After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 62

The assassination attempt was like a sharp thorn piercing Ye Li’s heart. The assailants were professional and ruthless, leaving no trace. This was clearly not an impromptu act, but a premeditated, organized operation. Passively waiting for the next attack was absolutely not her style. She had to take the initiative, root out the mastermind, and resolve the problem fundamentally.

However, with the enemy in the dark and her in the light, relying solely on the Sect’s official channels and the currently limited intelligence capabilities of the Shadow Pavilion, trying to uncover the truth was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Ye Li knew that some clues were often hidden in the dark corners where sunlight could not reach—such as the Black Market.

As a major sect in the Spirit Realm, the Profound Cloud Sect had tens of thousands of disciples, a mixed bag of people, which naturally led to the growth of its own underground trading network. This was where stolen goods of unknown origin, materials prohibited by the sect, various hidden information, and even shady commissions circulated. It was the gray area of rules and a hub for intelligence gathering.

The next day, Ye Li summoned Lin Feng and Sun Xiaohou using the Shadow Pavilion token.

Inside the quiet chamber, the formation isolated the interior from the outside. Ye Li informed the two of the detailed account of the previous night’s attack (omitting the specific means of her counter-kill) and showed them the rubbing of the black token.

Lin Feng’s expression was grave: “Pavilion Master, this matter is far from trivial. The perpetrators were able to silently infiltrate the formation set up by the Peak Master, meaning they are definitely not an ordinary force. The token’s style is ancient and bears no markings. It looks like the credential of some ancient assassin organization, or the traces were deliberately erased.”

Sun Xiaohou scratched his ears and cheeks, appearing both nervous and excited: “Don’t worry, Pavilion Master! Old Monkey might not be good at other things, but I’m the best at gathering information! I know the Sect’s black market dens like the back of my hand! I’ll go check right away if any unfamiliar ruthless people have been coming and going recently, or if there’s any rumor of a bounty on you!”

Ye Li nodded and handed Sun Xiaohou a storage bag filled with spirit stones: “Take these spirit stones. Information in the black market is costly. Remember, safety first. It’s better to fail than to expose yourself. Focus on gathering information in three areas: First, the origin of this token; second, whether there are any recent bounties or commissions targeting me; and third, if the Black Fiend Valley, Heavenly Fiend Sect, or any forces with old grudges against the Ye family have any unusual movements in the black market.”

“Understood!” Sun Xiaohou took the spirit stones and nodded vigorously. His figure flickered, and he slipped out of the small courtyard as silently as a spiritual monkey.

Ye Li then looked at Lin Feng: “Lin Feng, Sun Xiaohou is responsible for frontline scouting. You are responsible for centralized analysis, synthesizing information, and cross-referifying it using our existing channels. At the same time, activate the few dark lines we laid down before and try to penetrate the surrounding markets outside the Sect and intelligence organizations to see if we can find external information about this assassin organization.”

“Yes, Pavilion Master!” Lin Feng calmly agreed. “I will quickly sort out suspicious clues. Also, Pavilion Master, although we can buy information in the black market, it’s a mixed bag, and the authenticity is hard to discern. Should we consider developing our own information source in the black market, or maybe supporting an agent?”

Ye Li looked at Lin Feng with approval. This idea coincided with hers. Relying on external intelligence would always mean being constrained by others. Establishing their own reliable source of intelligence was crucial.

“We can try.” Ye Li mused. “This requires extreme caution. The candidate must be reliable, have a clean background, and be capable of establishing a foothold in the black market. You and Little Monkey pay close attention, and if there is a suitable candidate, report back to me for a decision after thorough investigation.”

“Understood.”

After Lin Feng left, Ye Li contemplated for a moment. The black market was not only a source of intelligence but also a potential channel for acquiring special items. Her cultivation had now improved, and her skills in alchemy and talisman making had greatly increased, leading to a higher demand for materials. Especially auxiliary materials for refining her Natal Artifact, and some rare spiritual inks and talisman papers that could enhance the power of talismans, which were often hard to find through the Sect’s official channels.

She took out a blank jade slip, recorded the information of several materials she urgently needed, and then transmitted it to Xia Zhihe via the Shadow Pavilion token.

“Senior Sister Zhihe, these materials are vital for my cultivation. The Sect’s treasury is either lacking them or they are too expensive. Please keep an eye on the surrounding markets and… some hidden channels. If there is news, the price can be relaxed appropriately.”

Xia Zhihe quickly replied, concisely: “Received. I will inquire through my channels.”

