Shen Mo stood before the Toll Taker's desk, the silence of the vast hall pressing in on him. He had spent two months grinding away at the bloody, thankless tasks of an Iron Oarsman, all for this moment. A chance at a contract that could solve his most pressing problems in a single, deadly stroke.
"I accept the briefing," he said, his voice a steady, cold whisper.
The Toll Taker's mirrored veil seemed to study him for a long moment before a black jade slip slid across the polished stone desk. Shen Mo took it, and the information flooded his mind, cold and sharp as a shard of ice.
Target: The Twin Jades of the Azure Wind Sect.
Cultivation: Lin Jade, Fifth Level Foundation Establishment. Lan Jade, Fifth Level Foundation Establishment.
Identity: Twin sisters, prodigies of the Azure Wind Sect, renowned for their flawless, synchronized swordplay.
Details: The client, a rival sect, wants the twins eliminated before they can compete in the upcoming Southern Sky Tournament. They are considered a major threat. The primary challenge is not their individual power, but their perfect coordination. They are never apart and fight as one, their combined strength far exceeding the sum of their parts.
Location: They are currently traveling with a small retinue of ten sect disciples (early Foundation Establishment) and one sect protector, a ninth-level Foundation Establishment expert. They are en route to the tournament city of Skyfall.
Time Limit: Ten days. They must be eliminated before they reach the city.
Payment: Five hundred mid-grade spirit stones.
Shen Mo's mind analyzed the contract with lightning speed. The targets themselves were not a threat, but their synergy was. More importantly, they were protected by a peak Foundation Establishment expert, a cultivator on the verge of breaking through to the Core Formation realm. This was a massive leap in difficulty. Attacking a ninth-level expert was considered suicidal for anyone below the eighth level.
"The sect protector is a formidable obstacle," the Toll Taker's voice stated, as if reading his thoughts. "This is a Black Gold-grade contract. The client's request was specific: 'Send the Oarsman who dismantled the Golden Sand Sect's outpost.' Your reputation for clean, effective infiltration precedes you."
The explanation was logical. His last mission had been a showcase of his specific skill set. It made sense that a client with a similar problem would request the same tool.
"The risks are great, but so are the rewards," the Toll Taker continued. "Succeed, and you will be promoted directly to Silver Oarsman. You will also be granted one favor from the Quartermaster, within reason."
A favor. That could mean access to the next layer of his soul technique, or information he couldn't buy. The bait was tantalizing. This was the organization's true test. They didn't know his secret, but they knew he was an exceptional infiltrator. Now they were pushing him to his absolute limit.
He crushed the jade slip. There was no other choice. To refuse was to show weakness, to stagnate. His only path was forward, through blood and shadow.
"Understood," he said. He turned and walked away, the weight of the mission settling on his shoulders.
He did not leave Blacksand Oasis immediately. Haste was the mark of an amateur. He spent one full day in his luxurious room, his mind a silent, churning vortex of strategy. The ninth-level expert, Elder Jin, was the crux of the problem. A direct confrontation, even with three bodies, would be utter suicide. The protector could likely obliterate one of his clones with a single, focused technique. This mission would not be won with strength, but with deception. He needed to become a chess master, moving his three pieces—himself and his two shadows—across the board with perfect precision. His greatest advantage was that his opponent didn't even know they were playing a game.
On the second day, he began his operation. He manifested both clones. They were now fully equipped, identical down to the last detail in their dark charcoal robes, their shadow veil amulets, and the pale gray swords at their hips. They were a trinity of death, ready to be deployed.
Ghost 1 was dispatched first. Its mission was simple: travel the main trade route towards the tournament city of Skyfall. It moved like any other cultivator, maintaining a steady, unremarkable pace. It was the bait, the scout, the first thread in his web.
Ghost 2 was sent on a different path, a wide, circling arc through the rugged wilderness that bordered the trade route. Its task was to survey the terrain, to find the perfect stage for the bloody play he intended to direct. It sought out choke points, areas of poor visibility, and natural hazards—anything that could be turned into a weapon.
Shen Mo, the main body, left the city last, traveling a third, central path. He was the nexus, the command center from which the other two operated. The mental strain was immense. He was simultaneously processing the mundane sights of the trade route through Ghost 1—passing merchants, the occasional sect disciple, the changing landscape—while also experiencing the treacherous, rocky terrain being navigated by Ghost 2. All the while, he had to maintain his own vigilance. The [Nine-Layered Pagoda Meditation] was the only thing that kept the constant, three-pronged stream of consciousness from overwhelming him. The first layer of his mental pagoda was like a dam, holding back the flood, but he could feel the immense pressure against it.
On the fourth day of travel, Ghost 1 found them.
The Azure Wind Sect's convoy was unmistakable. Ten disciples in sky-blue robes formed a protective screen. In their center, riding on elegant, long-legged steeds, were the Twin Jades. And at the head of the convoy rode the sect protector, Elder Jin, his aura a vast, deep ocean of power.
Ghost 1 kept its distance, using its own spiritual sense in short, undetectable bursts. Shen Mo now had his target's location and speed. He turned his primary focus to the input from Ghost 2. Late that afternoon, Ghost 2 found the perfect location: the Whispering Canyons, a winding network of deep, narrow passages. The path the convoy was on led directly to a fork. One path went around the canyons, the other went straight through.
Shen Mo's trinity converged on the Whispering Canyons, moving with a shared, silent purpose. He spent the next day preparing the trap. Ghost 2 sabotaged a massive rockslide overlooking the canyon's exit. Ghost 1 positioned himself at the fork with the tattered banner of the Crimson Devil Sect, he set up a formation that would then activate this banner when he activated the formation. He then returned back to Shen Mo. Shen Mo himself took up a position deep within the main canyon, concealing himself in a high, shadowed alcove.
