Professional Assassin C12

Chapter 12: Completing a Job in the Martial Arts World (5)

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall was shocked.

Xiao Li was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. His expression seemed like he was about to laugh, but in the end, it turned into a rather regretful look. He appeared to sincerely lament, saying, “In the past, when I approached you, it was indeed for the sake of the great cause. But people are not made of wood; who can truly be without feelings? Yuetian, I was not entirely unfeeling toward you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let you live that day instead of eradicating you completely. Yuetian, it is good if you can put aside your hatred and submit to our Holy Sect. However, as for marriage…”

He deliberately dragged out the last word before continuing in an unhurried tone, “First of all, today is an important day for our Holy Sect. There’s absolutely no chance of me marrying you today. Secondly—Young Master Lin, whether in terms of martial arts, status, or intelligence, you are not worthy of being united in marriage with me.”

Xiao Li’s words were exceedingly sharp, leaving no room for dignity, as if he were delivering a slap directly to Lin Yuetian’s face. His tone clearly mocked Lin Yuetian for trusting him, which had led to the destruction of his entire family. The system couldn’t help but take a sharp breath in Lin Yuetian’s mind, and Ning Songluo let out a loud, derisive laugh. This laughter seemed to trigger something, unleashing a whirlwind of murmurs throughout the hall. Low chuckles from the Holy Sect members mingled with the muttering of martial artists, all of them looking at Lin Yuetian as if he were a shameless fool bringing humiliation upon himself.

These stares and whispers were enough to drive the original host of this body to another suicide out of shame, yet Lin Yuetian appeared unaffected. He showed no reaction at all. The breeze swept through the hall, rustling the wide sleeves of his blood-red wedding robe. His back remained straight, and the pair of swords at his waist stayed motionless.

Lin Yuetian merely nodded and said, “I see.”

The system grew alarmed. “What are you going to do—?”

Like a sudden clap of thunder, Lin Yuetian’s next move was completely unexpected—by everyone present, including even the system in his mind.

Lin Yuetian abruptly launched into action, gathering all his internal energy and striking out fiercely with his palm. His target was not the lofty Xiao Li, nor the tense Ning Songluo, nor any of the Holy Sect members present.

Instead, he struck the coffin of the Left Protector, Ning Songhua, with full force!

The original host of this body had been a first-class martial artist from a prestigious family. If nothing else, his internal energy was exceptionally profound. At this moment, no one had anticipated Lin Yuetian’s actions, and thus no one stopped him. Everyone could only watch in stunned silence as his powerful strike landed, shattering the high-quality coffin into pieces. Even the corpse of Left Protector Ning Songhua was blasted apart!

“What the—! Are you insane? Are you insane?!” The system was almost driven mad, instinctively shouting.

In an instant, the hall was filled with flying splinters of wood and blood. The white mourning banners, meant to symbolize solemnity and sorrow, were splattered with crimson and fragments of unidentifiable matter. The funeral hall, which was supposed to be serene and somber, was now stained a vibrant red, resembling a wedding banquet. Lin Yuetian smiled and nodded, seemingly pleased with the festive atmosphere, while the system could only see him as a complete madman.

No one reacted immediately. The scene before them was too surreal. It wasn’t until the wind stirred the mourning banners, carrying with it the strong scent of blood, that they began to come to their senses. With a crack, the remaining half of the coffin finally collapsed entirely, and what was left of Ning Songhua’s body—mostly intact above the waist—slid out onto the floor. A headless corpse.

It was only then that the people in the hall awoke from their daze. Their expressions changed drastically, especially those of Xiao Li and Ning Songluo, whose faces contorted in rage. Ning Songluo even let out a furious roar, as though she were about to kill Lin Yuetian on the spot. “Lin! Yue! Tian!”

But their expressions quickly shifted again.

Because the air was now filled with a faint, peculiar fragrance.

A fragrance all too familiar to the members of the Holy Sect.

