“Not good!”
Shen Hai’s heart fell into the cold abyss. After neutralizing the female assassin’s attack, Wang Chong didn’t come to group up with them. Instead, he escaped swiftly into the depths of the forest.
Even the group of them weren’t a match for the female assassin. Wasn’t facing her alone no different from suicide?
“The young master is in danger! Stop her! ——”
Upon seeing that Wang Chong was in danger, everyone disregarded their lives and charged straight at the Eastern Islands female assassin. However, they weren’t speed-based martial artists and their cultivation was inferior to her as well, so how could they possibly catch up with the other party?
“Hmph!”
Sneering coldly, the Eastern Islands female assassin didn’t pay them any heed. It would take a miracle for these guards could catch up to her.
In her eyes, only one person mattered—Wang Chong.
However, to her dismay, the swordsmanship the lad had learned was extremely peculiar, and it granted him bizarre and unreadable movements. The concept behind it was completely different from any other techniques she knew. He was able to change his directions freely, and to her astonishment, it wasn’t inferior to the Spectre Steps at all.
Despite her capability and the advantageous terrain, she found herself being unable to catch up with the other party at the moment!
“Let’s see where you can escape to!”
The Eastern Islands female assassin gritted her teeth furiously. That ridiculously strong gray-robed middle-aged man had been lured away by her, so she was safe at the moment. However, it wouldn’t be long before he returns, and before that happens, she had to take down this young lad. Once she did so, the other party wouldn’t be able to make a move on her.
Peng!
The right leg of the Eastern Islands female assassin pushed against the bucket-thick tree trunk in an attempt spring straight toward Wang Chong, as though an arrow on a drawn bowstring, when a dull thud suddenly sounded. Before many people’s astonished eyes, the Eastern Islands female assassin fell uncontrollably from the tree and smashed heavily onto the floor.
Sss!
At the same time, a black slithering bizarre snake with a triangle-like head which was previously camouflaged with the tree trunk fell from the tree, and it swiftly darted straight for the depths of the forest and disappeared.
“Be careful, it’s a Dark Mamba!”
From the back, a farmer shouted in alarm as he pointed at the escaping snake. Fear clearly shone through his face. The other guards of the Wang Family Residence might be unaware of its identity, but he happened to be familiar with it.
This snake possessed incredibly lethal poison, and as long as it draws blood, it won’t be long before the other party breathes his last.
“It’s a poisonous snake! It’s a poisonous snake!”
Shen Hai and Meng Long immediately reacted as well. When they were entering the mountains, the young master had told them that there were a lot of poisonous snakes here, and they had to be careful.
To think that the poisonous snakes would end up doing them a huge favor, biting that female assassin instead of them. This female assassin possessed incredible skills, and utilizing her supreme speed-based secret arts, she was able to maneuver around the forest freely, ‘flying’ here and there. No one could have thought that she would actually lose to a mere poisonous snake on her home ground.
“Well done! This is truly retribution!”
Shen Hai and Meng Long were delighted. Drawing their swords, they led the guards over and surrounded the Eastern Islands female assassin tightly. However, they didn’t take make a move on her immediately.
‘A centipede doesn’t topple over even when dead’. Who knew how much strength that female assassin still possessed, and how violent her retaliation would be?
“Don’t worry, she doesn’t have the strength to do anything.”
Wang Chong had been making use of the movements from the Single Character Consecutive Slash to maneuver adeptly around the forest to avoid the Eastern Islands female assassin’s pursuit. At this moment, he did a flip and landed softly from the top of the tree.
Turning his palm downward, he carefully threw some fruit shells in his hand out.
“You intentionally led me into this trap!”
Upon seeing Wang Chong, she immediately understood that this had to be one of Wang Chong’s schemes, and she felt both anxious and infuriated. Back then, at the Wang Family Residence study, Wang Chong made use of a sleeping gas pellet to trick her. This time, using some unknown tricks, he managed to get a venomous snake to assault her.
Having being done in by a person far weaker than her two consecutive times had made the Eastern Islands female assassin so furious that steam was almost puffing out from her apertures.
The core of assassination was being unscrupulous. All could be forgiven as long as one was able to assassinate one’s target. However, the means of this youngster before him seemed to be even more unconventional than hers.
For an assassin to be done in by her own target… If word were to spread out, even if she wasn’t poisoned, she would die of mockery.
“Don’t get angry. If you get agitated, the snake venom will act up even faster!”
Wang Chong chuckled as he slowly walked over. At the same time, he cleared himself of the scent that the fruit could have left on him.
“Bastard!”
Maddened, the Eastern Islands female assassin started cursing furiously with an incomparably awful complexion. The tenacity to fight to the bitter end welled up in her, but she found herself being unable to exert any strength.
——Wang Chong was right. The angrier she got, the faster the poison acted.
At this moment, even her lips had turned black.
The Eastern Islands female assassin couldn’t do anything but grab onto her injured ankle which the venomous snake bit with all her might in an attempt to delay the acting up of the poison.
“Seems like this woman is already at a corner!”
See the female assassin’s face turn black, everyone immediately realized that what Wang Chong had said was true. Shen Hai and Meng Long could finally put their hearts down. The duo walked forward and placed their swords by the female assassin’s neck.
“Hack me, kill me, do whatever you please!”
The Eastern Islands female assassin lifted up her neck and closed her eyes, deciding to give up on resistance. She had already suffered severe internal injuries during the battle with Li Zhuxin, and having been bitten by a lethal snake now, she had already lost all strength to retaliate.
