Chapter 21: Bronze Killer

Chou Ying had been feeling quite frustrated these past two days.

As a bronze-level killer of Mo Sha, most of his assassination targets were martial artists at the seventh level of Yuan Qi or above. But this time, the mission he accepted was to assassinate a rookie at the first level of Yuan Qi.

Being able to hold the title of bronze killer meant that his strength had been preliminarily recognized by the organization. Chou Ying's strength was at the seventh level of Yuan Qi, and the missions he received were usually against martial artists of equal or even higher strength. Sending him to assassinate a rookie at the first level of Yuan Qi was nothing short of an insult.

Chou Ying was an ambitious killer; his goal was to become a gold-level killer, so he trained very hard within Mo Sha. He studied lurking, disguise, and one-hit kills with great dedication, and his strength grew quickly.

To stimulate his potential, Chou Ying often took on extremely difficult missions. Once, he accepted a mission to assassinate a martial artist at the ninth level of Yuan Qi. He completed the mission against all odds, and from then on, he gained the organization's attention and received more resources.

This time, the target was said to be a reckless playboy from the Qin Kingdom, ignorant and unlearned, only at the first level of Yuan Qi at fifteen—definitely the type that couldn't be helped. It was said that the employer paid a large sum and insisted that a bronze-level killer must handle it.

Against such an opponent, Chou Ying could crush him with a single finger.

However, Chou Ying was a very professional killer. Although he dismissed the employer's caution, he still prepared thoroughly.

Many of his peers had taught him a lesson with their blood—even a lion must use its full strength when hunting a rabbit.

In the past, many rookie-level or even bronze-level killers from Mo Sha had died in vain because they underestimated their weak opponents and killed openly.

As expected, the target's father had originally arranged for two experts to accompany him, which made Chou Ying feel quite troubled.

But Chou Ying was very confident in his assassination skills. As long as he made good use of the time and place, he could definitely kill the target under the protection of those two experts.

Who would have thought that this foolish playboy would not bring those two attendants, only taking another boy and a little girl out of the city?

Heh heh, since you're asking for death, I won't be polite. Watching from afar, Chou Ying's heart was pounding with excitement.

After leaving the city, Chou Ying followed the three from a distance, showing no intention of making a move. He had already surveyed the road from the imperial city to Danwu Academy and was fully confident about where to strike.

The three didn't seem to be in a hurry, enjoying the scenery along the way, quite leisurely.

"Hey, enjoy yourselves while you can. This is the last happiness in your lives," Chou Ying sneered inwardly.

Seeing that they were about to reach Danwu Academy, Chou Ying circled ahead to a rocky mound he had long chosen as the ambush point. The area was full of rocks, perfect for hiding. He planned to deliver a fatal blow to Ye Yuan here.

Just as Ye Yuan and his companions were about to enter his kill zone, they stopped, which caught Chou Ying off guard.

…

"Come out. You've been following us all this way; you must be tired, right?" Ye Yuan's voice drifted leisurely into Chou Ying's ears.

No one answered…

This kid… Could he be bluffing?

Trying to trick me into coming out? Heh, that must be it!

But I underestimated this kid. He actually guessed that someone would send an assassin. But since he guessed, why didn't he bring his attendants? Could it be that the two attendants have been following them all along, and even I didn't notice?

But how is that possible?

Those two attendants are at most as strong as me. If they had been following these three, I would have definitely noticed!

As a bronze-level killer, Chou Ying was quite confident in his lurking and tracking skills. If a Liquid Essence realm martial artist were following, it would be understandable that he couldn't detect them, but those two attendants were only Yuan Qi realm martial artists; there was no way he wouldn't have noticed.

Regardless, as long as they entered his attack range, he would send that Ye Yuan straight to meet the King of Hell.

…

"Young master, what's wrong?" Lü'er didn't know why Ye Yuan suddenly said that and asked in confusion.

Tang Yu, on the other hand, was quite alert. As soon as Ye Yuan spoke, he became vigilant.

"Heh, just a petty thief, nothing to worry about," Ye Yuan said nonchalantly.

Seeing Ye Yuan's indifferent attitude, Lü'er became even less concerned: "But young master, where is that bad guy hiding?"

"There, behind that big rock. I reckon he's waiting for us to pass so he can ambush us," Ye Yuan said with a smile, pointing with his chin.

Ye Yuan's words made Chou Ying's just-relaxed heart tighten again. Wasn't he exactly behind a big rock?

But this was a rocky mound with big rocks everywhere. How could that kid know which rock he was hiding behind?

Still trying to trick me into coming out?

I, Chou Ying, am a professional killer. How could I be provoked by such a weak provocation?

"Hey, your mind is disturbed. That's not good," Ye Yuan's voice came again, and Chou Ying shuddered.

As a killer, Chou Ying had always believed that his mind had reached a state of utter calm. But Ye Yuan's words just now had truly unsettled him.

How was that possible? The other party was just a rookie at the first level of Yuan Qi!

Had he really discovered me? Was he not bluffing?

Just then, Ye Yuan's devilish voice once again drilled into his ears: "How about this? I'll throw a pebble. If I hit the right rock, you come out. If I miss, I'll keep walking. Deal?"

As soon as the words fell, Chou Ying heard a whistling sound. Then came the crisp sound of a small pebble hitting a rock—the very rock he was leaning against…

Chou Ying knew there was no hope left. Ye Yuan really knew he was hiding there; he wasn't bluffing.

Revealing himself, Chou Ying saw the three teenagers looking at him. The one in the middle had a strange smile on his face—it was his target, Ye Yuan.

"How did you find me?" Chou Ying asked with a dark expression.

He really couldn't understand how a rookie at the first level of Yuan Qi could have discovered him. Right now, he most wanted to know what was wrong with his concealment so he could improve in future missions.

As for whether these three could threaten him, he hadn't even considered it.

How could a bronze-level killer of Mo Sha be defeated by three rookies?

"Want to know? I'm not telling you!" Ye Yuan seemed unwilling to answer Chou Ying's question, and indeed couldn't answer it.

He couldn't tell Chou Ying that this body housed a very powerful soul.

"You're asking for death!" Just as Chou Ying was about to strike, he suddenly stopped: "Eh, you're at the third level of Yuan Qi! That doesn't match the intelligence!"