A cloud sliced through the air, tracing an arc, whipping up a fierce blade wind composed of what seemed like countless silver threads, hacking and slashing straight toward Xiao Changlei Ming.

This change was far too swift! Xiao Changlei Ming hadn't anticipated it at all. With the entrance to the Four Seasons Valley right behind him, someone actually appeared, and even more unbelievably, it was that small blacksmith from the Franlin Smithy. And this clash of power...

In his haste, Xiao Changlei Ming crossed his twin short spears upward. The battle-knife instantly slammed down onto the spear shafts. A massive surge of brute force, combined with a sharp impact, shot through his hands and arms, his shoulders. Pain and soreness spread to every corner of his body, his backside involuntarily sinking toward the ground. The two short spears let out a mournful cry the moment they made contact, instantly severed in half, the chilling blade edge lunging directly at Xiao Changlei Ming's forehead!

This was...? Shorty Three was startled by the sudden burst of Drenching Power. Years spent in the life of assassination allowed him to keenly seize this golden opportunity! His body and mind unified in an instant. He shot out from the bushes like a wolf, a slender rapier in hand, stabbing toward the back of Qian Jin's head!

The assassin—only the one who actually takes the life can claim the larger bounty. Shorty hadn't been confident in killing Qian Jin alone, forcing him to team up with Nashida One. But at this moment, he knew clearly: Qian Jin must be distracted by making a move; this bounty belongs to me now.

The slender rapier was like a viper's tongue, locking onto the back of Qian Jin's head in the blink of an eye! Shorty could almost smell the pungent yet exciting stench of blood and brain matter as Qian Jin's head was pierced, and he could almost see his blissful future after saving Xiao Changlei Ming—forcing the location of the Doushi Ore Vein out of him.

A flash of chilling, bright blade light shattered Shorty's fantasy! Qian Jin's left foot, planted on the ground, suddenly twisted. The whole man, along with his descending battle-knife, executed a huge pivot. The broadsword abruptly etched a brilliant straight line across the air with the momentum of sweeping away a thousand soldiers.

"So the hidden viper finally shows itself!" Qian Jin smiled, the look of a successful schemer on his face. For days, he had felt watched, unable to locate the follower. Water Lotus Ying'er’s expression had stirred his thoughts, leading him to conceive a way to test if enemies lurked in the shadows.

The moment Shorty struck, Qian Jin instantly sensed that bone-piercing chill. He immediately abandoned the opponent who had lost his spears and was clearly terrified—Xiao Changlei Ming—and turned his broadsword directly toward the viper, Shorty, behind him.

Shorty was suspended in mid-air, unable to dodge due to a lack of leverage, so he held his steel sword vertically beside him! The broadsword struck the long sword, producing a loud, crisp metallic clang. The thin sword shattered without surprise.

How is this possible? I spent a fortune in gold coins to acquire this rapier, forged from Grade Eight Refined Iron! Although the blade is thin, it is still Grade Eight Refined Iron..." Shorty's eyes widened in shock. The broadsword shattered the long sword and plunged into his body.

With a blade so wide and thick, Qian Jin was confident he could cleave a real warhorse in half, let alone a human being whose volume was far less than that of a horse.

Pfft! Shorty's bones didn't even make a sound as they snapped. Bursts of blood and internal organs sprayed into the air.

Cut in half at the waist! Qian Jin didn't even glance at the spraying organs and blood; he had seen far too much of this in the Endless World. Utilizing the momentum of his waist, his head and upper torso swung sharply to the side. From the nearby bushes, a whistle-like cry tore through the air. A sharp arrow grazed past Qian Jin's chest, embedding itself nearly three inches deep into a tree just behind him! The remaining shaft of the arrow vibrated slightly in the air, humming incessantly.

That was close! A cold sweat broke out on Qian Jin's forehead. Luckily, in the Endless World, dangerous assassins often have more dangerous backup. He stamped his left foot against the ground and lunged toward the bushes, his broadsword hacking through the air. He knocked down a second arrow.

"How is this possible?" Nashida Two was so shocked his entire body of fat trembled violently. Qian Jin, having been distracted during the fight, should have been at his least focused moment after splitting Shorty Three. This arrow was aimed at what he thought was a high-level Demon Subjugation Warrior, so how could both arrows fail consecutively? In that brief moment of astonishment, Qian Jin's figure became clearer in Nashida's eyes. The speed at which he ran further stunned him—this brat was carrying that girl under his arm! How could he still run so fast?

Qian Jin grinned, furiously channeling Drenching Power within his body. Bi Luo, this girl who looked so light and graceful, was indeed heavy to carry while sprinting at speed. Ninety-plus catties was certainly not light.

Nashida's facial fat rippled violently, and his lips twitched with tension, clicking audibly, as if someone were slapping his face repeatedly.

