Chapter 8 – The Last Person to Kill (Part Four)

In recent years, he had almost never appeared in the martial arts world. Few had seen his true face, and no one had heard of or witnessed him making a move. There was no longer anyone who could be his opponent, nor was there anyone who wanted to provoke him into action.

He commanded a vast number of skilled masters under his leadership, more than enough to handle any crisis.

Of course, a long time ago, many tried to take his life, only to die before even catching a glimpse of his face.

Gradually, no one wanted to attempt such a stupid thing anymore.

“There is no one the Stronghold dares not kill, and no one the Stronghold cannot kill”—the martial arts world’s assessment of the Stronghold was not an exaggeration. However, in the eyes of the martial arts world, the Dragon King was no longer merely a martial artist. He was a figure approaching god or demon, perhaps a mixture of both.

It was said that more than a decade ago, the Stronghold had sent several waves of top masters to assassinate the Dragon King, but none had ever returned.

The Dragon King still stood tall, while the Stronghold had lost a lot of its elite, suffering such heavy losses that it took years of recovery to regain its strength.

Ru Ye remembered that before she had begun carrying out independent missions, several of the Stronghold’s top experts had gone off on a mission together and never came back. She suspected they had gone to assassinate the Dragon King. Apart from the Dragon King, no one else had that kind of ability.

Over the past ten-plus years, the Stronghold had undergone careful management and reform, becoming far stronger than in those days. But assassinating the Dragon King—it was truly a mad idea, no different from an ordinary person trying to assassinate an emperor.

She didn’t even lift her eyes, but countless thoughts raced through her mind.

“Who can accept this mission?” Xuanyuan Guiren sounded as if he were talking to himself, his voice just loud enough for them to hear.

No one spoke.

Although assassins often took lives, they would not lightly give up their own. An assassin who didn’t value their own life could never become a top-tier assassin.

Only by cherishing one’s own life would one strive to become the strongest assassin, and only then would one avoid being killed instead.

The Stronghold generally allowed its assassins to choose their missions. But this time, it might be difficult.

Xuanyuan Guiren narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze over his most prized subordinates. He carefully observed their seemingly expressionless faces—their subtly twitching eyelids, faintly trembling lips, the veins pulsing beneath their skin, and the slight quivering of their hands.

Among them there was tension, there was unease, and more than anything, there was excitement. But in the end, none could bring themselves to decide.

Among these people, only one person showed no reaction at all, or perhaps she simply concealed it better than the others. This was the quality and ability of a perfect assassin. Truly, she was his most admired and outstanding subordinate.

He thought to himself that the moment had come. He called out in a loud voice, “Wei Ru Ye!”

“Here!”

“This mission will be assigned to you and Ye Shengxiang. If needed, the others will assist you fully.”

Ru Ye remained as calm as ever, replying just as she had to countless previous missions, “Yes!”

“No! I won’t allow it!”

Suddenly, a young man rushed out from behind—Xuanyuan Wenshu. He was trying to stop Xuanyuan Guiren’s arrangement.

He ran to Ru Ye’s side, spreading his arms in front of her, and glared at Xuanyuan Guiren with agitation. “You’re sending her to her death! She is my betrothed. I cannot let her go!”

“How dare you!” Xuanyuan Guiren glared back at his only son, furious and exasperated. “This is not the place for you to interfere. Get out of the way!”

“No!” Wenshu did not back down.

He had long been dissatisfied with his father for always sending Ye into the tiger’s den. And this time, sending her to assassinate the Dragon King was far too risky. He could not gamble with her life. “Hasn’t Ye’er done enough for you? You once promised me that one day you would set her free so she could marry me. There are so many assassins in the Stronghold, why do you always assign her the most dangerous missions?”

Xuanyuan Guiren had a splitting headache. He was ruthless and coldhearted throughout his life, but towards this son he was exceptionally doting.

Someday, his estate would be handed over to this son. He had tried his best to cultivate Wenshu into a well-rounded man skilled in both literature and martial arts. He had made Wenshu study and manage the Stronghold alongside him. But to his surprise, Wenshu not only had no interest in the bloody martial arts world but had also fallen in love with his most perfect assassin—Wei Ru Ye—vowing to marry no one else. It was simply absurd.