There was a unique communication method among high-level sect elders in the Assassin Sect for them to send out information without anyone else knowing. It was a bit like the voice transmission skill, which would be often featured in kung fu novels. It was just that this communication was relatively simple, so if there was anything complex that needed to be conveyed, it would still require them to meet in person.
Craneshadow deeply furrowed his brows. “Sect brother, you ought to know that even if we do quietly kill Tongtian and his men, other sects will come knocking at our front door not too long later, and that won’t resolve the crux of the problem we’re currently facing.”
He had not thought that Shadowless would actually call him out to discuss annihilating the intruders upon confirming that Tongtian was no match for his sect brother. Making the decision to massacre the enemies once the situation got out of hand might be precisely why Shadowless was the default choice of the previous sect master to inherit that position years back and not him.
Shadowless raised his head and stared at the sky as if he really had eyes. It was midday, and the sky was cloudless. However, the temperature was neither scorching hot nor bitingly cold. The forest was teeming with the sounds of insects and birds, while the air had a measure of humidity. It was the culmination of everything that gave a very comfortable sensation.
“I’ve lived my whole life here on Nameless Mountain. I remember every inch of the woodlands here, and they’re the closest I’ve got to relatives. I’ve never hoped for my ashes to be scattered on the Nameless Mountain peak like the ancestors after I die. Even if I were to be tossed into the sea to be fish feed, I’d be satisfied as long as I could remain here. Aside from this Planet Nameless, I’m uninterested in anywhere else, even the heavenly beauty of a garden of eden,” Shadowless said lightly.
Craneshadow was deeply moved. Actually, he felt the same. The people of the Assassin Sect were all orphans, and this world was their home. A person without a place to call home would be akin to a body with no soul. They would become a tetherless ghost even when they died, wrestling with depression until the end of days.
“Sect brother, perhaps there’s still a way for us to resolve this.” Craneshadow spoke softly.
“I know.” Shadowless lowered his head and sighed. “You wish to get me and Tongtian into a fight.”
“Precisely. Given sect brother’s cultivation rank, Tongtian may not even last ten rounds with you. If you’re willing to step up to this, we’ll surely manage to come to a draw with this wager against the Sky Eradicators Sect.” Craneshadow was stealing glances at Shadowless as he made this proposition, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Shadowless shook his head. “I went against master’s orders back then, so this would be the second time if I were to do this. Besides, I had no choice at that time; The Assassin Sect was forced into a dead end, which was why I did what I did, but this incident today, you do have a way to deal with it.”
Shadowless’s solution was to eliminate Tongtian and his men silently by using the strength of the Deathguards. While this was most definitely doable, Craneshadow had plenty of reservations toward this end. The Assassin Sect was not what they used to be, and if they were to take care of Tongtian, there was still Baotian, Zhantian. There was no way they could use such a method to deal with everyone each and every time.
Since it was a crisis, it was better to face it head on. If they were going to die, they might as well die a worthy death.
With this thought in mind, Craneshadow shook his head. “Sect brother, I do still wish that you’ll take what I said in mind and make a comeback. The Assassin Sect needs you now, after all.”
Shadowless remained resolute. “I originally didn’t wish to say this, but since you’re still obsessed over those so-called rules, unwilling to be realistic, there’s something I must tell you.”
Craneshadow was slightly taken aback and pricked his ears to listen carefully.
“I don’t have long to live,” Shadowless said in a soft voice.
The expression on Craneshadow’s face instantly turned pale. A martial arts practitioner could indeed tell when they were going to die once they reached a certain cultivation, and Sect Brother Shadowless must have had a premonition, which was why he had uncharacteristically made a trip down the mountain this time and very seriously told him the Assassin Sect’s much-need for innovation. It turned out that he knew about his upcoming departure and wanted to do his final bit for the discipleship.
It was precisely this that Shadowless did not wish to step out from the shadows and fight for the sect, hoping that Craneshadow would be a little more decisive and kill the enemies without any reservations. After all, there was no way for the sect to rely on the shade of this big tree for much longer.
“How much longer?” Craneshadow asked, his voice hoarse. He felt as if a million daggers were stabbing right into his heart. He had always thought that his sect brother, Shadowless, was his biggest trump card. Every time he came upon difficulty, Craneshadow would console himself with: “It’s fine. Sect brother Shadowless has superb martial arts skills. Even if the worst transpires, my sect brother will surely be able to take us through it.”
Now that he could no longer boldly make that claim since Shadowless had already sensed his impending death, and with him and his sect brother being the only ones left from his master and the past generations of disciples, if the other really passed on, Craneshadow would certainly be wracked by grief. “Could the heavens really want to retire the Assassin Sect into the annals of history? All of them are gone, and now that even my last sect brother is on his way out… Oh, heavens. This is too unfair.”
Craneshadow momentarily felt his heart go numb, though Shadowless very peacefully answered, “It’ll be soon. Could be tomorrow. Perhaps next week.”
Craneshadow nodded his head. “Sect brother, remember to send my regards to our master and fellow sect brothers.”
Shadowless nodded. “Don’t worry. Though I have not taken a step out from my spot these last few years, I know very well everything that you’ve done, and you did good.”
Craneshadow was momentarily speechless. It took him quite some time before he choked and said, “Sect brother, I already know what you’re trying to tell me. From today onward, we of the Assassin Sect can only rely on ourselves, and you won’t be able to watch over us anymore. I’ll go get Darkshadow to make preparations for the plan. If the situation goes awry, we won’t let even a soul depart from this Nameless Planet.”
With that, Craneshadow held back his tears as he turned to leave. Shadowless did not have the heart to call him to stay.
