179: Fortune favors the bold!

Listening to Xia Qingyue's plan, which was vicious and insane to the extreme, Old Chen felt his scalp go numb!

Looking at the Grand Princess whom he had watched grow up, for the first time, he felt a fear that originated from the depths of his Soul!

She was crazy!

Her Highness the Grand Princess was truly insane!

For the sake of that seat, she had completely transformed into an unscrupulous, inhumane demon!

"Go."

"While you're at it, recall all the Shadow Guards. Let there be no unnecessary complications during this time!"

Xia Qingyue stuffed the paper and the token into his hand.

"Tell Golden Mask that as long as he accomplishes this..."

"With this 'Qilin Token', he can have my uncle unconditionally do three things for him."

"This is a price he cannot refuse."

Old Chen gripped the token, which felt as heavy as a thousand tons, and his heart felt cold.

Once they took this step, there would be no turning back!

He looked at Xia Qingyue's beautiful face, which appeared somewhat distorted due to her madness, and in the end, he could only let out a long, despair-filled sigh.

"Yes."

He put the items away, his figure flickered, and he vanished into the shadows.

The courtyard returned to silence once more.

Xia Qingyue slowly raised her head, looking at the pale moon in the sky, a cold and cruel arc curling at the corners of her mouth.

"Li Qing, Crown Prince."

...Deep underground in the Royal Capital.

Inside the core stronghold of the "Shadow Kill" organization, a great hall that resembled an underground palace.

The atmosphere was oppressive.

After all, they had only recently issued an Earth-Grade mission targeting Li Qing.

As it turned out, Li Qing had immediately displayed unparalleled strength at the Great Xia Martial Competition.

He was an existence who single-handedly suppressed an entire generation of his peers.

He had even been granted a marriage by the Emperor of Great Xia.

How could they possibly continue!

The Shadow Kill Organization was strong, but it could not rival an entire country.

They could only engage in illegal dealings underground.

However, the Grand Princess's mission was so tempting!

Upon the throne of the great hall, the Gold-Masked Chief Steward sat regally, his mask made of pure gold reflecting a cold luster under the dim candlelight.

His fingers tapped the armrest of the throne rhythmically, one after another.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Each sound was like a heavy hammer, smashing ruthlessly into the heart of the Silver-Masked Assassin below.

The Silver-Masked Assassin knelt on one knee, his body trembling uncontrollably, his head buried deep, not even daring to breathe loudly.

He could feel the cold killing intent emanating from the Director, which was almost tangible.

That killing intent nearly froze the air in the entire hall.

Just moments ago, Old Chen, the most mysterious confidant of the Grand Princess, had personally come here.

He had brought the Grand Princess's latest and most insane order.

A long time passed.

"Hehe..."

A hoarse, low laugh full of endless mockery slowly escaped from Golden Mask's mouth.

"Hehehehe!"

He began to laugh, his laughter growing louder and more frenzied, until finally, it turned into a hysterical roar that echoed throughout the hall!

"Hahahahahaha!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

"What a Grand Princess! Truly, the most poisonous is a woman's heart!"

He suddenly stood up from the throne and grabbed the ancient token carved with a Qilin totem from the stone table in front of him!

"Assassinate Princess Changle, Xia Ningshuang?"

"And frame Li Qing?"

"Hahaha! How did she think of this? How does she dare to think this way!"

Golden Mask's voice was slightly distorted due to his shock.

He had been in the dark world for decades and had seen all sorts of crazy missions and ruthless employers.

But a woman like Xia Qingyue, who would use even her own half-sister as a pawn and a sacrifice, was someone he was seeing for the first time!

This was simply devoid of all conscience!

"Director, can we... can we not accept this mission?"

The Silver-Masked Assassin below finally gathered his courage to look up, his voice trembling as he advised.

"This is no longer a question of money! This is joking with the lives of everyone in our 'Shadow Kill' Royal Capital Branch!"

"Assassinating the current princess! Framing the future Consort! Once the matter is exposed, all of us will die without a place of burial! Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will surely grind our bones to ashes!"

"I naturally know that!"

Golden Mask roared, and a terrifying air wave erupted from him, directly blowing the Silver-Masked Assassin away.

How could he not know the risks involved?

How was this a mission?

This was clearly a one-way ticket to Hell!

But... his gaze fell upon the warm "Qilin Token" in his hand.

His breathing became rapid.

His heart pounded wildly, almost jumping out of his chest!

The Great General, unconditionally doing three things for him!

This price... this price was no longer just irresistible.

This price was enough to make any ambitious person go mad and gamble everything on it!

If it were a simple assassination of Li Qing, he might still hesitate.

Because that would only be to reclaim the reputation of "Shadow Kill," a losing business deal.

But now, it was different.

This was no longer a simple mission.

This was a political speculation!

A grand gamble that would determine the future destiny of the nation!

If they won, Shadow Kill would no longer be just an assassin organization that could only live in the shadows.

They would leap to become the greatest contributors to the new Emperor's ascension, becoming the uncrowned kings who controlled the dark side of the entire Great Xia Dynasty!

He, Golden Mask, would no longer be just a mere Branch Director.

He would become an existence above ten thousand, yet below only one!

And if they lost... if they lost, it would be nothing more than death.

For people like them who walked on the edge of a blade all year round, what was there to fear about death?

"Hahahahahaha!"

Golden Mask laughed wildly again, his laughter filled with a gambler's madness and resolve.

"Risk?"

"Which business of my 'Shadow Kill' does not involve risk?"

"Fortune is sought in danger!"

His eyes, hidden behind the mask, erupted with a terrifying light as he stared intently at the Silver-Masked Assassin below, who was already dumbfounded with fear.

"Credibility is the foundation of my 'Shadow Kill'!"

"We take this mission!"

"What?!"

The Silver-Masked Assassin could hardly believe his ears.

The Director has gone mad!

The Director is truly insane!

"Director! Please think twice!"

He scrambled to the front of the throne, hugging Golden Mask's legs and begging piteously.

"The stakes are too high! We can't afford to lose!"

"Can't afford to lose?"

Golden Mask kicked him away and looked down at him, his voice as cold as ten-thousand-year-old profound ice.

"Do you think we still have a way out now?"

"From the moment we accepted the mission to assassinate Li Qing, we were already bound to the Grand Princess's ship!"

"Now that Li Qing has become the Consort and the Crown Prince's faction is at the zenith of its power, do you think that once the Crown Prince ascends the throne, he will spare those of us who once wanted his Brother-in-law's life?"

"We have long since had no way back!"

"Either follow the Grand Princess to the very end and gamble for an immense fortune!"

"Or wait to be purged and die without a place of burial!"