Chapter 46

"You know me!"

Lei Bin's face was grave. As an assassin, he never wore a mask when carrying out missions because there were never any survivors left behind. This was the confidence of an assassin. Besides, they were not afraid of leaving clues, as the Wheel King would use his connections with the authorities to erase all traces. However, since someone could recognize him, it must mean that there was a significant risk in some aspect. In his memory, this had only happened once.

"Do you know Xi Yu?" Though it was a question, his expression was full of certainty.

Ling Xiao knew he had been misunderstood but was too lazy to explain, and laughed, saying, "Xi Yu! We're quite familiar. If it weren't for my preference for younger women, she might have become my wife!" This wasn't a lie; Old Lady Cai had indeed proposed the match.

"Where is she?"

"Do you want to find her? Why? The Wheel King saw potential in Rama's martial arts, which could give him a new life. The Puppet Master wanted to live a few more years. What do you want? You have no worries about food or drink, a wife, and children, a happy family. You could live another hundred years or so. What more do you seek?"

Lei Bin's fists clenched tightly, his face dark as he asked, "Why do you know all this? Xi Yu couldn't have told you, because no one except the Wheel King knows!"

Ling Xiao suddenly understood, "Oh! I see, the Wheel King threatened you? Using your wife and children's lives?"

Lei Bin's eyes narrowed, knowing further questioning would be futile. He coldly snorted, "It doesn't matter if you don't say. Once I capture you, there will be ways to make you talk!"

Ling Xiao laughed, "I was thinking earlier that the people behind you were too stupid! Trying to deal with me with just four steel knives and a few sleeve arrows is too disrespectful to me and too overconfident of themselves! When you showed up, I realized they had even hired a Black Stone assassin." He looked around and continued, "Actually, according to my usual style, I would have run away long ago! But my intuition tells me you're not much of a threat. Why don't you call out the Puppet Master and Ye Zhanqing? It would be more interesting to fight them."

Lei Bin said nothing, but his expression was unusually serious. As he finished speaking, footsteps could be heard from both sides of the street. Following the sound, the Puppet Master, dressed in a colorful robe, slowly walked over, the same street performer from earlier. On the other side, a graceful figure approached, holding a long sword and smiling seductively—Ye Zhanqing.

"Ha ha! It seems my charm is truly remarkable, even female assassins are throwing me flirtatious glances!" Ling Xiao laughed, recognizing the woman from earlier.

"If you can tell me where Xi Yu is, then it wouldn't be a problem for Zhanqing to have some fun with you!" Ye Zhanqing said, adopting a seductive pose.

It had to be said, Ye Zhanqing was top-notch in both figure and face, but Ling Xiao, who knew her background, had no time for her nonsense, "Sorry! I have no interest in slippers that everyone in the bathhouse has worn. Maybe the Emperor would like your flirtatious ways!"

Ye Zhanqing was furious, but she didn't know that Ling Xiao's last words were heartfelt.

"What are you babbling about! Capture him first!" The Puppet Master sneered, drawing his twin knives and slowly waving his arms. As he moved, the blades were enveloped in flames.

Ye Zhanqing slowly drew her sword, and Lei Bin took out two steel spikes similar to判官笔 (judicial pens).

Seeing this, Ling Xiao laughed, "I like your style, simple and brutal! But surrendering isn't my habit." With that, he turned and ran.

Whoosh!

Lei Bin instantly fired two flying needles, but Ling Xiao was prepared, grabbing a dead assassin's body and throwing it backward.

Under Ling Xiao's powerful strength, the body flew like a small mountain, creating a strong wind pressure as it hurtled toward Lei Bin. The needles hit the body, penetrating deep into the flesh but not through it. Lei Bin nimbly dodged the body, and when he looked again, Ling Xiao had turned into an alley.

"Chase him!" Lei Bin shouted, leaping onto the roof. The Puppet Master, wielding his flaming knives, followed the alley, while Ye Zhanqing, in perfect coordination, took a shortcut.

The boundary between the ordinary and the extraordinary is truly the realm of innate ability. One could say that reaching the innate realm is the first true step on the path of martial arts. From previous encounters, Ling Xiao clearly perceived that Lei Bin, the Puppet Master, and Ye Zhanqing were still at the postnatal stage. He guessed that among the Black Stone, only the Wheel King was an innate expert.

Although Ling Xiao's true qi was minimal, the innate realm greatly enhanced his senses, such as vision and hearing. Among the three, Lei Bin's flying needles were the most threatening, but despite his high martial arts skills, his professional qualities were far inferior to the four assassins from earlier!

It was clear that he was very fond of his close-range weapon, but polishing the flying needles to a shiny finish made them too obvious in the moonlight. Only a fool would miss them!

The Puppet Master and Ye Zhanqing were both close-combat types. Although Ling Xiao couldn't match them in technique, dealing with them wasn't too complicated.

Ling Xiao ran very fast, and although the Puppet Master pursued with his lightness skills, he couldn't close the gap. The sound of tiles breaking and the rustling of clothes indicated that Lei Bin was approaching from the roof.

