Chapter 2

The assassin Mo Xian was struck by the blow and fell into the water. He did not know that the old monk had no intention of taking his life; the old monk did not want to break his precepts and also wanted to leave the karmic consequences for Huiming to deal with in the future.

Mo Xian fell into the water and had no thoughts of revenge. As an assassin, if one strike failed, he would flee far away, which was his secret to survival.

He followed the river without surfacing, and only emerged in the reed beds several miles downstream. His chest ached faintly, and he let out a long, heavy breath, tearing off his mask.

The mission had failed, but he was not sad or angry. An assassin merely carried out the duty of assigning all things to their rightful place on behalf of heaven. There was no emotion towards the target, and no responsibility for failure. Being able to escape with his life, he should thank heaven.

Although Mo Xian felt somewhat frustrated, he remembered the words of the person who had trained him since childhood. Mo Xian did not know his parents; from as far back as he could remember, he had been in the Yama Hall organization. Many of those who had been with him were no longer alive.

Some died during training, others died because they failed a mission and could not escape. He had also failed twice, but he was lucky to survive both times.

It could not be called luck; he was very cautious. At the slightest sign of trouble, he would flee far away, which was the secret to his survival.

This was the third time, and he should go back and report the situation to the Soul Collector.

The Yama Hall was an assassin organization, the king of assassin organizations in the Da'an Kingdom. Luoyi was the capital of the state of Zheng, and the Yama Hall had a Judge set up in Zheng. The highest level of the Yama Hall was the Lord of the Netherworld, followed by the Ten Yama Kings, then the Judges in the feudal states, and below them were the Soul Collectors, usually two, known as the Black and White Impermanents. Below them were the Evil Spirits, which were the common assassins.

Mo Xian was one of these spirits, the Explosive Ghost. In the江湖, he was known as the Broken Sword Mo Xian, but within the organization, his code name was the Explosive Ghost.

However, what Mo Xian did not know was that the Yama Hall was far more complex than this. There were many organizational structures that he, at his level, could not even hear about.

Mo Xian quickly eliminated all traces of his presence and disappeared into the Lu Mountains north of the Luo River.

...

Luoyi, the capital of the state of Zheng.

The palace was built on a terrace. A handsome young man, his face filled with sorrow, hurried to the sleeping chamber of Duke Zheng. The guards at the door bowed, and the palace maids curtsied to the side, "Young Master, you have come!"

"How is Father Duke?" the young man asked, his face full of sorrow. He was Baili Cong.

"The Duke's condition is not good!" A doctor came out of the sleeping chamber. It was Gongyang Ye, the chief minister of Zheng, who bowed to Baili Cong and gave him a meaningful look.

"I am worried about Father Duke and wish I could take his illness upon myself. I don't know when my brother will return, sigh!" Baili Cong said, entering the sleeping chamber, a deep meaning in his eyes, while Gongyang Ye blinked.

Inside the sleeping chamber, maids were attending to the Duke. Baili Cong's face was filled with sorrow, and he waved his hand, signaling the maids to leave.

The maids curtsied and left, and Baili Cong's face turned grim.

Duke Zheng opened his eyes, making a hoarse sound but unable to speak, clearly with phlegm in his throat, but his eyes were filled with hatred.

"Father Duke, my dear Father Duke, why don't you just die! Are you waiting for my brother, that little bastard, who won't come back!"

"You... you, cough, you wicked son, you sent your brother..." Duke Zheng's face turned red, unable to speak, but in his anger, he managed to break through the phlegm and speak in a broken voice.

"Don't worry, my brother was taken away by Master Zhizhong. Speaking of which, Zhizhong meddled in what was none of his business. The Yama Hall wanted to kill him, but that old bald monk interfered."

"Master Zhizhong, good, good, it's better he doesn't come back!" Duke Zheng seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Father Duke, you are about to die. Everyone around you is my people. Since you only have me, your son, by your side, why don't you make me the heir?"

Duke Zheng closed his eyes and ignored him.

"You refuse the wine and choose the punishment!" Baili Cong sneered, his voice sinister, "Old man, this is your own doing! Do you think I have no way?"

Hearing this, Duke Zheng opened his eyes, fear suddenly appearing in his gaze. A dark brown halo appeared behind Baili Cong's head.

"You, you are..."

