a while, then gave a slight nod. “Him, then… He is a perfect choice.”

“First, his standing is high enough. If he were assassinated, His Majesty would certainly go into a towering rage, and would certainly send the Inspectorate to wipe out the Ghost-Shadow Sect at any cost.”

“Second, the man is far too close to Ning Chen. His death would do us a world of good.”

“Third, has Ning Chen not gone missing? If this man dies, Ning Chen is certain to show his face.”

The plump young man could not hold back a laugh. “Three gains at one stroke. Even heaven is helping us.”

The old man past fifty was not so cheerful. He said in a low voice, “Killing him is no easier than killing Ning Chen.”

The plump young man’s eyes were savage. “However hard it is, he has to be killed.”

“It is only while Ning Chen is away that we have any chance of killing him… Once he is back in the capital, killing him will be as hard as climbing to the sky.”

“So Ning Chen must be made to show himself, and he must not be allowed to reach the capital alive.”

The old man past fifty thought it over for a long while, then gave a slight nod. “We will have to plan this to the last detail, without a single slip… or it is the end of all of us.”

The plump young man made a sound of assent. “You go on ahead. Let me think it over. When the plan is ready I will send somebody to tell you.”

“Yes.”

The old man past fifty came out of the hidden room, went around to the back door, and once outside passed down an alley and joined the flow of people.

Little did he know that a pair of eyes had been watching him from the shadows the whole time.

After all the hard traveling, Ning Chen had reached the Ghost-Shadow Sect at last.

The Ghost-Shadow Sect lay hidden outside the city of Quanzhou.

Ning Chen looked at the grand, imposing compound in front of him and went blank for a moment.

He turned his head to Xie Siyu. “This… is the Ghost-Shadow Sect?”

Xie Siyu nodded.

The house was very impressive, a little larger even than his own Ning residence… but the plaque hanging over it did not read Ghost-Shadow Sect. It read Half Moon Manor.

Ning Chen said with a smile, “Interesting. Using a manor as cover and standing out in plain sight of the world. That is a clever move.”

An assassins’ organization: people naturally assume such men must live somewhere dark.

Who would ever imagine they live in the sunlight, in a great house behind high walls?

“Younger Brother, come along.”

The party climbed the steps.

There were dozens of stone steps in front of Half Moon Manor.

When they reached the door, Xie Siyu struck the door ring.

The man who opened it was middle-aged. Seeing Xie Siyu, he bowed. “The young master is back?”

Then his eyes fell on Ning Chen and the others, wary and somewhat curious.

Xie Siyu gave a slight nod. “Where is the head of the house?”

“The head of the house is waiting for the young master in the main hall.”

Xie Siyu made a sound of assent and led Ning Chen and the others inside.

“The head of the house is the sect master. The clan uncles are the elders.”

Xie Siyu explained it as they went.

Ning Chen gave a slight nod.

Just then a middle-aged man of about forty came toward them.

“Eldest Brother.”

The middle-aged man bowed with his fist in his palm.

Xie Siyu said to Ning Chen, “Bao Qing. Call him Second Brother.”

Ning Chen bowed. “Ning Chen greets Second Brother.”

Bao Qing gave a slight nod and looked Ning Chen over, but when his eyes fell on Yudie and Zisu behind Ning Chen, they lit up all at once.

“Younger Brother is a lucky dog.”

Bao Qing stared at Zisu and Yudie, his gaze growing hotter and hotter, slavering openly.

Ning Chen’s expression darkened at once.

Bao Qing dragged his eyes off Zisu and Yudie with an effort and looked at Ning Chen. “Younger Brother, how long have these two beauties been with you?”

Ning Chen said coolly, “A long time.”

Bao Qing held up one finger. “Then you must be tired of them by now. A hundred taels of silver, and you let your elder brother here have the two of them to play with for a few days. How about it?”

Xie Siyu’s face changed. “Bao Qing. Watch your mouth.”

Bao Qing’s face was all lewd grins. “They are only two women. Younger Brother is certainly tired of them… I am putting up a hundred taels of silver, so I am hardly treating Younger Brother badly.”

“At worst I will seize a few respectable women and hand them to Younger Brother. I guarantee he will not lose by it.”

Xie Siyu’s face was black. “Are you still talking?”

Zisu and Yudie were full of indignation.

Feng Qizheng’s hand tightened on the rebar. He needed only a word from Ning Chen and he would smash Bao Qing’s dog head in.

But Ning Chen’s expression eased. He walked over to Bao Qing as though he had something to say that others must not hear.

He was all smiles, and he lowered his voice. “Does Second Brother often seize respectable women?”

Bao Qing’s face was all lewd grins. “Not often. Only playing with a few of them now and then when I am out on a job… They are free, after all. It costs nothing.”

“Younger Brother, those two women of yours look like immortals come down from heaven. They have your elder brother itching… A hundred taels of silver, and let me have them for a few days, and from now on I will look after you here. I guarantee you will not lose by it.”

Ning Chen was still smiling all over. “You really are… an animal.”

The words were barely out before the lewd grin on Bao Qing’s face turned to terror, and he backed away in a panic with his hands over his belly.

There was a dagger buried in his stomach.

Ning Chen stepped back, snatched the rebar out of Feng Qizheng’s hand and swung it at Bao Qing.

Bao Qing was no weakling. He fell back a step at once.

Bang!!!

The rebar smashed the bluestone paving slab into pieces.

Bao Qing’s face was vicious. He screamed, “You dare offend against your superiors and raise a hand to me?”

Ning Chen’s eyes were ice. “Today, you die.”

Xie Siyu was appalled. “Ning Chen, no!”

Ning Chen laughed coldly, pushed off with his foot and went at Bao Qing like a hunting cat.

The rebar came down at Bao Qing’s head with the wind whistling behind it.

With a blade in his belly, Bao Qing could only fall back in disarray, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.

He fell back fast. Ning Chen came on faster.

Bao Qing could not get clear. He threw his arm up to block without thinking.

If sword and saber could not stop it, what chance did flesh and blood have?

The rebar came down hard on Bao Qing’s forearm.

A dull sound, and with it the shrill crack of bone shattering.

Bao Qing’s forearm was smashed into the shape of a V.

The bone in pieces, the flesh torn open.

“Ahh…”

Bao Qing let out a scream fit to tear his heart out of him, and it no longer sounded like a human voice.

The rebar in Ning Chen’s hand came down at Bao Qing’s head again.

“Hold your hand—”

Xie Siyu drew his sword and tried to catch Ning Chen’s blow.

The rebar struck the flat of the blade.

Clang!!!

In the shrill ringing of metal on metal, the long sword broke at the stroke.

The rebar came down and struck Bao Qing on the head.

Bang!!!

Xie Siyu’s sword had blocked most of the rebar’s force, but even so the blow left Bao Qing’s head broken open and streaming blood.

Bao Qing let out a ghastly scream, everything went black in front of him, and he pitched headfirst onto the ground.

(End of Chapter 389)