“Hold it.” Eventually, Shadowless sighed. “Fine. I’ll do my last bit for the discipleship since I’m now at death’s doors. Craneshadow, would you mind handing me the role of sect master for three minutes?”
Craneshadow was elated. He thought Shadowless was about to fight on behalf of the discipleship. In order to save the Assassin Sect after the tragic crisis, he had no choice but to pick up the mantle of sect master all those years back. Now that Shadowless had made the choice to ask for the sect’s leadership, Craneshadow was of course more than willing to show his full support. No matter how he saw it, his sect brother had both the better strength and qualifications to be in charge.
“Sect brother, from here onward, you are the sect master of the Assassin Sect. I’ll immediately make the announcement to all disciples later,” Craneshadow said excitedly.
Shadowless waved his hand. “Just give me three minutes; that’ll do.”
Craneshadow was surprised. He could not guess what his sect brother was up to.
That was when Shadowless uttered the few words, “Help me fetch Xia Fei; bring him over to me.”
…
Xia Fei made his way to the forest, confused. He looked at Craneshadow as he stood there next to a blind elderly man, puzzled over all of this.
The disciple who had brought Xia Fei over bowed respectfully before he very quickly turned to depart, leaving Xia Fei with the two old men.
“Who’s the blind guy?” Xia Fei asked Phantom subconsciously.
Phantom shook his head. “No clue. I’ve never seen this person before during my discipleship.”
Shadowless had lived in seclusion on Nameless Mountain for a long time, so it was only natural for Phantom not to have any recollection of seeing him. Shadowless was dressed in a common cotton long robe, which was not the uniform people in the Assassin Sect would wear. Phantom was even unsure if he might be someone outside of the discipleship.
Xia Fei greeted Craneshadow and Shadowless with courtesy, his eyes trained on Shadowless the entire time because his keen sense had picked up on an indescribable aura the blind man was giving off. He seemed to be very powerful, beyond that of his or even Craneshadow’s strength.
…
Craneshadow did the introductions. “This is my sect brother, Shadowless. Presently, the oldest elder here in the Assassin Sect.”
Xia Fei once more did a polite bow. He was filled with doubt and shock.
“Craneshadow’s sect brother? Why have I never heard you mentioned him before?” Xia Fei asked.
Phantom was even more alarmed than Xia Fei. In fact, this was the first time he had learned that the Assassin Sect had a grandmaster—something that he would not have believed if he had not personally heard Craneshadow say so.
With a light nod, Shadowless asked, “Xia Fei, are you willing to be my unacknowledged disciple?”
Xia Fei was stunned, thinking to himself, ‘And just where did this come from? Why is he taking me in as his disciple the moment we met?’
Craneshadow was also very startled by this. It turned out that Shadowless’s idea was to take Xia Fei in as his disciple, making everything that much simpler. If Xia Fei were to accept his role as Shadowless’s unacknowledged disciple, that would give him the qualifications to represent the Assassin Sect and fight Fangyuan.
It was obvious to all that Xia Fei’s capabilities were topnotch among all the Assassin Sect’s disciples under twenty.
More importantly, Xia Fei had an abnormal decisiveness beyond his decent martial arts prowess, and this was not something any young disciple in the entire sect could compete. After all, his decisiveness was formed in part due to his innate acumen and judgment, then partially molded through his constant battles.
The young disciples in the Assassin Sect were never sent out on any mission, barely having the chance to be tempered by experience. By contrast, Xia Fei had already come close to meeting the grim reaper plenty of times, so he was well ahead in this aspect.
Even more amazing thing was that Shadowless would only be taking in Xia Fei as an unacknowledged disciple, which meant that, though Xia Fei would be Shadowless’s disciple, it would not be recorded as such. The key to this was that the Assassin Sect would not admit him as a disciple after Shadowless’s death.
Since Shadowless was a step away from death, Xia Fei would no longer be entangled with the Assassin Sect after this, allowing him to continue being an envoy, not having to be restricted by the many rules of the sect. This was a good thing to Xia Fei.
Looking at this from another perspective, Xia Fei was not the sort who was satisfied with the status quo. He was fairly ambitious, and a place as rule-bound as the Assassin Sect would hardly be able to contain his free spirit and undisciplined nature, so the sect did not have to worry about his continued involvement afterward.
Craneshadow was quite surprised, deep down. Shadowless’s simple few words had plenty of deep connotations to them, and his shrewdness was far beyond his, his measure of admiration for his sect brother only growing further with this.
After learning what it meant to be an unacknowledged disciple, Xia Fei instantly understood what Shadowless was trying to do, and how he planned to use him as a last-minute bulwark, representing the Assassin Sect to fight in order to protect the discipleship’s reputation.
Actually, Xia Fei was very interested in Fangyuan, and he was more than happy to fight with him. After all, meeting someone who possessed two special abilities was pure chance, but Xia Fei was less willing to be used by others or for others to benefit from his effort.
He raised his head to look at Shadowless, only to see the corners of the old man’s mouth carrying a strange trace of a smile.
Xia Fei suddenly understood that the old man must be intentionally picking him.
Xia Fei could not help but raise his eyebrow in interest. It was evident that this grand elder Shadowless was a very smart man. He knew his needs very clearly, as well as Xia Fei’s needs. Xia Fei loved talking to smart people because this would avoid plenty of unnecessary trouble. Everyone knew of this deep down, so as long as it did not exceed their bottom lines, they could surely come to an accord.
Xia Fei thought this whole thing through once before answering, “Heh, this young one is of course more than happy to accept grand elder Shadowless as my master, though I do have a condition of my own, which I hope the grand elder can fulfill.”