He had seen opponents stronger than Qian Jin before; he had even shot and killed a newly ascended Demon Subjugation Warrior in the past. But Qian Jin running so fast while carrying someone was profoundly shocking.

More importantly, Second Young Master Chuan had trained in archery for years, and his senses were sharper than many warriors of the same rank. Holding his battle-knife, he exuded a dense, bloody killing aura—like a maniac who had just emerged from a sea of blood!

In his panic, Nashida drew and released his third arrow, forcibly steadying his mind to suppress the quiver in his bow. In the span of one deep breath, Qian Jin had closed the distance significantly again.

Just as Nashida was about to call for help from One to block and distract Qian Jin, he suddenly realized that One had vanished at some unknown point.

"Damn it! If I kill Qian Jin, I'll kill you too."

Nashida cursed vehemently to vent his frustration. He drew his powerful bowstring into a full moon, immersing himself wholly in the bow again, using the bow as his eye and the arrow as his heart, forgetting everything else—only the target remained in his sight!

Swoosh! The bowstring vibrated, and the arrow emitted another sharp, piercing whistle as it rotated rapidly through the air. Piercing several falling leaves, it moved like a meteor, trembling up and down due to air resistance, making it impossible to judge the arrow's true target for a moment.

Qian Jin's eyes snapped wide open, his pupils filled with the arrow's trajectory. His legs spread wide as if mounted on a warhorse, steady as a rock. Unconsciously, a dry, hot current surged in his chest. The Iron-Forging Breathing Technique circulated through several Dantian acupoints, and his broadsword momentarily transformed into a blacksmith's hammer. He naturally executed the first strike of the Eighteen Hammer Strikes of Ascending Edge! It slashed toward the fiercest of the three incoming arrows like a shooting star chasing the moon!

Bang! The two forces collided. The arrow instantly exploded into a cloud of dust in mid-air.

"What kind of blade is that?" Nashida was internally shocked. That arrow tip was forged from Grade Nine Iron Essence, purchased from a master craftsman at the Eternal Province Forging Guild! And it was shattered so easily! Almost simultaneously, a blinding cold light erupted from the side. Qian Jin's slashing broadsword reversed its swing, striking horizontally like a club! A crisp metallic sound rang out, followed by a continuous series of cracking sounds as bones broke. One's ribs were instantly pulverized, and his body flew sideways.

Qian Jin followed up with two quick steps, kicking the just-landed abdomen, sending One flying high toward him. Nashida’s hastily loosed fourth and fifth arrows struck One’s throat and abdomen with thwack-thwack sounds, the chilling arrows piercing straight through him.

Nashida ignored the split palm from using his family's secret rapid-fire technique and immediately turned to flee. He cursed internally, "Where did this little monster come from? We are both Level Nine Warriors, and in the short time we met, two Level Nine Warriors are dead! And he seemed to have predicted my rapid-fire volley? Is he really just a Level Nine Warrior?"

"Trying to run?" Qian Jin bent over, picking up the broken hilt from One's hand, carefully aimed at Nashida's back, and hurled it with all his might!

"What is that?" Nashida felt a rush of wind behind him. He slammed his powerful bow, using the momentum of his turn, into the sword hilt. His entire arm felt like it had struck a stone. Sour numbness spread from his arm straight up to his shoulder.

"What kind of monstrous strength does this brat have?" Nashida was truly scared. Never before had a target possessed such poorly handled weapons, yet demonstrated such unbelievable foresight in predicting danger, such ruthlessness in attack, and such ferocious killing intent. And now, even brute strength... Is this kid a Behemoth Bloodline Warrior?

Qian Jin kept running without stopping, surprised himself. When did he gain such accuracy? He threw the hilt out on a whim, just to test things, and it almost hit his opponent? Could it be that the rigorous requirements for the striking point during his iron-forging practice in the past few days had cultivated this ability?

Qian Jin’s mind raced, but his feet never slowed. Occasionally, he snatched fist-sized pinecones from nearby low trees and tossed them like sword hilts. However, his accuracy wasn't as precise as before. Even so, it made Nashida’s heart skip beats, and his foot speed slowed slightly, allowing Qian Jin to catch up.

Their initial distance was only about fifty meters. Beyond that, the power of arrow assassination would diminish too much. The chilling blade edge made Nashida's skin crawl.

"Wait!" Nashida shouted loudly while still running, "Don't you want to know who hired me to kill you?"

Qian Jin roared without hesitation, "Lucas!"

"How did you know—"

"Just as I thought! Then you have no more value." Qian Jin pushed off again with one leg, and the broadsword, executing a 'Tree Felling' move, cleaved Nashida in two. He breathed a slight sigh of relief. Such an enemy absolutely could not be allowed to live. The threat of those arrows was too great. More importantly, he absolutely could not let this fat man return to report to Lucas, or Lucas would learn the full extent of his capabilities. Who knew if he would go mad and hire true Demon Subjugation Warriors at an even higher price?

For more novels, visit storyread.net.