Although she wasn’t clear about what he was afraid of, she could feel the unease in his heart.
"Please go back!" she urged Liang Haoming, and at the same time, she addressed Black Panther, "I am not sure what the Third Elder wants with me, but I am but a worthless blade of grass, unworthy of the Third Elder’s favor. I take my leave!"
Black Panther wanted to stop her but he knew he was no match for Dong Huiying’s abilities. Moreover, this "younger sister-in-law" was well aware of his motives and knew that this was an olive branch extended by the Third Elder. But since she had refused, it meant she was unwilling to join the Third Elder’s camp.
After some thought, Black Panther decided not to persist and resolved to return to the Third Elder for further instructions.
After leaving the black market, Dong Huiying and the others avoided the patrolling government officers and returned to the farmhouse where they were temporarily staying. Throughout the journey, Liang Haoming was unusually quiet, and Hong Xiangjun also appeared deeply troubled.
Once back, Dong Huiying took Hong Xiangjun away from the brothers who were in the house to Hong Xiangjun’s room.
"What exactly is going on with this black market?" She had long noticed that the black market was not ordinary, and Black Panther’s invitation today, as well as Liang Haoming’s reaction, further confirmed her suspicions.
Hong Xiangjun was frustrated and conflicted. "The black market..." She started to speak but then hesitated, finally exhaling deeply under Dong Huiying’s insistent gaze: "I’m sorry, I didn’t consider everything carefully enough, focusing only on our need for silver and forgetting to advise you to conceal your talents."
Dong Huiying bit her cheek, filled with regret: "It was too conspicuous of me. Perhaps I should have deliberately lost a few matches to make them think my abilities were mediocre. But it’s too late for that now."
She proceeded to inquire about the black market. Members like Black Panther used moves and techniques that were almost exclusively for killing, and she discovered that these people seemed to be uniformly trained.
"I’m not quite sure of the specifics, but given that it’s called a black market, it certainly isn’t clean. Moreover, they seem to have taken on some clandestine jobs in the background, mainly assassinations."
"Ah," Dong Huiying feigned sudden realization, "No wonder."
These were assassins; that explained everything. No wonder their methods more closely resembled The Art of Killing; this was the trade they were involved in. But then she twisted her mouth in a distorted smile, "Doesn’t the Imperial Court care?"
To let the black market exist right under their noses, could the authorities really be so complacent?
Hong Xiangjun told Dong Huiying that the black market had originally been known as the Assassin Alliance. The Assassin Alliance had significant influence in the martial arts world, and in these years of continuous border conflicts, the Assassin Alliance mainly accepted jobs from foreign countries, such as assassinating certain wealthy merchants or government officials. Since the targets were foreign nationals, this benefited Dayuan, so the Imperial Court turned a blind eye as if it knew nothing.
Dong Huiying pondered deeply; no wonder Liang Haoming was so nervous, fearing her contact with Black Panther.
The Assassin Alliance was a group of assassins who mainly earned their living through killing. Such deeds were highly dangerous, and a slight misstep could lead to irreversible catastrophe. Aside from other concerns, there was one point she could not ignore: if she were to die, what would become of Liang Shu Yu, who would treat Liang Shu Yu’s illness?
Having clarified these matters, Dong Huiying then excused herself.
When she returned to her room, she saw Liang Haoming with his back to the door. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of pants. His upper body could almost be described with the word "horrific": the left half was covered in burn scars, the flesh appearing terribly frightening, enough to shock anyone who saw it.