Chapter 52: A Deliberate Show of Strength as a Warning
Translator: Kazeyuki_ Editor: Jimmy_
Regardless of his speed or ability to conceal himself, this unwanted visitor was almost at the level of the first-rate assassins in Qin Wushuang’s former world.
If the assassin had one flaw, it would be his imperfect control of his murderous intent. In other words, his murderous intent was too strong to be concealed.
Although other elite warriors could not catch this murderous intent, Qin Wushuang was an exception. He had encountered way too many assassination attempts and had fought them more than a hundred times.
Moving like a ghost, he disappeared in a flash into the shadows. Qin Wushuang instantly landed in a dark corner and watched the assassin’s movements.
The assassin’s very fast movements made it apparent that he had received professional training. He entered the middle of the inn and was probing rooms one by one. He was clearly searching for his target.
His body was like a taut bowstring, ready to shoot at any moment.
Qin Wushuang immediately recognized this person when he glanced at his figure.
This person was surely that short and vigorous subordinate who accompanied Xi Men Qian. However, he was currently exuding an entirely different aura like that of cold steel compared to his gloomy bearing while in the public eye.
This type of aura only existed in those who had lived the life of an assassin for a long time and had shed much blood and taken many lives over the years.
Qin Wushuang did not feel surprised. From his observations of Xi Men Qian, he knew with absolute certainty that he was a cautious person. However, that Xi Men Qian had unexpectedly dared to throw caution to the wind and commit a crime after the officials of the Zhen Wu Holy Place had warned him.
Qin Wushuang instantly moved toward the area where the three rooms his family resided in were.
As soon as the assassin approached, if there was the slightest hint of danger, Qin Wushuang would not mind killing him on the spot.
After some investigation, the assassin approached the rooms where the Qin family stayed. However, Qin Wushuang was surprised to see that the assassin stopped his footsteps when he was close to his sister’s room.
Qin Wushuang inwardly wondered, “Could it be, this person’s target was his sister, Qin Xiu?”
When he thought about the relationship between Da Xi Ming and his sister, it made sense that Xi Men Qian would try to deal with his sister. With that thought in mind, Qin Wushuang moved very fast, just like a falcon swooping down a rabbit.
The unwanted and dubious visitor was indeed the Cold-Blooded Eleven who belonged to the “Thirteen Xi Men Hawks.” When he caught a whiff of Qin Xiu’s scent, he gently opened the window and was about to flip in briskly and nimbly when suddenly a tightness clamped down on his shoulder as if a giant iron tong had pressed down on half of his arm.
Extremely astonished, he immediately raised his left arm and swept it in a circle behind him. Before he could channel his inner strength, the left arm also turned numb.
Both of his shoulders had been instantly locked down as if an iron hoop had been wrapped around him. It was firm and unyielding, even after he utilizing all his strength, that metal hoop did not budge a single centimeter. His actions were like an ant trying to shake a big tree.
Ever since the Cold-Blooded Eleven had begun his career as an assassin, he had killed countless people. When he had begun working for the Xi Men Feudal Lords, he had quickly risen the ranks and was soon promoted to a gold-rated killer. He rarely failed his mission when he was sent out.
Since his strength was at Stage Six of the Genuine Force, he was invincible in this River County.
This time, he had thought this would be a simple task especially since he was going against a little Humble Class family. Not even once did he consider the possibility of failure.
However, after both of his arms had been bound by the other party, he realized that something was wrong. As an assassin, he already had a high vigilance and was extremely focussed. Under this circumstance, what did it mean if someone was able to conceal himself and sneak behind his back?
It meant that his enemy’s strength far surpassed his.
Those who could approach him without a trace of noise at least had the strength of Stage Seven of the Genuine Force.
In the entire River County, besides Da Xi Heng of the Venerable Da Xi family, who else had such strength?
Could it be Da Xi Heng? Cold-Blooded Eleven’s thoughts raced. However, he did not dare to look back. He was afraid that if he looked back and saw the face of his enemy, he would surely be killed in order to silence him.
