Chapter 44. The Heir of the Heavenly Flower Library is Ours

A hawk sliced through the sky and flew.

Upon reaching the pine forest, it circled once before diving into the woods.

A man in black, standing on a tree branch, raised his arm.

The hawk landed on the man’s arm.

The man untied the cloth tied to the hawk’s leg and examined it.

There were no words.

Instead, it was a feast of several shapes and incomprehensible lines.

But he was familiar with the code. He understood the content as soon as he unfolded it.

"The Heir of the Heavenly Flower Library has set out.

Expected to break through the pine forest after one hour.

Final destination is the Medicine King Gate.

- Wuji (無極)."

The man in black’s gaze swept the surroundings.

Right beside him, on the branches, four top assassins of the Wuji Assassins Guild were watching.

He signaled to them, and they immediately scattered into the surrounding trees.

The man in black smiled and lay down on the branch.

'After one hour...'

There was still time.

'Last time, it was just luck...'

The failure of the first assassination attempt was largely due to carelessness.

How could he have known that a man who wished to die would change his mind?

Of course, there was something surprising.

Even with carelessness, to take out four top assassins in an instant—his martial arts were not to be underestimated.

But not all top assassins are the same.

There is a significant difference between those who have just entered the top rank and those who have reached the pinnacle, like himself. The assassins from the first attempt had only recently been promoted to the top rank.

'Heh, once a contract, always a contract. Heir of the Heavenly Flower Library, your time is up.'

Just as the man in black was smirking,

"Ugh!"

"Choke!"

"Ah!"

"Whew!"

Sudden screams of agony erupted.

He jumped up in shock and followed the sounds.

What he saw was a bizarre scene. His comrades, who had scattered into the surrounding trees, were falling helplessly.

Thud, thud.

They hit the ground like straw dummies.

'What...?'

His spine turned cold with confusion.

He was the only one left.

How could this happen?

The basic skill of an assassin is to sense the surroundings.

Even in sleep, a part of their consciousness remains alert.

Yet, he heard nothing.

He frantically looked around.

No one.

But then,

"Kiyaaah!"

A strange sound echoed from below.

His gaze instinctively dropped.

What he saw was a pale figure.

The white figure was rising terrifyingly.

He immediately tried to dodge, but he knew something was wrong. A flash of light appeared from the left side of the air, and by the time he realized it, the light had pierced through his temple.

"Kueee!"

His body plummeted downward.

Boom.

In his fading vision, three figures were calmly looking down at him.

Finally, the last sound of his life reached his ears.

"Heh heh heh, the Heir of the Heavenly Flower Library is ours."

***

The carriage approached the pine forest.

As it entered the narrow path, the bumpy ground made the carriage sway.

"Master, the road is uneven, causing the carriage to shake."

Yang Xiao, on the driver’s seat, reported the situation and slowed down.

It seemed they would have to maintain a low speed until they passed through the forest.

The rain had not yet started.

But the sky grew darker, and the atmosphere became more ominous.

Hou Gong frowned.

"Hmm, I can't figure it out."

"Master, what is it?"

Song Hua asked quickly.

The owner, who had been meditating quietly, finally spoke.

"Don't you know?"

Song Hua was puzzled.

"What do I need to know?"

"Well, I don't know either. It's not just one or two things."

"Huh?"

Seeing the owner point outside the carriage window, Song Hua’s eyes widened. Not only that, but he was also picking up his sword from the seat beside him.

Although he knew the owner’s martial arts were far superior to his, he could sense nothing unusual outside. Song Hua blinked, unsure of what was happening.

Then,

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

A maniacal laugh echoed from the forest.

The carriage came to an abrupt stop.

"Master!"

Yang Xiao, on the driver’s seat, called out in concern and then shouted loudly.

"Who is there!"

The answer came immediately.

"Heh heh heh..."

"We are..."

"Who are you..."

"Talking about?"

Yang Xiao’s face contorted.

The voices were different, and each word was filled with deep internal strength, making his ears ring.

Inside the carriage, Song Hua’s face turned pale.

The deep internal strength in the voices shook the carriage’s interior.

As he hurried to gather his energy, a hand grabbed his. Surprised, he looked up to see the owner’s hand.

Soon, a warm energy flowed through his palm, quickly stabilizing his entire body.

"Master..."

Song Hua stared in amazement.

The energy flowing into him was not only warm but also pure, causing no discomfort.

Hou Gong smiled at him.

"Stay here."

"Master, no. I also..."

"You’ll just get in the way!"

"…Yes."

With a dazed expression, Song Hua watched as Hou Gong took his sword and stepped out of the carriage.

Yang Xiao stood beside him.

"Yang Xiao, step back."

"Yes."

Yang Xiao followed the order without a word.

Hou Gong spoke softly to the forest.

"I’m curious about who has come to greet us. Please show yourselves."

"We are curious!"

The moment he finished speaking,

Figures soared from the pine forest, drawing high arcs as they flew toward the carriage.

