The Assassin

Little Zhao slept like a pig, but Old Zhao still had enough experience and strength.

He was eager to leave the Royal Capital precisely so he could get away from the heart of the storm.

After Ming Shu woke up, he would occasionally hear Old Zhao teaching Little Zhao.

He said that Ming Shu was the key to them leaving the Royal Capital alive. If the youth died before they reached their destination, they would probably be finished too.

So they had to hurry and get as far from the Royal Capital as possible before something truly went wrong with the youth's body. They had to reach Donghai Prefecture.

His worry had been accurate. Danger had quietly appeared.

Actually, the assassins did not want to make a move either. They had been waiting, waiting for the youth who had taken the Immortal Pill to develop problems first. Just like the other two, he would die on his own, and everyone would be spared the trouble.

Unfortunately, events did not develop according to their wishes.

Ever since Old Zhao had left the Cold Palace and traveled far from the Royal Capital, he had been doing everything he could to keep the youth alive.

The bigwigs behind the scenes had to worry about the Emperor. They did not want this youth to survive.

The assassins had no choice but to strike and silence him as quickly as possible when they were about to leave the Imperial Capital Region.

Because if this youth happened to survive, he would always remain a thorn in the Emperor's side.

Dead people were the least troublesome.

More than a dozen assassins surrounded the copse of trees, the carriage, and the campfire.

The moment Ming Shu gently tugged at his clothes, Old Zhao woke up. He was not surprised that Ming Shu had already awakened; instead, he sensed the movements around them with a solemn expression.

He secretly circulated his strength, focused his mind, gathered his energy, and prepared to deal with the enemies outside.

Over the past few days, when Old Zhao had examined Ming Shu's body, he had already discovered that the youth was recovering very well.

Ming Shu was still lying down, but he clearly sensed the atmosphere inside the carriage grow tense.

The narrow carriage compartment was crammed with three people, perfectly concealing that change in atmosphere.

Once the assassins approached within a certain distance, they stopped hiding. They were experienced, outnumbered their opponents, and held the initiative.

They struck swiftly and with all their strength. It was far safer than sneaking over.

Even if they caused a great commotion during these final few steps and woke their targets, there was no need to fear.

They would simply cut through the tangle with a swift blade and chop them down.

They were all martial experts of the jianghu, after all.

The weakest among them was a Martial Artist of the second rank, the [Bronze Skin Iron Bones Realm], while the two strongest leaders had already reached the fourth rank, the [Meridian Breaking and Origin Opening Realm].

As the squad leader, Qian Sanqian launched the first attack. Circulating his internal cultivation, he shot forward and thrust his blade into the carriage.

The wooden carriage could not possibly withstand his vicious, full-powered strike. The other assassins received the signal as well and charged in menacingly, attacking from all sides.

Just as Qian Sanqian's blade was about to pierce the carriage, a thunderous boom suddenly erupted. A powerful burst of Internal Power exploded from inside.

Caught off guard, the force carried several splintered planks with it and slammed into Qian Sanqian, battering him from head to toe and forcing him back.

All the assassins wore black cloth masks, tight black clothing, and black headscarves, revealing only their eyes.

Ming Shu secretly moved his hands and feet, making sure he could dodge at the critical moment. He simply did not dare make too large a reaction.

Little Zhao, on the other hand, had also been startled awake when Old Zhao unleashed his power. He immediately drew the two short sticks beside him, rose while circulating his strength, and knocked away a blade flying in from the side.

Whether it had been intentional or a mistake, no one knew, but the blade fell beside Ming Shu and nearly wounded him in the crotch.

Even so, Ming Shu made no movement and continued pretending to sleep.

Little Zhao counted twelve enemies in total. Five were attacking Old Zhao, but the bare-handed Old Zhao was suppressing all five of them.

If those five had not all been armed with sharp blades and swords, Old Zhao would probably have already beaten them flat.

Their leader, Qian Sanqian, was still furious and unconvinced after taking the first blow. He charged forward again, only to receive another palm from Old Zhao.

After sitting on the ground and panting for quite a while, he finally realized that he had kicked an iron plate.

His own strength was at the Meridian Breaking and Origin Opening Realm, yet he had been easily defeated by his opponent. The other man was at least a fifth-rank Martial Artist, an expert of the [Hua Jin Gui Yuan Realm].

At this realm, a Martial Artist could perfectly combine Internal Power with techniques, unleashing attacks with even greater power and control.

As for himself, a fourth-rank Martial Artist, he had merely broken through the restrictions of his meridians and opened up a new Dantian Yuan-energy domain, allowing him to control stronger Internal Power. Although his combat strength had risen significantly, Old Zhao still suppressed him in both accumulation and technique.

With their advantage in numbers, Qian Sanqian did not know whether they could successfully take down Old Zhao.

When Qian Sanqian was injured, two more people joined the battle.

The others were actually only guarding several directions of retreat, preventing the three of them from escaping.

Two assassins came to surround Little Zhao.

Although he fended them off in a fluster, he was not actually in much danger. He simply lacked sufficient practical combat experience.

These assassins, despite having the advantage of numbers and superior strength, each had their own selfish motives. None wanted to risk being wounded or killed.

They kept thinking that they had come to kill a half-dead man. If they ended up suffering a loss as well, that absolutely could not happen to them.

Because none of them was willing to fight to the death, they instead gave Little Zhao an opportunity. Under Old Zhao's painstaking instruction over many years, his strength had already reached the third rank of Martial Artists, the [Meridian Circulation and Qi Condensation Realm].

His two opponents were at similar realms.

However, Little Zhao cultivated the Sunflower Body Refining Art taught by Old Zhao. Its quality was superior, his Internal Strength deeper, and its efficiency higher. Even after fighting for a long time, Little Zhao showed no sign of fatigue.

Old Zhao, meanwhile, had already injured several assassins.

He weaved through the crowd, his movements nimble and his palms sweeping freely, utterly unafraid of their blades and swords.

He looked nothing like the obsequious old eunuch he usually appeared to be, as though they were completely different people.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle rang out from the other side of the woods, and the assassins finally showed a trace of panic.

Qian Sanqian guessed that the distance was not far, and that people from another faction nearby were rushing over.

Compared to failing the mission, what the assassins least wanted was to expose their identities.

However, after taking that palm, Qian Sanqian had also grown cautious and no longer attacked recklessly.

He gritted his teeth and swallowed the blood in his mouth, then ordered several others to deal with the youth who was still lying motionless.

Ming Shu had remained on high alert the entire time.

He had also heard that ear-piercing Whistling Arrow. Then he sensed two nearby assassins deliberately luring Little Zhao, who was in the middle of battle, farther away step by step.

Ming Shu focused all his attention and carefully sensed their auras. Several people suddenly exerted their strength and rushed toward him.

The carriage compartment had already been blasted apart by Old Zhao's first palm.

The old horse had long since run off to who knew where.

The youth still lay on the open cart, his face deathly pale from tension, his eyes remaining tightly shut.

He was the assassins' primary target that night.

A blade came chopping down toward his head.

The ruthless assassins had already sentenced the youth to death. Before bringing the blade down, they were already considering their retreat route.

By the time Little Zhao discovered what was happening, it was too late. He had been entangled by two people again.

Old Zhao, by contrast, remained perfectly calm. He did not even turn his head to look, instead launching a fiercer counterattack. If he failed to deal with these assassins tonight, he would have to guard against them the entire journey afterward, which would be even worse.

His allies were about to arrive.