Assassin

The twilight spread like ink soaking into rice paper, and withered branches emitted faint groans in the night wind.

Two or three crows flew past the waning moon, their hoarse cries like a rusty knife scraping against bluestone, startling the crickets in the grass into sudden silence.

Li Chen Zhou was dragged by the men in black, flying all the way to the red maple forest outside the Capital City. Fallen leaves covered the ground, rustling underfoot like countless hushed whispers. His breathing hadn't yet returned to normal when he heard the system's notification in his ear:

"Ding— Task completed: Escape the Eastern Depot's encirclement. Reward: One-time use top-tier hidden weapon—Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles."

"System, how powerful is this hidden weapon?" Li Chen Zhou asked silently in his mind.

"Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles, a secret art of the Tang Clan, fires twenty-seven needles at once, each needle poisoned. Anyone struck will surely die within three steps," the system responded mechanically.

"Are there any restrictions on its use?"

"Its power is too great. It is a one-time consumable item and will disappear immediately after use."

He looked down at his palm, where an exquisite Xuan iron lotus platform quietly appeared. The petals were slightly open, revealing twenty-seven poisoned silver needles, which gleamed with a faint blue light in the moonlight.

Suddenly, every hair on Li Chen Zhou's body stood on end.

"Ding— Detecting killing intent targeted at the host."

There are only two people here right now, so the one who rescued me... is an assassin.

"Ding— New task issued: Escape the assassin's assassination. Reward: A random cultivation technique."

As soon as the system's voice fell, every hair on Li Chen Zhou's body stood on end. The leading man in black slowly turned around, a sharp dagger having appeared in his hand at some point. His eyes were cold and devoid of emotion.

"Young Master Li, I'm sorry."

Li Chen Zhou shouted, "Wait—"

"System, what do I do?" Li Chen Zhou shouted urgently in his mind.

"Dodge—"

"..."

"Analyzing target... Peak sixth-rank martial artist, specializing in Ghost Shadow Steps. Dagger poisoned with 'Seven-Step Soul Severing Powder'. Recommendation: Avoid close-quarters combat."

"Young Master Li, you should get on your way as soon as possible."

Before the words were finished, the dagger had already shot out like a viper's tongue, aimed straight for Li Chen Zhou's throat!

"Clang—!"

The blade slashed across his neck, but was blocked head-on by the Golden Bell Shield, which was covered in Sanskrit characters. Sparks flew as the dagger collided with the golden light, creating a piercing screech.

The assassin's pupils contracted slightly, clearly not expecting Li Chen Zhou to be able to block this fatal blow. His wrist went numb, and he nearly dropped the dagger. He quickly took a half-step back, shaking his numb right hand, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

"Thirteen Guardian Golden Bell Shield? Interesting!"

"System, confirm identity!"

"Neck tattoo matches database. Confirmed to be a mark of the 'Net of Heaven and Earth' organization. Based on muscle memory analysis, this person specializes in assassination and has completed seventeen..."

"Get to the point!" Li Chen Zhou interrupted.

"Weak point is three inches to the left of the ribs, old injury not healed."

Then he asked, "From Prince Jin's Estate?"

The assassin frowned and blurted out, "How did you know my identity?"

Li Chen Zhou sneered, "How could I, the dignified young master of Duke Zhen's Estate, not know how many cards we have up our sleeves? Besides, how confident are you in your own strength that you don't even bother to hide the tattoo on your neck? It's the same tattoo as that assassin in the prison who claimed to be from Prince Jin's Estate."

A low laugh, like an owl's hoot, escaped the assassin's throat. "What a silver-tongued young master. I'll cut open your throat and see how many more clever remarks you can make."

Before the words were finished, the dagger had already transformed into a stream of light, aimed straight for Li Chen Zhou's sternum! The blade trembled, creating a whistling sound like ghosts wailing!

Li Chen Zhou fully activated the Golden Bell Shield, golden light protecting his body, Sanskrit characters swirling. His eyes constantly shifted, trying to capture the assassin's figure.