"Father Duke, don't think that Master Zhizhong has supernatural powers. Buddhism is not his alone. I have a secret transmission. Your son has taken refuge in the Great Black Heaven Vajra and practiced the Black Sun Tathagata secret technique. I am the Judge of the Yama Hall in Zheng." As Baili Cong spoke, a swastika appeared in his eyes, and Duke Zheng's mind became hazy...

Three days later, Duke Zheng died, and Baili Cong succeeded him, issuing an edict to investigate the assassin who had tried to kill Baili Ming.

At the same time, Duke Zheng's sons, Baili Rui and Baili Zhi, fled. Baili Rui went to the state of Qi, and Baili Zhi went to the state of Sui.

...

Mo Xian spent four days returning to the Eagle's Beak Cliff deep in the Lu Mountains. This was a dangerous place that Mo Xian had discovered by chance after a mission failure when he fled into the mountains. It was a beautiful place suitable for practicing martial arts, so he built a cottage there.

The Eagle's Beak Cliff overlooked a deep abyss, shrouded in mist. The cottage was backed by a cliff, and mist often drifted up.

Everything was peaceful, like a paradise, but Mo Xian stopped, his back slightly hunched, like a frightened animal, his eyes filled with a terrifying light.

With his years of experience as an assassin, Mo Xian sensed a killing aura, as if he were a naked infant in a pack of fierce beasts.

"Indeed, you have discovered it!" The door of the cottage slowly opened.

"It's you, Soul Chaser. What are you doing here?" Mo Xian's eyes were fixed on his face. Soul Chaser was ranked tenth among the thirty-six spirits in the Yama Hall.

Soul Chaser waved a folding fan, which snapped open, one side showing a skull, the other a beauty. He fanned himself, exuding an eerie aura.

"I am here to send you on your way!" Soul Chaser smiled and waved the fan at Mo Xian. Mo Xian's face changed, and he reared back as several faint blue needles with a faintly fishy smell passed by his face.

A sword appeared in Mo Xian's hand, and a dazzling light flashed. The sword exploded, and Soul Chaser immediately retreated, his fan opening to block in front of him. The beauty on the fan turned into a skull, as if about to leap out, and Mo Xian's slender sword pierced the skull.

The sword immediately felt as if it were on fire, the heat turning half of it red. In an instant, the beauty's charm faded, and a strange and eerie technique that Mo Xian did not recognize was at work.

However, Mo Xian was ranked above Soul Chaser. Soul Chaser's face suddenly turned red, then white, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, a smile in his eyes.

Mo Xian's body also swayed. Seeing Soul Chaser retreat two steps, he was about to attack when he felt a tightness on his left side, his heart sinking. He flipped to the right, and a slender water divider flashed, slicing a slit in his left waist.

A cold chill swept over his waist, and Raksha Ghost shook her head regretfully, smiling, "Explosive Ghost, you are quite agile!"

Mo Xian did not look at his waist. Raksha Ghost was ranked fourth, beautiful and delicate, but everything about her was a facade. Anyone who felt pity for her was not far from death.

"Why?" Mo Xian knew he might die here. As an assassin, he had long understood that this day would come, but he did not expect that the one who would kill him would be from the Yama Hall.

"The Soul Collector wants you dead, so prepare to die!" Another voice sounded, but the person did not appear.

Mo Xian's face changed, and he laughed bitterly, "It's the famous Shadow Ghost. Three spirits to deal with me, I should be honored, but I am not willing!"

With that, his slender sword hummed, suddenly emitting a dazzling light. The sword tip turned, and the sword split into two, each aiming at Soul Chaser and Raksha Ghost.

"You have actually refined the Sun Sword, I underestimated you! Even if you have refined the Sun Sword, what does it matter? Forcing it will harm your body, and your lifespan will not exceed ten years. Since you will die sooner or later, I will send you on your way!" As he spoke, a figure appeared in front of Mo Xian, a thread of silk flashing in his hand.

Mo Xian's two strikes at Soul Chaser and Raksha Ghost were suddenly entangled by an invisible thread. Mo Xian immediately let go and leaped back.

"Too late!" Shadow Ghost sneered, and an iron lotus flower struck Mo Xian from the air.

Mo Xian roared, pressing his hand against the lotus. The lotus paused, then curved, striking his abdomen. Mo Xian screamed, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and fell off the cliff, plummeting into the mist.