Chapter 17: Assassination
"How's it going?"
At the end of the Great Wall, two men in crimson windbreakers stood atop the wall, one fat and one thin, gazing into the distant forest.
The tall, thin man spoke coldly, "There's no news from the assassin, so he probably hasn't succeeded yet."
"What kind of assassin did you hire?" The short, fat man looked displeased. "It's taking so long to kill a first-level guy?"
"Tsk, Panda, don't worry. To avoid any mistakes, I hired that bald guy at a high price. He's a second-level assassin who's even taken down a third-level spiritualist. Dealing with a young boy like this is a waste of his time."
The tall, thin man's expression remained gloomy as he continued calmly, "Besides, it's unlikely the kid surnamed Xia will survive Qi Xiao's hands. We might not even need to do anything."
"That's better!" Though Panda was short and stout, his thick glasses gave him a scholarly appearance. He adjusted his glasses and said, "You concealed the truth from us and acted on your own. If the Lord finds out about the assassination attempt on Xia Feng, neither you nor I will be spared!"
As he spoke, he shot a cold glance at the tall, thin man. "So, Knight Yan, you'd better pray that Xia Feng dies in the Evil Dragon Forest!"
Seeing Panda's condescending tone, Yan Xujia sneered, "Fatty Pan, rest assured. There's no way Xia will walk out of the Evil Dragon Forest alive!"
Unbeknownst to them, a woman in a black dress stood on a higher part of the wall behind them.
Mu Qingtong stood tall, her elegant black dress flowing in the wind, her hands clasped behind her back. A semi-transparent black lace veil covered her face as she narrowed her beautiful eyes, observing the two men below. "The half-moon emblem on their windbreakers… Are they from the Black Moon Church?"
Why would the Church target Xia Feng? Mu Qingtong raised her head, her gaze drifting into the depths of the forest, her brows slightly furrowed.
A second-level assassin who's killed a third-level spiritualist must have immense combat experience, making him a formidable opponent even for her.
But there was a way.
One method was to engage in a prolonged battle. If she could hide and evade in the forest for two days, she might be able to outlast and defeat him.
As for Xia Feng…
"Mr. Xia, if you die like this, it only proves you're unworthy of being my opponent."
The woman in the black dress stood on the wall, her pale golden eyes glinting as she gazed at the blood moon in the sky. The concentration of evil energy in the area made her slightly uncomfortable.
If Xia Feng could shake off his pursuers, it would take at least two days. The Evil Dragon Forest was only open for five days a year. Thinking this, she decided it wasn't worth staying any longer and turned to descend the wall.
"Come back the day after tomorrow, Xia Feng. I hope you won't disappoint me."
"This smell is so familiar…"
Xia Feng stared at the fruit of wisdom in his hand, feeling both speechless and disappointed.
After returning to the Light Disaster Zone from the Black Hole, he had leisurely walked back, counting his spoils along the way.
The fruit's rough, dark red shell peeled away to reveal translucent white flesh, indistinguishable from a lychee.
And when he tasted it, it was exactly like a lychee.
Wait, the fruit of wisdom in this world is just a lychee?
But after eating one, he did feel a slight increase in rationality.
At the same time, he noticed his ability to absorb evil energy was rapidly declining, and he even felt an aversion to it.
"Hiss—" Xia Feng's eyes widened as he instinctively threw the bag of wisdom fruit to the ground. "Damn it, it's actually poisonous fruit!"
According to the textbooks, the fruit of wisdom was meant to cleanse and resist the erosion of evil energy. Clearly, it was his natural enemy!
To him, it was like the Queen's poison apple!
But after taking a few steps, he paused, turned back, and picked up the bag, brushing off the dust.
Though it was a harmful fruit, the current market price for one wisdom fruit was 10,000 imperial coins.
And he still had twelve left in the bag—a total of 120,000 coins!
Previously, he'd spent all his savings on materials to activate the Demon Heart and was now extremely poor.
Especially since this month's rent was still unpaid, this windfall was a godsend.
Xia Feng shook the bag and grinned. "Since it's useless to me, I'll use you to make some money!"
After stashing the bag, he pulled out the life fruit. Despite its name, it didn't have the power to resurrect the dead.
However, consuming it could extend one's life by anywhere from one day to one year.
The market price for this item started at 100,000 coins, making it a luxury only the wealthy could afford.
That's why so many powerful figures in this world lived past a hundred.
Of course, the life fruit was useless to him. His lifespan was tied to the Demon Heart—the higher its activity, the longer he lived.
[Activity remaining: 7 days, 4 hours, 39 minutes]
It seemed he still had about a week to gather the materials needed to summon the "Gate to the World."
"Hmm?!" As Xia Feng pondered, his steps faltered. His hair stood on end, and a golden light enveloped his body. He swung his tail to block a sneak attack—BANG!
Using the momentum, he leaped onto a treetop and turned to look down.
A bald man in a mink coat stepped back, recovering from his surprise. "Damn it, there's only one? With such a huge intel error, is that black-robed guy eating shit?"
Cursing, the man twirled a delicate knife in his hand, looking up with a grin.
"But kid, though it's unexpected, I like hidden geniuses like you. Want to know why?"
As he spoke, he licked the blade with his tongue, his grin widening. "Because killing someone like you is far more satisfying!"
Xia Feng: "…"
Xia Feng's eyes lingered on the bald man's knife. So, people really could lick knives? At least he could deduce one thing—the blade wasn't poisoned.
Wait, now wasn't the time for such thoughts. He looked at the burly man, puzzled. "Who sent you? I don't think I've offended anyone recently."
The bald man smirked. "Who sent me? Of course—WHOOSH!!"
Just as Xia Feng's pupils dilated, eager to hear the answer, the man lunged forward like a meteor, his eyes filled with excitement and murderous intent.
Damn, it's Old Liu! Xia Feng hastily swung his sword, launching three waves of attacks instead of defending.
Swish—but the next moment, the bald man's figure vanished.
"Idiot, I'm behind you." A low chuckle came from behind, followed by a palm strike with terrifying spiritual pressure. Xia Feng's black eyes narrowed.
The tip of his tail released a high-pressure impact point against the man's palm—BANG!!!
Xia Feng's face paled as he vomited blood, his body flung into the air. He quickly turned, using the branches for leverage, and fled into the distance. A tactical retreat!
"Trying to run? Can you escape?" The bald man sneered, his figure darting through the woods like a meteor.
(End of Chapter)