Zhang Hancheng believed he had the strength for this.
Among the many guest retainers of the Duan Prince's Residence, he was the undisputed chief. Over the years, he had handled virtually all the most dangerous missions and most formidable opponents, without ever failing.
Sword cultivation was, by nature, a tradition well suited to producing assassins. Freed from the sect's restrictions, he had learned several unusual Assassination Techniques with True Person Duan's help. Combined with his own Sword-Striking Technique, they complemented each other perfectly.
In True Person Duan's words, had he not been forced to leave Quanzhen, he would at least have become a True Disciple. That might have been somewhat inflated, but it was not far off.
Every generation had its outstanding talents. In their day, he, Zhang Hancheng, had been someone who could stand on equal footing with Li Chuping and Yu Zhengxing.
Hou Niao might indeed be exceptionally formidable, and Zhang Hancheng had been no match for him while in the Heaven-Connecting Realm. But Hou Niao's Flying Sword had been taken from him. Even if he forged another, he could not possibly return to his peak in a short time. That was an objective law of cultivation, one that could not be defied, whereas Zhang Hancheng was in the Golden Core Realm.
A Golden Core Sword Cultivator was not the same thing as a Heaven-Connecting Realm Sword Cultivator.
When Duan Wu Qian was alive, Zhang Hancheng had been his sparring opponent at the Prince's Manor. They had fought countless rounds of Sword Combat, and though the gap between them had not been particularly large, Duan Wu Qian had never defeated him. That, too, was a fact.
Thus, after learning the man's approximate whereabouts, True Person Duan had not sent any shrimp soldiers and crab generals to their deaths.