The fact that the Ten Directions Sect assassin hesitated at his own words proved there was a high chance of success.
He’d been worried the people from the Ten Directions Sect were all lunatics, the kind you couldn’t reason with at all.
"Kill me, and Yuwen Shuo will still form the Rebel Army sooner or later. You’ve really got the wrong target." As he spoke, Zou Feng released the assassin’s fingers.
The assassin sneered. "Easier said than done. You think Yuwen Shuo is some random person you can just kill?"
"So, can we discuss a partnership now, Lu Commander?"
The man hadn’t denied the title, which was a tacit admission of his identity.
Zou Feng was now even more certain he hadn’t been mistaken. After all, while waiting for the assassin to appear, he hadn’t forgotten to temporarily swap the person in his list’s top spot to Lu Sen and run a tentative, minor "training session."
Looking at him up close just now, Zou Feng could see he was indeed showing some of the corresponding side effects.
Hearing this, Lu Sen took two steps back without a word, clearly waiting to hear what Zou Feng would say next.
"The partnership is actually quite simple. Once the Rebel Army is assembled, Yuwen Shuo will have to make a personal appearance. When he does, we can coordinate our attack, with you on the outside and me on the inside."
If Zou Feng, the strongest expert in the Rebel Army, turned traitor, and then secretly had the other masters hold back, an all-out attack by the Ten Directions Sect would make assassinating Yuwen Shuo a near certainty.
Lu Sen stared at Zou Feng without blinking. "It sounds good, but why should I trust you?"
"You don’t need to trust me!"
"Do you really think that we, the Jianghu factions of Yuan Guang County, actually want to join some Rebel Army and fight to the death on a battlefield?"
The Rebel Army was only being formed because Yuwen Shuo was forcing them to; the Ten Directions Sect couldn’t possibly be unaware of this.
They just couldn’t be sure if leaders like Zou Feng truly had the guts to risk annihilation by the Governor of Jiangnan and go after someone as powerful as Yuwen Shuo.
But regardless, agreeing to Zou Feng’s proposal and successfully killing Yuwen Shuo would be a massive boon for the Ten Directions Sect.
It would also be something they could use to claim credit from their sect’s headquarters.
And so, after mulling it over, Lu Sen couldn’t think of a reason to refuse.
Although the Ten Directions Sect had infiltrated the various factions in Yuan Guang County and lured many turncoats into passing them information, the ones they currently had on their side were all small fry who couldn’t get into the inner circle, making their usefulness extremely limited.
This was the first time a figure as significant as Zou Feng had taken the initiative to request a partnership.
When faced with a common enemy that urgently needed to be eliminated, any and all grudges could be temporarily set aside.
"Fine. But you’d better not try any funny business, or else..."
To Zou Feng, Lu Sen’s threat was just bullshit; he couldn’t even be bothered to listen.
In fact, his plan all along was to turn on the Ten Directions Sect the moment he was done using them.
He would raise the banner of avenging Yuwen Shuo and lead an all-out assault to wipe out the Ten Directions Sect—especially to eliminate Lu Sen and Fang Jingchuan, the two big names on his list.
’However, among the Ten Directions Sect masters hiding in Yuan Guang County, Fang Jingchuan might be the only one at the Gang Qi Realm, but there are definitely more Seventh Grade experts than just Lu Sen.’
’So, even after I turn on them, wiping them out won’t be so easy.’
’I’ll need to contact another one of the top names on my list to get involved.’
’But that won’t require me to act personally. If all goes according to plan, Tian Yun should have already had a secret meeting with that other top name, just as I instructed...’
With that, Zou Feng began discussing the finer details of their partnership with Lu Sen.
The specifics of their plan would depend on when Yuwen Shuo finally decided to come out of his shell.
In the end, Lu Sen departed through the window with a smile, offering Zou Feng a cupped-fist salute before he left.
It was as if he hadn’t come to assassinate someone, but simply to visit an old friend.
Zou Feng knew full well that he was using and plotting against the Ten Directions Sect, but he also knew they had no intention of sincerely cooperating with him either.
The only reason they’d reached an agreement so smoothly was that the Ten Directions Sect believed they held the upper hand.
After all, Fang Jingchuan alone, a master at the Gang Qi Realm, was more than enough to render all the Jianghu factions in Yuan Guang County helpless.
Therefore, once Yuwen Shuo was killed and his bodyguard met the same fate, the experts from the Ten Directions Sect would immediately have a decisive advantage over the few leaders of the Rebel Army.
At that point, the Ten Directions Sect would have the confidence to do whatever they wanted—whether that meant continuing the partnership or turning on Zou Feng to settle old scores.
He glanced at the bed where Ru Yan was sleeping soundly. ’Looks like my Antitoxic Pill worked quite well.’
’Also, the hallucinations I induced in Ru Yan with the Great Universal Hand were ridiculously effective.’
’I can tell just from the messy state of the wooden bed.’
’It’s even more potent than the Chaos Finger...’
’Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve used the Great Universal Hand on an enemy to trigger their carnal desires and make them lose their composure on the spot.’
’It’s usually unnecessary, since just killing them outright is simpler.’
’But it might be worth trying as a sneak attack against Yuwen Shuo.’
’A technique that exploits a person’s base instincts can be even harder to guard against than poison...’
Seeing it was about time, Zou Feng prepared to leave Hengyu Building.
After leaving the room, he coughed once, and Zhao Tianhu immediately emerged from the room next door.
He knew they were here on official business, so he had naturally refrained from any extracurricular activities, remaining on standby the entire time.
Still, a place like Hengyu Building had all sorts of clients. There really were men who simply hired a lady for the company and spent the whole night just talking.
Having personally established a line of communication with the Ten Directions Sect, Zou Feng felt a great sense of relief.
This not only meant Yuwen Shuo’s days were numbered, but it also meant Zou Feng no longer had to worry about Fang Jingchuan making a personal attempt on his life—at least for now.