Sudden Appearance of an Assassin!

Since he didn't manage to buy rice seeds, Xian He had to settle for buying some wild vegetable seeds instead.

There were four edible wild vegetables on the Tianyun Plateau: shepherd's purse, purslane, chicory, and dandelion.

Shepherd's purse, also known as earth vegetable, was incredibly fragrant and had a light flavor, suitable for blanching and stir-frying or using as a filling. Purslane was so tender it practically oozed water, making it perfect for steamed buns or wild vegetable dumplings.

Chicory was slightly bitter and good for clearing heat when eaten raw. Dandelions were not only wild vegetables but also medicinal herbs, used to clear heat and reduce internal fire. They could be stir-fried or steeped in tea.

Compared to the expensive rice seeds, the wild vegetable seeds were much cheaper.

He bought about an ounce of each type of seed, spending less than a hundred Copper Coins in total.

Xian He tucked the paper packets of wild vegetable seeds into his embrace, and left the grain store.

Pushing his cart, he walked home. The further he went, the more remote it became, and the fewer houses there were around him.

Xian He inexplicably felt a sense of desolation and loneliness.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, he stopped.

Leaning against a large tree by the roadside ahead was a one-eyed burly man. The man had a rough face, sideburns that met his beard, and wore his clothes in a slovenly manner. He looked like trouble.

Xian He secretly took out the Mountain River Society Diagram and held it in his arms.

Even though the one-eyed fellow isn't a member of the Blazing Sun Hunting Team, he might be a thug hired by Xiao Yang. I need to be careful!

Xian He pushed his cart and turned into an alley, intending to go around the one-eyed man.

However, just as he reached the middle of the alley, the one-eyed man followed him in.

"Da da da!"

Urgent footsteps sounded from behind him. Xian He spun around and saw the one-eyed man charging at him, gripping a gleaming dagger in a reverse hold.

Xian He dropped his cart and bolted.

"Stop!" the one-eyed man roared.

If Xian He escaped the alley, his assassination attempt would likely be exposed, attracting the Sky Fortune Tribe's patrol.

Therefore, he had to eliminate his target within the alley.

"If you tell me to stop, I'll stop? Wouldn't that make me lose face?" Xian He ran with incredible speed, like an arrow released from a bow, reaching the mouth of the alley in the blink of an eye.

This was no longer a simple beating; the use of a knife clearly meant they wanted his life.

He wasn't an idiot who would stand still and let an assassin stab him.

The damage reduction effect of the Thirteen Grand Protectors Horizontal Training Technique only activated after an enemy attacked him. The first attack would be taken at full force, with damage decreasing from the second attack onwards.

If the assassin had attacked with his bare hands, Xian He might have been able to fight him to the death. But now that the assassin was using a dagger, he definitely wouldn't fight.

Daggers had extremely strong penetration capabilities, far exceeding the protective ability of a Martial Artist's muscles. If it hit a vital spot, a single strike could be fatal.

He still had a wife and children to support; he couldn't die now!

"Hundred Paces Flying Sword!"

Seeing his target about to escape the alley, Du Feng leaped onto his cart and hurled the dagger he held.

He had coated the dagger with a potent poison. As long as it grazed the skin, the brat would surely die.

Hundred Paces Flying Sword was his signature technique. Countless Azure Obsidian level Martial Artists had met their end because of it. As long as the brat was an Azure Obsidian level Martial Artist, he would die if hit.

"Hundred Paces Flying Sword?" Xian He turned back in confusion, just in time to see the one-eyed man leap high on his cart, preparing to throw his dagger.

"Bad! Get down!"

The moment Du Feng predicted Xian He's movement, aimed for his back, and threw the dagger, Xian He decisively threw himself to the ground.

"Whoosh!"

The dagger grazed Xian He's scalp. If he had a pimple on the top of his head, it would have surely broken the skin, and he would have died from the poison.

"Thwack!"

The dagger stuck into the ground.

Xian He touched his cool scalp. Seeing no blood, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked back and saw the one-eyed man chasing after him. He scrambled to his feet and picked up the dagger lying not far ahead.

Seeing Xian He pick up his poisoned dagger, Du Feng quickly braked and threatened, "Give me back my dagger, or I'll kill you!"

He was a Five-star Azure Obsidian Martial Artist, and Xian He was reportedly a Two-star Azure Obsidian Martial Artist. Even if Xian He had his dagger, he was confident he could still kill him, but he would have to be very cautious.

"The dagger is in my hand now. Who kills who isn't decided yet!" Xian He said with a cold laugh as he examined the dagger.

The dagger had a faint blue glow, as if it had been poisoned.

Damn it, they really came for his life.

Since they wanted to kill him, he wouldn't hold back either!

The one-eyed man's muscles were strong and thick, but they lacked luster. He was definitely an Azure Obsidian level Martial Artist too. His strength was at most a hundred pounds more than his own.

Even if he was a Five-star Azure Obsidian expert, the strength difference could be compensated for by the dagger in his hand.

Gripping the poisoned dagger, Xian He sneered, "Hundred Paces Flying Sword? I've got 'Sweep Across All Directions'!"

If the one-eyed man hadn't shouted before attacking, he might have fallen for the trap.