FVN Chapter 135 The Black-Clad Society
Chapter 135 The Black-Clad Society
The four returned to the White Horse Escort Agency and interrogated the man in black overnight.
However, according to the man in black's confession, he and his accomplices were just assassins in an organization called the "Black Clothes Society," acting on orders from their superiors, and they did not know why they were to kill Feng Biaotou's family and Ma Liangcai.
Ma Liangcai said with a heavy expression, "I have been based in Hanzhong City for many years and have heard some rumors in the martial arts world that many murder cases in the city are related to this Black Clothes Society."
"But after all these years, no one has ever caught the Black Clothes Society red-handed. I never expected to run into them tonight."
Yue Feng asked the man in black, "How do you contact your superiors?"
The man in black said, "I have no choice... It's always my superiors who come to me, and they only come to me in two situations: when they issue the 'Black Order,' and when I complete a mission."
Yue Feng then asked, "So, how do I join the Black-Clad Society?"
The man in black said, "The organization has dedicated 'guides' who are responsible for searching for, recruiting, and assessing talent. Again, you can only wait for them to come to you; you can't find them. If they think you're suitable, they'll find a way to contact you and bring you into the organization."
Yue Feng then asked the man in black what kind of person the guide would find suitable. The man in black only knew that he himself had been approached by the guide when he was desperate. As for the others, he didn't know anything about them.
Seeing that he couldn't get any more useful information from him, Yue Feng sent him to meet his maker with a single palm strike. Ma Liang then took the body out to prepare it, and the four of them sat down to discuss the matter again.
Lin Pingzhi said, "Now it seems that the robbers were assassins from the Black-Clad Society. The black-clad man who led the raid on Chief Feng's house used the Great Monument-Splitting Palm Force, didn't he? This kind of palm force is easy to learn but difficult to master. Even within the Black-Clad Society, there shouldn't be many people who are skilled in it."
Xie Tianqing nodded and said, "That's right. But the man in black is dead. To retrieve the robbed shipment, we still need to rely on the Black Clothes Society. But... how do we find the Black Clothes Society?"
Xie Tianqing, Lin Pingzhi, and Ma Liangcai exchanged glances, all turning to Yue Feng for advice. Yue Feng smiled faintly at Lin Pingzhi and said, "Pingzhi, your analysis was quite good. Tell me, what's the next step in the investigation?"
Lin Pingzhi nodded seriously, thought for a moment, and said, "Since the boss just asked that man in black how to join the Black Clothes Society, he must want to infiltrate the Black Clothes Society."
"That is indeed a line of thought. Although the man in black couldn't come up with a clear explanation, I think the selection criteria for members of most assassin organizations should be pretty much the same: high martial arts skills, desperate circumstances, ruthlessness, and so on."
"Boss, maybe I can try disguising myself, completely changing my appearance, and then go out and do a few cases. That might attract their attention. They lost so many people tonight, they must be desperate for talent, which is my chance to infiltrate them."
Yue Feng stared at Lin Pingzhi expressionlessly for a long time, making Lin Pingzhi feel uneasy. Suddenly, he smiled broadly: "Good! Pingzhi, you really are different from before. No wonder Chief Escort Lu said that with the young chief escort at Fuwei Escort Agency, what need is there for any backers? Haha!"
Lin Pingzhi breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "Old Lu doesn't know anything. The backer of Fuwei Escort Agency is you, boss, it's just that they're not worthy to know it yet."
Yue Feng shook his head and said, "I'm a friend, not a backer. Alright, let's get down to business. I think Pingzhi's idea is feasible. What about you two?"
Xie Tianqing said, "Junior Brother's martial arts have greatly improved, and he is also very resourceful, making him the best choice to carry out this plan."
Ma Liangcai said with a look of shame, "The pretext for robbing the caravan was started by the people of my White Horse Escort Agency, yet it was Young Master Lin who had to take the risk himself. I..."
Lin Pingzhi interrupted Ma Liangcai: "Chief Escort Ma, you don't need to worry. This shipment we lost was a hidden shipment, and no one knows its value; if it is lost, the compensation will be a huge sum of ten thousand taels of silver."
"This escort mission was inherently illogical; it was only because the recipient was highly respected in the martial arts world that Chief Escort Lu made an exception and accepted it. Now it seems the whole thing might have been a conspiracy from the very beginning."
Ma Liangcai, who also ran a security escort agency, immediately sensed something was amiss and couldn't help but ask Lin Pingzhi, "May I ask who exactly commissioned this shipment?"
Lin Pingzhi coldly replied, "Chang Gaizhi, the Eight-Bag Elder of the Beggars' Sect and the leader of the Hanzhong branch!"
Ma Liangcai was taken aback and muttered, "No wonder... if it were him, Chief Escort Lu would indeed find it difficult to refuse."
Yue Feng asked, "Brother Ma, do you know this Elder Chang?"
Ma Liangcai nodded and said, "In the martial arts world of Hanzhong, who doesn't know Elder Chang's name? The Beggars' Clan already has immense power in Hanzhong, and Elder Chang is an even more influential and powerful figure. If he asks Chief Escort Lu to entrust him with a shipment, even if Chief Escort Lu wants to refuse, he will probably find it difficult to succeed."
Yue Feng hummed in agreement and said nothing more. As dawn broke, Ma Liang hurriedly invited everyone to go back and rest, and also arranged a superior room for Lin Pingzhi.
Yue Feng slept for only two hours before getting up and going to the city to buy a high-quality but inconspicuous longsword, as well as new clothes, accessories, and other items needed for disguise.
Back at the White Horse Escort Agency, Lin Pingzhi also got up. Yue Feng helped him disguise himself from head to toe, while also telling him some things he needed to pay attention to in his daily life.
After finishing his work, Lin Pingzhi looked in the mirror and was immediately startled: "Boss, I never knew you had this skill! There's nothing you can't do, only things we can't think of!"
Yue Feng scrutinized Lin Pingzhi and was quite satisfied with his own progress in disguise. He gave Lin Pingzhi a few more instructions, telling him to be careful in everything and to make sure things were settled at the branch office. Lin Pingzhi then took his leave.
Yue Feng left Xie Tianqing to guard the White Horse Escort Agency to prevent anyone from killing him to silence him, and then he also left the agency.
Although he assigned the task of infiltrating the Black Clothes Society to Lin Pingzhi, it didn't mean he was idle. Lin Pingzhi was in the shadows, while he was in the light; only through their cooperation could they resolve the case as quickly as possible.
Yue Feng inquired about the location of the Beggars' Sect branch from passersby and headed straight there. Upon arriving at the entrance, two Beggars' Sect disciples greeted him: "Who goes there? Please state your name so we can pass on your message."
Yue Feng cupped his hands in greeting to his two disciples: "Yue Feng from Mount Hua has come to pay his respects to Elder Chang."
The two disciples hurriedly returned Yue Feng's greeting: "So you are the young master of the Huashan Sect. Our apologies for our disrespect. Please wait here for a moment, and we will inform him immediately."
One of the two men stayed with Yue Feng, while the other hurriedly went inside. Soon after, a man in his fifties emerged. He was not tall, and his appearance was ordinary, except for a long, thick, black beard that reached his chest, giving him a rather imposing look.
Upon seeing Yue Feng, the man reached out and grasped Yue Feng's hand, saying, "Young Master Yue, it is an honor to have you grace our sect with your presence. I, Chang Ai, have failed to greet you properly; I deserve to die, I deserve to die!"