Chapter 161: Assassins' Blueprint, Rising Status, Mystic Medicine Sect's Ninth Elder

The Mystic Medicine Sect lay cradled deep within a ring of mountains. The peaks rose like blades, sheer and sharp as if carved by an axe. Spring lingered on the slopes year-round, and halfway up, pale clouds coiled through the ridgelines. Inside the sect, bamboo groves thickened into green walls. Ancient trees towered overhead. Clear streams murmured over stone, and a faint, elusive aura seemed to drift through the air. The palaces were old in style yet imposing in presence. A distant bell tolled,...