Raising Orphans, Not Assassins

In Yuhang County, at the Yue Lai Inn.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Qin Yi suddenly opened her eyes, revealing a shimmering light in her autumn-like eyes.

"I'm back."

She muttered to herself, then picked up the sword placed beside the bed, got up, and pushed open the door. As if no one else were around, she swiftly walked to the door of room number one on the ground floor, a flash of sword light passing by.

The lock hanging on the door snapped apart with a crisp sound. Qin Yi still held the sword in her left hand, maintaining her stance as if she hadn't drawn the sword at all. She picked up the broken lock from the ground and pushed open the door.

Creak

In the moment the door opened, several dark shadows rushed towards her, emitting a dull thudding sound. The sword light shimmered, accompanied by several crisp clangs and clinks. Several crossbow arrows lay broken into halves on the ground. Qin Yi stepped over the broken arrows, still holding the sword in her left hand, as if she had never attacked.

Entering room number one on the ground floor, Qin Yi sat quietly in the center of the room on a chair, waiting patiently. After a moment, a man's surprised voice came from outside the door.

"Huh?"

The door was pushed open, and a figure walked in. A dazzling sword light flashed by, swift to the extreme.

"Hmm?"

In the room, Qin Yi's voice of confusion echoed.

The sword light abruptly ceased, freezing in mid-air. A strand of jet-black hair floated down. Xiao Lian stared at the long sword hovering just above her head, her face pale with fear. The sword was less than an inch away from her, emanating a chilling coldness, sending a freezing sensation through her scalp.

Xiao Lian felt a chilling sensation and a slight tingling on her head. Even though the sword hadn't actually fallen, Xiao Lian felt like she could die at any moment.

Clap Clap

A series of amused claps were heard from behind Xiao Lian.

"Such a swift sword! Truly worthy of Yu Luo Sha, the top assassin of Fengyu Tower... Truly worthy of its fame!"

Dressed in purple silk and satin, the man stood behind Xiao Lian, holding a folding fan in his right hand, resting it on her waist. The man looked at the woman in the black skirt standing in his room, his gaze greedy as he scanned her from top to bottom.

The woman had a graceful figure, perfectly outlined under her black dress. A light veil partially covered her face, revealing only a pair of autumn-like eyes, which shimmered with a hint of disinterest.

The man couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

Qin Yi's gaze fell on Xiao Lian, whose face was pale, sensing a familiarity, as if she had seen her somewhere before.

She looked at the man behind Xiao Lian, Tang Feng, her voice cold and indifferent, "Tang Feng, ranked first on the Earth List, carrying a bounty of 1000 gold taels, one first-grade internal skill manual, and two second-grade secret manuals."

Qin Yi spoke without emotion, as if she were stating Tang Feng's worth.

Behind Xiao Lian, Tang Feng burst into laughter at her words. He released the folding fan resting on Xiao Lian's waist and lightly tapped her with it. A warm flow spread from her body, and Xiao Lian felt control returning to her body.

"Young lady, stand back a bit. We wouldn't want any accidents," Tang Feng said to Xiao Lian with a smile.

With that, he unfolded his fan, portraying a gallant and refined demeanor as he looked at Qin Yi, "Today is truly my lucky day to encounter two such distinguished ladies."

"It seems I'll have to entertain both of you well tonight."

Tang Feng laughed heartily, exuding a somewhat charming aura, though the large copper coin-sized black mole on his face detracted from it all. To onlookers, it made him seem mismatched, even grotesque.

Xiao Lian didn't hesitate. She turned around to leave, but Tang Feng stood in front of the door, blocking her way. Glancing at her, Tang Feng chuckled, "Young lady, if you stand back a bit, you won't have to wait too long."

Xiao Lian's face turned pale, understanding his intentions well. This man named Tang Feng had no intention of letting her go. Xiao Lian bit her lip and looked at Tang Feng with a cold gaze.

She slowly retreated to the corner of the room.

Xiao Lian could already tell that these two were no ordinary individuals. With a light touch from Tang Feng, she lost her ability to move; although the woman in the black skirt hadn't moved visibly, her sword flashed, clearly moving at an incredible speed.

Once Xiao Lian walked away, Tang Feng noticed the broken crossbow arrows on the ground.

He nodded approvingly, "Miss Yu's sword is truly fast. A common second-grade expert like myself would likely have fallen prey to these crossbows if caught off guard. Yet Miss Yu managed to cut them all down. Impressive."

With that, Tang Feng even bowed slightly, showing genuine respect.

Qin Yi didn't waste words. Suddenly, several flashes of sword light flickered in the room, chilling the air.

Clang!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal clashed in the room. The ground was littered with broken dark projectiles. Standing in the corner of the room, Xiao Lian recognized a few of them from the descriptions she had heard before, and her heart raced.

Dark projectiles!

It was something mentioned in the techniques of the Jing Hua Zhi.

Xiao Lian widened her eyes, fixedly watching the two in combat without blinking.

Both of them moved at incredible speeds. Whenever Tang Feng launched a dark projectile, Xiao Lian couldn't see his hand move, only hearing the swift rustling of his sleeves.

The woman in the black skirt wielded her sword single-handedly, its blade constantly flashing with cold light, intercepting every dark projectile Tang Feng sent her way, slicing them to the ground. Each flash of the sword was followed by the clatter of several dark projectiles hitting the floor.

Suddenly, Tang Feng's figure flickered and appeared beside Qin Yi. In his hand appeared something unknown, raised high.

Feigning concern, Tang Feng warned, "Miss Yu, this is the Dragon Whisker Needle, be careful!"

At his words, Qin Yi's eyes narrowed, her movements becoming ethereal and unpredictable, the chill emanating from her sword intensifying. Despite it being summer and unbearably hot, Xiao Lian, several metres away from the two, couldn't help but shiver.

Several black objects were thrown by Tang Feng.

Qin Yi frowned slightly, on alert.

She had never seen the Dragon Whisker Needle before, but she had heard of its formidable reputation. Without hesitation, Qin Yi's body moved like a ghostly retreat. Several black objects fell to the ground, emitting a pungent smell of sulphur.

Boom!

Instantly, an explosion rang out. Inside the room, accompanied by black smoke rising, several flames flickered.

Xiao Lian watched the scene unfold before her eyes, feeling a chill in her heart. She was deeply shocked.

Previously, she had thought that her Jing Hua Zhi technique was quite powerful, at least among her peers. However, seeing these two engage in combat, their prowess was beyond her expectations.

Inside the room, tables, chairs, and the floor were riddled with holes, littered with broken crossbow bolts and black scorch marks. As the black smoke gradually dissipated, there was no sign of the woman in the black skirt.

Xiao Lian's face turned pale, biting her lip.

'Had the woman in the black skirt lost?'

Seeing no trace of Qin Yi in the black smoke, Tang Feng's lips curled slightly upwards.

He was about to make a move when a dazzling flash of sword light suddenly appeared. Tang Feng's pupils contracted, his body stiffened. In disbelief, he slowly lowered his head, his hand touching his neck. His fingertips felt the warmth of fresh blood.

"How is this possible?" Tang Feng's pupils tightened, his face filled with confusion and shock.

The woman in the black skirt stood beside Tang Feng, slowly sheathing her sword. She still wore the same cold expression. Her eyes, like autumn water, showed no emotion whatsoever.