The assassin in the air, though gravely injured and barely able to stand, still clung tightly to the will to survive.
He longed to flee and hoped for his comrades to rescue him.
However, the two he had attacked did not give him a chance to escape, capitalizing on his weakness to finish him off.
One drove him back in the air, while the other on the ground pressed the attack.
He teetered, trying to muster the last of his strength for a counterattack, but noticed something odd in his opponent's assault.
Shi Chun suddenly puffed his cheeks and spat out a mouthful of liquor-stained debris toward the assassin's face.
The assassin, already exhausted and unable to think clearly, did not recognize it as a killing move.
He met it with a full-force palm strike.
Meanwhile, Shi Chun rolled on the ground, dodging a strike aimed at his head.
As he rose, his blade gleamed like a waterfall, slashing upward from beneath and spraying blood into the air.
The assassin, staggering, was split in half diagonally.
With disbelief etched on his face, he glanced down, feeling the searing pain and witnessing his body spill open.
Wu Jinliang, who had been knocked back, landed on the eaves of a building.
The shattered tiles clattered to the ground beneath him, and he grabbed onto a window frame just in time to see Shi Chun dispatch the assassin with one stroke.
The entire encounter had been incredibly swift, yet the commotion still alarmed many people.
Shadows huddled beneath the eaves of shops in the rainy night emerged quickly at the sound, some just in time to see the assassin slain in the street.
Among them was a waiter from Peaceful Joy Pavilion, who saw the incident with his own eyes the moment the noise erupted.
The carriage that had passed by earlier hadn't traveled far.
Those inside, not wanting to reveal themselves, lifted the curtains upon hearing the disturbance, witnessing their comrade being killed by a single blade strike.
Their faces were filled with disbelief.
They gasped inwardly, how could this happen? Those were two third-grade Immobilization Talismans!
What do third-grade Immobilization Talismans mean?
First-grade can immobilize ordinary people easily, unless they possess extraordinary brute strength that might break the hold.
Second-grade affects those in the Initial Martial Realm but can be broken by those with peak strength of that realm.
Third-grade is designed for the Advanced Martial Realm, where breaking the hold is unlikely.
He had seen with his own eyes two third-grade talismans hit the pair.
Given their apparent age, shouldn't they be less than thirty years old? Could they have already reached the Human Immortal Realm?
The possibility seemed too unlikely.
Such a cultivation gift was rare even in the cultivation world.
Furthermore, they had just come from the Exile Lands—nonsense, right?
Sure, talismans can vary in quality, but both of them having issues simultaneously?
One might have malfunctioned, then the person might have quickly lifted the restriction off their comrade?
In that brief moment, he had many questions, and was dumbfounded.
There were rules within the city; with such a commotion, should they continue?
Regardless of his thoughts, Shi Chun understood the threat that carriage posed to him.
Without further delay, after dispatching the assassin, he immediately turned and leaped into the inn, shouting a warning as he did, "Hide!"
Standing on the eaves, Wu Jinliang smashed through a window and quickly dove into the nearest second-floor room.
The inn's waiter stood aside, watching Shi Chun tumble into the main hall and spring up.
Just as he was about to ask what was going on, Shi Chun quickly ordered, "It's assassins! There are accomplices in the carriage that passed by!"
Even without asking too many questions, the waiter could infer the situation.
This inn was likely connected to the Demonic Path.
First, Xiang Lan'er deliberately chose to stay here.
Secondly, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang had sat outside the inn for a long time, witnessing several guests being turned away with the excuse that the inn was full.
Nonsense! They stayed here and knew many rooms were empty.
Shi Chun quickly darted toward Xiang Lan'er’s room.
He knew Feng Chi was inside and aimed to seek his protection.
He bumped into Wu Jinliang, who had leaped down from the stairs.
Without needing Shi Chun's call, Wu Jinliang dragged his blade and followed, occasionally glancing back with his large blade ready in case of pursuit.
"You okay?" Shi Chun asked with concern, referring to when the assassin’s dagger had blown him back.
"I’m fine, just numb for a bit. Felt like I took down a real expert! Haha!" Wu Jinliang chuckled.
Shi Chun understood his meaning.
From exchanging blows, they knew their opponent wasn't a simple Initial Martial Realm practitioner, but an Advanced Martial practitioner.
Killing their first Advanced Martial artist in their lives should have been a joyous milestone, but Shi Chun couldn't feel happy just yet.
He knew they capitalized on an opening, catching their opponent off guard.
They reached Xiang Lan'er’s room.
Noticing the door still shut, they sensed something wrong—the noise outside couldn't have gone unnoticed.
Bam, Shi Chun kicked the door open, using his fingers to light a piece of Southern Sandalwood Gold for illumination, only to find the room empty.
