VIP Chapter 100: The Assassin

The rain seemed to grow heavier and heavier, turning even the forest floor into a quagmire. Only in the ancient northern woods, where leaves had accumulated over a thousand years, was the ground still covered with foliage. Here, however, were young trees no more than a decade old, and the earth was nothing but mud.

Ye Xiaoxuan stumbled through the mire alongside Ye Dajun and Hao Liuzhi. The three shared a single flashlight, which was sufficient—though Ye Xiaoxuan hardly needed it.

Hao Liuzhi suddenly grabbed Ye Xiaoxuan’s arm, panting heavily. “Don’t rush ahead. Something feels off… I sense killing intent!”

Ye Dajun, listening intently, noticed the rain’s steady patter overhead, but not a single bird chirped. Eyes wide, he asked, “Killing intent? Where? Up ahead or on the sides?”

Hao Liuzhi didn’t reply. He leaned against a large locust tree, holding his breath as if trying to catch the faintest sound. Ye Xiaoxuan and Ye Dajun stood silently by, not daring to disturb him.

Suddenly, Ye Xiaoxuan felt a chill race through him, as if every hair on his body stood on end. Almost simultaneously with Hao Liuzhi, he shouted, “Watch out! Fall back!”

Above them, a shadow hurtled downwards with terrifying speed—too fast to react in time.

A cold gleam flashed in the attacker’s hand—a dagger—aimed straight for Ye Dajun’s chest!

Though Ye Dajun had been on guard since Ye Xiaoxuan’s warning, the assailant had swung in, feet tied to a tree, moving so swiftly that no martial artist could have reacted faster. Ye Dajun barely managed to duck as the dagger plunged into his shoulder.

In that instant, Ye Dajun realized it wasn’t a dagger but a long sword that had pierced him. Still, he had enough strength to crash into Ye Xiaoxuan behind him.

No wonder the assassin tried to take three lives with one strike. But the sword had only grazed Ye Dajun’s left shoulder—the side he was naturally weaker on due to a lifelong injury—so it wouldn’t cause fatal harm.

The rigorous morning training with the old shepherd hadn’t been wasted. Though his cultivation hadn’t leapt several levels instantly, Ye Dajun’s skills had improved significantly.

At the moment of injury, his body reacted instinctively: he twisted sideways, and with his right fist, he struck the attacker’s face.

Determined to inflict mutual destruction if necessary, he was unwilling to let the two behind him suffer.

But as Ye Dajun moved, Ye Xiaoxuan acted swiftly.

His eyes flared red, and as Ye Dajun was wounded, Ye Xiaoxuan’s right hand reached out with two fingers to pinch the sword’s tip protruding from Ye Dajun’s shoulder.

Images from the ghostly cave’s stone wall flashed through his mind. A surge of heat from his lower abdomen flowed into his fingers. With a crisp snap, the ten-centimeter blade broke between his fingers.

At the same moment, Ye Dajun’s punch landed solidly on the assassin’s face. A dull crack echoed as the rope binding the attacker’s feet snapped. The man was flung several meters back, crashing against a large tree before falling motionless to the ground.

Ye Xiaoxuan steadied Ye Dajun and asked anxiously, “Are you alright?”

Gritting his teeth, Ye Dajun replied loudly, “It’s nothing!”

Hao Liuzhi, who had been so frightened his legs went weak, sat down hard. Now scrambling to his feet, he shone the flashlight on Ye Dajun’s wound and shouted, “Nothing? That’s a hole! We need to get him to a hospital immediately!”

Ye Xiaoxuan nodded. “Right. Liuzhi, take him to the hospital for treatment.”

Ye Dajun shook his head, pulling on Hao Liuzhi’s vest and tearing off a strip of cloth with a sharp rip. Handing it over, he said, “Help me bind it to stop the bleeding. We’re leaving together.”

Hao Liuzhi jumped up and cursed, “Why didn’t you tear your own shirt?”

Ye Dajun’s face grew serious. “Mine’s barely three months old. Yours has been worn since last year.”

Hao Liuzhi was speechless.

Ye Xiaoxuan knew his cousin’s stubbornness well and let it go. His eyes narrowed as he approached the figure lying beneath a tree.

The man was sprawled face down. Ye Xiaoxuan touched his neck—still breathing. He grabbed the man’s shoulder and tried to roll him over. But as he turned him, a flash of cold steel darted before his eyes.

Instinctively, Ye Xiaoxuan shut his eyes. A sharp pain stabbed above his right eye.

His right hand grasped the broken sword in front of him with a fierce shout, clutching it tightly.

The steel blade rang crisply in his grasp. Slowly opening his eyes and enduring the pain, he glared furiously at the assassin dressed in black, whose nose had been flattened by Ye Dajun’s punch. With a roar, Ye Xiaoxuan slammed his right hand onto the man’s chest.

The strike drove the shards of the broken sword deep into the man’s body. The assassin howled in agony, eyes rolling back as he collapsed into unconsciousness.

The entire sequence unfolded in the blink of an eye—from Ye Xiaoxuan crouching to the assassin’s collapse.

Yet Ye Dajun and Hao Liuzhi witnessed the assassin’s feigned death and the moment he targeted Ye Xiaoxuan’s eye. They hurried over, steadying him. “Are you hurt?”

The flashlight shone on Ye Xiaoxuan’s right eye, which was only slightly reddened—no serious injury. The three breathed a sigh of relief.

Ye Xiaoxuan, still shaken, said, “Thankfully, he was only a Martial Guard. If he’d been a Martial King, I’d be blind.”

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out from the forest ahead. Their faces darkened. Ye Xiaoxuan turned to Ye Dajun and Hao Liuzhi. “It’s just ahead. You two stay here. Tie this man up and find a place to hide. Wait for me.”

Ye Dajun grabbed Ye Xiaoxuan’s arm. “No. I’m coming with you. You’d be walking to your death alone.”

Ye Xiaoxuan laughed wryly. “Which one of us is headed for death, you or me?” Hao Liuzhi scolded Ye Dajun harshly, “You really are thick-headed! Don’t you see it yet? Xiaoxuan has Iron Shirt Technique!”

Ye Dajun wasn’t foolish. He’d seen the changes in Ye Xiaoxuan these days and, after the recent assassination attempt, recognized his cousin was no ordinary person.

Though still uneasy, he knew following him now wouldn’t help. Reluctantly, he said, “Be careful.”

Ye Xiaoxuan nodded and dashed toward the source of the gunshot. Judging by the sound, it was less than a hundred meters away. After running a few minutes, he stopped—but all was silent.

Standing still for a moment, about to search the area, a chill ran over him again. Someone was behind him!