Sacrificing Life and Forgetting Death!

Screech!

The sound of the blade cutting through flesh was crisp and pleasant, like the sound of a gentle breeze rustling through leaves.

Crow was an assassin, and a master at that. That's why he never missed.

The fruit knife, over a foot long, pierced the flesh and was pushed forward without resistance until the hilt stopped.

He had stabbed through Li Mu Yang's palm with one strike!

"Damn it—" Crow cursed inwardly. "How did I stab that charcoal-skinned kid's palm?"

He thought with annoyance, finding it hard to accept the outcome.

He had already smashed the fruit tray onto that scoundrel's head. According to his estimation, the kid should have been bleeding profusely and collapsed on the ground.

The target of his stab was Cui Xiaoxin's neck. Only she was worthy of Crow, the assassin, personally taking action. The blood of ordinary people would only stain his hands and clothes.

He was a picky assassin!

But how did the fruit knife in his hand end up stabbing into that useless youth's palm? This was not the happiness he wanted.

Blood surged and seeped from where the flesh was torn, flowing along the blade.

It wasn't until the bright red blood fell before his eyes that Li Mu Yang could confirm he had blocked the strike.

He grinned and said proudly, "I blocked it—"

He didn't even feel pain. He was still immersed in the joy of blocking a strike for Cui Xiaoxin and saving her life.

He didn't know how he did it, just as Crow didn't know why his strike had ended up in his palm.

He had lunged forward without hesitation, reaching out to grab the dagger in Crow's hand.

Then, the dagger was in his hand.

Oh, no, it was in his palm.

Li Mu Yang didn't understand the key to the problem, but Crow did.

Just as he had seen before, Li Mu Yang was just an ordinary youth. A useless fellow who would pant and sweat on his forehead with the slightest emotional agitation.

But he was Crow, the King of Birds, a top twenty assassin in the empire. By his own estimation, he should at least be a top ten powerhouse.

He had used 'Cherry Blossom Slash' for that strike. With one thrust, it would spin out a vortex resembling cherry blossom petals, carving a cherry blossom onto the target's body.

At that time, his speed was so fast, and his movements so agile, that the opponent hadn't even felt the pain in their body. Only when fine bloodstains began to ooze from the wounds did that cherry blossom truly complete its formation and appear.

He was confident in his Cherry Blossom Falling technique, and even more confident in his speed.

But how had this useless youth managed to grab the knife?

"I blocked it."

Hearing Li Mu Yang's words, Crow felt even more provoked. This was the greatest humiliation of his assassin career.

"You couldn't block it," Crow said, his voice icy.

As he spoke, he pulled the fruit knife out of Li Mu Yang's palm.

Screech—

The knife came out, bringing with it a large gush of blood.

Only then did Li Mu Yang let out a scream of pain.

A hole had appeared in the center of his palm, a black hole that seemed to be releasing pain, swallowing his entire body into a hell of endless suffering.

Due to the intense pain, Li Mu Yang's body convulsed.

Screech—

Crow struck again, thrusting the knife towards Cui Xiaoxin's neck, still using his favorite and most aesthetically pleasing 'Cherry Blossom Slash'.

Screech—

Li Mu Yang's body lunged forward again, once again grabbing the dagger in Crow's hand.

"Clink—"

Crow's heart skipped a beat. His pupils dilated, and he stared at Li Mu Yang with a face full of terror.

If the first time was luck, a coincidence. What about the second time?

This time, he had deliberately increased his speed, and he was already extremely wary of Li Mu Yang. Yet, he had still countered his Cherry Blossom Falling and grabbed his dagger—albeit foolishly using his own palm to intercept the blade's sharpness.

But this was enough to arouse Crow's suspicion: Could this kid be a hidden master? Or a disciple of a hidden master?

He had heard that Jiangnan City in the empire had stood for millions of years without falling, always maintaining a bustling and prosperous scene. It was a place with hidden dragons and crouching tigers, with deep foundations. Could it be that... he had accidentally encountered one such person?

"Li Mu Yang—" Cui Xiaoxin cried out in alarm. She grabbed the teacup in front of her and hurled it at Crow's face.

Crow flicked his sleeve. The spilled Jade Water seemed to transform into a ball of heat and vanished into thin air. The Jade Water teacup was drawn back by a surge of energy and changed direction, hurtling towards Cui Xiaoxin's body.

From the assassination attempt to this moment, everything had happened in a flash. It was so fast that the surrounding guests didn't even know what had happened.

Crack—

It wasn't until the teacup shattered against the wall that the guests cried out and tried to flee.

"Someone's been murdered! Murder!"

"Call the authorities, hurry and get the constables!"

"Don't kill me, I didn't see anything. I don't know about the purple mole on your lip at all!"

"You're asking for death." Crow was enraged by Cui Xiaoxin's counterattack.

He was insulted by that unremarkable—well, he had to admit, Li Mu Yang was dazzlingly dark. To be intercepted twice by such a useless fellow with Cherry Blossom Slash already felt like a humiliation, and even his sniping target was starting to put up a fierce resistance. This was hard for him to accept.

He was an assassin, and he was also an artist.

He loved his job, and he wanted his victims to feel no pain when he killed them. He wanted them to still be smiling at the moment they stopped breathing—he wanted their faces to remain smiling. He held himself to a very high standard of professionalism, but the bad start to his day had completely ruined the aesthetic in his mind.

He regretted not checking the almanac before leaving for work today; otherwise, he would have chosen a more suitable time. If he had glanced at it, the Imperial Almanac would surely have stated: Killing is forbidden today.

Crow growled in a low voice. The Beast-Faced Pavilion attendant uniform he wore billowed as if in a strong wind. The small dagger in his hand suddenly erupted with a meter-long white aura.

The dagger transformed into a giant sword over a meter long, and then he swung the giant sword at Cui Xiaoxin.

One Qi Cleaves Mount Hua!

He intended to split Cui Xiaoxin in two.

If that useless youth dared to reach out and intercept again, he would split that idiot kid in two as well.

This time, he began to anticipate Li Mu Yang's self-sacrificing move.

Slaying two with one strike would be like cutting off the loose change when taking care of that young lady.

Otherwise, no one would care about the life or death of someone like him.

He wasn't even worthy of dying by his blade.

"You can't kill her," Li Mu Yang roared hoarsely.

His eyes were bloodshot, his pupils once again engulfed by the red mist.

Scaly objects grew on the back of his pierced right hand again, but they were clearer and thicker than when he was at Sunset Lake. At Sunset Lake, they were still transparent, unnoticeable unless observed closely. But this time, they had become semi-transparent, with gray pigments settling within, and tiny clouds and lightning patterns danced and surged across the scales.

Li Mu Yang felt his heart filled with violent rage, as if someone had snatched away his most precious possession.

He wanted to vent, to destroy.

He wanted to obliterate the despicable, insignificant human before him.

Li Mu Yang threw a punch.

His fist shot towards the meter-long white sword aura.

Hoo—

White light flashed, sword energy permeated the air.

The entire Beast-Faced Pavilion was ravaged by the force of this powerful collision. Teacups belonging to guests were blown away, tables had all four legs snapped and collapsed with a crash. Teacups and porcelain from the bar shelves fell to the ground and shattered, and various fresh fruits from the baskets tumbled out onto the floor, bouncing and rolling everywhere.

Bang—

Crow's body slammed heavily against the thick oak counter of the bar. A sweetness rose in his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of crimson blood.

"You goddamn—" He pointed at Li Mu Yang, who was in a state of berserk fury, and cursed loudly, "Were you programmed to catch blades with your bare hands 100% of the time?"