Professional Assassin C03

Chapter 3: Completing the Job in the Cultivation World (3)

Lin Yuetian gathered basic information about the target and their daily activities from the dazed client, confirmed the details, and then left.

His philosophy was simple: work is work. It must never interfere with his daily life. Before and after working, one must enjoy life properly. After all, how can one have the energy to work without enjoying life?

However, at that moment, a strange voice suddenly echoed in Lin Yuetian’s mind: “Finally caught up! Sorry, I’m your system. It’s my first day on the job, and I’m late—really sorry! Let me quickly check what you’ve done so far…”

“System?” Lin Yuetian was puzzled. “Did I transmigrate with a system?”

The system had already sped through a playback of Lin Yuetian’s activities over the past few hours in this world, and it let out a despairing cry: “Why did you kill the scum gong’s best friend?! And why did you agree to team up with your second rival in love to kill your first rival?!”

Lin Yuetian: “What? Calm down and speak slowly.”

“How can I calm down?!” The system’s tone was full of sorrow. “I was just a bit late, and you’ve already caused so much trouble? The parent company said they only select top professionals and elite talent from various industries to collect energy… Never mind, this is partly my fault for being late. Let me first transfer the original host’s memories to you.”

Lin Yuetian thought to himself, I am indeed the most professional in the assassin industry. Unlike some of his peers, who tried to play the hero while being assassins, or those twisted individuals who overworked themselves due to a hatred for the world, Lin Yuetian always delivered. Sometimes, even if the employer only paid for one target, he could take down ten if necessary.

Lin Yuetian always adhered to the principle of “one penny, one service,” rejected internal conflicts, and maintained industry balance.

But before he could defend himself, a flood of memories overwhelmed his mind.

In this world, Lin Yuetian was an orphan who joined Qingfeng Sect at the age of thirteen. That was when he met Shaofeng Immortal Lord.

Strictly speaking, only Lin Yuetian and Shaofeng were truly fellow disciples. Neither Shan An—the ancient-clothed man Lin Yuetian had just killed, who was Shaofeng’s good friend—nor Lu Shui, Shaofeng’s fiancé, shared the same master as Shaofeng. Lin Yuetian was Shaofeng’s senior brother. The two had known each other since the Qi Refining Stage. Soon after, their master passed away due to old age. As the elder brother, Lin Yuetian had always taken care of Shaofeng like family. Though he was more talented, he always let his junior brother have the spotlight.

As they grew older, Lin Yuetian’s feelings for his junior brother gradually changed. After much internal conflict, he confessed his feelings, which Shaofeng accepted. From then on, Lin Yuetian devoted himself to Shaofeng, spending most of his time traveling to find magical texts and rare materials for him. The myriad spells cluttering his memories came from these efforts. Thanks to Lin Yuetian’s support, Shaofeng rose from being an unremarkable disciple to becoming the first-ranked immortal cultivator in the world. Meanwhile, despite his superior cultivation level, Lin Yuetian remained unknown, overshadowed by Shaofeng’s deliberate machinations and his own humble nature. In the entire Qingfeng Sect, only Shaofeng, Shan An, and Lu Shui knew who he was. Even Shaofeng’s direct disciple, Chen Wenying, didn’t recognize him as Uncle Lin. Lin Yuetian’s life had been pitiful.

Last year, Shaofeng Immortal Lord had gained fame by defeating the demon clan with twelve immortal swords in the East Sea. While Lin Yuetian was happy for his lover, he soon received news that Shaofeng wanted to cut ties with him. In his memories, Shaofeng had clearly stated that he had always only loved his junior brother Lu Shui and regarded Lin Yuetian merely as a senior brother. Devastated but inherently kind, Lin Yuetian didn’t retaliate against their relationship. However, Lu Shui framed him for attempted murder, and Shaofeng—without verifying the truth—stabbed Lin Yuetian with the Wind-Cutting Sword.

With his cultivation, Lin Yuetian could have dodged the attack, but he was so shocked by the betrayal that he froze, sustaining a severe injury. Later, he fled in misery. Shaofeng sent Shan An to check if he was dead, and Shan An, who had always despised Lin Yuetian for his meekness, transmitted a message to Shaofeng in his presence, saying he was dead. Shaofeng’s only response was a dismissive “Got it.”

As Shan An mocked him for being unworthy and for Shaofeng’s upcoming union with Lu Shui, Lin Yuetian, staring at the sword still embedded in his abdomen, fell into despair. He extinguished his soul to end his misery, making way for assassin Lin Yuetian to take over his body.

After reviewing the memories, Lin Yuetian: “…”

The system, still grieving, asked, “Do you understand now? Do you understand?”

Lin Yuetian replied slowly, “More or less… So, what’s my task?”

“To maintain the stability of this world, you must fulfill the original host’s wishes to gather energy. You’ll also earn points as rewards. Once you complete tasks in ten worlds, you can return to your original world and use the points to exchange for anything you want: money, superpowers, authority—anything,” the system explained, rallying its energy. “Each world’s task is different, but generally speaking, your job is to ‘punish the scum.’”

Lin Yuetian nodded in understanding. “Simple enough. Since the original host’s cultivation level is higher than Shaofeng and Lu Shui, I’ll just pick up my sword, march up the mountain, and decapitate them.”

The system was alarmed. “Big brother, I’m from the pure romance version of the Punish-the-Scum System, not the no-CP version! You need to make the scum gong fall in love with you, then break his heart, and finally leave him to regret it forever—that’s the proper way!”

Lin Yuetian, puzzled, asked, “Killing them isn’t more heart-wrenching than breaking their hearts?”

The system gently corrected, “That’s physical pain. Emotional pain is far more devastating. Right?”

Lin Yuetian neither agreed nor disagreed. Instead, he sighed. “Fortunately, not everyone believes emotional pain trumps physical pain. Otherwise, all assassins would have to become con artists.”

“Alright, I understand. I need to make Shaofeng fall in love with me and then regret it deeply, correct?” Lin Yuetian asked, seeking clarification. “How do you determine whether he’s in love? Is it some kind of mind-reading?”

“Well… not exactly,” the system admitted. “Since this is your first mission, we’ve provided a newbie safety net. This time, there are no strict requirements. You just need to make the target say ‘I love you’ three times sincerely. But be careful; when the scum says it, I need to detect genuine regret in his emotions.”

Lin Yuetian sighed. “Clients are so hard to please.”

Finding the job tedious, Lin Yuetian made a request to the system. “I don’t need to return to my original world. I’m fine doing tasks indefinitely. I just want the freedom to choose when I exit each world after completing a task.”

The system found the request unusual but harmless. Though it doubted Lin Yuetian’s mental state, it readily agreed and reported it to its superiors.

Lin Yuetian, meanwhile, thought that after finishing his task, he would enjoy a few centuries of life in this fascinating world of cultivation…

Ah, if only someone would hire me to kill Shaofeng Immortal Lord, he mused. Then I wouldn’t have to work for free. It’d be killing two birds with one stone—literally.

———

—A scum gong is a dominant/top character in danmei (BL) who is manipulative, selfish, or abusive, often treating their partner poorly.