Qin Wushuang moved like a lightning bolt. He instantly sealed Cold-Blooded Eleven’s major acupoints in his body.
Qin Wushuang finally let out a sigh of relief when the Cold-Blooded Eleven fell limp. Since he had learned this technique in his former world, he was worried whether or not his acupuncture skills would still be useful.
It seemed now, that his acupuncture skills had proven itself to still be very useful.
Qin Wushuang lifted Cold-Blooded Eleven and quietly carried him into his room without disturbing his father and sister.
He threw him onto the floor and said lightly: “Did Xi Men Qian send you?”
When Cold-Blooded Eleven saw Qin Wushuang’s face, he opened his mouth widely in astonishment. It was big enough to stuff in a steam bun; his face was full of surprise as if he had seen the most outrageous thing in the world.
“You… Are you even a human being?” Cold sweat beaded Cold-Blooded Eleven’s forehead.
In his former world, Qin Wushuang had heard many people ask him this question.
“Am I the one questioning you here, or you are questioning me?”
With a white and pallid complexion, Cold-Blooded Eleven muttered: “Kill me.”
“Kill you?” Qin Wushuang gave a cold sneer, “Killing you is easier than killing a dog. Since you are asking to die, I will fulfill your wish.”
He transformed his palm into a knife and sliced it across the neck of Cold-Blooded Eleven.
Ka-Cha!
With a clear sound of his neck fracturing, Cold-Blooded Eleven did not even have the chance to make a sound and he immediately drew his last breath.
Qin Wushuang did not have the slightest pity toward him. He knew these kind of assassins were tough. If he was determined to remain uncooperative, he would never get anything out of him. Even if he pushed him into a corner, these kinds of people would have at least a hundred different methods to end their own lives.
Besides, this truth behind the incident was quite clear. Xi Men Qian had undoubtedly sent him.
Grabbing the corpse of Cold-Blooded Eleven by the leg and lifting him upside down like one would grab a dead dog, Qin Wushuang slid out of the door like a roaming fish. He arrived before his father’s window and whispered: “Father, I am going out.”
Qin Wushuang had previously studied at the Martial Arts Academy and knew the geography of River County very well. He did not need much effort to find the Wealthy Xu family residence.
With Qin Wushuang’s current strength, those guards of the Xu family would not pose any threat. In fact, to him, they were no better than wooden practice dummies.
He slipped past the layers of guards quickly even though he was carrying a body.
At this moment, Xu Sanli was carefully asking for instructions from Xi Men Qian.
“Patriarch Xu, without the wind, there cannot be waves. What hidden trump cards do the Qin family possess since they’ve dared to challenge your family, have you thoroughly investigated them?”
This question had indeed been plaguing the entire Xu family. Xu Sanli knew nothing at all, and thus, he was not aware of how to answer.
“Young Master Xi Men, for the past three generations, the Qin family of the Eastwood Town only had one son. Regarding hidden trump cards, the Qin family was a Wealthy Class family hundreds of years ago. They definitely have some secret family martial arts technique books. Besides this, I can not think of any other hidden trump card they may have.”
Xi Men Qian reminded them since he was always meticulous: “It doesn’t matter if their ancestors were Wealthy Class. It is how family legacies works. If subsequent generations of the Qin have gone downhill, then the number of their family’s martial arts technique books would have dwindled. As a result, the family’s power would drop. A Wealthy Class from hundreds of years ago, how many hidden secrets could they have preserved until now? Have you never wondered if the Humble Qin family have had any other sort of fortuitous opportunity?”
“Other fortuitous opportunity?” Xu San Li was momentarily stunned. He shook his head and sighed helplessly, “In such a little River County, I could not think of any such encounters. This place is too small, if there are some fortuitous opportunity, people would doubtlessly already be talking about it everywhere. But…”
Xu Sanli paused, he immediately changed his tone and said thoughtfully: “Four years ago, that son of the Qin family had a duel with the youngest son of the Prominent Zhang family. By a fluke, he somehow survived and turned into an entirely different person. Young Master Xi Men, do you think something fishy is going on?”