She felt indignant, but at this point, there was nothing she could say or do anymore.
“It’s a pity. I still thought of sparing her life! …”
Suddenly, a deep voice with the hint of a sigh sounded from not too far away. Then, the gray-robed Li Zhuxin walked out from behind a huge camphor tree.
He was still dressed in the ragged gray-robed that Wang Chong saw him in at the Home of the Adventurers. Not a single trace of that five thousand gold taels appeared on him, and it seemed as though it had disappeared into the abyss.
“Li Zhuxin, you’ve already returned!!”
Meng Long suddenly realized this fact, and rage burst forth from him.
“It’s not that I’m already back, but I’ve never left before. I’ve been waiting in the vicinity for her to return all along.”
Li Zhuxin spoke calmly as he slowly walked over.
“Then why didn’t you do anything?!”
Shen Hai was also seething with rage.
“Hehe, don’t worry. Since I’ve always been around the area, she isn’t any danger at all. Besides, hasn’t young master been cultivating hard recently? The threat on one’s life could push one’s potential. Don’t you think that she’s a good training target for him?”
“You!!”
The duo wanted to refute his words, but they were tongue-tied.
Li Zhuxin smiled silently. But when he glanced at Wang Chong, his heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.
In truth, Li Zhuxin had known that the other party was just luring him away. Aware that the female assassin would definitely return to deal with Wang Chong, Li Zhuxin intended to remain hidden and interfere only when the group fell into true danger.
But the results far exceeded his expectations.
Wang Chong managed to settle this powerful and skilled female assassin without his assistance!
“Li Zhuxin, I didn’t know you were the type to give in to women!”
Oblivious to Li Zhuxin’s thoughts, Wang Chong teased him.
“This isn’t giving in to her. It’s just that it’s useless even if you killed her, the person who wishes you dead will just send other men after you. Doesn’t gongzi want to know who the person who sent her is?”
Li Zhuxin asked.
“Haha, there’s no need for it. I already know who’s the one who sent her.”
Wang Chong replied calmly.
That single word of his had attracted the gazes of Li Zhuxin and the deeply poisoned female assassin lying on the ground.
“I see, seems like I’m interfering excessively.”
Li Zhuxin said before backing down silently to the side. He realized that his employer was much more meticulous than he imagined.
Hmph, kill me if you please. There’s no need to waste so much words!”
The Eastern Islands female assassin bellowed furiously in displeasure. However, with this outburst, the poison in her body immediately acted up. Wave after wave of pain struck her body. The vision before her blurred, and before long, she passed out.
After a period of time which seemed as though an instant yet countless eons, the Eastern Islands female assassin finally slowly roused from the darkness.
A vague close yet distant voice sounded.
“Young master, why did you save her? She’s a potential threat!”
“Killing her serves no purpose. She’s just a tool!”
“But that doesn’t change the fact that she poses a huge danger! What if she doesn’t give up and assaults you once more?”
“Hehe, don’t worry! …”
A young voice chuckled, and the other party seemed to have waved his hands slightly to gesture the end of this discussion.
Exhaustion gushed in from all corners of her body as the Eastern Islands female assassin slowly opened her eyes. A ray of light seeped through the slight crack in her eyes, and at first sight, she saw the busy workers constructing infrastructures and cutting down trees.
After which, she noticed Wang Chong, who had his hands behind his back, and Meng Long, who was walking behind him. It seemed like the voice she heard previously belonged to those two.
“You didn’t kill me?”
The Eastern Islands female assassin was dazed a moment before reality struck her. Shock slowly crept onto her face.
Her sudden voice attracted the duo’s attention.
“Hehe, you’re awake.”
Wang Chong smiled as he walked over.
Weng!
The instincts of the Eastern Islands female assassin prompted her to stand up, but she suddenly felt tightness crushing down on her body. She suddenly realized that she was tied firmly to a huge tree.
“Hmph, try assassinating our young master once more and I’ll kill you with my sword!”
Meng Long suddenly walked forward with widened strides and pointed his sword straight at the female assassin’s heart. The lightened atmosphere abruptly turned tense once more.
Silence diffused in all directions, and countless gazes swiftly turned over to watch this commotion.
“Kill me if you wish, do you think that I’ll be scared of you?”
The Eastern Islands female assassin harrumphed coldly as she tilted her head to the side.
“Hmph, do you think I dare not to?”
As he said those words, Meng Long started pushing the sword in. Even though no one had died under the hands of this woman, everyone had suffered injuries of some kind under her assault.
This woman was simply too powerful. If not for her attention being centered on the young master, they would have already been reduced to lifeless corpses on the floor.
“Enough! Let her go!”
Wang Chong’s voice sounded from behind.
Meng Long was reluctant, but he swung his sword and cut all of the ropes binding the Eastern Islands female assassin. At this moment, the Eastern Islands female assassin had yet to calm down from the shock. She subconsciously rubbed her arm when she suddenly realized that the snake venom in her body had been neutralized.
Around her was a huge bunch of medicinal herbs and purple leaves that she couldn’t identify, and there were all kinds of fluids splattered around the place. It seemed like they had gone through a lot of trouble before they managed to neutralize her poison.
However, the Origin Energy in her body had yet to recover from the trauma yet, and she felt weak all over.
“You’re letting me go just like that?”
The Eastern Islands female assassin stared at Wang Chong in disbelief.