Killer

003 The Assassin

Little Zhao was sleeping like a log, but Old Zhao had enough experience and strength to stay alert.

He was in a hurry to leave the Royal Capital precisely to get away from the storm's center.

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

He said that Ming Shu was the key to their surviving their escape from the Royal Capital. If the youth died before they reached their destination, they were probably doomed as well.

So they had to travel as fast as possible, to get far away from the Royal Capital and reach Donghai Prefecture before the boy's body truly gave out.

His worries were accurate. Danger crept in quietly.

In truth, those assassins hadn't wanted to make a move either. They had been waiting—waiting for the youth who had taken the Immortal Pill to collapse on his own, just like the other two had. If he died by himself, it would save everyone the trouble.

Unfortunately, events didn't go as they had hoped.

Ever since leaving the Cold Palace and putting distance between themselves and the Royal Capital, Old Zhao had been racking his brains to keep the youth alive by any means necessary.

The big shots pulling the strings behind the scenes had to worry about His Majesty's peace of mind. They didn't want this youth to survive.

The assassins had no choice but to strike quickly and silence him before they left the Imperial Capital Region.

Because if this youth somehow pulled through, he would always be a thorn in His Majesty's side.

Only a dead man was truly trouble-free.

Over a dozen assassins surrounded the small grove, the carriage, and the campfire in a tight circle.

The moment Ming Shu lightly tugged at his clothes, Old Zhao snapped awake. He wasn't surprised that Ming Shu was conscious; instead, his face turned grim as he sensed the movements around them.

He quietly circulated his energy, gathered his focus, and prepared to face the enemies outside.

Over the past few days, while checking Ming Shu's condition, he had already noticed that the youth was recovering remarkably well.

Still lying down, Ming Shu could clearly feel the air inside the carriage growing heavy.

The cramped carriage, crowded with three people, just barely masked that oppressive aura.

Once the assassins closed to a certain distance, they stopped hiding. They were experienced, outnumbered their targets, and held the initiative.

Striking fast and going all out was far safer than sneaking up slowly.

Even if they made a loud commotion in those last few steps and alerted their targets, there was nothing to fear.

They would just cut through the mess with swift blades and be done with it.

After all, they were martial arts experts with real skill.

The weakest among them was at the second stage, the Bronze Skin Iron Bones Realm, while the two strongest leaders had already reached the fourth stage, the Meridian Breaking and Origin Opening Realm.

Qian Sanqian, serving as squad leader, launched the attack first. He channeled his Internal Power, shot forward in a blur, and drove his blade straight into the carriage.

The wooden carriage stood no chance against his vicious, full-powered strike. The other assassins received the signal and swarmed in aggressively from all sides.

Just as Qian Sanqian's blade was about to pierce the carriage, a sudden explosive roar erupted from within, unleashing a surge of formidable Internal Power.

Caught off guard, the blast sent splintered wooden boards flying straight into Qian Sanqian's face, forcing him back.

All the assassins were dressed alike—black cloth masks, tight black suits, black headwraps, with only their eyes exposed.

Ming Shu quietly flexed his limbs, making sure he could dodge at a critical moment, but he dared not make any obvious moves.

As for Little Zhao, the moment Old Zhao unleashed his power, he was jolted awake. He instantly drew the two short rods at his side, channeled his energy, and deflected a blade flying in from the side.

Whether by accident or on purpose, the blade landed right beside Ming Shu, nearly grazing his crotch.

Even so, Ming Shu made no move at all, still pretending to be asleep.

Little Zhao counted—twelve enemies in total. Five were ganging up on Old Zhao, but even unarmed, Old Zhao was suppressing all five of them.

If those five hadn't been wielding sharp weapons like swords and sabers, they would have been beaten to the ground long ago.

Their leader, Qian Sanqian, after taking the first hit, was still fuming with resentment. He charged back furiously, only to eat another palm strike from Old Zhao.

He sat on the ground gasping for a long while before realizing he had bitten off more than he could chew.

With his own strength at the Meridian Breaking and Origin Opening Realm, being so easily defeated meant his opponent was at least a fifth-stage expert of the Hua Jin Gui Yuan Realm.

At that stage, a martial artist could perfectly merge internal energy with technique, unleashing far greater attack power and control.

And he, at the fourth stage, had only broken through his meridian limits and opened up new Dantian energy fields, allowing him to command stronger Internal Power. Though his combat ability had improved significantly, in terms of accumulation and technique, Old Zhao still had the upper hand.

Even with their numerical advantage, he wasn't sure they could take Old Zhao down cleanly.

While Qian Sanqian was injured, two more joined the fight.

The remaining few simply guarded the escape routes in several directions, preventing the three from fleeing.

Two assassins came up to attack Little Zhao.

Even though he was flustered and barely holding his ground, he wasn't in any real danger—he just lacked practical combat experience.

And these assassins, with their numbers and advantage, each harbored selfish thoughts. None of them wanted to risk getting hurt or killed.

They all thought the same thing: they had come to kill a half-dead man. If they ended up taking a loss themselves, that couldn't happen on their watch.

None of them were willing to fight to the death, which actually gave Little Zhao an opening. Under Old Zhao's years of careful tutelage, his strength had already reached the third stage, the Meridian Circulation and Qi Condensation Realm.

Both opponents were at similar cultivation levels.

However, Little Zhao had trained in the Sunflower Body Refining Art passed down by Old Zhao, which was superior in quality, deeper in Internal Strength, and more efficient. After fighting for a long time, Little Zhao showed no signs of fatigue.

Old Zhao, on the other hand, had already wounded several assassins.

He moved through the crowd in a melee, his footwork agile, his palm strikes sweeping freely, unafraid of the blades and swords.

He was nothing like the timid old eunuch of days past—a completely different person.

Suddenly, a sharp whoosh sounded from the other side of the woods, and the assassins finally showed a hint of panic.

Qian Sanqian estimated the distance wasn't too far; other forces from nearby were closing in.

Compared to failing the mission, the assassins dreaded exposing their identities the most.

Still, after taking that palm strike, Qian Sanqian had grown cautious, no longer attacking recklessly.

He gritted his teeth, swallowed the blood in his mouth, and signaled the others to first deal with the youth who still lay motionless.

Ming Shu remained on high alert, tense and vigilant.

He too had heard that piercing Whistling Arrow, and then he sensed two nearby assassins deliberately trying to lure Little Zhao away from the fight.

Ming Shu focused intently, carefully tracking the auras. Several people suddenly burst into motion, charging straight toward him.

The carriage's cabin had long been shattered by Old Zhao's first palm strike.

That old horse had long since bolted to who knows where.

The youth still lay on the open Flatbed Cart, his face pale from tension, his eyes tightly shut.

He was the assassins' primary target tonight.

A blade came slashing down at his head.

The ruthless assassins had already sentenced the youth to death; before that blade fell, they were already planning their escape routes.

By the time Little Zhao noticed this, it was too late—he was pinned down by two men.

Old Zhao, in contrast, remained calm, not even turning his head, and fought back even more fiercely. If he didn't eliminate these assassins tonight, he'd have to guard against them the whole way—and that would be far worse.

His ally was about to arrive.