“How much talent did that son of the Qin family have before?”
“He was average and a hard-worker. At most, he would rank in the middle.”
“That’s strange! If the Humble Qin family had no supporters, how come they dared to challenge the Wealthy Xu?”
“Young Master Xi Men, could Zhen Wu Holy Place be behind this incident?”
Xi Men Qian waved his hand and flatly denied it: “Since ancient times, the Zhen Wu Holy Place has never interfered with the Family Class Evaluations.”
“Please rest assured, Young Master Xi Men. As long as the Xu family remains vigilant, and never underestimates the enemy, we will never let the Humble Qin family go so easily…”
Before he had finished speaking, a dry laughter suddenly came from outside the door.
This laughter had gone through a special manipulation by the person. When you heard this laughter in the dark, it sounded even more strange and eerie.
“Xi Men Qian, it will be difficult for your Xi Men family to survive, be careful that your hundred years worth of foundation doesn’t end up being destroyed in an instant! Here is your servant, I’ve come to return him to you.”
Bang!
A sudden and sharp wind penetrated the door and flew directly at Xi Men Qian’s face. A large object suddenly appeared before him, and before it reached his face, it abruptly dropped perpendicularly and landed at the feet of Xi Men Qian.
When he looked at the object, Xi Men Qian’s eyeballs almost fell out of his eye sockets. He opened his mouth widely as if it had became stuck and a trace of panic flashed across his face as if a most poisonous snake had bitten him. The muscle on his face could not help but tremble.
“It’s him?” Xu Sanli also drew back a breath of cold air. He recognized this person. He was definitely Xi Men Qian’s close servant, one of the elite warrior of the “ Thirteen Xi Men Hawks.”
He had last seen this person at nightfall, not too long ago. How had he suddenly returned as a cold corpse?
Someone seemed to have pinched his throat, Xu Sanli wanted to speak some comforting words but could not even open his mouth regardless how he much he tried. He stared at Xi Men Qian with a terrified expression.
“Eleven!” Xi Men Qian clenched his fists as if he were going to break them into pieces. He muttered to himself with a nasty expression, “Who did this? Who did this, ah?”
“Should we give chase?” Xu Sanli finally regained his senses.
Xi Men Qian growled as his eyes turned blood-shot: “Chase? With your strength, do you have some sort of a death-wish to want to go after him?”
Xu Sanli shivered. Although he had been yelled at, he did not dare to object and quietly stood to the side like a good child. In his unpredictable mood, Xu Sanli did not want to be burned by Xi Men Qian’s flames of anger.
“Xu Sanli, who is the number one warrior in River County?” After some time, Xi Men Qian gradually calmed down and asked.
“Should be the head of the Venerable Da Xi family—Da Xi Heng.” A trace of strangeness flashed across Xu Sanli’s face, “Could it be, that this was the work of Da Xi Heng?”
“Da Xi Heng? He doesn’t have such guts! Besides, Eleven is at Stage Six of the Genuine Force and excelled in concealing himself. Considering this, he would not be killed this easily. It must be someone much stronger that had killed Eleven! He should have the strength of a Stage Eight Genuine Force Warrior!”
A Stage Eight Genuine Force Warrior?
Xu Sanli only felt a buzzing in his head, what did that represent? If he remembered correctly, a mighty warrior at Stage Eight of the Genuine Force was a figure equivalent to the strength of a Patriarch of a Feudal Lord family!
The essential requirement in establishing a Feudal Lord family was to have a Stage Eight Warrior of the Genuine Force!
How could such a powerful enemy appear in this little River County?
Most importantly, why would he show himself to the Xu family? Xu Sanli, who was sensitive like a fox, immediately felt something was amiss.
A sense of crisis suddenly emerged in Xu Sanli and flooded his mind like a river!
However, time will not stop because of his anxiety. After ten days of vicious fights, the battles between the Humble Class and Prominent Class families were over. The grand finale, which was highly anticipated and had everyone tense like a taut bowstring—The Battle for the Wealthy Class Seat was about to begin.