Chapter 202: Chapter 122: Continuous Assassinations, the Strange Peach Opera Garden

Shen Bai asked, "Elder Mu, do you have any intelligence on the Dark Hall?"

He was the type of person who had to get rid of a problem by its roots.

He wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly otherwise.

Previously, he’d been occupied with the Upper Evil Sect, and then the provincial celebration, so Shen Bai hadn’t gotten around to dealing with it.

Elder Mu frowned. "That’s what’s so strange. The Dark Hall may be relentless, but they aren’t fools. Once they learned your identity, there’s no way they would have continued the pursuit."

In the Jianghu, many things are just a front.

Take the Dark Hall’s "relentlessness," for instance. That’s just to build their reputation. They wouldn’t actually take it to such an extreme.

Especially after learning Shen Bai’s identity, there’s no way they’d continue to hunt him.

Shen Bai stroked his chin. "If that’s the case, then there’s only one possibility. Someone renewed the bounty on me."

Elder Mu nodded. "Correct. And the reward must be immense—so great that they can’t refuse it. Or perhaps, so great that they *dare not* refuse."

Shen Bai asked, "Do you have any leads?"

Elder Mu shook his head. "They’re an organization of assassins, and a very covert one. All we’ve found are minor details. However, if they make another move, new clues will emerge."p>Shen Bai knew what he meant.

He knew that the more they acted, the more clues they would leave.

Eventually, Shen Bai might be able to uncover who was pulling the strings.

With that thought, Shen Bai decided not to dwell on it.

"The Peach Opera Garden has arrived?" Shen Bai asked.

Elder Mu nodded. "They have. But this time, the Peach Opera Garden seems to be very well-behaved. That young lady, Long Yan, prepared a whole set of measures to deal with them, but none were needed. As soon as they arrived, they checked into an inn and kept to themselves. They’ll likely start their performances today."

Shen Bai petted Amber and said, "The more placid the sea, the more monstrous the waves."

Elder Mu chuckled. "Rest assured, the Observatory’s surveillance won’t let up. As per procedure, they’ll start visiting the various local powers soon. We’ll assess the situation then. If something happens, a mission will be posted."

At this point, Shen Bai and Elder Mu had discussed all they needed to.

He made a bit more small talk with Elder Mu, then left the resource room.

He first went to the Ding Twenty-Third Division, then headed to the Martial Arts Arena to start grinding his Skill Level in the Poison Avoidance and Rejuvenation Skill.

...

An entire day passed just like that.

[Poison Avoidance and Rejuvenation Skill +400]

Shen Bai watched his Skill Level increase, then left the Observatory, feeling satisfied.

His Poison Avoidance and Rejuvenation Skill was now at 1900 points. The closer he got to Level 4, the more impatient Shen Bai became.

Fortunately, grinding a Level 3 Divine Power was much faster. Shen Bai’s sense of accomplishment grew with every passing moment, so he didn’t find it tedious at all.

’Grab some dinner, head home, and get back to grinding my Skill Level.’

Shen Bai left the Observatory, thinking, ’If the Dark Hall sends more people, I’ll deal with them then.’

Outside, the sun was already sinking in the west, and fiery clouds spread across the sky.

After leaving the Observatory, Shen Bai walked up to a small food stall outside and ordered two dishes and a soup.

"Hey, Lord Shen! Come, have a seat, have a seat."

The stall owner smiled. "The usual, Lord Shen?"

Shen Bai nodded. "The usual. I’m eating and running."

Since he was anxious to get back to grinding his Skill Level, Shen Bai didn’t chat long with the stall owner.

It seemed Qin Shuang was out on a mission today, so she wasn’t eating with Shen Bai either.

Before long, the food arrived, and Shen Bai began to dig in.

After finishing his meal, Shen Bai paid the bill and headed home.

The walk back didn’t take long.

However, about three streets from his home, Shen Bai stopped in his tracks.

Amber, cradled in his arms, was still meowing. Shen Bai looked at the crowd up ahead and raised an eyebrow.

On a nearby empty lot, a temporary stage had been erected. Onstage, several men and women with painted faces were performing an opera.

Judging by their poise and footwork, they were no ordinary people.

Shen Bai stroked his chin, thinking, ’These must be the people from the Peach Opera Garden.’

A large crowd of commoners had gathered to watch. Every now and then, someone would clap and applaud, creating a lively atmosphere.

They were cultivators, after all, so their every movement was perfectly executed—not too much, not too little.

Shen Bai watched for a while but didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. It seemed none of them even glanced in his direction. After a moment’s thought, he decided to head back and continue grinding his Skill Level.

Just then, Shen Bai’s gaze paused.

In the crowd, Long Yan stood with her hands clasped before her abdomen, studying the scene on stage.

But Long Yan’s brows were tightly knit, as if she were lost in thought.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Bai walked up to her. "Landlord Long?"

An expert of Long Yan’s caliber would have sensed Shen Bai’s approach long before he arrived.

By the time Shen Bai spoke, Long Yan had already turned around.

Long Yan turned to him. "I didn’t expect to run into you here."

Shen Bai gestured toward the stage. "Still worried about the Peach Opera Garden, Landlord Long?"

Long Yan shook her head, then nodded. Her usual soft, charming demeanor was gone. "Yes and no."

Shen Bai was confused. He had no idea what she meant by that.

Long Yan considered for a moment, then said, "Let’s talk somewhere more private."

Shen Bai figured Long Yan must have something important to say, so he nodded in agreement.

A moment later, the two of them left the clearing and found a quieter alley.

Shen Bai asked, "Landlord Long, do you sense that something is wrong?"

Long Yan nodded and said bluntly, "I’ve noticed that the Peach Opera Garden seems to get worse every year."

"Oh?" Shen Bai stroked his chin. "How so?"

Long Yan said, "These people may have some operatic training, but their fundamentals are weak."

Shen Bai raised an eyebrow. "I see. In that case... Huh?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Before he could finish his sentence, Shen Bai saw an arrow shoot toward him from the depths of the alley.

"Again? Is this ever going to end?"