The 17th Chapter

The masked man in black chuckled, "People die for wealth, birds die for food!"

Chang'an's iron staff was already raised.

The masked man in black suddenly said, "Don't be in a hurry to attack, listen to me first. I can't die. If I die, someone named Little Brother won't be able to live either. If you listen to me, someone will give me eight hundred taels of silver. You listen to me deliver the message first, and then I'll kill you. That way, I can get fifty thousand eight hundred taels of silver."

Chang'an sneered, "What if you can't kill me?" He found this killer quite interesting.

The masked man in black said, "Then I won't leave empty-handed, at least I'll still get eight hundred taels."

Chang'an said, "Go ahead!"

The masked man in black said, "Before Yin hour tonight, you must rush to Qingfeng Ferry outside Mohe City, or else you'll be waiting to collect Little Brother's corpse!"

Chang'an asked, "Who sent you?"

The masked man in black chuckled, "Money!"

As his voice fell, he moved. The black saber in his hand danced, unleashing saber energy that slashed horizontally and vertically towards Chang'an. Although the man's saber technique seemed chaotic, it actually sealed off Chang'an's left, right, and front, aiming to completely suppress Chang'an from the start, leaving him no chance to retaliate. His fighting style was truly overbearing.

Chang'an excelled at using a sword, and at fighting desperately with a sword. He was also a fierce fighter. When clashing with others, his first thought was never to retreat.

So, Chang'an flicked his iron staff and thrust it forward with a hum.

Clang!

The masked man in black's saber energy instantly vanished. Chang'an and the masked man in black both retreated three steps.

A faint light flickered in the masked man's eyes, and he couldn't help but praise, "Sharp eyes!"

When Chang'an thrust his staff, he had exposed the flaw in the man's saber technique, directly targeting a vital point.

Chang'an said solemnly, "You're from the Wild Wolf Society!"

The masked man in black snorted, "You dare to say you like killers, your trouble is immense. Killers cannot be liked!"

The Wild Wolf Society was an assassin organization.

Chang'an said, "But killers can be killed."

The iron staff in his hand thrust out like a dragon, like a python emerging from its hole, like a fierce dragon leaving the sea, filling the air with the sound of vibrating iron.

If the Dragon Head Sword were in his hand, one could hear bursts of dragon roars, shaking the very soul.

Chang'an used his staff as a sword, unleashing his full power. He immediately gained the upper hand, and the assassin was instantly in peril, unable to fight back, only able to defend himself from side to side.

Ever since his battle with Lu Jing, and after several twists and turns, Chang'an was finally able to fight freely in this battle, displaying his swordsmanship and venting all the grievances in his heart.

Killers, when taking lives, must always be prepared to be killed themselves.

Killers are not necessarily all deserving of death, but killing them is not wrong. Because those who make a living by killing are ultimately wicked. Humans created civilization and are no longer beasts. There are butchers who kill beasts, but there can never be demons who kill people. Therefore, killers always lurk in the shadows, and everyone has the right to slay them.

Killing for money is even more deserving of death.

Therefore, Chang'an had no reservations.

The masked assassin was completely drenched in cold sweat. He felt as if Chang'an had an endless supply of strength. The iron staff in his hand pointed, swept, and thrust with unpredictable and incredibly overbearing movements.

He had already begun to consider retreating.

Chang'an suddenly said, "I'm not supposed to kill you?"

The masked assassin said, "Absolutely not. If I die, Little Brother dies. Little Brother saved you, you can't harm him."

Chang'an said, "I really can't harm him. Little Brother is a true man of loyalty and righteousness."

Clang!

Sparks flew.

The masked assassin's saber flew out violently. His entire palm was almost split open from the tiger's mouth. Large drops of cold sweat streamed down the assassin's face. He gritted his teeth and groaned, but did not cry out in pain.

Chang'an nodded, "Tough bone!" He pointed his iron staff repeatedly. The assassin could no longer bear the pain, falling to the ground, rolling and screaming incessantly.

The night was quiet, but the screams were loud, making one's heart palpitate.

Chang'an smiled, "Sister Ruyan, you should have prepared a swift horse and a rope for me!"

At some unknown time, Liu Ruyan had appeared behind Chang'an. She said softly, "Are you really going? It's very dangerous."

Chang'an said, "I have to go." Even though he knew it was a trap, he had to go. If it weren't for Little Brother that day, it would have been impossible for him to escape with Yu Fu.

Chang'an was not heartless or ungrateful.

Liu Ruyan said, "Wait a moment!"

A moment later, Liu Ruyan returned, gracefully leading an exceptionally tall black horse. A thick hemp rope was draped over its back. The horse had a large frame and bulging muscles, looking exceptionally majestic. Its breaths made a "poof" sound, indicating its long and powerful stamina.

"Chasing Lightning?!"

Chang'an exclaimed in surprise.

The horse Chasing Lightning was Liu Ruyan's personal mount. People in the martial world would see Liu Ruyan herself when they saw this horse.

Liu Ruyan smiled slightly, "The Wild Wolf Society should at least give me some face! With this horse, they might hold back a little. Chang'an, be very careful."

After speaking, Liu Ruyan vanished like the wind.

Chang'an took the rope, tied it around the assassin's feet, and then, holding the other end of the rope, he mounted the horse.

Chasing Lightning let out a neigh and galloped forward as fast as wind and lightning.

