The True Disciple’s Residence.

The flowers, plants, trees, rockeries, and great stones in the large garden cast flickering shadows under the bright moonlight, creating a deep and silent scene.

Such an environment was undoubtedly perfect for an assassin to hide their tracks and lie in wait for an ambush.

But the Wind and Rain Tower’s assassin, the Yama of Death, Bing Cui, was frowning deeply.

He was crouched, hiding in the shadows at the corner of the corridor that led from the front courtyard to the garden. He wore a set of black Night Clothes, held a small pair of black scissors in his hand, and had a black ruler hanging from his waist.

This was his signature weapon, the Scissors Ruler—a Qimen Weapon rarely seen in the Jianghu.

The saying goes, "The weirder the weapon, the quicker the death," which spoke to the power of Qimen Weapons.

With this Scissors Ruler, Bing Cui had slain countless powerful Martial Artists and had not failed once in several decades.

In Linji City, aside from the legendary Head Shopkeeper of the Wind and Rain Tower—a B-ranked assassin—Bing Cui was the number one expert in the Killing Dao.

For the several decades since his debut, he had been invincible, always managing to assassinate his targets silently and with ease.

But this mission to assassinate Chen Cheng felt particularly troublesome.

It wasn’t that Chen Cheng’s Martial Arts Power was so formidable. Rather, the man was far too cautious. He was a recluse who rarely went out, didn’t frequent brothels or other such establishments, and only took major streets when he did go out alone.

If they were in the Outer City District, this wouldn’t have troubled Bing Cui. He had countless ways to quietly approach Chen Cheng, kill him, and then leave without a trace.

But in the Inner City District, patrols of the City Guard Department were everywhere, and Bing Cui didn’t dare risk an assassination on a major street.

As a result, Bing Cui had yet to find a suitable opportunity.

Since an assassination on the street was impossible, Bing Cui had no choice but to change his approach. He switched the assassination location to Chen Cheng’s residence—the Zheng Martial Arts Hall.

In the past, with Mr. Zheng around, Bing Cui wouldn’t have dared to target the Zheng Martial Arts Hall even if he were a hundred times bolder.

But Mr. Zheng, as well as the Great Madam Gongsun Rou and Min Wei, had all gone to the State City. There were no powerful Martial Artists left.

Naturally, Bing Cui no longer had any reservations.

However, although the Zheng Martial Arts Hall no longer had any great experts, there were many City Guard Department soldiers guarding the perimeter, and numerous Hospital Martial Artists within the hall itself.

Trying to assassinate Chen Cheng silently within the Zheng Martial Arts Hall was no less difficult than doing it on the street.

Bing Cui tried every method he could think of, spending a full month just to get a clear picture of the guard situation at the Zheng Martial Arts Hall.

But upon seeing how meticulous the hall’s security was, he grew even more shocked. With his skills, sneaking into the Zheng Martial Arts Hall unnoticed was almost impossible.

But he was a top-tier assassin, after all. Even in the face of such difficulty, he didn’t give up and continued to search for an opportunity.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone at the Zheng Martial Arts Hall was busy celebrating. Additionally, the bright moonlight was considered unsuitable for prowlers, so the Hospital Martial Artists had relaxed their guard. This was how he finally managed to sneak in.

After taking care of the guards hidden in the shadows and securing an escape route, Bing Cui easily bypassed the gatehouse and made his way to this corridor.

Just as he was about to slip into the garden, a Night Owl in one of the large trees suddenly began to hoot loudly.

Bing Cui was a true veteran of the Jianghu. He knew that nocturnal birds were extremely territorial, so he immediately retreated. When he returned to the corridor, the strange bird indeed stopped calling.

However, slipping silently into the courtyard where Chen Cheng lived had now become very difficult.

After all, the Night Owl’s hearing was extremely sensitive—not much worse than that of a top-tier Martial Dao expert!

If he rushed in recklessly like this, he would definitely alert the people inside.

Furthermore, the Night Owl’s location was obscured by the dense branches and leaves of the large tree, and Bing Cui couldn’t pinpoint its position.

’That bastard Chen Cheng is as cunning as a fox! To think he’d raise a Night Owl to guard his home. How detestable!’

Bing Cui ground his teeth in frustration.

What did assassins fear most, if not beasts that could easily detect their presence?

Hunting dogs and the like would have been fine; after all, Bing Cui was coated in a powder that concealed his scent.

But to run into a Night Owl with such exceptionally sharp hearing... he was completely out of options.

’I’ve killed countless people in my life. Am I really going to be stopped by this strange bird?’

Bing Cui was naturally unwilling to retreat just like that and was wracking his brain for a solution.

Just then, a noise came from the front courtyard behind him. Bing Cui turned to look and saw two figures leap down from the courtyard wall, flying rapidly toward the corridor.

Judging by their speed and movement, they were likely Perfect Martial Artists of the Muscle Strengthening Realm.

Bing Cui knew these two must be the two Instructors from the Zheng Martial Arts Hall.

The reason he hadn’t wanted to cause a disturbance was precisely because he was wary of these two.

The Hospital Martial Artists of the Zheng Martial Arts Hall were all Perfect Martial Artists of the Skin Grinding Realm. Even if surrounded, Bing Cui was confident he could retreat with ease.

But if he encountered these two Instructors with the power of the Muscle Strengthening Realm Perfection, it would be very difficult for Bing Cui to escape.

’How did those two get here so fast? This Zheng Martial Arts Hall really is a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den!’

Bing Cui cursed under his breath, clenched his jaw, and with a flash, darted into the large garden, rushing toward the courtyard where Chen Cheng lived.

Since he had already been discovered, Bing Cui could only prepare for the worst: kill Chen Cheng immediately to complete the mission, then retreat as fast as possible.

As long as he wasn’t tied down by the two Instructors from the Zheng Martial Arts Hall, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to escape with his Martial Arts Power.

"HOOT HOOT HOOT! HOOT HOOT HOOT!"

Sensing Bing Cui’s movement, the Night Owl in the tree once again let out a series of strange cries!

But Bing Cui paid it no mind, his speed increasing even further.

"Oh no, Chen Cheng is in danger!"

The arriving Zhuang Fu couple also heard the Night Owl’s cries. They moved even faster, reaching the edge of the garden in the blink of an eye.