Professional Assassin C11

Chapter 11: Completing the Mission in a Martial Arts World (4)

Lin Yuetian’s wrist trembled slightly as he flicked the blood off the sword blade and returned it to its sheath. In the darkness, he searched Ning Songhua’s body and exclaimed in surprise as he pulled out an embroidered pouch from the inner side of the man’s belt. Under the moonlight, he opened the pouch to find a wax pill and a small jade bottle with a red label inscribed with the words “Antidote for Drunken Bone Fragrance.”

“He really was lying to me out of spite,” Lin Yuetian remarked. “But eyes don’t lie—I could tell he was bluffing.”

The system watched as Lin Yuetian pocketed the antidote and then drew a short sword. Alarmed, the system was certain that he was about to do something drastic. However, at that very moment, dark clouds obscured the moonlight, and Lin Yuetian moved so quickly that the system couldn’t see what he did.

“What… what did you do?” the system couldn’t help but ask, trying to sound respectful.

“You didn’t see it?” Lin Yuetian thought for a moment, then decided, “Well, then I won’t tell you. Life needs a bit of surprise and excitement.”

As he spoke, he stuffed Ning Songhua’s wide-eyed head into a bag lined with oiled paper to prevent blood from seeping through. Wrapping up the head, Lin Yuetian leaped out of the window, running along the rooftops and disappearing into the night.

For some reason, the system found the scene oddly familiar. Its voice trembled with fear. “I’m already feeling quite surprised and excited—I really don’t need more upheaval in my professional life!”

Thinking the system was perhaps too moved, Lin Yuetian felt a bit awkward and tactfully changed the subject. “Let’s not talk about this. I’m going to the Demon Sect’s martial arts conference. That’s where I’ll complete my mission.”

“You can’t do it!” The system panicked. “The original body’s martial arts skills are no match for Sect Leader Xiao Li or the Demon Sect’s Right Protector. Let alone the fact that there will be countless Demon Sect followers at the conference who could gang up on you. Do you think Demon Sect members care about martial ethics? They’ll attack in waves! You won’t have it as easy as last time!”

Lin Yuetian chuckled, “I couldn’t defeat Ning Songhua either, but now he’s dead.”

“The system’s store’s knockout drugs don’t have a wide-range effect and require time to take effect. With so many people there, do you think they’ll let you waltz in holding a candle and burn incense?”

“There are always more solutions than problems,” Lin Yuetian said meaningfully. “Take that wax pill, for instance—it’s called Drunken Bone Fragrance, isn’t it?”

The system finally began to piece together Lin Yuetian’s plan. Desperately, it tried to dissuade him. “Scumbag Xiao Li used Drunken Bone Fragrance to incapacitate hundreds of people at your wedding because he was in disguise, it was your wedding, and he was the groom. Nobody was on guard, which allowed him to succeed. But you? Everyone knows Lin Yuetian harbors a deep grudge. The moment you take out that pill, you’ll be taken down in seconds!”

Lin Yuetian reassured the system, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Trust me. When have I ever failed at my tasks?”

Seeing his determination, the system felt hopeless and resigned. It lamented its inability to grow more mouths to properly persuade its contractor. With no other choice, the system was left in despair, unsure of what kind of scene awaited it in the future. Overcome with sorrow, it began silently reciting Buddhist scriptures.

Lin Yuetian tossed Ning Songhua’s head into the home of the client who had paid him for the assassination. He mused that one of his greatest advantages was the original body’s reputation for being kind and naïve. Aside from the now-deceased Ning Songhua, no one would ever connect the infamous assassin “One Foot of Crimson” to the young hero of the Lin family.

Catching people off guard was always effective.

The next day, he retrieved his payment from the roof of the client’s house, bought a fine horse, and set off leisurely toward the original body’s hometown—the former residence of the Martial Alliance Leader, the Lin Estate, now a Demon Sect stronghold.

With plenty of time before the martial arts conference, Lin Yuetian wasn’t in a hurry. Disguised as an unremarkable man, he treated the journey like a road trip, indulging in food, shopping, and sightseeing as he headed to Jiangnan.