The assassin was dragged along the ground, letting out wild screams. Chang'an said impatiently, "Stop screaming. It's only about ten miles. I'll keep an eye on you, I promise you won't die!"

The masked assassin cursed loudly, his back scraping painfully against the stone slabs of the street. After only a few curses, he could no longer speak, and let out heart-wrenching screams.

Chang'an shouted, "It's late at night, everyone is asleep. Why are you yelling? Aren't you letting the neighbors sleep peacefully?!"

The assassin, driven mad by the pain, roared, "I will kill you, I must kill you, I'll flay you alive..."

Chang'an sneered, "It's better not to say such things." As he spoke, Chang'an suddenly yanked the rope in his hand. The assassin flipped over, his chest and face now pressed against the ground.

The assassin immediately suffered immense pain and couldn't even scream.

Chang'an sneered, "Who sent you?"

The assassin no longer dared to act rashly and begged, "Let me turn over first..." Chasing Lightning was running too fast, chasing the wind and lightning, and in an instant, they had already rushed out of the city.

The guard commander on the city wall turned a blind eye to this. At this late hour, they certainly wouldn't want to court disaster.

Chang'an pulled the rope again, and the assassin flipped over. The assassin confessed, "Dao Lang sent me, it was Dao Lang!"

Chang'an said gravely, "Dao Lang? The leader of the Wild Wolf Society? Why does he want to kill me?"

The assassin said, "Money, for money. Fifty thousand taels."

Chang'an sneered, "I don't believe you."

The assassin was flipped over again.

After a while, he told the truth. It turned out that a day earlier, Dao Lang, the leader of the Wild Wolf Society, had suddenly received money, a letter, and a person, and then immediately sent two people to assassinate Chang'an. The identities of the assassins were mysterious, their bodies completely wrapped in black, making it impossible to tell if they were male or female.

The person among the money, letter, and person was Little Brother.

Before the hour of You, Chang'an had already arrived at Qingfeng Ferry. The ferry was deserted. Not far from the ferry, a small courtyard still had lights on, a dim glow.

This small courtyard was originally the residence of the old ferryman, close to the Mo River. At this hour, no one was crossing the river, and the old ferryman should have been asleep. Yet, he stood at the entrance of the small courtyard, holding an orange-red lantern, looking around nervously.

Chang'an rode his horse to the entrance of the small courtyard and stopped in front of the old ferryman.

The old ferryman immediately saw the disheveled assassin on the ground and let out a long sigh, "It must be you. Is he dead?"

Chang'an flicked his wrist, and the assassin, who had already fainted on the ground, flew up like a sack of rags and landed in the courtyard. The assassin, in pain, immediately let out a hysterical scream. Chang'an smiled slightly, "Old man, go have some wine to calm your nerves. It's probably not appropriate for you to stay here any longer."

The old ferryman nodded, letting out a long sigh of relief, "This old man will leave now, leave now."

Just as the old ferryman took a few steps, three cold glints suddenly shot out from the courtyard, heading straight for the old ferryman's back. Chang'an's expression turned cold, and he suddenly leaped from Chasing Lightning. He swept his iron rod, knocking away the three bone-piercing nails in mid-air.

The old man's face turned pale with fright.

Chang'an said, "Old man, you should hurry up and leave!"

Chang'an watched until the old ferryman was far away before entering the courtyard through the open gate.

At first glance, he saw Little Brother.

Little Brother was covered in wounds, blood staining his entire body, and he was on the verge of death.

Standing beside Little Brother was a burly man holding a Ghost Head Saber. Next to the man was a chair, on which sat the masked assassin, still barely breathing, whom Chang'an had brought in.

Figures emerged from all around the courtyard, and the courtyard gate creaked shut.

The Wild Wolf Society was a killer organization that valued money over life. This time, they had mobilized their entire force. They now surrounded Chang'an in the center of the courtyard, their eyes filled with murderous intent, like hungry wolves encountering a fat sheep, revealing their ferocious, ravenous expressions.

Chang'an's gaze swept across the area and stopped at three burly men in yellow. His heart skipped a beat. Each of the three men held a steel crossbow, with arrows loaded and aimed at him.

These steel crossbows were extremely powerful, their arrows capable of piercing fine steel plate armor. They rarely appeared in the hands of martial artists because they were extremely difficult to manufacture, and only one bolt could be fired at a time, making them impractical. Steel crossbows were mainly used by the army for surprise attacks, flanking maneuvers, and gaining the initiative. The Great Gan Dynasty's crossbow corps, with hundreds of steel crossbows firing in waves, was almost invincible.

Even with the protection of true qi membrane, one could not withstand such a steel crossbow.

Chang'an had to be extremely vigilant.

The man holding the Ghost Head Saber had his robes open, revealing thick black hair on his chest. A ferocious wolf head was tattooed on his chest, giving him a wild appearance. This man was Dao Lang, the leader of the Wild Wolf Society.

As soon as Dao Lang saw Chang'an walk into the courtyard, he looked at him coldly and roared, "You actually dared to ignore my warning?"

Chang'an asked in surprise, "Your warning?"

Dao Lang pointed at the masked assassin slumped on the chair, looking like a broken doll, "Why did you injure him like this?"

Chang'an asked, "Is this person important?"

Dao Lang said, "He is my only sworn brother, the second-in-command of the Wild Wolf Society. You actually dared to cripple him completely. You dare to harm my brother, so you won't take this person away. You won't escape today even if you had wings, die here for me."