Vol. 1 - Ch. 53 - Refusal! Second Chance!
Jiangxia County, Xiaofeng Village.
Qin Yi and the five others walked along a muddy country road, flanked by fields of crops on either side.
A few village dogs stood on the dirt path, barking as they spotted outsiders entering the village.
Huang San, with a grass stem in his mouth, maintained his usual lazy demeanor, though a sharp glint flickered in his eyes. He said indifferently, "Li Yi doesn’t know why the Master summoned him back."
"Perhaps none of the others know either," Zhou Ba, gently fanning himself with a paper fan, added.
"Why bother speculating? Qin Yi will see the Master soon enough, and everything will be clear," Chen Er remarked loudly, his tone carefree.
His face was flushed; he’d just had a few drinks with Li Yi.
Unfortunately, Li Yi wanted to linger in the city for a while and hadn’t joined them on their journey.
Qin Yi remained silent, observing the rural scenery. Past memories intertwined with the nightmares of the past few days, and a vague sense of unease began to creep into her heart—a mix of fear and foreboding.
Suppressing her emotions, her calm, autumn-water eyes regained their serenity.
From the moment she became an assassin, her life was no longer her own.
"This village is the true headquarters of Fengyu Tower," Qin Yi explained to her disciple. "Probably no one in the world would suspect that Fengyu Tower hides in a place like this."
Xiao Lian nodded, glancing around.
The village was small, with fewer than a hundred households.
It was incredibly ordinary, no different from any other village Xiao Lian had seen before.
If Qin Yi hadn’t said anything, Xiao Lian would’ve thought they were merely passing through.
The six entered the village, and Qin Yi stopped, turning to Huang San.
"Qin Yi, as the master’s personal disciple, the master will definitely see you," Huang San said, his usual laziness replaced by a rare seriousness.
He gave a stern reminder: "Ask the master about his stance on the Shenji Sect, Wan Jin Hall, and Tang Sect."
Qin Yi glanced at Huang San indifferently but said nothing.
Huang San pulled out a golden token engraved with storm patterns and tossed it to Qin Yi.
The Storm Token.
One of Fengyu Tower’s prized items, the Storm Token could only be exchanged by gold-ranked assassins, requiring a significant amount of merit points.
Possessing the Storm Token granted one audience with the master.
According to Fengyu Tower’s rules, assassins couldn’t return to Jiangxia without the master’s summons—even personal disciples were no exception.
Qin Yi accepted the token and walked toward the village shrine.
She pushed open the shrine’s doors, revealing a row of ancestral tablets placed on an altar.
Offerings and an incense burner adorned the altar, with several sticks of incense burning, their smoke curling into the air.
Beside the altar sat an elderly man in plain gray robes, his hair white as snow. His eyes were half-closed, as if he’d dozed off.
Qin Yi walked to his side and gently nudged his shoulder.
The old man awoke with a start, and upon seeing Qin Yi, he smiled warmly, nodding in greeting.
He only had half a tongue and couldn’t speak.
Qin Yi treated the elder with great respect, her tone losing its usual indifference.
"Uncle Ya, I wish to see the master," she said, taking out the Storm Token and holding it before him.
The old man’s eyes flashed with surprise upon seeing the token.
He accepted it and nodded.
"Thank you, Uncle Ya," Qin Yi said respectfully.
The elder waved his hand casually, his smile never fading.
Placing the Storm Token into his robe, he stood up from his chair.
Though his age seemed advanced, his steps were steady and quick, not at all like an old man’s faltering gait.
Uncle Ya pushed open the shrine’s rear door and walked out, disappearing from sight.
Qin Yi sat quietly inside, waiting.