The Man in Black

The black shadow flipped over the wall and dropped down. By the firelight, Jiang Shuo saw the figure clad in night-walking clothes, moving furtively, and gave chase without a second word.

Beyond the courtyard wall lay a maze of winding alleys, and the man in black was already nowhere to be seen. Behind him, Dream Red Pavilion was in chaos. Jiang Shuo held his breath, focusing, and amid the dense jumble of noise, he finally caught the faint sound of feet rapidly scraping across roof tiles not far away.

"Found you." Jiang Shuo had no skill in lightness martial arts. Glancing around, he spotted a pile of firewood stacked against a wall by a house and immediately climbed onto the roof.

The area was filled with low-lying houses. Once up, Jiang Shuo saw a black shadow sprinting across the rooftops. Without hesitation, he chased straight after it.

The man in black moved as lightly as a swallow, incredibly fast. Jiang Shuo could only rely on his agile reflexes to desperately pursue. Even keeping pace without being shaken off was already an extraordinary feat.

Chasing on, the continuous stretch of houses came to an end, with a street ahead. No matter how good the man in black's lightness skill, he couldn't leap across in one bound. It was midnight, the street empty. The man in black jumped down, and Jiang Shuo hurried to catch up, only to glimpse the figure darting into an alley across the way. Afraid of losing him, Jiang Shuo plunged in right after.

The alley was deep and dark, with towering walls on both sides blocking the moonlight, making it pitch black. After a few steps without sight of the man in black, Jiang Shuo stopped, a flicker of unease rising in his heart. The thought had barely formed when a cold gleam cut through the darkness, thrusting straight at his chest.

The dagger came fast and vicious. Jiang Shuo raised his right arm to block in haste. Slap. The blade sliced through the wooden board strapped to his wrist, snapping it in two. Jiang Shuo narrowly escaped death, but broke out in a cold sweat.

Unfazed by the missed strike, the man in black pressed forward instead, the dagger dancing like a white-scaled dragon, lunging to bite at Jiang Shuo.

"So formidable!" Jiang Shuo was startled.

The man in black's earlier flight had given a false impression of weakness. Only now did Jiang Shuo realize—the other wasn't afraid of him, but worried about being spotted by more people in Dream Red Pavilion.

Even if this man wasn't the killer, he was surely deeply connected to them. Having chased this far, how could Jiang Shuo give up? He steeled himself and advanced. With his martial arts, even self-defense was a struggle. He could only hope someone had seen him leave and buy him a little more time.

Jiang Shuo dodged and weaved, circling the man in black's perimeter to engage him. This demanded intense focus and judgment. The man in black, determined to silence Jiang Shuo, grew fiercer with each attack. Jiang Shuo was hard-pressed, barely holding his ground.

After several close calls, Jiang Shuo suddenly noticed something odd about the man in black's movements. Sometimes, the blade was just half an inch from taking his life, yet it fell short. Given the killer intent, it wasn't mercy—more like the weapon didn't suit him.

Jiang Shuo imagined the dagger as a long blade and watched the man in black's moves again. A chill ran down his spine. Some obvious strikes became even more vicious, while earlier seemingly meaningless motions turned into deadly killing techniques. If the man had a long blade in hand, Jiang Shuo figured he'd be dead nine times over.

For the man in black, the longer this dragged on, the worse his position. Growing impatient from the prolonged fight, he finally, after a missed strike and as Jiang Shuo was forced back, turned and fled.

During the chase, Jiang Shuo had noticed the man in black knew the area intimately. If he vanished into these deep alleys, finding him again would be near impossible.

"Stop right there!" Jiang Shuo shouted in panic, stomping hard and lunging forward, reaching for the man in black's back.

Suddenly, the man in black spun around and struck with the dagger in one fluid motion. The next second, cold light flashed, the blade nearly grazing Jiang Shuo's skin.

Feigning escape—it was a feint.

"...!" Jiang Shuo's face went pale. In that instant, even his breath stopped.

On pure instinct, Jiang Shuo yanked his hand back. The blade clung like a maggot to bone, pressing forward again, this time aimed at Jiang Shuo's throat.

From the moment Jiang Shuo decided to give chase, he had already stepped into the enemy's carefully laid trap.

The dragging blade swung back, killing intent descended. The despair of death enveloped Jiang Shuo's heart. Retreat was impossible—he was on a dead-end road.

At the critical moment, a colorful ribbon descended from the sky, wrapping around the dagger. Though sharp, the blade couldn't cut through the cloth's restraint, and its forward momentum was halted.

Suddenly realizing something, the killing intent in the man in black's eyes vanished, replaced by dread. His reaction was decisive—he let go of the dagger and turned to flee.

"Where do you think you're going!" A woman's sharp cry rang out, followed by over a dozen colorful ribbons shooting forth, sealing off the man in black's escape.

The man in black charged left and right but couldn't break through. In desperation, he formed his hand into a blade and tried to force his way out.

At that, the ribbons twisted together into a rope, as sturdy as hemp, lashing at the man in black like a long whip.

Though skilled in martial arts, the man in black had only two fists and two feet. How could he withstand ten "whips" attacking at once? Soon, he was covered in wounds, barely able to defend, with no strength left to strike back.