Chapter 3 – The Number One Assassin in the Martial Arts World (Part One)

The moon rose above the tips of the willow trees. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, casting swaying shadows.

Tonight was beautiful.

The Zhang family mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, blazing with light. The deafening sound of wedding music rang through the entire city.

Guests coming to offer congratulations almost wore down the threshold of the Zhang mansion. Banquet tables filled the main hall, the courtyards, and the entire back garden. Hundreds of servants dressed in red rushed back and forth, greeting guests and serving dishes.

Zhang Dapeng, the master of the Zhang mansion, had been smiling all day long. His mouth never closed.

At sixty-three years old, with wives and concubines already forming a harem, his luck with women remained as good as ever. Tonight, he was about to take another stunningly beautiful woman as his concubine. His heart swelled with pride.

Thinking of his new stunningly beautiful concubine, he felt as if he had been rejuvenated by forty years. His heart itched with desire, and his blood boiled.

Having roamed the martial arts world for decades and encountered countless women, he was still captivated by this bewitching and beautiful woman, even though Ruan Xiang was merely a courtesan and he was already past sixty years old.

Zhang Dapeng was a hugely famous figure in the martial arts world. He was gifted with natural brute strength and highly skilled in martial arts. He was ruthless, greedy, and treacherous, having built his fortune by smuggling illegal goods. He operated freely in both the lawful and underworld circles. Over several decades, he had amassed a vast fortune and dominated the southwestern region.

Such a ruthless character had countless people plotting to take his life. Yet, by great fortune and destiny, he had repeatedly escaped both open and covert attacks. Not only that, but he also had a harem of wives and concubines, many children and grandchildren, and ever-growing wealth. He himself believed he was divinely protected and that nothing was beyond his reach.

Ruan Xiang was a woman he had met three months ago at the Drunken Red Pavilion. She was beautiful, enchanting, and full of allure, with a hint of exotic charm. Every gesture, every glance, every turn of her head was irresistibly seductive and captivating. After one night of ecstasy, he could not forget her.

Thinking of his new concubine’s soft body and sweet voice, he was already impatient.

Finally, the bright red soft sedan chair carrying the bride appeared on the main road in front of the mansion. Guests had long heard that the bride possessed a beauty that could topple kingdoms. People crowded both inside and outside the gates, eager to catch a glimpse of her lovely face.

The sedan chair stopped in front of the mansion. The accompanying maidservant lifted the sedan curtain. The bride, adorned with a phoenix coronet and a red veil over her head, sat gracefully inside. Her delicate, jade-like hands resting on her knees shimmered with a translucent luster against her red wedding gown, stirring the imagination.

Zhang Dapeng hurried to the sedan chair, took the jade hand the bride extended, and escorted her into the mansion.

The bride walked gracefully past the crowd, leaving behind a lingering fragrance.

After the wedding ceremony, the guests drank and feasted merrily. Old Master Zhang socialized for a while, then excused himself and hurried towards the bridal chamber in the rear courtyard.

The bridal chamber was located in a quiet corner of the back courtyard.

Throughout the entire Zhang mansion, a large number of martial arts experts had been secretly deployed. Every move of every person was under surveillance. No matter when, where, or what, Zhang Dapeng never forgot to be on guard to ensure absolute security.

People said he was born with divine protection, unaware of his deep cunning and profound scheming.

Even the bride he was marrying tonight had been thoroughly investigated. Only after confirming she was harmless did he bring her into the family.

Even so, he still wore soft body armor under his clothes and carried his weapons.

Such caution and resourcefulness were the main reasons he had remained unscathed over the years.

The area around the bridal chamber was quiet and secluded. Rows of red lanterns hung along the corridor, illuminating the space in front of the chamber brightly.

Zhang Dapeng entered the bridal chamber, leaving only two maidservants outside on standby.

The bride sat gracefully on the edge of the bed.

He couldn’t wait to pull off her red bridal veil.

The bride slowly raised her head, tilting her beautiful and charming face slightly. Her lips curled up just a little, giving her the look of an enchantress—not quite smiling, not quite serious, half shy, half teasing.

Zhang Dapeng sat down beside his bride with satisfaction. He put his arm around her and began to caress her body roughly.

The bride feigned reluctance while secretly yielding. She rose gracefully and untied her robe, and her flimsy garments could not conceal her full and curvaceous figure. The temptations of spring seemed ready to burst forth.

She smiled and slid her jade hand gently over his body, soothing his desires. Then she walked to the table and poured two cups of wine. Returning to the bedside, she handed one to him, and they drank the cross-cup wedding toast.

After one cup of wine, Old Master Zhang felt as if he were on fire. His bloodshot eyes stared at the bride, flames burning within them.

The bride smiled seductively. Her hands removed his outer garments, lightly and deliberately plucking a soul-stirring melody on his skin.

He relaxed his body and enjoyed her teasing.

Her movements were too slow. Unable to contain his burning desire, he grabbed the bride and pounced on her on the bed like a wolf.

The room was brightly lit. Two naked bodies tumbled and entwined violently beneath the waves of the quilt.

Zhang Dapeng did not like to turn off the lights. He enjoyed watching a woman’s body bloom in the bright light. It filled him with passion.

And this woman was the most beautiful, the most enchanting, the most fragrant flower in full bloom. She drove him wild.

He was as passionate as a young man, tireless and relentless.

This woman’s desire and temptation were like a bottomless pit, absorbing his energy and stamina.

Several times, he felt he had reached his limit. But she was like a sorceress, enchanting him with her body and passion, each time causing him to explode with a fervor beyond anything he had ever experienced. Even he was astonished by it.

Finally, thoroughly satisfied, Zhang Dapeng gasped heavily and collapsed onto the bed.

The glistening, sweat-soaked bride looked even more alluring. She lay on top of him, gently kissing his body.

Exhausted, Zhang Dapeng squinted his eyes, enjoying this fragrant and sensual moment.

Seeing him completely drained and content, the bride smiled. Her jade hands caressed upward along his chest, climbing to his neck. Her bright red nails contrasted sharply with her snowy white hands—exquisitely beautiful, yet startling to the eye.

Old Master Zhang let out a satisfied grunt.

The bride’s fingertips traced lightly back and forth. Suddenly, her razor-sharp nails swiftly and unhesitatingly sliced across his neck. Several bloody streaks instantly appeared.

Old Master Zhang’s eyes burst wide open. He let out a furious roar and swung his massive palm.

The bride had already rolled off the bed, dodging the deadly strike.

The supposedly exhausted Old Master Zhang performed a “carp leap,” springing off the bed in one motion. He pulled a treasured sword from his clothes and struck ruthlessly at the bride. His movements were so fast that the unarmed bride could dodge once or twice, but not three or four times.