The system remained silent, like a spectator forced to watch someone on a self-destructive path enjoy one last spree. It felt utterly detached from worldly desires.

On the morning of the martial arts conference, Lin Yuetian arrived at the Lin Estate. The once-proud plaque had been removed long ago. It was said that dozens of Demon Sect members had spent three days and nights scrubbing the bloodstains from the house, from the main hall to the threshold. Many righteous martial artists had died that day, and some, still capable despite the effects of Drunken Bone Fragrance, had crawled all the way to the entrance before being decapitated, adding to the cleanup effort.

Lin Yuetian had heard these tales from other martial artists heading to the conference. There were indeed many martial artists present—it wasn’t surprising, given the Demon Sect’s current dominance. People switching allegiances was only natural. After all, concepts like righteousness and evil meant little to most, aside from a few hotheads or the families of the deceased.

Upon arrival, Lin Yuetian saw the estate decked out with white mourning banners. Demon Sect members wandered around with white cloth tied to their arms, their expressions solemn. Lin Yuetian knew the reason. On his way to Jiangnan, he had heard that Ning Songhua, the Demon Sect’s Left Protector, had been decapitated by the emerging assassin “One Foot of Crimson.” his head had been taken as a bounty, leaving only a headless corpse to be returned. Sect Leader Xiao Li had been devastated, declaring that the martial arts conference would also serve as a memorial, turning the estate into a veritable funeral hall.

Some martial artists privately whispered criticisms of the Demon Sect’s lack of decorum, turning a martial arts conference into a memorial. However, none dared voice their opinions in front of the Demon Sect members.

Lin Yuetian changed his clothes and donned a black cloak that covered him from head to toe, equipping himself with two swords. Avoiding the main entrance, he used his exceptional light-footed skills to enter through the roof. When he landed, Sect Leader Xiao Li was passionately delivering a speech about his ambitions. The Right Protector stood by his side, and the hall was filled with Demon Sect members and various martial artists. At the center of the hall lay an ornate coffin, and a long table at the front held the memorial tablets of the twelve previous Demon Sect leaders.

The hall was silent, save for Xiao Li’s resonant voice. Sunlight filtered through the windows, illuminating the memorial tablets—a scene of political transition and hidden tension. The grandeur of the occasion was rivaled only by Xiao Li and the original body’s wedding feast.

The moment Lin Yuetian landed, numerous weapons were drawn and aimed at him. Unfazed, he calmly removed his hood, revealing his undisguised face, and greeted Xiao Li with a relaxed wave. “Hello, my friend. Do you remember me?”

Xiao Li, with his chiseled features and heroic aura, looked every bit the model of a righteous hero, no wonder he had fooled the original body so thoroughly. Seeing Lin Yuetian, Xiao Li’s brow twitched slightly, but he quickly raised a hand, signaling his followers to lower their weapons and step back.

“Yuetian, I knew you would come,” Xiao Li said with a faint smile, exuding confidence. “Are you here for revenge?”

Ning Songluo, the Right Protector and Ning Songhua’s younger sister, was tall and strikingly beautiful, with a serpentine allure. Dressed in mourning attire, she stepped forward and snapped, “Lin Yuetian! In the martial world, strength is what matters, not right or wrong. You were defeated, and the tides have turned. Why persist in your grudges and cause trouble here?”

Lin Yuetian replied with genuine curiosity, “If the martial world doesn’t care about right or wrong, then surely my revenge is justified? You have no business stopping me, so why are you so agitated? You’re quite intimidating.”

Ning Songluo had expected rage, anguish, or even a dramatic outburst from him, but his calm demeanor left her at a loss for words.

“Besides,” Lin Yuetian added, “I’m not here for revenge.”

With that, he grabbed his cloak and tore it off, revealing a vibrant red wedding robe that stood out starkly amidst the coffin and mourning banners.

He turned to Xiao Li with a polite smile and said, “Sect Leader Xiao Li, I’m here to marry you.”