Chapter 5

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Chapter 5: Assassinating the Emperor

Qiao Canxue reached out toward Qiao Mu but quickly withdrew her hand as if shocked, fear flickering across her fair face.

“So hard… What did you make me touch?”

“My arm.”

Qiao Canxue remained silent for a moment before reaching out again to explore and evaluate, her previous composure now gone.

“You’ve become this strong in just over a month?”

They had known each other for barely more than a month.

After their first meeting, they had quickly reached an agreement: Qiao Canxue would teach Qiao Mu the ancestral martial arts of the Qiao Family from Heyang City, called “Long Life Fist,” and in return, Qiao Mu would seek revenge on her behalf.

Thus, Qiao Mu had begun practicing the “Long Life Fist” training manual, spending just over a month on it. Being blind, Qiao Canxue couldn’t see his physical changes, but she had noticed subtle differences in his voice. Only now did she realize his entire body had grown larger.

“Incredible,” she exclaimed. “Training one’s strength is a gradual process with no shortcuts, but you…”

“Don’t be shocked. Let’s move on quickly and teach me the martial arts,” Qiao Mu urged.

Qiao Canxue hesitated. “Don’t rush… Let me recall the strength training rhymes first. Although my family’s ‘Long Life Fist Sutra’ was taken away, I still remember the content up to the strength training section.”

Qiao Mu had no choice but to wait silently. Despite her words, he felt impatient.

He possessed an extraordinary ability to live forever—essentially, the power of immortality. By sacrificing his lifespan and rapidly aging his body, he could exchange it for swift increases in strength. His battle with Butcher Zheng had lasted less than an hour, but dying repeatedly during that time had equaled five years of hard training.

However, this power came at a cost. The peak of physical fitness typically occurred between ages eighteen and thirty. Even the mightiest martial artists, capable of shattering mountains with a single palm strike, would eventually decline with age.

Qiao Mu couldn’t die, but he could still grow old. Without the Long Life Fist, even if he repeatedly risked his life to gain mountain-crushing strength, his power would eventually wither with age.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death were universal laws that even the strongest martial artists couldn’t escape. What made it worse was Qiao Mu’s eternal life—unless he exhausted all his lives, he faced an endless period of weakness and old age.

This was why the Long Life Fist was so crucial to him. This superior martial art had produced many masters who lived beyond 100 years, its greatest feature being the ability to prolong life and maintain youth.

Qiao Mu wanted strength but didn’t want to grow old and weak from sacrificing his lives. Was this desire wrong? This motivation had brought him here.

He needed to master the complete “Long Life Fist” before old age set in, achieving the highest level of perpetual youth and vigor. With immortality and eternal youth combined, he could truly enjoy life without worry.

His mind was made up. If anyone angered him, he would choose a dark, windy night to hang himself before their door. The next day, he would pose as his own older brother and report them to authorities.

They left the noodle shop, winding through streets until they entered a narrow alley. As they proceeded deeper, the passage grew tighter and darker, with peeling walls covered in moss. A foul mixture of odors permeated the air, causing Qiao Mu to hold his breath and quicken his pace.

“Why live in such squalor?” Qiao Mu asked, covering his nose.

“I must remain hidden. Finding a vacant house in the outer city was necessary. Having shelter is better than starving like the famine victims,” Qiao Canxue replied.

A month ago, Yan City had suffered a famine. The outer city was nearly empty, with almost half the houses vacant. Qiao Mu could switch houses daily if he wished—achieving property freedom at a young age.

Inside a wooden house deep in the alley, Qiao Canxue began reciting technique mantras: “Using what is visible to aid what is invisible, one thing becomes real, but many become illusory… That concludes the strength training chapter. Once you generate qi sense and cultivate internal strength, you’ll have truly advanced in martial arts.”

Qiao Mu sat quietly, meditating and controlling his breath. After a while, he shook his head. “I still sense no qi.”

His response made Qiao Canxue laugh. “Don’t be too ambitious. Internal strength comes after completing the strength training phase. Though you’ve practiced well, it’s only been a month.”

“Butcher Zheng, likely a ‘Wuji Association’ member, practiced secretly for years. Though he hadn’t developed internal strength, his arms possessed several hundred kilograms of force. Once you complete strength training, your arms will have five hundred kilograms of power. Then you can defeat Butcher Zheng—”

“No need to wait,” Qiao Mu interrupted. “I’ve already killed him and found a secret letter. He was indeed from the ‘Wuji Association.'”

He described killing Butcher Zheng and finding two letters, emphasizing the encrypted one.

Qiao Canxue’s skepticism vanished upon hearing about the tadpole-shaped encryption. “A tadpole code? This confirms you killed a Wuji Association member.”

She retrieved a notebook filled with tiny characters. “Tadpole code is their secret communication method. It’s quite complex… Here’s how to decipher it. Read it to me.”

“You understand this?” Qiao Mu asked, surprised.

Qiao Canxue offered no explanation, and he didn’t press further. As the last descendant of the prominent Qiao family, she clearly hadn’t been idle these past six months.

Comparing the coded letter with the handbook, Qiao Mu’s expression changed. “This letter says… the Great Yan Emperor will soon leave the capital, and the Wuji Association plans to gather members for assassination?”

His heart surged with excitement.

An imperial assassin! Whether successful or not, such a person would likely perish.

What a perfect opportunity!

After all, dying as an imperial assassin might earn a place in history books—surely the Death Assessment would be astronomical!