Chapter 13: Completing Business in the Martial Arts World (End)

“Yuetian… it seems you really have gone mad…” Xiao Li’s expression returned to calm, and his tone became gentle and mild once more, as if nothing had just happened. “I have been sincere with you; surely you can feel that? If your only goal is to marry me, we can discuss it another day. Why go to such lengths?”

Lin Yuetian had no patience for his nonsense. Without hesitation, he drew a short sword and thrust it through the right guardian Ning Songluo’s shoulder. Ning Songluo groaned, and Xiao Li finally showed a pained and sorrowful expression—a true demonstration of camaraderie and deep feelings.

Lin Yuetian said calmly, “Hurry up and change, Sect Leader. Efficiency is everything.”

Left with no choice, Xiao Li, full of shame, began to put on the wedding attire. Lin Yuetian, however, worried that it was too rushed and stopped him, saying, “Sect Leader Xiao Li, this is our wedding. Don’t be so sloppy. I think you should take everything off and start over.”

Xiao Li nearly fainted with anger, his hands trembling as he removed his garments piece by piece, leaving only his innerwear. The disciples in the hall roared in protest, shouting that it was disrespectful, but Xiao Li silenced them with a single command. Finally, with great difficulty, he managed to don the wedding attire. The drug in his system made even these movements cause him to break out in a light sweat.

Lin Yuetian, now satisfied, turned to the still-bleeding Ning Songluo and suggested, “Do you know how to announce ‘Bow to Heaven and Earth, bow to parents, and bow to each other as husband and wife’? Help us with that, will you?”

Ning Songluo, in excruciating pain, opened his mouth to curse, “You bastard—”

Lin Yuetian clicked his tongue in annoyance. With no better option, he randomly grabbed another nearby disciple and stabbed them with his sword.

With so many people in the hall, it might have taken ages to grab someone like catching pigs, but Lin Yuetian was different—his sword was fast, and his stabs were quicker.

Without raising his head, Lin Yuetian efficiently repeated the process of grabbing, stabbing, and discarding people in a seamless cycle. After about twenty people were stabbed, Ning Songluo finally lost control and shouted, “I’ll do it! I’ll announce it!”

Lin Yuetian was satisfied.

He gently held Xiao Li’s hand. Xiao Li’s expression could only be described as horrifying, but Lin Yuetian pretended not to notice, leading him out to face the motionless martial artists and various violent types gathered outside.

Ning Songluo’s voice quivered as if he were about to cry. “Bow to Heaven and Earth!”

Lin Yuetian bowed deeply, while Xiao Li, with his iron will, stood ramrod straight and refused to bow—until Lin Yuetian forcibly pressed his head down.

“Bow to parents!”

Lin Yuetian dragged Xiao Li to the memorial tablets of the twelve previous sect leaders. Xiao Li, full of humiliation, shouted, “Lin Yuetian! These are… these are the memorial tablets of our sect’s twelve predecessors! You’ve gone too far!”

Lin Yuetian ignored him entirely. Xiao Li was once again forced to bow under pressure.

Ning Songluo was on the verge of tears, silent ones streaking down his face, his lips trembling. “…Bow to… each other as husband and wife…”

“Louder,” Lin Yuetian demanded. He stabbed another disciple for emphasis.

“Bow to each other as husband and wife!” Ning Songluo shouted at the top of his lungs.

Lin Yuetian positioned Xiao Li face-to-face with him. “Sect Leader, bow.”

Xiao Li said nothing, his bloodthirsty gaze fixed on him as if ready to kill.

Lin Yuetian sighed. “The wedding night is one of life’s great joys, Sect Leader Xiao. You should be happy, not so grim.”

Xiao Li remained motionless.

Lin Yuetian heaved a long sigh.

He disliked violence—this was true. Violence was merely a means to an end, and excessive violence only increased his workload. After all the chaos today, Lin Yuetian was genuinely exhausted.

Big business, big business… work comes first. Lin Yuetian murmured to himself, using self-hypnosis to regain his professional composure. Resolute, he swiftly stabbed Xiao Li in both knees with a lightning-fast strike. Xiao Li, in pain and weakened, collapsed to his knees instinctively. Lin Yuetian smoothly twisted his wrist, withdrew the sword, and pinned Xiao Li to the ground in a kneeling position by driving the blade through his shoulder!

