The headquarters of any assassin organization within China are extremely secretive, impossible for ordinary people to find without a guide in the know.
The Winged Tiger Alliance is located in Su City in the south. Geographically, it's not far from the Demon Moon Alliance, which is a main reason they formed an alliance.
At this moment, Jiang Feng and Dong Ruxue boarded the late-night train heading south from Binhai to Su City.
Sitting on the high-speed train, Jiang Feng sent a WeChat message to Nangong Qingcheng, stating concisely that he would not be returning home tonight and that she, Chu Feifei, and Liu Shiyuan should not worry or miss him.
Dong Ruyan sat beside Jiang Feng, still immersed in intense self-conflict.
As the nightscape outside the train window swiftly receded and the distance to Su City grew shorter, Dong Ruyan's emotions grew increasingly complex.
She had actually agreed to take Jiang Feng to the headquarters of the Winged Tiger Alliance. It was absurd, crazy just to think about!
If this guy failed and died in vain, would the young master blame her?
And if he succeeded—
No! How could he even succeed? To think he could destroy the entire Winged Tiger Alliance alone? That's pure fantasy!
On the other hand, if he really died at the hands of the Winged Tiger Alliance, that would definitely be a great thing for Aunt Lan, right?
Finally, the young master's infatuation could be severed, eliminating future concerns.
But the young master herself would probably be heartbroken for a while.
Noticing Dong Ruxue's constant gaze, Jiang Feng turned his head lightly and looked at her too.
Dong Ruyan's heart inexplicably skipped a beat under Jiang Feng's gaze, then she turned her head, deliberately adopting a cold tone. "Jiang Feng, I previously mentioned that the young master had become obsessed with training, hence needing your rescue, but do you know why the young master was so eager for power and practiced a fragment of martial arts?"
Jiang Feng wasn't in the mood to care about this, but since Dong Ruyan asked, he replied, "Why?"
"Because of you!" Dong Ruyan said calmly, "Using the young lady's own words, she didn't want to be left too far behind by you. After repeatedly losing to you and then learning of your strength surpassing the Maestro level, she was deeply affected and chose to cultivate the 'Ni Chang Divine Skill.'
"The 'Ni Chang Divine Skill' is our Demon Moon Alliance's top cultivation technique, but we only possess the first half. Everyone in the alliance knows the consequences of practicing an incomplete version; although it boosts strength rapidly, it leaves flaws and poses a risk of obsession. The young master is in this state now!"
"She is she, and I am me. What do I have to do with her actions? You say she did it for me, what do you mean?" Jiang Feng frowned.
He found this logic completely unconvincing. Was there really someone who would go mad with training just because they felt inferior to someone else?
If it weren't for the fact that Dong Ruyan had indeed helped him this time, he wouldn't even care about Shangguan Wan'er's life and death!
"The young lady's exact words were, she must be stronger than you!" Dong Ruyan stared at Jiang Feng and said, "She has a deep grudge against you, and thus you must die by her hand! Thus, she has been determined to train!
Jiang Feng let out a derisive chuckle.
This was even more ludicrous, wanting to become stronger than him through training? That was daydreaming!
Unexpectedly, the next moment, Dong Ruyan changed her tone, and said lightly, "However, all of us know that the young master's sentiments toward you are not what she claims, not just about revenge! Perhaps not even she knows; the reason she can't forget you is not because of hate, but because of—love!"
"In summary, the young master has borne love from hate and has fallen for you!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Feng frowned deeply, looking at Dong Ruyan with a blank expression.
Dong Ruyan continued without yielding, "But within our Demon Moon Alliance, there's a decree! No assassin is allowed to fall in love with a man, otherwise, it's a serious offense leading to expulsion from the alliance and being left to fend for themselves!"
"The young master is the future Fox Master of the Demon Moon Alliance. Aunt Lan naturally doesn't want to watch her fall into a state of banishment, so she sent the four of us to secretly observe you, waiting for a chance to eliminate you. This is also for the greater good and the young master's future..."
"Oh, I see." Jiang Feng finally understood, the persistent entanglement of the Demon Moon Alliance with him was rooted here!
"Since that's the case, why are you telling me all this?" Jiang Feng stared at Dong Ruyan and asked.
"I just want you to know the reasons behind this." Dong Ruyan snorted coldly.
In truth, she herself didn't know why she revealed these things to Jiang Feng. Perhaps these tangled worries had been pressed in her heart for too long, urgently needing someone to confide in, or maybe, being stuck on a long journey, she needed to dispel the loneliness and anguish.
"One last reminder, if you don't want the young master to have eternal regrets, to never return, it's not too late to get off now! Otherwise, once we reach Su City, turning back will be too late." Dong Ruyan spoke gravely to Jiang Feng.
"Once Jiang Feng makes a decision, there is no regret! Tonight, no one can stop the destruction of the Winged Tiger Alliance." Jiang Feng's expression was calm, but his tone exuded a strong sense of unyielding ire!
"To those who dare touch Jiang Feng's reverse scale, there will be no mercy!"
...
More than three hours later, late at night, the train finally arrived in Su City.
With Dong Ruyan guiding him, Jiang Feng hailed a taxi, heading straight for the Hidden Tiger Mountain on the outskirts of Su City.
According to Dong Ruyan, the headquarters of the Winged Tiger Alliance is inside Hidden Tiger Mountain, in a very secluded mountain hollow.
The taxi left the city and advanced swiftly along the road leading into the mountains.
After another forty minutes, they arrived at a field of dark, dense mountains.
The driver didn't dare to go further, so Dong Ruxue, reluctantly, paid the fare and accompanied Jiang Feng as they disembarked to walk.
From here, they could see the so-called Hidden Tiger Mountain!
Hidden Tiger Mountain stood behind two low mountains, looking like a giant tiger's claw, its peak extremely high.
There was only one path leading to Hidden Tiger Mountain, along the river, overgrown with vines and dense with thorns, a genuine wilderness and undeveloped territory.
"The headquarters of the Winged Tiger Alliance is inside, are you sure you want to walk to your death?" Dong Ruxue asked Jiang Feng, facing the mountain path.
"You should stop here, thank you for bringing me this far!" Without further words, Jiang Feng strode onto the mountain path!
"Bastard!"
Though Dong Ruxue indeed wanted to stop here, after weighing her options, she was still uneasy!
Having brought Jiang Feng here, regardless of whether Jiang Feng lived or died, or how he died, she must see it with her own eyes!
With that, Dong Ruyan, exasperatedly stamping her feet, cold-faced, quickly followed.
Jiang Feng looked back at her with a frown: "What are you doing?"
"I... I brought you here from far away, whether you live or die, I must be a witness, otherwise, how will I account to the young lady after returning?" Dong Ruyan gritted her teeth and said.
"Suit yourself." Jiang Feng said coolly: "If you follow me in, I won't protect you. If trouble arises, you handle it yourself!"
"Who wants your protection? Don't look down on people!" Dong Ruxue retorted angrily: "I can protect myself, and I will only remain hidden and observe without exposing myself!"
"That's good!" With nothing more to say, Jiang Feng continued striding into the mountain.
Although Dong Ruyan's heartstrings were taut, she could only muster her courage and follow Jiang Feng further in.