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Just as I left the High Priest’s room and returned to my own quarters, where I held Jin Luosha and told her stories while also guiding my apprentice, the young knight squire Xi Luo, in his martial arts, thousands of miles away on a merchant road, another group was also heading towards Sacred Dragon Mountain. Leading them was a girl in black. Although I had never met her and knew nothing about her existence, we had a rather complicated history. She was a high-ranking member of the Assassins Guild who had been tasked with hunting me down over half a year ago in the Kingdom of Fasin. Later, she discovered my identity as a Holy Grail Knight in the Mercenary Empire's desert and promptly abandoned her mission, ultimately leading to the news of my identity being relayed back to the Temple.

"Miss, I still have a question that I don’t quite understand. Could you..." A man in black followed closely behind the leading girl in black, asking respectfully.

"Speak," the girl replied tersely without turning around.

"Yes. Last time when we dealt with that Holy Grail Knight, Miss, you decisively abandoned the mission. After careful consideration, I agreed that it wasn't wise to provoke the Radiant Temple, as it would only invite retaliation. But why now, Miss, have you decided to act against the Temple?" The man asked cautiously.

"The situation has changed. Half a year ago, if the Temple wanted to deal with us, they could simply issue an order, and the empires would respond. Even if they didn’t fully commit to the Temple’s cause, it would still result in significant losses for us, considering the number of nobles we kill each year. However, now, due to the Crystal Dragon information, the Temple has fallen into disputes with various countries, which escalated into conflict. It is likely that these countries won’t target us on behalf of the Temple for a long time. Therefore, even if we fail this time, our losses will be minimal, and we can build better relations with these countries. If we succeed, it will further weaken the Temple’s influence and provide more development opportunities for the Guild." The girl in black explained, then glanced back, adding, "Besides, although we are taking action, the plan and tools are provided by the employer. Even if the Temple investigates later, they won’t primarily target us."

Following her gaze, a person wrapped in a cloak walked at the back of the group. If I were there, I would immediately recognize the half-exposed face as Xue Lingpei, the successor of Moonlight Tower in Nameless Lake, whom I once negotiated with on Saint Spirit Mountain and who is a girl from the Yellow Dragon Empire.

---

The clear singing voice echoed along the ancient road, refreshing the travelers in the heat of summer as if they had drunk cool spring water. People turned their eyes toward the source of the song, seeing a long caravan moving slowly, guarded by knights in splendid armor riding white horses. The pure white banners they carried bore golden angels, chains, and roses. Those with some knowledge quickly looked away, recognizing the emblem of the Radiant Temple’s Holy Chain Knights. Unlike other Temple knight orders that kept a distance from everyday life, the Holy Chain Knights were specifically tasked with hunting heretics within the Temple’s jurisdiction. Due to the involvement of many nobles, they operated with impunity. The Radiant Temple was not just a charitable organization; every year, thousands of heretics were burned at the stake, not counting those imprisoned forever. Thus, this knight order was never a welcome sight.

What puzzled people was why such a melodious song came from such a grim and bloody knight order. Was it another heretic facing death? Countless speculations arose in people’s minds.

Unrelated to these speculations, the girl singing happily sat on my lap, weaving my white hair into tiny braids. Despite being a prodigy skilled in magic, martial arts, and divine arts, she seemed utterly inept at daily tasks. Soon, half of my hair was tangled into a mess.

We sat comfortably in the Temple’s carriage, which was equipped with a mini ice magic array, light-reducing shields, and vibration-dampening devices, making the journey truly pleasant. However, my apprentice, Xi Luo, ran alongside the carriage, carrying heavy loads and swinging his sword according to the steps I taught him, seeking rapid improvement. Admittedly, part of this was my way of getting back at him, as even though it was necessary for appearances, taking a human apprentice bothered me greatly. Nevertheless, since he was already my disciple, I wouldn’t sabotage him further. Besides, I had praised his potential as unparalleled, so any failure on his part would reflect poorly on me.