Turning another corner, a wide street lay ahead. A figure flashed, and Ye Zhanqing, who had taken a shortcut, finally blocked the way.

Ling Xiao showed no sign of despair, turning into another alley. The three followed closely, exchanging glances and smirking, confident that it was a dead end!

The alley was narrow, extending slowly like an old man who had seen many years of vicissitudes. The weathered walls stood stubbornly, leaving only a path wide enough for two people to walk side by side. It was impractical to wield a sword here.

Ling Xiao slowly stopped, catching his breath and looking at the stone wall before him. He couldn't see through it, but he knew that following the street would lead directly to the Drunken Moon Tower.

The three also stopped, looking at Ling Xiao with disdain. "Why aren't you running anymore? Little brother, you're quite playful, making us chase you like this," Ye Zhanqing teased, raising her sword.

Ling Xiao turned around, his movements casual and graceful, his face showing no sign of despair or panic. "It's just a dead end, look how pleased you are! Life has many dead ends. You can either persist with determination and break through, or take a step back and find a broader horizon."

The Puppet Master sneered, "Do you want to bash your head against the wall? The buildings in the capital are famously sturdy. If you really want to do that, you'd need a hammer! Ha ha ha!"

Ling Xiao looked at the Puppet Master, whose face was wrinkled from laughter, and suddenly felt foolish for discussing philosophy with them! "Indeed, you're all masochists, forcing me to deal with you in a simple and brutal way." He tightened his grip on the large spoon in his hand and reached behind his waist, pulling out a poorly made dagger.

"Ha ha ha ha! You don't think you can take us on with just a dagger and a large spoon, do you? To be honest, we're looking forward to it!" The three burst out laughing, having never seen such a ridiculous opponent.

Ling Xiao looked at himself, a sword and a shield—basic warrior equipment! The shield was a bit small, and the sword a bit short, but remember, this wasn't a battlefield!

He smiled and charged at the three. Ye Zhanqing, standing at the front, suddenly felt a cruel edge to his smile.

Facing the enemy, she thrust her sword forward. Ling Xiao was delighted; he wasn't afraid of her attacks, just that she didn't attack!

Swinging the large spoon, his target was not Ye Zhanqing's head but her sword.

Clang!

The loud clanging echoed in the alley. Ye Zhanqing felt pain in her wrist and a tingling in her hand, almost losing her grip on the sword. "What strength! I wonder if you're as good in other areas?" She praised him, licking her lips in a seductive manner, making his heart itch.

Ling Xiao knew what she meant, but he didn't respond, raising the large spoon to block in front of his chest. Ting! A light sound, and the flying needle fell.

Looking at Lei Bin's serious expression, he laughed, "That's why I say you're not professional! Who can't see such obvious hidden weapons? Besides, your flying needles are best used for surprise attacks in open areas. It's a bit too narrow here."

Ling Xiao didn't say that the Puppet Master's flaming knives looked like a joke to him, and Ye Zhanqing's sword techniques, while commendable, were no threat. Only Lei Bin's flying needles were a real danger. Xi Yu could block them all with her sword, but he couldn't, not because his eyesight was poor, but because his sword skills were lacking. So he used Lei Bin's large spoon to compensate for his lack of skill.

Ling Xiao had lived in the capital for so long that he knew the layout of the alleys well. He wasn't forced into a dead end by the three, but chose it himself. First, to use the terrain to prevent them from surrounding him, and second, to eliminate the possibility of multiple angles of attack from the flying needles.

Ling Xiao proudly shook the large spoon, knowing it would frustrate Lei Bin.

"I'll go!" The Puppet Master shouted, stepping forward as Ye Zhanqing turned to switch positions.

The twin knives came at him, and Ling Xiao swung the large spoon again. With a dull thud, the knives were deflected, but the sparks flew and singed his sleeve.

"Damn! You're quite something." Ling Xiao blocked another flying needle from Lei Bin and tore off his singed sleeve.

The Puppet Master grinned and repeated his attack. Ling Xiao's eyes flashed with determination, and his entire being seemed to undergo a strange transformation. The Puppet Master had no time to consider what was happening, only to raise his guard and strike harder with his knives.

Facing the knives, Ling Xiao didn't use the large spoon this time. The unassuming dagger slowly descended, puzzling everyone.

Ting!

The same metallic sound, but this time, two segments of the knives flew out, cutting deep into the walls. Everyone stared in shock at the flames that had been split.

Flames, intangible and formless, warm and nurturing, can destroy everything in the universe, but can they be split?

Yes!

Ling Xiao used a dagger to split the flames, proving it with two scattered and quickly dissipating flames.

Everyone found the scene bizarre and hard to understand, but they didn't know that Ling Xiao was even more shocked.

What are flames? They are the visible light or other physical manifestations of a chemical process where fuel and air rapidly transform into combustion products. They are both a chemical and a physical phenomenon. Of course, they can also be understood as the high-speed movement of particles, friction, collision, and separation.

Ling Xiao knew what he had done. The flames didn't stop burning due to a lack of fuel; they were truly cut and extinguished!

"Damn! Did I just shatter molecules!"