Lin Yuetian bowed ceremoniously to Xiao Li in their final salute.

The hall fell into a dead silence.

Fresh blood filled the air, accentuating the eerie horror of the scene. Amid Xiao Li’s pained struggles, Lin Yuetian turned his gaze to the collapsed Ning Songluo.

He said, “It’s time to declare the ceremony complete.”

“Th-the ceremony… is complete…” Ning Songluo no longer cursed him; she now looked at Lin Yuetian as if he were some sort of monster.

“Task Three: Marry the Sect Leader—completed,” the system announced, its voice trembling. “So terrifying… so terrifying… Don’t you think your actions were too terrifying?”

Lin Yuetian casually wiped his hands with a clean cloth and smiled faintly, puzzled. “Didn’t I already say? If I had any capacity for empathy, I wouldn’t have become an assassin.”

Turning to Xiao Li, Lin Yuetian asked calmly, “Sect Leader Xiao Li, do you regret it?”

“Regret? Pfft,” the system chimed in, regaining its composure but with a strange tone. “If he still falls in love with you, I’ll be amazed.”

Xiao Li’s lips were pale, and he sneered, “Regret…?”

Lin Yuetian nodded, his tone gentle as he pointed to the dragon-phoenix candles. “Look, Xiao Li, once upon a time, you slaughtered everyone at our wedding banquet here. Today, I’ve done the same. Isn’t this fate? That day, you deliberately spared me. I believe there’s a softness in your heart, just like any other person. I believe you have feelings for me. You invited me to this martial arts conference to protect me, didn’t you? I’m truly touched… We could’ve been married that day. Yesterday, today… all that’s happened… Xiao Li, you must listen to your heart. For your feelings toward me, do you have even a shred of regret?”

Xiao Li laughed. Though weak, his smile remained striking. “…Come closer, and I’ll tell you.”

“I won’t,” Lin Yuetian said, knowing full well many would attempt to bite off an ear as a last resort. “You and I are one as husband and wife. There’s nothing you can’t say aloud. Speak up, and I’ll hear you.”

Xiao Li coughed up a mouthful of blood in rage and cursed, “Regret my ass!”

It was his first time swearing.

“You see?” The system said, “I told you so.”

“Forget it. Let’s finish Task One first.” Lin Yuetian decided to save time.

Ignoring Xiao Li’s furious curses, he sped through the hall, stabbing away. It turned out that immobilized disciples were much easier to stab than pigs were to catch. No matter Xiao Li’s or Ning Songluo’s reactions, Lin Yuetian focused solely on efficiently stabbing from left to right, as if the people before him were mere radishes.

Finally, he stood before Ning Songluo with his sword.

“…Don’t kill me… don’t kill me…” Ning Songluo’s eyes were bright with tears.

“Many people have said that to me,” Lin Yuetian said evenly. He had grown numb to this long ago. No matter how arrogant someone was, they always became vulnerable when faced with death. This vulnerability no longer moved him in the slightest. “My sword is swift and clean; it won’t hurt.”

“Don’t kill me…”

Lin Yuetian hadn’t intended to explain himself, but Ning Songluo’s reaction made him feel like some sort of twisted villain or sadist. He had always thought of himself as a gentle, reasonable, honest, and dedicated professional. How could he let such a misunderstanding stand?

So, he spoke.

Lin Yuetian said, “Back then, my parents begged you the same way.”

His sword was indeed swift.

As Ning Songluo, the right guardian, fell, the system announced, “Task One: Avenge yourself against the Devil Sect—completed.”

Lin Yuetian leisurely walked up to Xiao Li. Xiao Li, no longer able to maintain his façade, was pinned to the ground, his eyes filled with a hatred so intense it seemed as if they would bleed.

“Do you regret it?” Lin Yuetian asked.

“Using you? I’ve never regretted it,” Xiao Li replied, each word squeezed out between clenched teeth.

Lin Yuetian smiled faintly. “That’s not what I meant.”

He spoke slowly and clearly. “I’m asking: Do you regret sparing me that day?”

Xiao Li was silent for a long time, so long that Lin Yuetian thought he would never answer. Finally, Xiao Li gave his response, speaking just as slowly and clearly: “Deeply regretful.”

“Task Two: Make the Sect Leader regret—completed,” the system announced.