Chapter 4 – The Number One Assassin in the Martial Arts World (Part Two)

The door burst open. Dozens of figures rushed in, quickly splitting into two groups. One group shielded Zhang Dapeng, while the other attacked the bride.

Zhang Dapeng’s investigation had not been too far off. The bride had no martial arts skills. To be precise, her martial arts were not high. At best, she had decent lightness skill, but she was no match for these masters.

She did not attack Zhang Dapeng again. She focused solely on dodging, then seized an opportunity to throw herself out the window and quickly retreat out of sight.

Of the dozens of masters, most chased after her. Zhang Dapeng hated anyone who caused him trouble, especially those who wanted him dead. He would wipe them out completely.

He panted and collapsed into a chair.

No matter how naturally strong he was, at his age, after such intense lovemaking and then using his internal energy, exhaustion was showing. He was not a god.

The maidservant’s face was pale with fright. She tremblingly brought him tea. He grabbed the teacup, threw his head back, and gulped it down.

The maidservant seemed terrified. Her hands shook so much that she accidentally knocked the tray against the candlestick. The candle flame went out abruptly, and the room grew dim.

He flew into a rage and was about to raise his hand to strike her when a sharp pain shot through his throat.

He reached up to touch it. Warm, sticky liquid immediately soaked his hands.

His eyes felt as if they would burst from their sockets. He knew this liquid all too well, as familiar as he was with his own body.

For decades, he had dealt with this liquid almost every day, watching with amusement as it flowed from others’ bodies until it solidified and remained still.

But now, there was nothing he could do to stop this liquid from flowing out of his own body.

The major blood vessels in his throat had been completely severed. He could not make a sound.

What he did not know was that the nails of his beautiful bride, which had traced across his body in the heat of passion, had been coated with poison. Not enough to kill, but enough to seep deep into his limbs and bones after his enthusiastic lovemaking and use of internal energy.

In this long-planned assassination attempt, the heavens no longer favored him.

The moment the blade severed his throat, his guards sensed something was wrong. But it was already too late. The short knife that had cut Zhang Dapeng’s throat continued its motion, slashing toward them without any pause.

Zhang Dapeng was dead. They were no longer a concern.

Light from outside filtered into the room. They could now see this maidservant—now an assassin—with superb skills and merciless strikes.

One by one, they fell. Even in death, they did not know who had ended their lives.

All of this happened in the span of a few blinks. The room fell silent, as if nothing had ever occurred.

The maidservant pulled out a tinder lighter, ignited it, and tossed it onto the bed.

Then with a faint smile, she walked out the door. Behind her, flames shot into the sky like flowers blooming in the dark night.

Amidst the crowd rushing to put out the fire and among those fleeing outward, she moved as if alone. She calmly walked through the garden, through the main hall, and through the front courtyard, as if all this chaos had nothing to do with her.

No one would pay attention to such an unremarkable maidservant. The guards’ attention was all on the bride.

No one would imagine that the beautiful bride-assassin was merely a decoy, and the true killer was this unassuming maidservant who had been working in the Zhang mansion for months.

Many horses were tied up outside the gate. Two of them had been prepared by them in advance.

She mounted one and galloped away like an arrow.

As for how the bride would escape, that was no longer on her mind.

They each had their own roles. Everyone was responsible only for themselves.

For the past eight months, they had been tracking Zhang Dapeng.

During her four months inside the Zhang mansion, she had played the role of an ordinary little maidservant perfectly, quietly waiting for the right moment.

What she did not expect was how tightly guarded Zhang Dapeng was. Those he didn’t know or trust had no chance of getting within five zhang (roughly 16 meters) of him.

She had never found a suitable opportunity.

As a top-tier assassin, she would never strike without absolute certainty.

She understood very well that against someone like Zhang Dapeng, a single failure meant total defeat.

So she and Ye Shengxiang had devised a strategy.

Ye Shengxiang played the lead role of Ruan Xiang, while she remained completely hidden. All investigations, suspicions, and pursuit were focused on Ye Shengxiang. But the true assassin was her.

Zhang Dapeng was highly skilled in martial arts, wore top-quality protective gear, and was surrounded by expert fighters. She was not confident she could break through his defenses quickly, nor was she confident she could defeat him quickly in a direct confrontation.

To succeed in one move, she had to strike with full force when his defenses were weakest, when he was most vulnerable, and when he least expected it.

After extensive investigation and study, she decided to exploit Zhang Dapeng’s weakness—his greed for beautiful women—despite his suspicious nature.

Ye Shengxiang did not possess high martial arts skills, but she was an excellent actress and not easily suspected.

In this scheme, every link was flawlessly designed, and every detail was carefully considered. As it turned out, the performance was a great success.

Rumors in the martial arts world said the top assassin of the Stronghold was a stunningly beautiful woman with superb martial arts, exceptional intelligence and courage, skilled in using seduction, having built countless graves for heroes. Ye Shengxiang seemed to fit this description perfectly.

Only they knew who the real number one assassin was.

The most terrifying thing is often the most hidden. In this martial arts world, no one should overlook this hidden rule.

Zhang Dapeng was the ninth person she had killed. Now, only one remained.

But she did not feel any more at ease. On the contrary, her expression grew heavier.

She knew that the final mission would be more dangerous and difficult than all the previous ones combined.

The Stronghold would never let her go easily.

Ten years ago, when she began carrying out missions independently, the Stronghold had promised her that after she completed ten tasks, they would grant her freedom.

The targets of these ten tasks were all people that no one else could kill. Every single one of them could have cost her her life.

Each time she killed someone, she thought maybe this is the last time. Maybe she will be killed on this mission.

Although she was an assassin, she did not enjoy killing. In her view, killing would eventually bring retribution.

If she died because of it, she would not be surprised or resentful. But she still did not want to die.

No matter what happened, she wanted to live, and she would do everything she could to survive. That was why she was still alive.

It was a miracle that she was still alive. But what about the final mission?