"I need your help."
Su Yang said directly.
"You need my help?" Sakata Sōgetsu was a little surprised.
Su Yang had always been very strong and never seemed to need anyone's help. Sakata Sōgetsu hadn't expected that Su Yang would actually need her assistance.
Blinking her eyes, Sakata Sōgetsu looked at Su Yang and asked, "What kind of help do you need?"
"It might touch upon some unpleasant memories for you," Su Yang said, looking at Sakata Sōgetsu.
"The matter of the Assassination Hall?"
Su Yang nodded.
"Yes."
Upon hearing Su Yang's words, Sakata Sōgetsu's expression turned serious.
Indeed, the Assassination Hall held some unpleasant memories for Sakata Sōgetsu.
She was from Sang Country and had come to Long Country on an assassination mission, only to fall in love with a man from Long Country.
And more...
She had been intimate with him.
The sister she had come to find was even carrying his child.
This was a clear betrayal of the Assassination Hall.
However... in Sakata Sōgetsu's heart, there was a mixture of conflict and relief.
In Sang Country, the status of women was very low.
Even in marriage, women had no standing.
But during her time with Su Yang, Sakata Sōgetsu had received all the respect she deserved.
She hadn't done anything, spending her days in close proximity to Su Yang and resting well.
Such a life was completely non-existent in Sang Country.
Her family had not treated them well, which was why Sakata Sōgetsu had fallen for Su Yang.
Looking at Su Yang, Sakata Sōgetsu asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Su Yang pursed his lips and said, "I need you to help me obtain the power of the Hall Master of the Assassination Hall to fight against Shangguan Zhongtang. I also need you to find evidence of the contact between the Hall Master of the Assassination Hall and Shangguan Zhongtang."
"You want to report it to Kyoto?" Sakata Sōgetsu was a little surprised.
The fact that Su Yang was asking for evidence of contact between Shangguan Zhongtang and the Hall Master of the Assassination Hall meant there was only one possibility: reporting it to Kyoto and having them punish Shangguan Zhongtang.
Su Yang nodded. "Yes, I want to bring down Shangguan Zhongtang. Contacting people from Sang Country, especially for someone of his high status, is a capital offense in Long Country. Therefore, I need you to help me find evidence of his contact with the Hall Master of the Assassination Hall, so I can bring him down with little effort."
After hearing Su Yang's words, Sakata Sōgetsu frowned slightly.
"What's wrong? Is it difficult?" Su Yang asked, noticing Sakata Sōgetsu's reaction.
Sakata Sōgetsu nodded. "Of course it's difficult. This is about the Hall Master, the Hall Master of the Assassination Hall, the top secret documents of Sang Country's number one assassination organization. Obtaining this will naturally be very, very difficult."
Hearing Sakata Sōgetsu's words, Su Yang also frowned.
He had only thought of having Sakata Sōgetsu obtain this evidence, and he had anticipated some difficulties.
But he had never imagined that the difficulties would be so great.
"Is there no way..." Su Yang murmured.
Seeing Su Yang's troubled expression, Sakata Sōgetsu felt uneasy.
Looking at Su Yang, Sakata Sōgetsu gritted her teeth and said, "Don't worry. The Hall Master still trusts me to some extent, so if I return to the Assassination Hall, he might not know about me yet. If he doesn't know, I might have a chance to get this."
Su Yang looked at Sakata Sōgetsu and said, "Thank you."
Sakata Sōgetsu smiled. "No need to thank me. What's our relationship?"
"But also, Shangguan Zhongtang's contact with the Assassination Hall is a capital offense. Then, your contact with me and my sister, is that not a capital offense?" This was a matter Sakata Sōgetsu was more concerned about.
"The nature of it is different. Shangguan Zhongtang made secret contact, and his status is rather special. This is at most me marrying someone from Sang Country. I have no problem with it."
For some reason, Sakata Sōgetsu's heart fluttered when she heard Su Yang say the word "marry."
She had already been devoted to Su Yang, and now, Sakata Sōgetsu was even more devoted to him. She felt that she was completely Su Yang's person now.
Life in the Assassination Hall had not been easy, and Sakata Sōgetsu clearly remembered the inhumane days she had endured there. Therefore, at this moment, Sakata Sōgetsu harbored intense resentment towards the Assassination Hall. She also wished to bring down the Assassination Hall completely.
"What's your plan? I might be able to get you the documents of Shangguan Zhongtang and the Hall Master, but the power of the Assassination Hall might... might require you to negotiate yourself."
"Negotiate myself?" Hearing Sakata Sōgetsu's words, Su Yang began to understand.
"The Hall Master's transaction with Shangguan Zhongtang was for money. The Hall Master only recognizes money. If you want the help of the Assassination Hall, just offer more money than Shangguan Zhongtang."
Su Yang had thought it would be something else. Money was precisely what he lacked the least.
"Okay, I understand," Su Yang said. "I have another question: how much power does the Assassination Hall have?"
"The Assassination Hall has twelve branches. The branch that came before, and us, were half of the strength of one of those branches."
Su Yang pondered for a moment. "Not much..."
"That's not much?" Sakata Sōgetsu was surprised.
"Do you know how much power Shangguan Zhongtang and his people have?" Su Yang asked Sakata Sōgetsu with a slight smile.
Sakata Sōgetsu naturally didn't know. How could Sang Country be compared to Long Country? It was such a tiny place, smaller than some cities in Long Country. The power of Long Country was beyond the imagination of a small place like Sang Country. Although there were many positions above the military commander, the military commander himself possessed considerable power. Furthermore, Shangguan Zhongtang had the assistance of the eight great families of Qingcheng and had also sought help from other military commanders. The combined power was indeed substantial.
Sakata Sōgetsu shook her head. "I don't know. I've always only known how to complete missions."
Hearing this, Su Yang chuckled softly. "Do you know why your mission failed?"
"Because I fell in love with you?"
"No," Su Yang shook his head. "It's because you only act on missions without considering the opponent's strength. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory."
Sakata Sōgetsu didn't fully grasp the idioms of Long Country. However, she could understand the general meaning.
"Shangguan Zhongtang's power should not be underestimated. The strength of your Assassination Hall might not be enough."
Su Yang walked to the window and looked outside.
"Shangguan Qianji's power added would still not be enough... To completely annihilate Shangguan Zhongtang, more power is needed."
Once Kyoto learned about Shangguan Zhongtang's affairs, they would surely issue an order to apprehend him. If Su Yang helped Kyoto...
Su Yang curved his lips into a smile and looked at Sakata Sōgetsu.
"Do you know of any other assassination organizations in Sang Country?"