There are two types of assassins in the Mirror of Sin.
One type is those cultivated by the Mirror of Sin themselves; they don't make it onto the 'Evil Extermination List' and often operate in various branches.
Their duties include assisting assassins with missions, investigating targets, gathering intelligence, and undertaking commissioned work.
Chu Qing did not truly delve into the specifics, nor did he have the right channels to understand these details.
The other type is recruited from the outside.
This situation is relatively complex; those who join the Mirror of Sin as assassins have their own reasons.
Some people seek excitement, some are driven by necessity, and others pursue justice in their hearts... like the original protagonist.
At the same time, it inevitably includes some with ulterior motives, attempting to infiltrate the Mirror of Sin to discover its secrets.
Some of these people are from intelligence organizations implanted inside the Mirror of Sin, hoping to obtain firsthand information.
There are also enemies of the Mirror of Sin, trying to discover the location of its headquarters to annihilate it in one fell swoop.
In general, people's hearts differ, and their goals are not the same.
Facing such situations, the Mirror of Sin has its own set of protective mechanisms.
The contact person is a part of this mechanism.
Any assassin recruited from the outside will have a contact person.
Their main role is to represent the assassins in communicating with the Mirror of Sin, and to acquire commissions from the Mirror of Sin for assassins to select.
A capable contact person can also help assassins formulate assassination plans.
These contact persons are either cultivated by the Mirror of Sin itself or have gained the trust of the Mirror of Sin through other channels and earned this identity.
Chu Qing's contact person was the latter.
Like Chu Qing, he was dissatisfied with the current state of the world.
He had once said to Chu Qing:
"The powerful commit atrocities, treating human lives as trivial; in the chaotic world, competing for dominance, they treat the common people like ants.
"Ordinary people who die in these struggles have grievances with no place to voice them, ground their teeth to the bone, and swallow their blood willingly.
"This is unfair!"
Chu Qing deeply agreed with this and considered him a kindred spirit for a time.
With more interaction, he also learned many things from the other party.
Chu Qing's skills in disguise and the comprehensive knowledge necessary for an assassin were all taught by him.
Later, Chu Qing learned that he was a contact person for the Mirror of Sin.
This was also a major inducement for the original protagonist to join the Mirror of Sin.
Even more so, this person played a crucial role in allowing Chu Qing to discover the duplicity of the Mirror of Sin.
The last time he saw him, he was gravely injured, on the brink of death.
The last words he left for Chu Qing were:
"The Mirror of Sin cannot be trusted, you... you must get out as soon as possible!"
After his death, the Mirror of Sin arranged another contact person for Chu Qing.
This led to Zhou Changtai's commission.
He never would have dreamed that this person, who was supposed to be dead, would appear in Celestial Dance City!
Moreover, disguised as an itinerant doctor, wandering around the Chu Family.
"What on earth is going on?"
Chu Qing restrained his gaze to avoid alarming the other party.
But the confusion in his heart kept growing.
If this person's death was a ruse, what was the purpose?
Did he sense the reality of the Mirror of Sin and used this as a way to extricate himself from it? A staged death?
But if that were the case, why didn't he make it clear?
And even though he didn't want to make it clear, he still said those words at the end, causing the original protagonist to doubt the Mirror of Sin.
Leading to the original protagonist feigning compliance during the assassination of Zhou Changtai, and subsequently being pursued by the Mirror of Sin...
As he thought of this, Chu Qing's brow suddenly furrowed.
Previously, he hadn't pondered deeply over the original protagonist's experiences, but this person's appearance forced Chu Qing to consider the strangeness involved.
If the death was fake, then what basis was there to trust his words?
What kind of impact would these words have? Based on this person's understanding of the original protagonist, he couldn't have been unaware.
And after his death, the Mirror of Sin had arranged a new contact person.
However, because of that sentence, the original protagonist did not trust the Mirror of Sin nor this new contact person.
Therefore, regarding the assassination of Zhou Changtai, how he executed it and planned his escape, he did not confide in anyone.
So how did the Mirror of Sin determine his escape route?
Were they constantly monitoring the original protagonist?
No, that's not right!
The original protagonist, after all, was an assassin, and had almost a year of experience; his skills in this area were competent.
For the Blood Spear group to inconspicuously monitor him was not possible.
"Perhaps they weren't monitoring the original protagonist, but Zhou Changtai instead.
"As long as they observed whether Zhou Changtai was dead, they could determine if the original protagonist's assassination was successful.
"Moreover, every assassin's operating style is different.
"Typically, without constant surveillance, trying to ambush a highly vigilant assassin is like predicting the unknown.
"Unless someone understands him extremely well, capable of predicting his actions..."
Chu Qing withdrew his gaze and took a sip of tea in one gulp.
"If the original protagonist's actions were his suggestions, then everything the original protagonist experienced was a carefully constructed setup.
"A well-woven net..."
As for the purpose, Chu Qing was about seventy to eighty percent certain.
Realizing this, he was thankful.
Though the original protagonist trusted this person immensely, he still held a degree of caution.
From start to finish, he never revealed his own name or family background.
Initially, it was due to caution, but later on, he felt that friendships between gentlemen lie in the heart, not in appearances, and a name is merely a label, not worth mentioning.
As for martial arts, he didn't want anyone to know about his ties to the Chu Family, lest Chu Yunfei trace him through the grapevine.
Therefore, the martial arts he displayed outside were typical sword techniques, and he never used the family-inherited [Cyan Void Palm].
This was also the main reason he could perish alongside the Blood Spear.
In retrospect, had the other person known his true origins, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
"If I guessed right, the purpose of his presence in Celestial Dance City would be easy to infer.
"Apparently, there is no time to delay..."
Thoughts swirling in Chu Qing's mind, he could hear the conversations in the teahouse had changed topics.
"I heard the Chu head is hosting a large banquet for three days and three nights to celebrate the return of Second Young Master Chu's accomplishments!"
"It's true, these past days the chief steward of the Chu Family has been visiting several renowned restaurants, like Zhiwei Pavilion and Green Bamboo Abode, to prepare for this banquet."
Suddenly the idle patrons in the teahouse began discussing another matter.
With a slight twitch in his ear, Chu Qing's brows furrowed; by this time, the 'itinerant doctor' had long disappeared at the end of the street.
He didn't go after him; this person was highly skilled, acting hastily would only alert the enemy.
"But... with the Chu Family hosting a banquet, he definitely wouldn't miss this opportunity."
Chu Qing exhaled lightly, narrowing his eyes, as plans formed in his mind.
He then heard someone again mention:
"I hear even the City Lord of Dance City was invited."
Logically speaking, since the Chu Family is in Celestial Dance City, and Wu Ganqi is the City Lord, being invited under such circumstances is quite natural.
However, upon hearing this, everyone present had a peculiar expression.
Suddenly, someone whispered:
"Do you think Miss Wu will come?"
"Probably not, after all, Miss Wu once said, 'The Shame of the Chu Gate should be etched in memory and not forgotten for a moment.' If she came, it would mean she's forgotten the disgrace of the elopement?
"What kind of person is Miss Wu? She would never slap herself in the face like that."