After being poisoned by mushrooms, all the strange creatures became fascinated by me.

Steward Ouyang snorted coldly, as if mocking the cowardly person in front of him.

"I told you long ago, as long as you do as I say, this plan can only succeed, there is absolutely no possibility of failure! Besides, this time it was 'Sand' who personally committed the killing. Do you think his title as one of the four great assassins of the martial arts world was given for nothing?"

The man hesitated for a long time before finally stammering, "But the young sect leader is also very cautious. He is always accompanied by four capable guards, each of whom is a top-notch expert of the Iron Calculation Sect."

"That 'Sand' is certainly skilled at killing, but those four guards are not easy to deal with either. The young sect leader's room is in the center of the sect, and if a fight breaks out, the disciples patrolling around will immediately notice..." The man became more and more flustered as he spoke, and by the end, he was almost crying.

"What are you afraid of?!" Steward Ouyang snapped impatiently. "Fool, since I told you everything was arranged, I've naturally made preparations!"

As she spoke, as if suddenly remembering that she still needed the man in front of her, she softened her tone and began to comfort him.

"You don't know this, but although the young sect leader can't go out without guards, he has a strange habit: he refuses to leave anyone in his room at night. So tonight, no matter what, those four guards will only be standing guard outside the door."

"That 'Sand' is best at infiltration. As long as he avoids the guards and sneaks into the side room from the roof, won't that young master be like a rabbit at the mercy of others?"

The man remained uneasy: "But that's the young master whom the Iron Calculation Sect has carefully nurtured. How could he not have any means of self-defense? What if, at that moment, the young master makes a sound, even just a single utterance..."

Steward Ouyang sneered, his voice hardening: "Not a single utterance will be made!"

"I already sent people to replace the incense in the side rooms with southern incense. This batch of southern incense contains tranquilizing powder. When the incense is lit, the young sect leader will close his eyes and fall into a deep sleep, dying without uttering a sound!"

She paused slightly, then added, "The incense was requested by the young sect leader himself during the banquet. Two servants were responsible for bringing the incense, and the incense in the storeroom never passed through our hands from beginning to end."

"Not to mention that those few sticks of incense will burn out tonight, even if someone finds out tomorrow that there is something wrong with the incense, at most they will just push those two servants out as scapegoats."

"Those two servants are both without any connections. One of them is named Tang Li, a stupid girl who just offended Instructor Han. Many people want to use this opportunity to get on Instructor Han's good side."

"So don't worry, this matter will not be traced back to you or me in any way."

Tang Li, who was eavesdropping: ...This is outrageous!

The gossip has backfired, and I've ended up getting myself involved.

She unconsciously touched the few sticks of incense she had been holding warm in her arms. One could only say that Steward Ouyang had been too optimistic; what did he take them for—hardworking, diligent oxen?

Who would have thought that Nanxiang, who was in such a critical position, had been led around from dusk until late at night, and even now, she still hadn't had time to go to the side room to change.

At this point, Tang Li roughly understood why the pockmarked boy, "Xiao Si," had disappeared without a trace after entrusting her with the task.

He's either a lucky person who's had a stroke of good fortune, or he's someone who's really well-informed.

Tang Li laughed in exasperation: The elders pushed the responsibility onto the stewards, the stewards onto the handymen, and so on, layer by layer, until in the end, she became the only one to take the blame.

She paused to listen intently, her eyes deep: Fortunately, she had made contact with Han Zhou, and it was still not too late to stop these people's plot. Otherwise, any ordinary person would have been unable to defend themselves.

The man in front breathed a sigh of relief, his laughter filled with obsequiousness, and began to praise Steward Ouyang for his uncanny foresight.

Steward Ouyang was clearly pleased with the flattery: "Alright, I won't waste any more time with you. Just wait here. When it's almost midnight, open the cell door and let him out."

As she spoke, her voice suddenly turned stern, and she snapped, "Do you remember clearly? At midnight, you will sneak into the young sect leader's room and behead him with a single stroke!"

"Afterwards, if you have the ability to escape, then you'll save your life; if you don't, then remember this: if you want to save your wife and children's lives, you'd better keep your mouth shut!"

She was clearly not speaking to the timid man beside her.

Tang Li was startled; she then realized that there was actually a third person present.

No wonder they chose to meet here in secret.

The third person was lying in the cell next to the two of them, but Tang Li couldn't see him from her angle.

All that could be heard was a rough, hoarse voice, strained from the ordeal. Even so, it still managed to utter a mocking utterance with all its might.

"My ears are sharp, don't worry," he sneered. "Killing a little kid only dirties my hands and is my crime! The blood won't splatter on you!"

He was the assassin that Steward Ouyang arranged to kill the young master of the Divine Calculation Sect tonight.

Connecting their previous conversation, Tang Li's eyes widened slightly.

—Could this down-on-his-luck prisoner be "Sand," one of the four great assassins of the martial arts world they mentioned earlier?

They captured "Sand's" wife and children, forcing him to obey their orders.

On the other side, the man who had previously fawned over Steward Ouyang flew into a rage upon hearing "Sand's" sarcasm. He swung his sword and smashed it against the iron bars, creating a piercing sound in the prison cell.

"Shut your mouth!" he snapped, eager to show off his power. "Idiot! Think before you speak, who holds the lives of your poor wife and children in their hands!"

The man lying down burst into laughter, like a crow desperately cawing in the night: "I'm sick and tired of hearing that one sentence! You coward, you have no ability of your own, and you can only parrot what you've got to threaten me with!"

"You!" The man from before was so angry that he couldn't even speak clearly. He raised his knife and stepped forward, as if he was about to cause an even bigger commotion.

"Enough!" Steward Ouyang snapped in a low voice, "Don't forget where you are! Do you want to attract the guards?!"

The man was so startled that he immediately shut his mouth, like a chicken whose neck had been snapped.

The prisoner lying on the ground sneered, "You're just as cowardly as I am! You couldn't even lift a finger to deal with a drugged baby! And you dare call yourselves martial arts masters!"

Steward Ouyang didn't argue with him further, only coldly warning, "Do your job well. If you succeed, you'll be the only one going to hell. If you fail, we'll send your wife and children down with you."

As she spoke, she turned around, ignoring "Sand's" response from behind, and said directly to the man beside her, "You stay here. Tonight we'll split up, just in case. I still need to check on the young master's room."

"—See if that boy and girl have changed their incense."

Tang Li's heart sank suddenly.