At the western end of Linshan Town, a three-courtyard residence blazed with light.
It had tall walls of gray brick, a vermilion-lacquered gate, and a pair of stone lions squatting out front. In this border town, there were few houses so grand.
It was the private residence of Lin Hai, proprietor of the Hongyun Gambling House.
Lin Hai was thirty-seven that year, plump of build and fair of face. His small eyes were habitually narrowed, gleaming with a merchant's shrewdness.
He was a scion of a collateral branch of the Lin Family of Heishui City. Using the family name and connections, he had opened gambling houses and operated loan businesses in Linshan Town and the surrounding forts. In secret, he was also involved in trafficking people and other illicit dealings. You.
Money came fast in this business, but so did enemies.
Over the years, Lin Hai had kept more than twenty hired thugs, and had barely managed to enter the Blood Changing Realm himself—not to fight, but to strengthen his body and save his own skin.
Winter was drawing near in the northern frontier. The caravans from the great wilderness beyond the passes were returning one after another, and bandits from the depths of Dawang Mountain were beginning to show themselves.
There were more unfamiliar faces in town, most of them ruthless sorts who lived by the blade. Lin Hai often woke with a start at night, always feeling that someone was watching him from outside the window.
So that night, he had invited Lei Jun, the young master of Leiming Martial Hall—the only martial hall in town—to a banquet.
Inside the Warm Pavilion, the charcoal fire crackled.
Lin Hai raised his cup, his face wreathed in smiles. "Young Master, this toast is to you. Your martial hall is renowned far and wide, and Master Lei is a banner of our Linshan Town."
Lei Jun was in his early twenties, dressed in fine silk and a jade belt. The pride of a martial family showed in his brows and eyes. He lifted his cup in a perfunctory toast and smiled. "Shopkeeper Lin, you're too kind. My father often says that a martial hall which establishes itself in one place should safeguard that place's peace."
The words were lofty, but both men knew the truth. This was business.
After several rounds of drinks, Lin Hai got to the point and sighed. "To be frank, Young Master, I've been uneasy lately. A gambling business is bound to make enemies. With winter setting in up north, every sort of ghost and monster is coming out of the woodwork."
Lei Jun set down his cup and grew serious. "What does Shopkeeper Lin have in mind?"
"I'd like the martial hall to send ten skilled hands," Lin Hai said, holding up three fingers. "For three months, they'd guard my residence and keep an eye on the gambling house. As for the payment..."
He clapped his hands.
Two servants entered from outside, carrying in a redwood chest. When they lifted the lid, it revealed heaps of bright silver ingots and six banknotes stacked on top.
They opened another small case. Inside sat a row of blue-and-white porcelain bottles, each labeled with a red tag reading "Blood Replenishing Pill." Beside them, a brocade box held more than a dozen strange herbs with purple-tinged leaves, along with an unusual bone-white flower that gave off a faint fragrance.
A gleam flashed in Lei Jun's eyes. Blood Replenishing Pills nourished qi and blood, and were quite rare.
Tendon Strengthening Grass and Bone Strengthening Flower—these were excellent herbs for nourishing the muscles and bones of Body Forging Realm warriors. Judging by their appearance, they were at least thirty years old.
At the apothecaries in Heishui City, a single plant would cost at least fifty taels, if you could even find one for sale.
"This is the deposit," Lin Hai said in a lowered voice. "Once the job is done, there'll be another generous reward. If the martial hall is willing to work with me long-term, I have some standing in Heishui City. Herbs and pills—anything can be arranged."
Lei Jun smiled, and this time he meant it.
He raised his cup. "Shopkeeper Lin is generous. Ten skilled hands will arrive tomorrow. Three of them are in the Body Forging Realm; they'll be more than enough to keep you safe."
"Good. Let's drink!"
The two cups clinked together.
Outside the Warm Pavilion's window, a shadow lay motionless in the darkness beneath the eaves.
Qin Meng was like a stone statue, his breathing almost completely stilled. His mid-tier Environmental Integration talent gave him more than just a camouflaging disguise. It also let him control his body with exquisite precision, mask his body heat, and merge with his surroundings.
He let his senses unfurl, listening to the conversation inside the pavilion. He recognized Lei Jun, the young master of Leiming Martial Hall, and his gaze swept over the chest of silver and medicinal herbs.
Lei Jun should be at the Blood Changing stage.
Two guards stood beside him, one old and one young. The younger was in the Blood Changing Realm. The older looked to be around forty, stocky as an iron tower, his skin gleaming bronze in the candlelight. He was clearly a warrior who had forged his body and tempered his skin.
Only one guard stood beside Lin Hai, with two more at the entrance.
Six people with fighting strength in all.
In Qin Meng's eyes, the six men gave off different amounts of heat.
The strongest qi and blood in the pavilion belonged to the old guard beside Lei Jun, like a furnace smoldering slowly. The others were like newly lit fires—nothing to worry about.
His Wild Instinct talent spread outward. He felt no warning pang.
He could make his move. Qin Meng made up his mind, then slid down the eaves like a gecko and landed without a sound.
A crack in the Warm Pavilion's rear window let in a little air. The charcoal fire made the room stuffy in winter, and that gave Qin Meng his chance. He slipped inside without a sound and hid, waiting for the right moment.