On the sixth day, the Azure Wind Sect convoy arrived at the fork. The diversion worked flawlessly. He activated the formation at the planted the demonic banner, and successfully lured the enraged Elder Jin away on a wild goose chase. The rest of the convoy, seeking a safer route, entered the Whispering Canyons.
Shen Mo watched from his high perch as they passed beneath him, a line of lambs walking into a slaughterhouse. He waited until they were deep within the canyon, then gave the mental command. Miles away, Ghost 2 triggered the landslide, sealing the canyon exit. The convoy was trapped.
From his alcove, Shen Mo dropped to the canyon floor. At the same instant, he manifested Ghost 1 in the shadows behind the panicked convoy. The clone he had used for the diversion was still miles away, but the one he had just created was fresh, its Qi reserves full.
The ten disciples spun around as two identical, shadow-veiled figures emerged from the darkness. The slaughter was swift and merciless. In less than a minute, Shen Mo and Ghost 1, moving as one mind in two bodies, cut down the disciples.
Only the Twin Jades remained. They stood back-to-back, their identical swords weaving a complex, shimmering web of sword light.
"Who are you?!" Lin Jade shouted, her voice trembling but defiant.
Shen Mo and Ghost 1 did not answer. They advanced slowly, circling the twins like wolves. The plan had worked to perfection.
It was then that the door to the ornate carriage, which had been standing silently at the center of the carnage, slid open.
Two figures stepped out. They were not servants or disciples. They were a man and a woman, both middle-aged, both clad in the dark, functional robes of protectors. Their faces were grim, their eyes cold and hard. And their auras were powerful, stable, and sharp as honed steel. Both were at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment.
Shen Mo froze. His entire plan, every calculation, had been based on the information in the contract. Ten disciples and one ninth-level protector. These two were not in the briefing. The intel was critically, fatally flawed.
"To use a demonic sect as a lure to separate us from Elder Jin," the male protector said, his voice a low growl as he drew a heavy saber. "A clever, cowardly trick."
"He has killed the children," the female protector added, her hand resting on the hilt of a thin, rapier-like sword. "He will not leave this canyon alive."
The situation had inverted in an instant. It was no longer a two-on-two fight where he held all the advantages. It was now a two-on-four battle. Two fifth-level prodigies whose synergy was an unknown variable, and two battle-hardened seventh-level experts. Against his two sixth-level bodies. The odds were overwhelmingly against him.
The Twin Jades, their confidence bolstered by the appearance of their hidden guardians, let out a synchronized battle cry and charged. At the same time, the two protectors moved to flank him, their movements swift and professional.
Shen Mo and Ghost 1 were instantly on the defensive. He met Lin Jade's blade, the force of the blow stronger than he expected. At the same time, Ghost 1 parried Lan Jade's strike. But they had no time to counter. The male protector's heavy saber came whistling down, a blow meant to crush and maim. Shen Mo was forced to use [Void Flash Step] to evade, the Qi expenditure a painful drain.
Ghost 1 was not so lucky. As it engaged Lan Jade, the female protector moved like a phantom, her rapier a blur of silver light aimed at the clone's joints. Ghost 1 was forced to abandon its attack and twist its body unnaturally to avoid being crippled, taking a deep gash along its arm.
The battle was a chaotic, desperate affair. The twins' synchronized attacks pinned Shen Mo and his clone, forcing them into a defensive posture, while the two powerful protectors relentlessly exploited every opening, their teamwork honed by years of experience. Shen Mo was a master strategist, but he was being overwhelmed by a simple, brutal truth: he was outmatched.
He parried another blow from Lin Jade, the impact sending a tremor up his arm. He saw the male protector preparing another powerful cleaving attack. He saw the female protector maneuvering to cut off Ghost 1's line of retreat. He saw the trap closing.
This was no longer an assassination. It was a failed operation. In the mercenary world, and even more so in the world of The Paid Ferrymen, there was only one correct response to a failed operation: survive.
He made the cold, professional choice. He poured a significant amount of his remaining Qi into one final, powerful technique.
[Mirror Soul Illusion]!
A dozen identical, shadow-veiled figures instantly filled the narrow canyon. The four opponents faltered for a split second, their senses overwhelmed by the sudden proliferation of targets.
It was the opening he needed.
"Retreat!" his mind commanded his other self.
He and Ghost 1 didn't try to fight. They used the moment of confusion to disengage, using [Void Flash Step] to flicker backwards, putting distance between themselves and their opponents.
"Don't let them escape!" the male protector roared, seeing through the illusion.
But Shen Mo had one last parting gift. He threw the last of his explosive talismans not at the cultivators, but at the unstable canyon wall beside them. The resulting explosion was minor, but it was enough to trigger a small, secondary rockslide, a cascade of dust and stone that momentarily blocked the narrow passage.
He and Ghost 1 used the cover to scale the canyon wall, their movements desperate and swift. They reached the top and sprinted into the rugged wilderness, not stopping to look back.
Far away, Elder Jin, finally realizing the demonic banner was a ruse, felt the life-link tokens for his charges remain unbroken. But he also felt the flare of their protective talismans, a signal of a fierce battle. With a heaven-shaking roar, he blasted back towards the canyon.
Shen Mo ran, the three streams of his consciousness now focused on a single, desperate goal: escape. He could feel the furious, ninth-level aura of Elder Jin approaching like a tidal wave. He could feel the four pursuers from the canyon beginning to climb after him. His perfect plan was in tatters. He had failed the contract. And now, he was the one being hunted.