Chapter 136: Seeking Vengeance (Part Two)

I collapsed heavily to the ground after being struck by those ultra-fine steel needles, intentionally suppressing all signs of life. In reality, I was completely unharmed; the moment the needles hit me, my light-gathering armor had neutralized their impact with energy, causing them to fall to the floor. I had acted this way solely to lure the snake out of its hole.

Yes, to draw the enemy out. Without doing so, I would have had no chance to retaliate while he remained in the shadows. Only by making him believe I had lost my ability to resist would he emerge. For a mature assassin, mastery of killing techniques is essential, and I banked on his overconfidence in those hidden silver needles to pull off this ruse. The assassin surely believed I was dying from the strike, so he would eventually appear—after all, a professional must ensure the mission is complete before departing.

Sure enough, less than a minute after I sprawled on the ground, I felt a disturbance in the air before me. Lying on my side, I narrowed my eyes and peered forward, spotting a figure in black approaching rapidly.

The man was about six feet tall, agile, and clearly a skilled martial artist. As he sprinted toward me, I noticed he was clutching his abdomen; he must have been wounded by the glass shards I had launched earlier.

"Plop." A soft sound of landing echoed less than a meter away. His black-clad form was now right before me. I held my breath, preparing at the critical moment to plunge the glass shard hidden in my hand into his chest.

After circling my prone body a few times and confirming I was completely unconscious, the man actually pulled out a phone to make a call.

"Hello? Junior Brother De, the target has been eliminated. You can rest easy now. This guy was actually quite formidable; he managed to dodge several of my attempts and even wounded me. Impressive. No, nothing serious, just a minor wound to my abdomen. Don't worry." The man stepped into the shadows of the street, watching me while speaking into the phone.

Junior Brother De? Hearing this, I suddenly understood. Damn it, this wasn't an assassin sent by Song Jie; this guy was the senior martial brother of the Axe Gang boss, De Guangqing! I had wondered where Song Jie found such a high-level martial artist; it turned out to be De Guangqing seeking revenge. It made sense—I had beaten him so badly last time that he couldn't possibly let it go, especially since I had also had Old Huang arrest his lackey, Yellow Hair. With his temperament as a gang leader, he couldn't swallow such fresh and old grudges. Since it was De Guangqing’s man, things were much simpler. It seemed I had misunderstood Song Jie. But I couldn't be blamed for my suspicion; after the threats he made in the capital, I had to stay on guard.

After a few more brief words, he hung up and walked over to me. He kicked my waist to verify I was unresponsive, nodded with satisfaction, and prepared to leap away.

Just as his body took flight, I seized the opportunity and flipped up! The Purple Sun Internal Energy surged wildly within me. The glass shard in my hand traced a beautiful arc through the air, aimed straight at De Guangqing’s senior brother!

"Huh?" He let out a clear sound of surprise. His black-clad body twisted rapidly in mid-air, and the glass shard flew past, grazing his clothes. A pity—it missed by a hair.

I was genuinely impressed by the man; he had never let his guard down. Most assassins assume the danger is over once the mission is done, but he had maintained high vigilance even after "killing" me. Truly a first-rate assassin.

"You’re strong. To dodge such a meticulously planned attack, you really are top-tier," I said, staring coldly at the stunned man. "I must say, you're an experienced killer. For that alone, it’s a shame to kill you."

"You... you’re fine? How is that possible? I clearly saw..." The man’s face was filled with shock, as if he had seen a ghost. I figured I was likely the first person to ever survive his needles. Heh, thank goodness for my light-gathering armor. He quickly recovered, however, staring at me with cold, guarded eyes. "You are indeed a master. My junior brother’s defeat at your hands was not a disgrace. I am Yang Yu of the Lion Sect. May I ask your school?"

"I have no school. But I’d like to ask you, Brother Yang, since you are from the Lion Sect, why do you rely on such cowardly hidden weapons? Does the Lion Sect only produce people who sneak attack?" I taunted him without mercy. A sect associated with De Guangqing couldn't be anything decent.

Yang Yu seemed enraged, snapping, "How dare you insult my sect! Do you wish to have your entire family wiped out?"

"Heh? Wiped out? I think you’re the one near the gates of hell!" I erupted with intense killing intent. "That bastard De Guangqing didn't learn his lesson and sent his senior brother to retaliate? Very well. Since he doesn't want his senior brother to live, I won't hold back!"

"Don't underestimate the Lion Sect, boy! Do you know who my master is? He could crush you with ease!" He replied coldly. "Today, for insulting my sect, I will fight you to the death!"

"Please!" I was done talking and gestured for him to attack. In my eyes, his hidden weapons were decent, but as for close-quarters combat? Sorry, but with the martial arts knowledge in my head, I could be his ancestor. "Show me what you’ve got!"

"Yah!" Provoked, Yang Yu lunged at me, his fists transformed into claws—the signature Lion Pounce of the Lion Sect. His fierce strikes thundered toward me, but I just shook my head calmly. "Again? Your junior brother has used this move on me countless times!"

I parried his punches and countered his kicks with a sweep. Though Yang Yu had a deeper foundation than De Guangqing, against an internal energy master like me, these punches were nothing.

"Thud..." My right leg swept out with a speed invisible to the naked eye. He was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground with a dull thud. He didn't scream, but a spray of blood erupted from his mouth.

"Give me something fresh. That move doesn't work anymore," I said with a sneer, beckoning him again. "You’d better not underestimate me, or your end will be far worse than De Guangqing’s."

"Bastard! I’ll kill you!!" Enraged by my mockery, Yang Yu scrambled up, his hands forming claws again. It was a refined version of the Lion Fist! My hands danced in the air, creating a series of illusions before me.

"The Lost Track Fist? You’re a disciple of the Huo family!!" As Yang Yu saw the illusory fist technique countering his own, his eyes widened in terror. My movements were too fast for his eyes to follow; every move he made was blocked before he could even execute it. It was as if I knew exactly what he was thinking.

In truth, he was half-right; I was using the Lost Track Fist once used by Huo Yuanjia, but I wasn't a disciple. The technique was simply burned into my mind. Not only that, I knew every move of his Lion Fist by heart. That was why, no matter how he changed his tactics, I anticipated them. From the start, he had already lost.

"Bang!" After he exhausted his repertoire, I used the force of "four ounces to move a thousand pounds" to deflect his final attack, closed the distance, and struck his ribs with a palm, followed by a fierce punch. In an instant, his chest buckled under the force. He flew back, vomiting blood, and this time, he couldn't get up. I had shattered his ribs; he would likely never practice martial arts again.

Looking down at the groaning man, I dusted off my hands. "This is the price for trying to assassinate me. I’m not sparing you out of mercy, but because I don't make a habit of killing. If you want revenge, have your master come find me." I had my reasons; defeating a student meant little, but sparring with a sect leader would test my own level of martial arts.

"You... just you wait... Pfft..." Yang Yu spat out another mouthful of blood, staining his black clothes a gruesome dark red.

"I won't have to wait long. Your master will come, because I’m going to settle things with De Guangqing very soon." I turned my back on him and walked into the dark night. I had made up my mind—if De Guangqing wouldn't repent, he would face the consequences.