By the time Shen Bai finished speaking, the arrow had already reached him.

Shen Bai reacted extremely quickly, preparing to knock the arrow away the instant it arrived.

But before Shen Bai could make a move, Long Yan acted first.

A Flower Spear appeared in Long Yan’s hand. Without any perceptible movement from her, the arrow instantly disintegrated into dust.

Then, Long Yan gently waved the Flower Spear toward the darkness.

A bloodcurdling scream echoed from the darkness, like the sound of a duck with its throat being squeezed.

A body flew out and landed at Long Yan’s feet.

The entire process took only a single breath, and the Dark Hall assassin was dead.

Shen Bai narrowed his eyes. "Landlord Long, your skills are truly impressive."

Despite Long Yan’s feminine appearance, that silent and traceless spear strike revealed a profound and unfathomable level of power, making her seem completely inscrutable.

Again, with no visible movement, the Flower Spear in Long Yan’s hand vanished in an instant.

"They’re assassins from the Dark Hall. I heard Elder Mu mention it. It seems they won’t rest until you’re dead."

Long Yan’s hands fell to her sides as she glanced at the corpse on the ground and spoke nonchalantly.

Shen Bai nodded. "Either there are top-tier benefits at stake that they can’t give up, or they have no choice but to act. I’m inclined to believe it’s the latter. What do you think, Landlord Long?"

’The first option is impossible. After all, no matter how great the benefits, they wouldn’t be worth the Dark Hall risking the annihilation of their entire sect. My status and position are clear, and I play a pivotal role in Fenglin State. So, the second option seems more plausible. There are many reasons why they might have no choice, but the simplest is that they’ve encountered something even more terrifying that is forcing their hand.’

’And Shen Bai didn’t even need to guess who that more terrifying something was.’

’Besides the Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect, there was no third possibility.’

Long Yan shook her head. "They’re just a pack of filthy rats. To you, they’re nothing. These repeated assassination attempts are just a pointless exercise, so what is their goal?"

Shen Bai stroked his chin.

’He seemed to detect a hint of something unusual in Long Yan’s words.’

"Could it be, Landlord Long, that you know what their purpose is?"

As the saying goes, two heads are better than one, and Shen Bai was eager to hear someone else’s thoughts.

After all, even if they were just filthy rats, they still stank, and Shen Bai didn’t want to be choked by that foul odor every day.

If he found the chance, he wouldn’t hesitate to eradicate the Dark Hall, root and stem.

Landlord Long pondered for a moment. "These people pose no real threat to you. But what if they’re sending people specifically to harass you, to deny you a moment’s peace? Do you think that’s a possibility?"

At these words, Shen Bai fell into deep thought, and then his eyes lit up faintly.

"I understand what you mean. That might be a real possibility."

’Constant harassment would force him to focus his attention on the assassination attempts.’

’As for why they would want him focused on the assassinations, the answer was simple.’

’It was very likely that something else was happening, and they didn’t want him distracted by it.’

"In that case, is it possible this matter is related to the Peach Opera Garden?" Shen Bai asked.

Long Yan’s willow-like brows furrowed slightly, then she shook her head. "I don’t know. But the Observatory’s surveillance on them has never ceased. Even if there is a connection, they can’t escape the Observatory’s watch."

Shen Bai glanced around.

At that moment, the opera on the stage was reaching its conclusion.

The common folk watching the opera were clapping continuously, pushing the lively atmosphere to another peak.

"Let’s hope so. Landlord Long, if you get any news about the Dark Hall, please let me know." Shen Bai placed his hand on the scabbard of Cold Moon, preparing to leave.

They had discussed things enough. He also needed to get back to grinding the Skill Level of his Poison Avoidance and Rejuvenation Skill.

He was thinking that once he raised all these Skills to Level 4 and entered the next tier of the Five Organ Realm, his strength would undergo another qualitative leap.

Long Yan nodded. "I should be heading back as well. The Peach Opera Garden’s actions have left me somewhat disappointed. But it’s fine. At least for now, Fenglin State is calm and peaceful."

The two said no more and went their separate ways, each returning to their own home.

After returning, Shen Bai wasted no time. He lit the oil lamp on his desk, placed the Amber on it, and began grinding the Skill Level of his Poison Avoidance and Rejuvenation Skill.

Everything was as usual, his routine remaining the same. To an outsider, Shen Bai’s self-discipline was almost frightening.

...

While Shen Bai was grinding his Skill Level, the opera on stage finally ended.

The audience dispersed, and the sky gradually darkened.

Tang Yun emerged from backstage. Seeing the members of the Wild Taoist Sect packing up, his brow furrowed tightly.

He had promised the Wild Taoist Sect that he would cooperate with them this time.

His motive was not only to save his own skin, but also because Marquis Fengjiang might be able to gain the favor of the Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect.

He knew full well what the Marquis’s objective was, and gaining the favor of two evil forces would be a good thing for him.

If this plan succeeded and they could, as the old Monk had said, cleanly sever all ties afterward, it would be a perfect case of killing two birds with one stone.

Before long, the stage was packed up.

The group returned to the inn where they were staying.

The inn looked ordinary, but the surrounding area was already swarming with members of the Observatory.

Ever since entering Fenglin State, their every move had been under the Observatory’s surveillance.

After entering the room, an accompanying Female Daoist followed him in, closed the door, and took out a sheet of Talisman Paper from within her robes.

The Female Daoist ignited the Talisman Paper, and it felt as if an invisible barrier had descended upon the empty surroundings.