There were nine in total.

Seeing their faces, Hou Gong frowned.

'Hmm?'

They spoke while still in the air.

"We are!"

"Who are we?"

"We are!"

"Heaven!"

"Public!"

"Group!"

"Indeed!"

Hou Gong’s frown deepened.

'What is this? Did they practice this?'

The way they spoke in turns, each adding a word, was absurd.

Hou Gong was speechless.

More importantly, he recognized some of them.

'Why are these guys here...'

Their impressive entrance and landing were good, but Hou Gong had to suppress his irritation.

Six of the nine were familiar faces.

Two of them, he had seen recently.

One of them ran up, greeting him.

"Brother, it’s me. I’m here! Fourth Brother is here too!"

"..."

"Brother, didn’t we just make a very impressive entrance?"

Xiao Tiankai of the Beggar Sect laughed and looked proud.

When did the Beggar Sect become the Heavenly Public Group?

Or rather, what is the Heavenly Public Group?

Xiao Tiankai wasn’t the only one who looked proud. Behind him, the other eight members of the so-called Heavenly Public Group stood in a fan shape in front of the carriage, their faces beaming with pride. Despite speaking in turns, not one of them looked embarrassed.

Let’s see.

Two beggars.

One old man. And five middle-aged men.

A wide range of ages, including a young woman he had never seen before, making a complete mix of men, women, and ages.

The young woman’s appearance was particularly striking.

She wore a tight red robe that emphasized her curvy figure, which looked like it might burst out of the fabric at any moment.

Among them, Hou Gong recognized the beggars, the old man, and the three middle-aged men known as the Demon-Slaying Trio.

The old man was Jin Jizi.

A formidable expert whose martial arts were on par with the elders of the nine major sects.

He had been missing for a while, and only strange rumors had been circulating, but here he was.

The Demon-Slaying Trio were as mentally unstable as the Beggar Sect’s disciples, so it made sense that they were together. The other two middle-aged men and the young woman were not expected to be any better. Just being part of this group was enough to guess their condition.

Hou Gong turned his gaze to Xiao Tiankai.

"Xiao Tiankai, what is this Heavenly Public Group?"

"Brother, are you curious? I knew you would be. The Heavenly Public Group is..."

"Wait!"

A voice interrupted Xiao Tiankai, who was about to explain.

It was Yin Yangkai.

He stood at the far left of the fan shape, with an unusually serious face that made him look like a lunatic.

"Xiao Tiankai, have you forgotten our agreement?"

"Ahem, Yin... Yin Yangkai, I just forgot for a moment. I’m sorry."

Xiao Tiankai flinched and stammered.

"Heh heh, it’s easy to forget when you’re excited. Let’s start, shall we?"

"Let’s."

The two beggars spoke politely, and then Yin Yangkai began his action. He raised his right hand to the sky.

"We, the Heavenly Public Group, are!"

Yin Yangkai then looked at the dignified old man standing next to him. It was Jin Jizi’s turn.

"Heaven is from Heavenly Flower Library!"

Jin Jizi, who had discarded all dignity, spread his arms and bent one leg at chest level.

It was the crane stance.

The call continued to the right.

"Public is from Heir!"

"Public Group is!"

"Protecting the!"

"Heir of the Heavenly Flower Library!"

"People!"

"Indeed!"

"End!"

The last word, "End," was delivered by the young, plump woman standing at the far right.

She spun around once and gave a seductive smile. However, her cute appearance made the seductive smile look out of place.

The eight of them, including her, maintained their poses and looked at Hou Gong.

'The martial world has gone mad. Is there a plague...?'

Hou Gong sighed. This was a particularly virulent strain of the epidemic. Yet, these patients claimed to be protecting him. What did it mean?

"Thank you all for offering to protect me, but I need some clarification. Who will speak on behalf of the group?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "representative" to prevent them from speaking in turns.

"Ahem, as the representative, I should speak."

Jin Jizi released the crane stance and stepped forward.

Behind him, the three middle-aged men shouted to stop the old man.

"If the representative is to speak, you should have called us. Jin Jizi, step back!"

"We are three, so one of us should explain."

There were more competitors.

"Are these people crazy? My part was just 'End.' I’m happy to let you explain. The beautiful one of the Heavenly Public Group should do it!"

The three middle-aged men shouted to stop Jin Jizi, and then the woman spoke in a sharp voice.

"..."

Hou Gong was starting to get annoyed.

Why were they fighting over who would explain? He thought they were joking, but their expressions were deadly serious. With Yin Yangkai and the other two middle-aged men joining in, the scene became chaotic.

"My part was just 'Indeed!' I should explain!"

"Mine was 'People!' Just because I had one more character, I should give up?"

"Oh, what a tragedy! When did the martial world lose its hierarchy? Do young people no longer respect the elderly?"

"I’ve shown enough respect to the elderly. Stop bringing up age."

"Let’s just draw lots!"

At the mention of drawing lots, Hou Gong gave up on these people.