Chapter Nine: Mission Two

As Su Xiaoxiao had predicted, not even ten minutes had passed before the monks from Tang Zhaoti Temple poured out again. This time, the number of martial monks was so great that Chen Hongxu couldn’t even count them at a glance. He couldn’t openly stare, so he furtively glanced out of the corner of his eye. Judging by the fact that a bus marked with a capacity of forty-nine had already filled up, and many monks were still left without seats, he concluded that their numbers exceeded forty-nine.

The subsequent wait felt long—perhaps half an hour or so. The monks who emerged this time wore expressions of clear fury, roaring as they boarded yet another bus.

When the last bus departed, Su Xiaoxiao tilted her head, signaling to Chen Hongxu that he could get up.

No sooner had Chen Hongxu rolled over and climbed to his feet than Su Xiaoxiao sprang up, beckoned him, and darted away.

Chen Hongxu narrowed his eyes, unmoving as he watched her retreat. “You haven’t told me what the mission is, nor why, when other places are swarming with Blacklist participants, it’s just the two of us here?”

At his words, Su Xiaoxiao paused, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes. Yet by the time she turned around, all negative emotion was hidden away, replaced by a smiling face. She explained, “This mission isn’t just for us two; we simply arrived ahead of the others. The objective is the Japanese national treasure housed in the temple—the statue of Jianzhen. Any other questions? I’d rather not entrust my back to someone who doesn’t trust me once we’re inside.”

Chen Hongxu lowered his head, the corners of his mouth curling up in a subtle smile. He followed Su Xiaoxiao, crouching as they slipped in from the side.

They scaled the wall and walked along the edge of the temple for five or six minutes, seeing not a soul. Unlike Chen Hongxu’s cautious, step-by-step approach, Su Xiaoxiao strolled as if through her own backyard, frequently pointing out which spots were absolutely safe and explaining the principles underlying various buildings.

At last, Su Xiaoxiao led Chen Hongxu before a wooden pavilion. Here, she ceased her idle introductions and adopted a solemnity that struck Chen Hongxu as strange.

She seemed almost possessed, her face radiant with a sacred smile as she knelt and performed a triple prostration, moving forward toward the pavilion.

Chen Hongxu narrowed his eyes, standing still in confusion, until Su Xiaoxiao reached the main entrance, returned to normal, and beckoned him forward, softly explaining that it was simply an expression of reverence for the Buddha.

He didn’t believe her, but having learned from the martial spirit in his mind that her elaborate actions were actually breaking the barrier around the pavilion, he relaxed a little. He began to sense that Su Xiaoxiao was a woman of boundless talents, unfathomable and mysterious.

Su Xiaoxiao led him inside. The pavilion was constructed of wood. According to her, it was made of deep-sea ironwood—hard as iron or steel, yet retaining wood’s inherent flammability.

Chen Hongxu inspected the wood, supposedly worth its weight in gold, but found nothing remarkable. Worth noting, from start to finish, the pair acted as if they owned the temple, walking openly and speaking without lowering their voices.

After Su Xiaoxiao finished introducing the paintings hanging on the first floor, she surreptitiously glanced outside, then, without pause, led Chen Hongxu straight to the top floor.

The top floor was spacious, unsupported by beams or columns. As soon as Chen Hongxu stepped in, he felt the floorboards beneath his feet had a weight like the earth itself, and the atmosphere seemed to soothe the mind.

Chen Hongxu looked at Su Xiaoxiao, waiting for her explanation, but she again knelt, hands pressed to the ground, and heavily knocked her head three times before the only ornament in the room—a sculpture.

He stared at the monk-shaped statue, his pupils contracting—for beside it sat a person, cross-legged.

Given his current strength, no one’s breathing or heartbeat should escape his notice, yet this person had somehow slipped past his subconscious.

Before Chen Hongxu could ask, the cross-legged figure chuckled after Su Xiaoxiao’s prostration. “Little girl, you seem to know quite a lot about the rules of Tang Zhaoti Temple. Very considerate.”