The banquet was about to break up.
Lin Hai rose and cupped his hands. "Thank you for honoring me with your presence tonight, Young Master. Tomorrow, I'll be waiting for the skilled hands from your martial hall..."
Before he could finish—
"Boom!" The wooden wall suddenly exploded, splinters flying in every direction like arrows!
A shadow, wrapped in a blast of cold wind and flying wood chips, crashed into the Warm Pavilion. The candle flames whipped wildly!
"Bastard! Who's there?" Lin Hai shrieked, most of his drunkenness scared out of him in an instant.
Lei Jun was young and had never faced such a sudden attack. For a moment, he sat there stunned and helpless. The old guard beside him reacted swiftly, yanking him backward and shouting, "Assassin! Protect the young master!"
Qin Meng had a clear target—Lin Hai!
He took one step forward, shattering the floor tiles beneath his feet. The saber in his hand cut a cold arc through the candlelight, aiming straight for Lin Hai's throat!
Lin Hai's Blood Changing Realm was mostly for show. He could only stare as the blade came for him. One strike, and his head would fly. A single blow, a clean kill.
But the guard beside him was faster. He lunged forward, putting his own body between Lin Hai and the blade.
"Shhk—" The blade sank into flesh, slicing through half his neck. Blood gushed like a spring!
Qin Meng was furious. He kicked the guard hard, sending him screaming into the air. The man smashed into the table and chairs, then hit the floor. He twitched a few times and fell silent.
[Life Source +6.3%]
Qin Meng felt that familiar warmth of energy drift into his body once more.
Lin Hai scrambled away on all fours, shrieking, "Young Master, save me—"
Only then did Lei Jun snap back to his senses. His fury burst forth.
To attempt an assassination in front of him, targeting the employer they had just agreed to protect—that was a slap in the face to Leiming Martial Hall!
"Who are you? How dare you commit murder here?"
Lei Jun drew his sword and rose to his feet. Its tip trembled slightly—whether from anger or fear, it was hard to tell.
Qin Meng turned his head. The scar twisting across his sallow face curled into a grim smile. "A man collecting a debt."
He took another step, and his blade flashed again!
Lin Hai was terrified out of his wits. He crawled toward Lei Jun, scrabbling with hands and feet. "Young Master, I'll reward you handsomely! Save me—"
The blade was about to reach his neck!
Lin Hai was terrified out of his wits. He crawled toward Lei Jun, scrabbling with hands and feet. "Young Master! I'll reward you handsomely! Save me—"
The blade was about to reach his back!
"Impudent!"
A furious shout boomed like thunder. The old guard finally moved!
His name was Zhao Tie, one of the ten Body Forging Realm martial masters of Leiming Martial Hall. He stepped forward, swinging his heavy-backed saber in a wide sweep, a layer of blood-red light wrapped around its blade.
"Clang—!"
The blades collided, sparks spraying everywhere!
Qin Meng felt a surging force travel up his saber, numbing his hand. He was actually forced back half a step!
"Body Forging Realm?" His gaze sharpened.
Zhao Tie was even more shocked. He had put sixty percent of his qi and blood behind that strike. An ordinary Blood Changing Realm warrior should have had his weapon knocked from his hands and been sent spitting blood! Yet this assassin's qi-and-blood fluctuations weren't strong, and he had only been driven back half a step?
"Take another!" Zhao Tie growled. He swung his saber in a wide circle, urging his qi and blood onward. The blood-red glow along the blade brightened, and the air whistled faintly around it.
Qin Meng didn't retreat. He charged forward!
He drove off the ground, shattering the floor tiles with a crack, and met the long saber head-on without dodging.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Three strikes rang out in succession, each more deafening than the last!
The saber wind pressed the candle flames in the Warm Pavilion almost to extinction. Tables and chairs splintered, and bowls and plates went flying.
The longer they fought, the more shocked Zhao Tie became. The assassin's strength was outrageous. Every strike landed like a mountain, numbing both his arms.
More frightening still, the man's saber technique had no discernible form, yet every strike was vicious and deadly. He fought as if his life depended on it!
"Shhk—"
As their blades crossed on the fourth strike, Qin Meng suddenly changed his move. His blade flicked up at an eerie angle, opening a bloody gash in Zhao Tie's left arm.
"Senior Brother Zhao!" Lei Jun cried out.
Zhao Tie grunted and staggered back. He looked down. The wound wasn't deep, but the strange force behind the other man's blade had left the qi and blood in his entire arm sluggish. Even more horrifying, his heavy-backed saber had chipped in several places.
"Young Master, be careful! This man is strange!" Zhao Tie barked.
In that brief instant, Qin Meng had already pounced toward Lin Hai like a leopard.
Lin Hai had just crawled to the door of the Warm Pavilion and was reaching out to push it open and escape—
A flash of the blade!
"Ugh..." Lin Hai's neck was cut almost through. Blood gushed from his throat. Eyes wide, he clutched at his neck as his body went limp and crumpled to the ground.
"Wh... why..." Blood bubbled from Lin Hai's mouth as he stared at Qin Meng's fearsome face. In the grip of unbearable resentment and confusion, he breathed his last.
[Life Source +4.5%]
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