Le Yu and the others' original plan was to find Dong Heng in the dance hall, use the hall's special environment to get close to him, then have Yin Yinyin land a devastating first strike and pierce through Dong Heng. Le Yu would wait by the entrance to cover their escape. Kill him, then slip away—a true "kill one man within ten paces, leave no trace after a thousand miles."
Yes, it was that simple.
There was no elaborate poisoning, scheming, deception, murder in a sealed room, or assassination plot. Put simply, it was "murdering someone in broad daylight."
They found their target, killed him, and ran. What more was there to say?
In Yin Yinyin's words, "When making a plan, consider as many factors as possible, but keep the steps to a minimum." The more devious the scheme, the more complicated the plan, and the greater the chance of failure. Instead, a plan like "putting an elephant in a refrigerator in three steps" was the kind of killing move that left people defenseless.
Of course, the plan was simple, but Yin Yinyin had considered plenty. He needed to investigate Dong Heng's movements thoroughly. Choosing the dance hall had been the result of much deliberation. The dance hall was crowded and relatively dim, making it convenient for infiltration. Dong Heng would also lower his guard around strangers. Most importantly, the weaker the light, the stronger Yin Yinyin became—when others grew weaker, he naturally grew stronger.
But all of this depended on Dong Heng traveling alone.
Le Yu ran to the entrance and found Yin Yinyin nearby. Yin Yinyin lightly tapped his own lips, signaling him not to speak. The two followed Dong Heng and the others out of the dance hall.
After Dong Heng, Kui Zhao, and the third person left the dance hall, they walked along Mirror Lake Road toward Bright Moon Street. Le Yu was just about to follow when Yin Yinyin grabbed his hand and walked in the opposite direction.
Le Yu asked in surprise, "The plan's canceled?"
"Plan One is canceled." Yin Yinyin still spoke in his delicate voice. "We're carrying out Plan Two now... Walk faster."
The two strode through the streets. As they walked, Yin Yinyin suddenly turned into a narrow alley. When they emerged, Le Yu realized they had also reached Bright Moon Street, its neon lights shining brightly.
Le Yu suddenly understood. "We're getting ahead of them and lying in ambush?"
"Yes," Yin Yinyin said. "There's a stretch of road on Dong Heng's way home from the dance hall where hardly anyone passes. Our chances of succeeding there aren't low."
"Then why didn't we choose to ambush him on the road from the beginning?"
"The success rate of an assassination during the confusion is higher than that of a direct attack. In the dance hall, I can guarantee that my first strike will land completely on Dong Heng. But if we attack him in the street, Dong Heng's mental instincts will make him counterattack automatically." Yin Yinyin sounded somewhat displeased. "Besides, an attack like that is too crude. It doesn't fit my aesthetic."
Le Yu nodded. Although he had only met Dong Heng once, he could already tell that Dong Heng's strength was no worse than his own. Le Yu himself could use Mental Power to evade bullets. Faced with a sudden assassination attempt, Dong Heng would naturally react swiftly.
So your aesthetic is to use a woman's clothing and bearing to deceive people before taking the opportunity to assassinate them? Le Yu silently complained before asking, "Then can't we ambush him at his home?"
"Although his family isn't in Star Engraving Prefecture, he has servants at home. Besides, if the home of a Judicial Department Chief had no traps set up inside, he wouldn't have lived long enough for us to kill him."
"As Ding Yi's trusted subordinate, we aren't the only ones who want Dong Heng dead."
Yin Yinyin suddenly stopped. "We're here."
Le Yu looked around and found that this was a side road branching off Bright Moon Street, some distance from the main road. The streetlamps were bright and the road was smooth, but trees grew thickly on both sides. The nearest buildings stood at the far end of the road. Simply standing there gave him a faint sense of solitude.
"You go wait on the other side. When Dong Heng passes by, find a way to smash these lamps." Yin Yinyin pointed at the streetlights. "Once you draw Dong Heng's attention, I'll seize the opportunity to attack him from behind, then withdraw immediately."
The plan was still very much in Yin Yinyin's style. Put simply, it was "you taunt them, and I'll harvest them."
Le Yu nodded to show that he understood, then asked a crucial question. "What if Kui Zhao appears with Dong Heng?"
Yin Yinyin was silent for several seconds before asking, "Are you afraid of death?"
Le Yu understood Yin Yinyin's unspoken meaning.
Against Dong Heng alone, Le Yu and Yin Yinyin would have more than enough strength between them. But if their opponent became Kui Zhao, that was an entirely different matter.
When Le Yu and Yin Yinyin had first met, Yin Yinyin had asked Le Yu what his odds were in a fight against Kui Zhao. Le Yu had said three to seven, with Kui Zhao holding seven and himself holding three. Looking back now, Le Yu felt he had been far too pessimistic. It should have been ten to zero—with him holding all ten chances of victory.
Once the fight began, Kui Zhao would beat him to death, and then he would possess Kui Zhao. Wouldn't that count as a win?
It had taken several real battles for Le Yu to understand the details of the fight between Kui Zhao and Li Shijie. Those skills he had thought were "nothing special"—such as Li Shijie's Borrowing Heaven to Kill People and Kui Zhao's Light Armor protection—were things he couldn't use at all.
When he tried, he simply couldn't do it.
Using Le Yu's current "Beginner Eight-Grain Flow Bite Combat Arts" as a reference, Li Shijie and Kui Zhao were at least at the intermediate level. The difference of a single realm could be seen from how Le Yu had crushed Gao Jin—if he could beat Gao Jin into tears, Kui Zhao could beat him into tears.
Of course, being one realm higher didn't mean Le Yu would be unable to fight back. If Le Yu and Yin Yinyin attacked Kui Zhao together, even the strongest man couldn't withstand two pairs of fists. If they seized the initiative, they might still be able to defeat Kui Zhao.
But their target this time wasn't Kui Zhao. It was Dong Heng!
Killing Dong Heng was easy difficulty. Killing Kui Zhao was medium difficulty. Killing both Kui Zhao and Dong Heng was hell difficulty!
Kui Zhao and Dong Heng weren't idiots. Faced with an attack, they would surely rely on each other and defend together. The effect of forming a team would absolutely be greater than one plus one. Their coordination might even be better than Le Yu and Yin Yinyin's. Tonight was Le Yu and Yin Yinyin's first sweet double queue, after all, while Kui Zhao and Dong Heng were two old hands!
If Kui Zhao really appeared with Dong Heng, and they still followed the plan, they would truly be risking their lives.
"Afraid," Le Yu said. "So can we go home and sleep?"
Le Yu had no intention of relying on his "Rebirth Through Death" ability to go looking for death everywhere. Besides, his first challenge, "Survive 15 Days," was almost complete. If he wanted to die, he should at least wait until he finished the challenge!
Yin Yinyin, however, didn't seem ready to sleep yet. "If you're afraid of death, then after smashing the streetlights, run north as fast as you can. Run to the small road north of Mirror Lake Road, then avoid the Patrol Guards and circle back home."
He thought for a moment, then suddenly pulled a small knife from beneath his skirt. Holding it by the blade, he extended it to Le Yu, making Le Yu unable to stop his gaze from focusing beneath Yin Yinyin's skirt. Are weapons hidden beneath their skirts popular among you Radiant People?
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