Su Xiaoxiao rose and came to Chen Hongxu’s side, explaining, “This pavilion is blessed by generations of temple abbots, imbued with a power to repel intruders. If all the martial monks were present, standing at their assigned positions, only the top few on the Blacklist could enter unscathed; others would find it nearly impossible. Now that most monks have been lured away, the threat is diminished, and they’re confident none can defeat the guardian of the pavilion—Saint.”

Saint laughed, standing and pulling back the hood that concealed half his face, fixing his gaze on Su Xiaoxiao. “There have been ninety-seven abbots here, except for the forty-fifth who vanished mysteriously on a journey to China. I truly wonder how you know secrets that even some of our disciples don’t.”

“My ancestor was acquainted with Master Jian,” Su Xiaoxiao replied with a half-smile.

“If your family has ties to Master Jian, then you must be here for the vertical eye on the Jianzhen statue. Haha.” Saint shook his head. “Should I call you ignorant or fearless? Since you know I am the guardian here, even if you bring all the people you want and kill everyone outside, the pavilion remains the pavilion, and I remain myself.”

No sooner had Saint finished speaking than he appeared before Su Xiaoxiao. His skin, like tattered cloth, nails untrimmed for who knows how long, and a face pale from lack of sunlight—all combined to make him look like a corpse risen from the grave.

Su Xiaoxiao, clever as ever, did not listen seriously to Saint’s words. By the time he was halfway through, she sternly called out, “Now!”

Chen Hongxu tensed, wary of both Saint and Su Xiaoxiao. He was no fool—if Saint spoke true, then their action had nothing to do with the Blacklist mission, and it was likely Su Xiaoxiao’s personal agenda. Aside from Master Jian, who might have passed on the secret of the vertical eye in China, no one else could have obtained that information.

Seeing Chen Hongxu maintain a calm defensive stance, Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes flashed coldly as she retreated to the stairway, sneering at him, “Why won’t you act?”

“I don’t enjoy being made a fool. Su Xiaoxiao, call up those men waiting downstairs,” Chen Hongxu replied, his eyes narrowing with a remark that made her blanch.

She seemed to understand then, nodding, “I didn’t expect you to notice G Team last time—it wasn’t just luck. I underestimated you. You’ve been suspicious of me all along, haven’t you?”

Saint seemed amused by the in-fighting between the two outsiders. He stood between them, eyes half-closed, as if resting.

“I kept wondering—why would the team leader hide from G Team? The Black Card competition is ruthless, but the nation wouldn’t let backup members kill each other senselessly. You didn’t deal with me at the hotel because you didn’t want to draw attention, and G Team’s appearance increased the risk of exposure for you or your squad. So you planned to use others during the mission to get rid of me,” Chen Hongxu said calmly.

“And all this time, I wondered why, when we had no enmity, you—just a backup member—would go to such lengths to eliminate me. The only person with the power to move you is Lan Zhao, whom I met once. No one else fits.”

Su Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes, staring at him appreciatively. “Clever. I intended to deal with you in the jungle, but G Team beat me to it. I didn’t expect you to anticipate danger, which bought you a few extra days. Without absolute certainty, I didn’t want to face your madwoman.”

Chen Hongxu finally understood why she had stuck close to him in the jungle when he’d gone off alone.

He glanced at the sky outside the pavilion, his voice calm. “You must have another motive. Eliminating me is just a convenience. Now that you’re certain, tell me—what is my real mission this time?”

“The mission is to assassinate the high priest of Haruhi Shrine. There are many participants this time, so the encirclement strategy should be effective. The mission employs a multi-pronged approach, so the Japanese won’t truly know who our target is. Once their defense slackens, sheer numbers will overwhelm them. The mission should already be accomplished,” Su Xiaoxiao replied with a sweet laugh.

As they spoke, four men hurried up from downstairs to join Su Xiaoxiao, forming a loose circle around Chen Hongxu and Saint.

(The following will explain why G Team didn’t detect the Black Card on Su Xiaoxiao, only realizing that one person escaped. Additionally, the Blacklist operates as follows: participants enter with Black Cards; those of exceptional strength earn backup member status, akin to Blacklist candidate rankings. These backup members are like special ops for the nation, earning merit by completing missions. With enough merit, they can challenge anyone on the Blacklist and climb the ranks.)