The Yellow Bird Behind

The air in the prison cell felt as if it had solidified into ice. Two "Shadow Sha" assassins were like venomous snakes eyeing their prey, their killing intent practically dripping from them. The young man leaned against the wall, the sliver of bright purple vitality within him boiling like water about to reach a rolling boil, yet unable to break through the final barrier. He watched helplessly as poisoned daggers and eerie blue short blades closed in, likely calculating which family would be safest to be reborn into in his next life.

[Now!]

From the shadows of the service passage, Xu Qian's eyes were as sharp as a cat that had spotted a plump mouse. What he held in his hand was no divine weapon, but the "masterpiece" he had spent the entire afternoon crafting—a crude slingshot made from a forked branch and a sturdy rubber band salvaged from old trousers. For ammunition, he had carefully selected suitably sized pebbles, "thoughtfully" wrapped in several layers of torn cloth. The cloth had been soaked in a concoction he'd prepared by adding ingredients to aconite grass juice, a "super hypnotic potion" with a truly moving smell and even more moving effects.

He held his breath, his arm steady as a rock, aiming at the leader of the black-clothed men, whose vision had just cleared and was grinning as he moved to plunge the dagger into the young man's neck.

[Target locked... right eye... wind speed negligible... distance... who cares! Fire!]

His finger released!

"Whoosh—!"

The bundle of cloth-wrapped stone, carrying Xu Qian's "earnest hopes," tore through the dead silence, striking at an extremely tricky angle, heading straight for the target!

"Thud!"

A muffled sound, accompanied by the faint splash of some liquid.

Bullseye! A direct hit!

Xu Qian almost couldn't help but shout "Beautiful!" at himself. He watched as the black-clothed leader suddenly clutched his right eye, letting out a scream more hideous than a pig's, the liquid smeared all over his face. He spun around in place like a drunkard before finally crashing to the ground with a "thump," his limbs twitching involuntarily.

[Done! Excellent effect! Looks like my crafting skills haven't faded!] Xu Qian was overjoyed, happier than when he'd broken through to the late Houtian stage. The Qing Nang Handbook was indeed reliable; this aconite grass juice mixed with stinky fern root powder was potent!]

This sudden "divine intervention from the heavens" completely stunned everyone in the room.

The other injured assassin: "???" (Who am I? Where am I? How did boss suddenly start dancing and then collapse?)

The young man: "!!!" (What happened? Did some passing immortal see this injustice and intervene?)

The young man had, after all, weathered storms. His confusion lasted only a moment. The bright purple vitality within him, which had been on the verge of breaking through, was spurred by this unexpected turn of events. Like a spring that had been forcefully kicked, it "boom"ed and erupted completely!

A wave of pale purple energy, carrying an aura of dominance (literally), spread out from him. It had no killing power, but its intimidating effect was top-notch!

The injured assassin, who had been warily watching the passage, wondering which bastard had ambushed his boss, was hit by this energy wave. His mind wavered, and his eyes went blank.

Seizing this zero-point-zero-one-second opportunity, the young man displayed astonishing combat prowess. He hooked his foot, and the eerie blue short blade that had fallen when his boss collapsed was in his hand, his movements as fluid as if rehearsed countless times. Then, without even looking, he flicked his wrist!

"Swoosh!"

As if the short blade had eyes, it directly kissed the forehead of the still-dazed assassin!

The assassin, with the philosophical question of "How did I die?", fell straight down, dead.

In the blink of an eye, the situation had reversed!

The young man leaned against the wall, panting heavily, feeling utterly drained. He first looked at the two killers on the ground (one and a half for now) in disbelief, then his sharp eyes swept like searchlights towards the service passage where Xu Qian was hiding.

Although he hadn't seen anyone, the strong sense of being watched told him—a master (or a cunning schemer) was there!

He frantically speculated: Was it his father's men? Was Third Brother sent to finish the job? Or... was some old monster hidden in this cursed place, just watching the show for kicks?

In the passage, Xu Qian slowly put down his "divine artifact" slingshot, which had earned him merit, disappearing without a trace.

[Perfect! Killing two birds with one stone, no, one stone to take down one guy, and the other was scared silly into fighting himself. This move of mine is at least king-level!]

He thought smugly, extremely satisfied with his "steady" move. He hadn't exposed his strength, achieved his goal, and even tested the effectiveness of his homemade concoction.

As for the young man's probing gaze? Xu Qian paid it no mind at all. What are you looking at? Never seen a good Samaritan before? Don't you know about doing good deeds without leaving a name?

His attention was now completely captivated by the two "trophies" on the ground.

[Professional assassins from 'Shadow Sha'! They must have good stuff on them! Cultivation techniques? Secret manuals? Poison recipes? Maybe even some silver notes!]

His eyes gleamed in the darkness, much like a dragon spotting treasure.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

And this "oriole" of his had not only watched a spectacular play, saved a (potential) future meal ticket, but was now preparing to... loot the bodies!