After arranging all this, Ye Li finally felt a little relieved. The small machine of the Shadow Pavilion began to operate with full force around the “assassination incident.” She, in turn, immersed herself in cultivation again. Strength was the foundation for dealing with everything.

…

In the following days, the members of the Shadow Pavilion operated like wound-up springs.

Sun Xiaohou fully leveraged his extensive network and unconventional methods, mingling like a loach in several well-known black market strongholds of the Profound Cloud Sect. He first pretended to be an ordinary buyer, wandering around various stalls, subtly inquiring about recent rumors, especially discussions concerning the name “Ye Li.” He spent generously and understood the black market rules, quickly becoming acquainted with some well-informed brokers.

Paving the way with a few meals of spiritual wine and plenty of spirit stones, Sun Xiaohou indeed gathered some fragmented information:

A broker vaguely mentioned that a “foreign” fund had indeed been active in the black market recently, seemingly trying to gather information on some talented Sect disciples. They spent lavishly but acted extremely secretly, only contacting top intermediaries.

Regarding the black token, a knowledgeable veteran broker examined the rubbing carefully and stated that he had never seen a token of this style, but felt that its material and pattern style did not look like products from the last thousand years. Instead, it had some ancient air to it, suggesting they could try asking through black market channels specializing in ancient artifacts, or those related to archaeology and tomb raiding.

As for a bounty on Ye Li, there was none publicly for now, but whether there was a private commission secretly was hard to say. That level of commission usually didn’t circulate publicly in the black market.

Lin Feng compared this scattered information with the clues Sun Xiaohou had previously gathered about the frequent contact between the Battle Maniac Peak disciples and external personnel. He discovered that a confidant of Gao Sheng had secretly left the Sect shortly after Ye Li returned from the Black Wind Mountain Range, with an unknown destination. The timing was quite coincidental with the assassination attempt.

“Battle Maniac Peak is highly suspicious… but we can’t rule out the possibility of an external force borrowing a knife to kill, or a collusion between the two,” Lin Feng reported his analysis to Ye Li via the Shadow Pavilion token.

On the other side, Xia Zhihe also sent news. Through her years of operating her pill channel, she contacted a reputable hidden merchant guild. The guild stated that they happened to have stock of two of the materials on Ye Li’s list, but the price was extremely high and required a barter trade or settlement with high-grade pills. At the same time, Xia Zhihe delicately mentioned that the guild’s background was complex, with ties to multiple major sects and some gray forces. They were well-informed and could potentially serve as a source of intelligence, but required cautious contact.

Ye Li received feedback from all sides, and a general understanding gradually formed in her mind. The assassination attempt undoubtedly had the shadow of an internal Sect force (Battle Maniac Peak being the most suspect), but it likely utilized an external, professional assassin organization. This assassin organization seemed to have an ancient origin and acted mysteriously.

“Token with an ancient style… ancient assassin organization…” Ye Li pondered, and some vague memories from her previous life were triggered. There indeed seemed to be some long-standing, elusive assassin forces in the Spirit Realm, such as… “Shadow Palace”? Or “Netherworld Pavilion”? These organizations were mysterious and said to have even assassinated mighty experts in the Undying Realm.

If it truly was such an organization, the trouble was immense. They were like a maggot attached to the bone, determined not to give up until their goal was achieved.

“I must quickly increase my strength and establish a more powerful defense and counter-attack force,” Ye Li felt a sense of urgency.

She approved Xia Zhihe’s transaction with the hidden merchant guild, exchanging some high-grade pills for the urgently needed materials. At the same time, she instructed Lin Feng to attempt limited intelligence trading with the guild, but they must strictly verify the authenticity of the information and absolutely not expose the existence of the Shadow Pavilion.

Under Ye Li’s will and the drive of spirit stones, the Shadow Pavilion’s intelligence network began to silently extend like a spider web from within the Profound Cloud Sect to the surrounding black markets and hidden merchant guilds. Although still nascent, it had taken a crucial step.

The night was deep. Ye Li stood in the courtyard, her hand tracing the cold black token rubbing on the jade slip. The enemy’s veil was being lifted little by little. Although the prospect was still shrouded in mist, at least she was no longer the target that could only passively take a beating.

“Whether you are ‘Shadow Palace’ or ‘Netherworld Pavilion,’ since you took this commission, be prepared for the backlash,” she muttered to herself, a cold glint in her eyes like stars.

A large net aimed at an invisible enemy was slowly being cast. And Ye Li was the spider at the center of that web, patiently waiting for the moment her prey would reveal a flaw.