The night was cool.
On the rooftop of a certain skyscraper, a sallow-faced man stood in the wind, a hint of confusion on his face as he stared at a pool of blood on the ground.
I canât believe even Cauliflower Snake failed.
The manâs expression turned grim.
It seems this Lin Wudi is quite skilled. Still, heâs just a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Theyâre tough to kill, but itâs not like I havenât killed one before.
Just then, a faint laugh echoed through the air, startling the man. "Whoâs there?!"
He clutched his gun, his gaze sweeping cautiously across the rooftop. But in his heart, shock was blooming.
Who could approach me without being detected? Even now, I canât pinpoint their location. If they were an enemy, Iâd already be a corpse.
At this thought, a cold sweat broke out across his entire body.
"You people from Poison Snake are this weak, and you still dare to take this contract?" the light laughter continued. "If this is all youâve got, youâd better crawl back to your hole and stop embarrassing yourselves!"
"I presume youâre also here to kill Lin Wudi. Why donât we join forces?" the sallow-faced man proposed.
"Join forces?" The voice dripped with even more disdain. "Sorry, but you arenât qualified."
"Lin Wudiâs life is mine, claimed by Bone Corroder!"
Hearing this, the man was stunned. "Youâre Bone Corroder, the King of Assassins?!"
His voice was laced with terror. In the Assassin World, Bone Corroder was a legend. A single Bone Corroder could annihilate their entire Poison Snake organization, at least when it came to assassinations. This alone showed how terrifyingly powerful he was.
And heâs just one member of the Blood Skeleton Organization. Theyâve come to Huaxia for this bounty, too?
A look of conflict washed over the sallow-faced manâs face.
"Bone Corroder, even if you are the King of Assassins, this Lin Wudi is no ordinary man. A Huaxia Grandmaster isnât so easy to kill," the sallow-faced man said grimly. He couldnât allow the other party to take the prize for themselves. As he spoke, he was still trying to pinpoint the speakerâs location, but to no avail.
"Thatâs not your concern," Bone Corroderâs voice continued. "Of course, if you still want to âjoin forces,â you can take care of Lin Wudiâs family for me."
"The rules of the Assassin World are to only kill the target. Do you think I would agree to that?"
The manâs expression soured, but Bone Corroderâs voice had already fallen silent. The man hesitated, then finally gritted his teeth.
Bone Corroder is right. Lin Wudi will be hard to kill. Letâs start with his family.
With that thought, he swiftly departed.
About ten minutes later, the man returned, this time moving with extreme stealth, but the rooftop was still completely undisturbed. He left in disappointment. After returning two more times, he finally gave up on finding Bone Corroder.
Long after the man left for the third time, a figure slowly emerged from a dark corner. A mocking smile touched his lips before his form flickered, vanishing from the rooftop as swiftly as a nightingale.
ăRiver City. Qin Zhu Courtyard.ă
On the second floor of the villa, a light still shone from the study, where a woman was busy at her desk. Downstairs, the sound of a television could be heard. Everything seemed normal.
SWOOSH!
The next moment, a figure quietly slipped into the villa and rapidly scaled the wall toward the second-floor window.
The window was gently pushed open a crack, revealing the woman inside, still deeply engrossed in her work and completely unaware. A bamboo tube was inserted through the opening, and a thick smoke sprayed out. A few minutes later, the woman slowly slumped onto the desk, unconscious.
The window slid open, and a figure leaped into the study, approaching the woman. His steps were as light as a leopard catâs, but his eyes glinted like a venomous snakeâs.
As long as I control this woman, Lin Wudi is as good as dead, no matter how skilled he is!
A flash of excitement appeared in his eyes as he rushed toward the woman.
BANG!
He had only taken two steps before he seemed to hit an invisible wall, staggering back.
"Not good!" he hissed, turning to flee.
However, a young man had appeared by the window at some point, watching him with a mocking smirk. It was Lin Mu.
"Iâve been waiting for you," Lin Mu said, his expression filled with ridicule.
"Run!" The only thought in the sallow manâs mind was to escape. He instantly drew a snake-shaped dagger from his sleeve and lunged at Lin Mu.
Lin Mu reached out. His jade-white palm moved like an illusion, appearing from nowhere to catch the manâs dagger.
CRACK!
To the sallow-faced manâs utter disbelief, his specially crafted dagger was forcefully snapped in two.
How is this possible?
The man was scared out of his wits. His dagger, forged from a special alloy, was exceptionally hard and sharpâcapable of slicing through steel with ease. Yet, it had just been broken by a bare hand. He wouldnât have believed it if he hadnât seen it himself.
This man is too terrifying!
Without a momentâs hesitation, he tried to escape in another direction.
But Lin Muâs hand was already grabbing for his shoulder with lightning speed. The man didnât panic; his body contorted like a snake, twisting unnaturally to narrowly evade Lin Muâs grasp. He then bent low and shot backward even faster.
I need to subdue that woman first!
"Oh?" Lin Mu was slightly surprised, then smiled. "Interesting."
With a pulse of spiritual energy from his palm, the man instantly froze, unable to move.
"Attack together now!" the immobilized man yelled.
BANG! BANG!
Glass shattered as two figures shot toward Lin Mu like vipers striking from hiding. Both were masked, but their presence was eerie, radiating a bone-deep cold.
"Qing Zhu and Red Python... so even Poison Snakeâs two ace assassins are here," Lin Mu suddenly laughed. "I didnât expect you to still be alive after all these years."
"How do you know our names?" one of the assassins, a woman, asked in horror.
"Why wouldnât I know you?" Lin Mu smiled, his expression full of disdain. "Your leader, the Snake King, was merely someone I defeated in the past."
"Kill him!" Qing Zhu and Red Python exchanged a look and immediately attacked.
However, Lin Mu simply shook his head and flicked his finger. Two streams of Internal Energy shot out, instantly sealing Qing Zhuâs and Red Pythonâs Dantians and all the major acupoints in their bodies.
Without their Inner Strength, they were no more than ordinary people.
After subduing the pair, Lin Mu turned his attention to the last man. The manâs expression had changed completely, his face now deathly pale. But he twisted like a viper on the spot, his body erupting with a surge of blood energy. He somehow broke free from Lin Muâs Barrier and dashed for the door.
"Do you think you can escape?" Lin Mu chuckled softly. His form flickered and vanished from the spot.