“…The Holy Sect’s divine medicine, Drunken Bone Incense, is a priceless treasure. It’s usually sealed in wax pellets, which release a toxic fragrance when crushed. Once affected, there is no antidote, and the victim cannot move at all. They can neither administer the antidote themselves nor wait for the effects to pass,” Lin Yuetian recited leisurely, having already taken the antidote he had found on Ning Songhua’s body. He mused with satisfaction, “Truly impressive.”

“You…” This sudden turn of events left the system utterly dumbfounded.

“I never said I carried the wax pellets on me,” Lin Yuetian explained to the system in his mind. “That night in the room, I poked a hole in the sole of Ning Songhua’s corpse’s foot and hid the wax pellet there.”

He understood that ancient people—especially in a martial arts world—weren’t particularly meticulous about autopsies. Hiding the pellet in the sole of the foot ensured the wound wouldn’t be too conspicuous and avoided detection. His earlier strike on the coffin wasn’t aimed at the coffin itself but rather at shattering the wax pellet hidden within Ning Songhua’s corpse.

The plan had gone even more smoothly than he had expected, rendering his backup plan unnecessary.

Now, out of everyone present, Lin Yuetian was the only one unaffected by the Drunken Bone Incense.

“This is the surprise I prepared for you,” Lin Yuetian said to the system. “Isn’t it unexpected?”

The system responded, “Well, thank you, big brother.”

Lin Yuetian modestly replied, “No need to thank me. Maintaining harmony with colleagues is my duty.”

What a genius I am, destined for financial freedom, Lin Yuetian thought to himself, once again praising his own brilliance. Surveying the room filled with immobilized individuals, he couldn’t help but smile. The system, choosing to ignore his narcissism entirely, resumed its mental chanting of sutras, which now sounded like a rapid-fire emo-style rap.

Lin Yuetian stepped to the front of the hall and casually confiscated the antidote for the Drunken Bone Incense from Xiao Li and Ning Songhua. With the potential threats eliminated, he looked up at the ancestral tablets of the previous twelve sect leaders, then turned to the glaring sect members and panicked martial artists. Finally, he plucked one of the blood- and debris-streaked white mourning banners.

Nodding in satisfaction, he remarked, “Not bad. The high hall is present, the guests are here, and the venue is red and festive. Truly a once-in-a-lifetime auspicious day for a wedding.”

He pulled out a pair of dragon-and-phoenix red candles from his sleeve, lit them, and placed them on the table. The flickering flames added to the wedding atmosphere he was cultivating. Just as he admired his handiwork, he heard a faint movement behind him. Alert, he turned to see Xiao Li struggling to lift his arm as if to draw his sword. Their eyes met, and Xiao Li’s face twisted with fury, seemingly on the verge of cursing, though he refrained, likely for the sake of his dignity.

Unable to contain herself, Ning Songluo spat out, “Lin Yuetian! Your methods are so despicable! You stole our sect’s divine medicine and even… even desecrated my brother’s corpse. You—”

She suddenly fell silent.

Because she realized something terrifying.

Drunken Bone Incense was a sacred treasure of the Holy Sect, not to be taken out lightly, let alone lost. The only missing Drunken Bone Incense was the one taken from Ning Songhua’s corpse.

“It was you…” Ning Songluo murmured. “You hired Assassin to assassinate my brother…”

Lin Yuetian shook his head gently and clarified, “No, but you’re close. I won’t give you the full answer just yet. If your world has an underworld, you can think about it more down there to pass the time.”

He considered his response sufficiently considerate and stopped paying attention to Ning Songluo. Turning to Xiao Li, who was still attempting to draw his sword, Lin Yuetian watched him for a moment, then casually snatched the sword from Xiao Li’s grasp and tossed it aside.

Finally, some peace and quiet.

“As expected of the martial arts world’s number one. Even under the effects of Drunken Bone Incense, you can still move a bit,” Lin Yuetian remarked sincerely, respecting the capable. “This makes it easier for me, sparing me the effort.”

He retrieved another wedding robe from his belongings and threw it onto Sect Master Xiao Li.

Lin Yuetian politely nodded, smiled faintly, and revealed the original host’s charming little canine tooth. “Sect Master Xiao Li, would you kindly change into this yourself?”