Chapter 12: The Liaison
The assassins of the Mirror of Retribution were divided into two kinds.
One type was personally trained by the organization itself. These individuals did not appear on the Mirror of Retribution's "Exorcism List." They were mostly active within the various regional branches, responsible for assisting assassins with their missions, gathering intelligence, investigating targets, and handling commissions.
Chu Qing had never deeply studied their operations, nor did he have a proper channel to do so.
The other type consisted of those recruited from the outside world.
This category was far more complicated, for everyone who joined the Mirror of Retribution had their own reasons.
Some sought thrill and excitement. Some were driven by desperation. And others—like the original host—were guided by their sense of justice.
Naturally, there were also those with ulterior motives who tried to infiltrate the Mirror of Retribution to uncover its secrets.
Some were agents from intelligence networks, hoping to obtain firsthand information. Others were enemies of the Mirror of Retribution, seeking to locate its main headquarters so they could destroy it completely.
In short, human hearts differed, and so did their purposes.
To handle this, the Mirror of Retribution had its own system of protection.
The "liaison" was one key element of that system.
Every assassin recruited from outside was assigned a liaison.
Their duty was to act as intermediaries between assassins and the Mirror of Retribution—delivering assignments, conveying messages, and presenting available commissions.
A skilled liaison could even help design assassination plans.
Some of these liaisons were trained by the Mirror of Retribution itself, while others earned its trust through different channels and were granted this position.
Chu Qing's liaison belonged to the latter group.
Like Chu Qing, he was a man disillusioned with the world.
He had once told Chu Qing: "The mighty act with cruelty, treating lives as weeds. In times of chaos, the powerful fight for dominance, while the common people are crushed like ants. Those who die in these endless struggles have no place to seek justice; even if their teeth are broken, they must swallow the blood and pain in silence. This is not fair!"
Chu Qing had agreed deeply with those words and considered him a kindred spirit.
Through long association, he learned much from him—skills in disguise, infiltration, and the craft of assassination itself.
Only later did Chu Qing discover that the man was, in fact, a liaison of the Mirror of Retribution.
That revelation became the main reason the original host had joined the organization.
Moreover, when Chu Qing later realized the Mirror of Retribution's hypocrisy, that same man had played a crucial role in guiding him to the truth.
The last time they met, the man had been gravely injured, his life hanging by a thread.
His final words to Chu Qing were: "The Mirror of Retribution cannot be trusted… you must… escape while you can!"
After his death, the Mirror of Retribution assigned Chu Qing another liaison.
It was through that contact that the commission concerning Zhou Changtai had arrived.
Yet now—what Chu Qing never expected, not even in a dream—was that this man, the one who should have died, appeared again in Tianwu City!
And not just alive, but disguised as a wandering physician, loitering near the Chu Residence.
"What is going on here?"
Chu Qing kept his gaze steady, careful not to alert the man.
But confusion continued to grow in his heart.
If his death had been faked, what was the purpose? Did he discover the Mirror of Retribution's true nature and use this as a means to escape—his own death a ruse? But if so, why hadn't he said it clearly?
And if he didn't want to say it, why utter those final words that drove the original host to doubt the Mirror of Retribution—ultimately causing him to betray the order to kill Zhou Changtai and be hunted down in return?
At that thought, Chu Qing's brow lifted slightly.
He had not given much thought to the original host's past, but this man's sudden appearance forced him to reconsider all the strange inconsistencies.
If the man's death was false, then why should his words have been true?
This kind of remark would inevitably cause consequences—and with how well that man knew the original host, he could not possibly have overlooked that.
After his supposed death, the Mirror of Retribution assigned a new liaison to Chu Qing.
However, because of those final words, the original host trusted neither the Mirror of Retribution nor this new liaison.
Thus, when it came to the assassination of Zhou Changtai—how he would act and how he intended to escape—he told no one.
So then, how did the Mirror of Retribution determine his escape route?
Were they secretly monitoring the original host all along?
No. That couldn't be.
The original host had been an assassin for nearly a year; his skills in concealment and vigilance were more than adequate.
If the Blood Spear group had tried to watch him in secret without being discovered, that was absolutely impossible.
"Perhaps they weren't observing the original host… but watching Zhou Changtai instead.
"As long as they saw whether Zhou Changtai lived or died, they could judge whether the assassination succeeded.
"Furthermore, every assassin has a unique style of action.
"Under normal circumstances, without constant surveillance, setting an ambush for a highly alert assassin would be pure fortune-telling—unless someone knew him so well that they could predict his every move."
Chu Qing lowered his gaze, lifted his teacup, and drained it in one motion.
"If the original host's route of action was suggested by that man, then everything he experienced was part of a trap—a web carefully woven in advance."
As for the purpose, Chu Qing already had a fair idea in his heart.
He felt some relief upon realizing this.
Though the original host had trusted that man deeply, he had still kept a certain level of caution.
He had never revealed his real name or family background from beginning to end.
At first, that had been out of prudence, but later he convinced himself that true friendship was built on mutual understanding, not titles—names were mere symbols, unworthy of concern.
As for his martial arts, he had kept them secret to avoid exposing his ties to the Chu family, fearing Chu Yunfei might trace them back to him.
Thus, the techniques he displayed in public were all ordinary sword styles, while the family art—Qingxu Palm—was never once used.
That was also the main reason he had been able to perish together with the Blood Spear.
Looking back now, had the man known his true origins, the consequences would have been disastrous.
"If my guess is correct, his purpose in Tianwu City isn't difficult to imagine.
"It seems there's no time to waste."
As Chu Qing pondered, the topic in the teahouse shifted again.
"I heard the Chu family head is hosting a grand banquet tomorrow to celebrate the second young master's return after completing his training! The feast will last three days and three nights!"
"It's true! In the past few days, major restaurants like Zhiwei Pavilion and Emerald Bamboo Courtyard have all been approached by the Chu family's steward for preparations."
Then, the idle guests began gossiping about another matter.
Chu Qing's ears twitched slightly, his brows furrowing as he noticed the wandering physician had long since vanished down the street.
He didn't pursue. That man's abilities were extraordinary; any reckless move would only alert him.
"But… with the Chu family hosting a banquet, he definitely won't miss such an opportunity."
Chu Qing exhaled softly, his eyes narrowing as a plan began to form in his mind.
Just then, another voice spoke up: "I heard even the City Lord of Wu has been invited."
Under normal circumstances, it was only proper for the City Lord of Tianwu, Wu Ganqi, to attend such an occasion.
Yet as soon as those words were spoken, everyone's expression turned strange.
Someone whispered, "Do you think the young lady of the Wu family… will come?"
"Unlikely. After all, she once said, 'The shame of the Chu clan must be remembered always, never forgotten even for a moment.' If she were to appear, wouldn't that mean she has already forgiven the disgrace of that broken engagement?
"The young lady is not someone who would slap her own face like that."
(End of Chapter)