Feng Chi didn't seem to leave as they hadn't seen him pass.
Wu Jinliang asked, "Can you see with your eye?" hinting at Shi Chun’s right-eye ability.
Shi Chun shook his head.
When immobilized earlier, his first thought was to cast a spell to break free, forgetting about his ability.
No time for chit-chat now, he whispered, "Let's find a hiding spot first. The madame will definitely handle it."
Though the assassin had accomplices, they worried about a secondary attack.
Given their low strength, what if another immobilization talisman came flying at them? They decided they needed to hide where they'd be hard to locate.
"Upstairs," Wu Jinliang said, having recently come from above, led the way.
Afraid of being ambushed outside, they hurriedly ran back to the upper floor, leaving their shoes and Shi Chun's scabbard behind.
On the upper floor, they squeezed into the roof space, sitting on beams under the tiles, peeking through eaves cracks to keep an eye on the street below.
Finally feeling secure, Wu Jinliang whispered, "Did those Demonic Path women set us up?"
"Nonsense," Shi Chun dismissed, knowing it wasn't those two's doing.
If Feng Chi wanted them dead, he wouldn't need to be so roundabout.
"Could it be Cen Futong's uncle?" Wu Jinliang guessed.
"Impossible," Shi Chun sighed.
"We aren't the killers, even if his uncle seeks revenge, shouldn't he first ask who the murderer is? Avenging with random killings makes no sense."
Wu Jinliang thought for a moment, "It is strange. We've barely been out of prison and haven't offended anyone outside. Our enemies wouldn't still be waiting after all this time, not enough to spend on immobilization talismans—so expensive!"
What are Immobilization Talismans? They're considered a major killing tool in the cultivation world, deciding life and death in an instant.
Not something cheap for sure.
Even the cheapest starts at tens of thousands of gold.
Why else would Shi Chun risk life and limb to infiltrate Wukang Mountain to learn and profit, while also gaining self-defense skills?
"Besides the expense of the talisman, employing an Advanced Martial expert..."
Wu Jinliang fell silent in realization, exchanging glances with Shi Chun as a single thought struck them both.
Shi Chun pondered but furrowed his brows, "Your mother, with her insight, said the matter should be over, that the Qi family wouldn't trouble us anymore, right? Plus, we're already outside; if the Qi family wanted us dead, they wouldn't need such talismans. A single expert would do the job."
Wu Jinliang was unconvinced, "Tell me, besides Shen Youkun's Qi family with such reach and resources, who else could it be? After all, Wukang Mountain controls Skyward Gaze City. However arrogant, the Qi family wouldn't blatantly attack here. They aimed for a secret assassination, not knowing when we left."
With Wu Jinliang's words, Shi Chun considered more.
Indeed, he couldn't think of anyone else.
The Qi family matched the ability and intent, the more he thought, the more likely it seemed, and he swore, "Damn it, isn't this over yet?"
Wu Jinliang spat, "What are we afraid of? We're Demonic Path now, even defying the Heavenly Court, why fear the Qi family?"
Shi Chun nodded, "If they insist on life and death, let's not hold back. We'll have Madam Feng paint a grim picture of the Qi family trying to sabotage our mission, let the Demonic Path deal with them!"
Wu Jinliang agreed, nodding vigorously, "Exactly, make sure the Demonic Path deals with them harshly!"
Outside the inn, on a roof opposite, a gaunt man in blue clothes stood atop the tiles, eyeing Peaceful Joy Pavilion.
Already, a crowd had gathered outside, including the Scruffy Old Man, mingling at the edge of the group, listening to discussions while observing the corpse.
The carriage that had brought the assailant eventually left the scene.
With such commotion, those onboard dared not continue without further instructions.
The carriage headed straight for a part of the city wall, and after alighting, the man inside leaped to a nearby pavilion.
Bian Weiying remained there, with drinks and dishes gone, hair loose and flowing with the breeze as she gazed toward Wukang Mountain's gate—either awaiting news or concerned about her brother's situation.
The man who entered seemed tense, relaying the failed attack's events.
Bian Weiying spun around incredulously, wind tangled hair blurring her face, "Even two third-grade talismans couldn't hold them?"
The man speculated, "I suspect a hidden expert intervened, breaking the talismans and injuring Old Liu, leading to his death at their hands."
"An expert? One who can break third-grade talismans? Very well, things are getting interesting!" Bian Weiying smiled, tossing her hair back, revealing a fresh face.
"This is my turf. If covert action failed, we'll take direct action. Gather the men and arrest them; no talk needed. Kill them immediately to prevent interference from the mountain. Let's go. I want to see what kind of expert shows up!"