"System, what do I do..."

"System! Calculate real-time defense plan!"

"Plan A: Take the hit head-on, success rate 43%.

Plan B: Sidestep and counterattack, success rate 67%.

Plan C: Lure the enemy in deep, coordinate with Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles, success rate 89%."

However, the assassin's footwork was extremely bizarre. His figure suddenly blurred, transforming into seven illusory afterimages! The force of his movements stirred up a vortex of fallen leaves, and where the cold light of the dagger passed, the shattered leaves swarmed towards Li Chen Zhou's eyes like a plague of locusts.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The Sanskrit mantras on the Golden Bell Shield flowed wildly.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The Golden Bell Shield dimmed a little with each of the three strikes it endured, sparks flying and leaving scorched marks on the ground.

"Warning! Protective Qi remaining 58%..."

the system warned.

"Shut up! I'm counting his footwork!" Li Chen Zhou gritted his teeth. "He always retreats his right foot before changing his move..."

Li Chen Zhou gritted his teeth, struggling to hold on.

The assassin snorted coldly, his eyes full of disdain. "Hmph, let's see how much longer you can hold out!"

Li Chen Zhou's golden light around his chest grew fainter, like a candle flickering in the wind, teetering on the brink amidst the onslaught of attacks.

The assassin keenly noticed this detail, a sinister curve forming at the corner of his lips: "So, this is your weak spot!"

With that, the offensive abruptly shifted, pouring down on Li Chen Zhou's chest with the intensity of a torrential storm!

"Goodbye, Young Master Li!"

The assassin roared, pouring all his strength into a fatal blow!

"Crack—!"

The Sanskrit glow of the Golden Bell Shield shattered abruptly, turning into specks of light that dissipated in the air!

The dagger plunged straight in, piercing Li Chen Zhou's left shoulder!

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered, and Li Chen Zhou grunted, staggering back a couple of steps.

The assassin succeeded, a cold and triumphant smirk on his face, a smile that seemed to declare victory in this hunt.

However—

"System, now!"

The assassin sensed something was wrong, his expression changing drastically. He wanted to pull out the dagger and stab again, but found that his arm was firmly gripped by Li Chen Zhou, unable to move!

"You—!"

Li Chen Zhou flipped his right hand, and the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles were already against the assassin's chest. The corner of his mouth rose, revealing a confident and somewhat playful smile, as he said coldly:

"Fell for it... This time, let's see where you run!"

The assassin's pupils shrank, and he shouted in horror, "Rainstorm Pear Blossom...!"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Chen Zhou triggered the mechanism!

"Zing—!"

The instant the lotus platform bloomed, twenty-seven silver rays wove into a Net of Death!

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

The sound of silver needles piercing flesh was like rain hitting plantain leaves. The assassin shuddered all over, his terrified expression frozen into a statue.

"Bang!"

The corpse slowly fell to the ground, the blood seeping from each pinhole accompanied by a peacock-blue halo of poison.

Li Chen Zhou also collapsed to the ground. After a moment, he got up and walked to the corpse. He kicked the assassin's body over, tore open the clothes on his back, revealing a spiderweb-like, bizarre tattoo.

"As expected, someone from 'Net of Heaven and Earth'..."

He sneered, took out a hard jade pendant from the assassin's arms, with the words "Net" and "Heaven" engraved on it.

"Heaven-ranked assassin... Prince Jin is willing to spend the capital."

Ding, congratulations to the host for completing the mission: Escape the assassination of Prince Jin's assassin, reward a random cultivation method.

The system's voice sounded in his mind. Li Chen Zhou breathed a sigh of relief, slumped to the ground, and gasped for breath.

"Next... it's time to find Liu Xian."

Liu Xian, the only person he can currently use. Nothing is more reliable than binding through mutual interests.

He clenched the jade pendant in his hand, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

Prince Jin, I've noted this debt.